Adventures at Wilder Farm

Last week we traveled down to the Boston area so Lita could tape an interview on The Secret Life of Animals with Vicki Croke. The show will be airing on Sunday August 2nd on NECN (New England Cable News) at 11:30am and 6:30pm. Vicki has a couple of Irish Wolfhounds that roam the set, and last week a 3rd Wolfhound joined, along with a Dachshund and one other dog. What fun!

They talked about Pennies for Elephants and introduced Yellowstone Moran. It was chaos when the taping was over — they cut it close — 2 minutes before the live news at noon was to start, in the same studio we were in! The news anchor lady and a bunch of the crew came storming in and we all grabbed dogs and dog treats and kids and food bowls and whatever we could carry and quickly got out of the studio as the anchor lady sat down in her pink pants suit. And the crew were screaming about chroma screens, and the TV cameras on robotic stands were whizzing around with minds of their own. When we got out in the hallway there was a big TV set up and suddenly the anchor lady was on and she was cool as could be. And we thought we could see some dog hair floating in the background, behind her.

Vicki is the author of several books including The Lady and the Panda (I think this is an older cover):

Also (in other news), there was a nice feature about Lita, Pennies for Elephants and Yellowstone Moran on the Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog this Sunday. And last week we saw a wonderful Pennies for Elephants review from Pam Coughlan (aka Mother Reader) on PBS Booklights.

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I just got back from ALA, and it was fantastic! It was not only my first time at ALA, but an extra special year since our friend and neighbor, Beth Krommes received the Caldecott medal for her book The House in the Night.

My conference began with my participation in the panel discussion — Inspiring Young Citizens: The Library as a Forum for Engagement. It was a great morning. We’re thankful to all those who attended and contributed to the discussion. I was honored to speak with my fellow panel members: authors Anne Sibley O’Brien and Phillip Hoose, librarian, Kelley McDaniel and children’s book advocate, Kirsten Cappy . Please refer to this link if you’d like to learn more about the discussion.

I then zipped over to the Penguin/Viking booth to sign the first F&G copies of my book Yellowstone Moran!

How exciting to have this book soon to be released (September). I’ve literally been working on this idea since I was 4 years old, when I first saw and fell in love with Yellowstone National Park. Over the years, I returned dozens and dozens of times, photographing wildlife with my parents and plein-air painting when I was a landscape painter. All together, I’ve spent over a year’s worth of nights camping and exploring the region, so the release of this book is an extra special moment for me.

My conference continued with a signing at the Disney-Hyperion booth, celebrating the fact that Pennies for Elephants was just released a few weeks ago. Then I rushed back to the hotel to change for the Caldecott banquet. What a thrill to hear Beth accept her award, as well as Neil Gaiman and Ashley Bryan!

I’m savoring the experience now and for the next couple of days before heading out again, this time to the MD/DE/VW SCBWI conference at McDaniel College, where I’ll be speaking with my editor of One Thousand Tracings and Pennies for Elephants, Namrata Tripathi. It’s been a busy summer, and I apologize for not writing more “process” entries lately. But quiet days at the easel will soon return and I’ll share work on the current book!

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Lita is off to Chicago tomorrow for an event filled Sunday at the ALA annual summer conference. First, she’s thrilled that Disney-Hyperion invited her, Kadir Nelson and E. Lockhart to the Caldecott/Newbery Banquet on Sunday night! It’ll be Lita’s first time at ALA and first time at the banquet. Very exciting!

But before that, she’s got a full Sunday of events. Here’s her schedule — in the morning she’s participating in the following program with authors Anne Sibley O’Brien, and Phillip Hoose, librarian, Kelley McDaniel and children’s book advocate, Kirsten Cappy (click on the picture for a pdf of the handout):

Inspiring Young Citizens:
The Library as a Forum for Engagement

Sunday, 7/12/09
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
ALA Annual Conference
McCormick Place West, W-190B
Chicago, IL

How do we excite young readers with possibilities for remaking their world without burdening them with responsibility beyond their years? Authors Lita Judge, Anne Sibley O’Brien, and Phillip Hoose, librarian, Kelley McDaniel and children’s book advocate, Kirsten Cappy will share books, strategies, and book-specific educational curriculum for engaging young people in age-appropriate social issues and actions. Applications will focus on historical figures and movements that inspire contemporary youth.

Then Book signings in the afternoon:

Lita Judge Signing,
Pennies for Elephants and One Thousand Tracings
Sunday, 7/12 from 2:30 – 3:30 PM
Disney-Hyperion, Booth #2247

Yellowstone Moran: Painting the American West
Sunday, 7/12 from 1:30 – 2:00 PM
Penguin, Booth #2120/2122

So if you’re at ALA I hope you get a chance to connect!

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