I’m pretty sure that February ate January, because the last thing I remember is making snow angels on the beach in Michigan. Then, WHOOSH!
February was on the calendar! At least there’s an extra day this month, which is small consolation for losing January, but I’ll take it!
Here’s what I’ve been up to this month:
I attended my first SCBWI national conference in New York City, where I got to see old friends, meet new ones, and hear some amazing people share their knowledge and experience.
On Valentine’s Day, I threw a “book birthday” party for my newest book child, BIG RED AND THE LITTLE BITTY WOLF: A Story About Bullying, at BookCourt in New York. We celebrated with cake and paw-print cookies, and sang “Happy Birthday.” If you’re ever in Brooklyn, stop by this cozy, well-curated bookstore. The employees are friendly, helpful, and passionate about books, and I’m proud that one of them is my son, Brian Ransom.
This was my first year to participate in “World Read Aloud Day,” and it won’t be my last. On February 24th, I visited nine schools in two countries via Skype. The best thing about the day – aside from getting to “travel” to so many schools without leaving my house – were the questions and 
conversations sparked by reading my new book about bullying. If there was ever a doubt in my mind whether I could help more kids as a children’s author than an elementary school counselor, I got my answer February 24th. A big thank you to all the teachers, librarians and students who invited me into their classrooms, as well as to children’s author Kate Messner, for helping connect teachers and authors.
This month, I’ve been trying to whittle down the stack of books I got for Christmas, but I’m afraid I’ve added to the pile after my trip to NYC! In the kids-lit department,
I just started PAX, which I am reading with a box of tissues nearby. My heart is already aching for the pet fox and the boy he’s been separated from. I’m reminded of the childhood classic, LASSIE COME HOME, another tissue-box book. What book’s grabbed your attention recently?
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