The Growing Condor

The condor is filling in nicely as school kids participate in adding their feathers. I read to three kindergarten classes in Elk Grove, California last week. Children are such amazing sponges. They are so thirsty to learn.

I have a couple of events coming up in June. My big one is at the Discovery Museum of Sacramento, June 20-21st from Noon until 4 p.m. I'll be doing a book signing each day; possibly a reading and some activities. We shall see.

My publisher just had a great time at the NYCity Book Expo. It will be great if a ton of people order the book for fall curriculums. Submissions for awards will come up this fall through December, so we'll see about that as well. What ever we can do to get my book in front of as many people as possible, will be great.

I still feel strange just talking about my book to parents out of the blue. But, once I get their kids interested and asking questions, it is easy to wonder - "how can you not get this book for your children?"

I dropped my book of at the Santa Barbara Zoo this weekend. They have a lot of empty exhibits, and then they have this spectacular new California Condor exhibit. I got some incredible pictures of the condors. They are still young with their grey heads. I also walked around the zoo spotting all the species they had there that were in my book - Chinese Alligator, Channel Island Fox, Snow Leopard, Golden Lion Tamarin, Snow Leopard. Some of those are very unique species to zoos, it was nice to see them in well thought out habitats. The jury is still out on how I feel about zoos in general...I feel sad for the ones stuck in them, but again I think for education and survival, zoos are our only chance.