An activity for my Missouri friends

I'll be visiting your school soon, Missouri friends.  If you'd like to do some storytelling before I arrive, here's a suggestion.  Have you read ROAR OF A SNORE?  How would you like to write ROAR OF A SNORE 2?

All stories have a main character.  In ROAR OF A SNORE, the main character is Jack.
All stories have a setting or a place where they happen.  In ROAR OF A SNORE, the setting is the farmhouse and the barn.
All stories have a problem or a plot.  In ROAR OF A SNORE, the problem is that Jack can't sleep because of the loud snore.

For  ROAR OF A SNORE 2, I'd like you to use Molly Olsen, the girl at the end, as your main character.

Molly will have the same problem as Jack.  She’ll be awakened by a very loud snore.

But I want you to make the setting different.  Instead of a farmhouse and barn, think of a really unusual place, or a far away place, or an imaginary place.  Think of a place where there might be really funny snores or scary snores.  Maybe the jungle.  Maybe a haunted house.  Use your imagination and have fun.

An activity for my Missouri friends

Heart of a Tiger used in anti-bullying program

My Heart of a Tiger is often used to inspire and encourage readers to follow their dreams, but Mars Centennial used it in their anti-bullying program.  Perhaps other schools would be interested.  Here's what was written in their newsletter: 

Fifth-graders Meet Author Via Skype

Fifth-graders at Mars Area Centennial School had an opportunity to meet children’s book author Marsha Diana Arnold of California last week via Skype.

As part of the school’s “Planet Peace” anti-bullying program, the students read Arnold’s book, “Heart of a Tiger.” The book is about a cat named Four, who has to choose a name based on his own characteristics and personality.

“The kids pulled a lot from the story,” says Tammy Mitchell, fifth grade teacher. “Some of the responses from our discussion were, ‘Don’t try to be someone else, because you are great the way you are,’ and ‘You can’t judge someone on what they are on the outside; you have to look inside to get to know someone.’”

In their math classes, the students are counting the number of letters, vowels and consonants in their names and are collecting data and writing fractions identifying mean, median, mode and range. All of the information will be displayed on a graph in the classroom.

The students also participated in a “home project” to identify the meaning and origin of their names.

Heart of a Tiger used in anti-bullying program

The Bravest of Us All is one of 150 "Best" Kansas books

I received wonderful news from Julie Branstetter Krehbiel this morning.  She works as a librarian in Kansas, so is up on all things librarian.  

Two of my books are on the 150 "Best" Kansas Books selected by the State Library for the Kansas sesquicentennial: Prancing, Dancing Lily and The Bravest of Us All. Both were inspired by my Kansas family, so I'm delighted.  If you want to read about the "story behind the story" you can find it at my Book Gallery on my website, www.marshadianearnold.com.

Let me show you a picture of part of the family who inspired The Bravest of Us All. This is my father and his brothers.  Velma Jean and Ruby Jane weren't born yet here.  There were 8 in all, but only 7 in the book.  I felt 8 was one too many to make my illustrator, Brad Sneed, deal with.  And 7 is my lucky number. :-)

The Bravest of Us All is one of 150 "Best" Kansas books

Creative Spaces

I am delighted to have been asked by Jennifer Bertman to be part of her Creative Spaces.  Jennifer has a wonderful blog, which I find visually stunning.  You can find her at www.writerjenn.blogspot.com.  I'm the interview for January 10th, 2011.  What a lovely way to begin the New Year.

I think the space in which we live and work is very important.  Beauty begets beauty.  That's why I feel so lucky to have a beautiful space to work and a beautiful garden to look out on.

Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler suggests finding a place and objects where you go and engage with only when you're writing fiction.  It's a way to help writers get into the zone.  Good idea, I think.  But he cautions that if you're traveling or somewhere else that doesn't excuse you from writing every day (with maybe one day off.)

So here's my creative space, my writing room.  Thank you, Jennifer, for coming to visit.

Marsha Diane Arnold's Creative Space

Creative Spaces

Skyping across the miles

I love visiting students all over the world in person, but if I can't always travel to them, I enjoy skyping as well.  Amy Johnson, Technology Integration Specialist with Parkway School District in St. Louis, MO recently arranged a skype visit between Hanna Woods School and me.  The school had just purchased all of my books to do an author study (Thank you Hannah Woods.)  They had great questions when we met.  Here's what's truly grand.  They have a "friend" class in Oklahoma that did an author study and skype visit with another author.  After everyone had completed skype visits, the two "friend" classes skyped to share what they'd learned from both authors.  Round and round we go with Skype!  I'm getting dizzy!

Skyping across the miles

I just finished putting information packets and Letters of Agreement in the mail to Missouri and Texas schools. I'd love to add schools to these visits, so if you live in Missouri or Texas and would like me to visit your school, let me know. I'm currently booked in Missouri the week of March 21st and would love to stay for the week of March 28th. I'm booked in Fairfield, Texas (Dallas area) on May 5th and would love to be there at least a week.

Of course, if you're not from Missouri or Texas, I'd love to see you to. Just contact me through my website, www.marshadianearnold.com

Everyone's a Story Magician

My SCBWI regional advisors, Erin Dealey and Patti Newman arranged for a videographer to video the Norca group. It was scary, but a wonderful learning experience. I hope lots of teachers and librarians invite me to their schools, so lots of kids will learn the Storymagician rap.

Everyone's a Story Magician