Stories. Hope. Light. Love.
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February 27, 2024
On Saturday, I was with 500-plus educators at Anderson’s Children’s Literature breakfast in Chicago. I got a chance to talk one-on-one with many teachers and librarians. Again and again, I got to hear about the beauty and power of reading a story aloud. Reading a story to a classroom makes everyone feel less alone, more…
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February 20, 2024
“Every good story is a love story.” Two weeks from today, Ferris’ love story will be out in the world. In the meantime, I’ll be walking around the neighborhood putting copies into Little Free Libraries. “What is it that you want readers to take away from this book?” someone recently asked me. This: I want…
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February 14, 2024
Fifty years ago, when I was home sick from school on Valentine’s Day, my mother sat by my bed and read aloud to me from Paddington At Large. She read me the whole book. We laughed together. It was the best Valentine’s Day gift. Thank you, Betty DiCamillo, for reading to me. Thank you to…
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February 6, 2024
I woke up the other morning worried and sad. I thought about Despereaux–that mouse who is afraid and small but still manages to do the impossible. How does he do it? Love, of course. Love, and stories. The mouse is captivated by the words “once upon a time.” They promise him something. They promise me…
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January 30, 2024
I received a letter from an eight year old who wanted me to know that her teacher read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane aloud to the class. “And my teacher cried at the end and I told my mother about the book and now guess what? My mother is reading the book too! We…
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January 23, 2024
On a recent trip to New York City, I was running through the airport to meet a friend, and in my haste, I almost went down the up-escalator. I caught myself in the nick of time. When I was on the down-escalator, I heard a voice say, “That was close. I could see it all…