February 21st, 2011
www.eastcoastvulturefestival.org
Vulture View Fans, this just in, from Scott Barnes at the Wenonah Environmental Commission:
“…the 6th edition of the East Coast Vulture Festival will be held as usual on the first Saturday in March. Even though the Evening Roost event is on hiatus this year, there are still plenty of fun and educational activities in store for our afternoon Children’s Fair, held from 2pm to 5 pm.
The central gathering point this year will be the Wenonah Community Center, the wonderfully renovated train station right in the middle of town on Mantua Avenue. While there, you can explore games, crafts, and educational displays. Our ever-popular Vulture Store will feature plush toys and other nature-themed merchandise. And from 2 to 4 PM, you can watch live animal demonstrations such as hawks, owls, turtles, and snakes, presented by our friends from the Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge.”
Vulture View
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December 13th, 2010

I’m watching the live streaming at whitehouse.gov of the signing of this important bill. Hurray for all those working to reform school lunches and make them healthier. I’m so glad that Michelle Obama has taken on childhood obesity as a major issue for her work as first lady. As many of you know, I’ve been concerned about this issue for years.
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Tags: nutrition, vegetables
Posted in Blog Blab, News Update, Vegetable Girl Garden & Food Blog | 1 Comment »
November 27th, 2010
While cleaning out my files, I found a magazine clipping about grasshoppers,, “Hooray for Hoppers,” by Diane Swanson, Ranger Rick magazine. I love Ranger Rick. It’s such an inspiring resource, a perfect monthly gift for the curious kid. The article says “An average grasshopper can jump a distance 20 times its length. Humans can jump only about five times their length…”
I can imagine educators coming up with some great activities related to these facts. Those activities might go along with my new book, released in February, IF YOU’RE HOPPY, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic, published by Greenwillow.
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October 19th, 2010
Education student Jamie Steigerwalt recently wrote to me about what she presented in class as part of an author/book study. With her permission, I’m reprinting it here.
I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how my presentation went last night. Everything went well and my class was very excited to hear about you. I must admit, it was so easy to talk about you and your books. I chose to do my activities on Hush Little Puppy, Stars Beneath Your Bed, and Splish, Splash, Animal Baths. I did a phonics activity with Hush Little Puppy and focused on rhyming.
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May 8th, 2010
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February 2nd, 2010
Just out (Feb 2010) is my brand new book based on an old favorite. Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! has new layers in the main text, new endmatter on multiple species, and new illustrations by Annie Patterson. I was able to incorporate turtle behaviors I witnessed recently. Hooray for Charlesbridge for making this book even better than the previous one. This book is featured in NSTA’s Picture Perfect Science Lessons by Ansberry and Morgan, two crackerjack presenters.
It was recently featured as a book of the week at the wonderful CCBC, Cooperature Children’s Book Center. Hurray!
Tags: picture books, reptiles, science, turtles
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February 2nd, 2010
ALA librarians called on collective wisdom to assemble a list of books great for use with autistic students, in this case, 7th graders. The list included Ant, Ant, Ant: An Insect Chant (illus by Park) ; Trout, Trout, Trout: a Fish Chant (illus by Park) , and Bird, Bird, Bird: a Chirping Chant (illus by Locke). The list is here: http://connect.ala.org/node/93738
Tags: chant books, special needs
Posted in Blog Blab, Miscellaneous, Standards and Curriculum | No Comments »
January 21st, 2010
For 20 years United Through Reading has been bringing families together by having parents and grandparents read books on tape and DVD so their child can see/hear their parent sharing something good. This program helps incarcerated parents, military parents, and grandparents who live far away from their children. What a cool program! I found it because a google alert told me that Vulture View was on their recommended list. Hooray for all that United Through Reading does!
http://www.unitedthroughreading.org/about/greattransitionalbooks_justthefacts.php
Tags: Vulture View
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January 7th, 2010
Look through the credits for the Princess and the Frog movie (Disney) and you’ll see a big credit to our beloved Coleen Salley, New Orleans storyteller and great cheerleader for children’s books, including nonfiction read alouds. We miss Coleen! But check out Mama Odie, a character in the movie. You’ll see some of Coleen’s spirit and way of talking, for sure!
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