2010 Printers Row Lit Fest

Next Saturday, June 12th, I will be participating in a panel discussion with fellow children's book authors: Kat Falls, Meggan Hill, Barb Rosenstock & Kristen Walker :


SHOW, DON’T TELL: Up Front and Personal with Five (!) First-Time Chicago Children’s Book Authors Moderated by Esther Hershenhorn.  Five first-time children’s book authors share their Tales from the Front – the thrills, the surprises, the rewards, the Reality  A portion of the time will be given to Q & A.


You can find us at the Hotel Blake, 500 S. Dearborn, Second floor, Chicago at 1:00 pm.  I'm really looking forward to this - it'll be my first (maybe only) time on a panel.  Hope to see you there!

Good Kirkus Review for 1 ZANY ZOO

My editor sent me the Kirkus review for my book, 1 ZANY ZOO, and they like it!!  Here are a couple of quotes from it:

". . . An array of further animal antics unfolds in bouncy verse (full of phonetic Seussian crunch) amid equally antic pictures . . ."

" . . . Degman’s verse is bright—this text won the Cheerios New Author Contest—and animator Jack’s digitally produced creatures, both animal and human, are pleasingly Bill Peet–esque. Crackling good fun . . . "

YAHOO!!

Pomp and Circumstance

My son, Sean, graduated from Western Illinois University yesterday!  He got a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education.  I know he's going to be a phenomenal teacher!

Congratulations, Sean!  I'm so proud!!

National Limerick Day

Did you know today is National Limerick Day?  I didn't know until this morning, but I'm going to put it on my calendar for next year.  In honor of NLD, I wrote a little limerick.  I'd love if you'd write one too and post it in your comment :-)

There once was a picture book writer,

Who’d edit to make her work tighter,

She polished each line,

To make every word shine,

A contract would surely delight her.

Hearing vs Not Hearing

One of my students, Alix Z., drew the picture below to enter in the SEDOL Student Art Fair.   The right side (our right) shows how she hears without her hearing aids and the left side shows how she hears with her hearing aids.  Didn't she do an awesome job?!