August 12, 2008 – 11:54 am
So, I went to Philly to sign 2000 books (!!!) for Toys-R-Us. To accomplish this great feat I visited the Simon and Schuster warehouse in NJ. We were able to tour this huge and amazing place! Wow, do I ever have a stronger appreciation for the heroes behind the scenes. To manage, store and pack all of those hundreds of thousands of books in a timely manner! The work and organization that goes into this really boggles the mind.
You cannot imagine how hot, huge, and noisy the warehouse is. It must have been over one hundred degrees in there. With all the noise and the movement of the books on the hundreds of conveyor belts I felt almost like I might faint. The employees just went about their job amid all the bustle and heat. It certainly was fascinating to witness.
I never really thought about what it takes to pack and ship all those books of mine. Now that I know more about it I have to say I am so grateful to everybody who makes it possible.
Also, the people at the warehouse were so kind and welcoming. They really made me feel special and I so appreciate that. So a big thank you to all the publisher employees who don’t get as much publicity as the authors, illustrators, and editors. WE APPRECIATE YOU!
K….
I have been away on a trip to Philly. I had a great time!
Purpose of the trip: I went to sign almost 2000 books for a Toys-R-Us promo. It was actually cheaper and easier to fly me to the books than to fly the books to me! The Simon & Schuster warehouse is actually in New Jersey, very close to Philadelphia.
We stayed for an extra day to take in the local history and investigate Philly cheesesteaks. One of my guilty pleasures is watching Food Network, and one of their shows featured two Philly cheeesesteak joints–Pat and Geno’s. The two sit caddy corner from each other and are longtime rivals. So we tested both. Bottom line impressions:
Pat’s: Very rude service and we found a hair on the sandwich. Overall the sandwich was flat, rather dry beef on a french roll with some grilled onions and cheese whiz. I could live without.
Geno’s: Very friendly service and everybody there seemed happy. The sandwich was similar in flavor to Pat’s but it tasted better because we didn’t find a hair and we were treated nicely. Maybe I just “don’t get” the Philly cheesesteak phenomenon? I’ve since read some reviews that state that these two establishments cater to tourists and that there are local mom and pop joints with better “steaks”. Hmmm… Oh well, it was fun going just for the experience. And the fries at both places were good and fried in hot, hot grease so really crispy.
We saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
We decided to go out to an Italian restaurant. While we were there we heard this huge party going on in the back room. There was much clapping and singing and merriment. It sounded so fun we asked the waiter about it. He informed us that Julie Andrews was attending the party! We took a quick sneak peek and sure enough, there she was! Mary Poppins! We didn’t invade her privacy (well, other than spying on her while she was attending a party…heh heh!). It was just so amazing to see her in the flesh!
I am currently exhausted from all the traveling and glad to be home. I love to visit the city, but I am just a country girl at heart. Perhaps that is why I write about bears, frogs and moose. 
Glad to be home,
K…
I want to share something with you because it really touched me and helped me to realize how much (probably too much) I have.
Our family sponsors children in third world countries. I’m a strong supporter of Compassion because the charity watch organizations rate them highly and also because they allow me to have direct interaction with my child. Letters and photos assure me that the money I send provides absolute necessities to the children and their families.
One of my sponsored children is in Bangladesh. He’s very articulate in his letters to me and he wants to grow up to be a teacher. A few months ago I sent an extra gift of $75 which goes directly to the family. To be honest I didn’t think much of it. Our family can spend that much on one meal out. It’s a small gift, not so noteworthy. But I know it goes further in third world countries. I clicked a few buttons and forgot all about it.
Yesterday I got a letter from my sponsor child. One line hit me hard. He thanked for the gift and said that with the money his family was able to buy “a cow and some chocolates”. A cow! His family bought a cow, which in Bangladesh can be life changing, with what I consider chump change. I’m having a hard time articulating how I felt…I suddenly had a small grasp on how much different my life is than the majority of people in the world.
And it’s a strange conundrum because while I feel happy that a family benefited from the gift, I feel almost guilty that I sent it off so casually. It wasn’t even a sacrifice to me, it was simply a few mouse clicks.
And the chocolates also hit me. I imagine my sponsored child savoring the chocolate much like Charlie in Willy Wonka. Chocolate must be a rare treat or why would he have even mentioned it?
Anyway, not really relevent to writing or children’s book, but I had to share.
K…
I feel that rhyme and meter are fundamentals in poetry. Some people say that rhyme is a constraint which places unnatural boundaries on free thought. Others argue that since free verse is easier for children to write, it’s a good starting place. I personally (and it’s simply my opinion) don’t agree. Free verse can be very beautiful, but I feel children should be introduced to it after they have learned to write poetry with structure. Children naturally tune into and respond to verse. Rhyme and meter set language patterns and vocabulary context into their minds. They will feel a real sense of accomplishment upon writing their first rhymed poem.
But how do you teach them concepts like proper meter without sounding like the poetry police? One thing I like to do is have them start out by rewriting popular nursery rhymes and songs they are probably already familiar with. Mary Had a Little Lamb, Little Miss Muffet, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star are a few examples. But when rewriting them turn them into a hilarious joke. Don’t shy away from “hee hee” bathroom humor (within limits). Allowing kids to explore the “forbidden humor” will draw them right into the lesson.
The great thing about this approach is that kids already have the meter footprint in their mind from the original poem. As you brainstorm ideas with them you can point out where their version strays from the meter of the original and help them think of rewording that fits.
Here is an example (from my upcoming book “What’s the Weather Inside” of a nursery rhyme rewritten in a new and silly way.
Miss Muffet’s Revenge
Little Miss Muffet,
sat on her tuffet
eating a yogurt parfait.
Along came a spider
who sat down beside her.
She squished it
and flicked it away.
Karma
