Author of Children's Books
I had a wonderful time at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland on Friday where I read from my books, Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay and Olly’s Treasure. It was great to see kids having fun at the festival and learning about oysters and waterfowl on the Chesapeake Bay. Children also made stick puppets of Olly the Oyster to take home with them! A big thank you to Cathy Fawell for coordinating and making this event so special.
Make these fun skipjacks out of paper towel tubes and recycled paper.
According to the Maryland Sea Grant, skipjacks were made by oystermen over 100 years ago specifically to dredge for oysters. They were named after the skipjack fish because they are quick and agile in the water. There were once over a thousand skipjacks on the Chesapeake Bay. Now there are only about 20 left. And, even less are still actively used to dredge for oysters. Continue reading “Maryland Skipjack Craft”
I visited the School of the Incarnation in Gambrills, Maryland recently to help them celebrate Maryland Day! Students made their own oysters out of coffee filters, complete with pearls made out of craft poms. I read to students from my new book, Olly Explores 7 Wonders of the Chesapeake Bay, which highlights some of the interesting sights along the Chesapeake Bay. We talked about the local Calvert Cliffs, the Cape Henry Lighthouses, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and several other great places along the bay where families can visit and explore. Continue reading “School of the Incarnation”
I had so much fun visiting the Calvert Marine Museum last week for their Little Minnows program! After listening to a reading of Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay, students made stick puppets of the characters from the book and participated in a puppet show. Everyone had a part! Special thanks to Maureen Baughman, Kate Dumhart and Laura Cole for organizing this wonderful event. Continue reading “Calvert Marine Museum”
I recently visited students at Eastport Elementary School in Annapolis, Maryland for their “Reading Under the Stars“ night. Special thanks to Kristin Blundell for making it a great visit! I read from my book Olly’s Explores 7 Wonders of the Chesapeake Bay and the children made their own Skipjacks!
Skipjacks were originally built by oystermen over 100 years ago to dredge for oysters on the Chesapeake Bay. Some of these historical boats still sail today! Continue reading “Eastport Elementary School”
I visited the preschoolers at St. Margaret’s Day School in Annapolis, Maryland on Monday and Wednesday. Special thanks to Tricia Hallberg McVeigh for coordinating! I read from my book Olly’s Explores 7 Wonders of the Chesapeake Bay and the children made their own Great Blue Heron stick puppets complete with real blue feathers! Continue reading “St. Margaret’s Day School”
We had a beautiful day for Patuxent River Appreciation Days this year at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland. It was so much fun spending the day with Kelli Nash (illustrator for the Olly the Oyster books and Mallory the Forgetful Duck) and the great folks at the Calvert Marine Museum. We had a great time meeting with families looking for books about local sea life, and catching up with fellow authors we see year to year, including John Into and Nancy Price, authors of Fundamentals of Model Boat Building and Richard LaMotte, author of Pure Sea Glass. Continue reading “Patuxent River Appreciation Days”
I had so much fun at the Baltimore Book Festival this weekend with fellow authors Barbara Beck and Carol Saucier. It was doubly enjoyable sharing the experience with my daughter as I met Olly fans and people who love children’s books. A big thanks to the organizers of the Festival and to Kathy MacMillan of the SCBWI Maryland/Delaware/West Virginia chapter (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) for their hard work in putting together this wonderful event for us and book lovers in and around the city! Continue reading “Baltimore Book Festival”