The Museum of Fine Arts Boston has an ingenious fundraiser. They sell sponsorships where florists paired with a fundraiser create a floral arrangement in the likeness of a work of art in the museum. These floral arrangements are scattered throughout the museum, creating a kind of scavenger hunt. Art in Bloom happens twice a year.... The post Museum of Fine Arts: Art in Bloom appeared first on Pragmatic Mom ..read more

We are so proud of our oldest for graduating from Rhode Island School of Design this past June with a degree in Industrial Design, and a minor in Nature Culture Sustainability Studies. She was chosen for the Entrepreneurial Award in her major, Industrial Design:   She was asked to present on her minor,  NCSS (Nature Culture Sustainability Studies):   Her soft goods project on designing a backpack was selected by a jury to be presented in the Senior Art Show.   What is she doing after graduation? She has a fellowship this summer in London with Dark Matters Labs. They are ..read more

Lisa Rogers, Nancy Tupper Ling, Andrew Hackett, and I are doing a Story Time together at Newtonville Books! Please join us on Saturday, August 10th, from 11 am to noon! We will be reading our picture books and doing fun activities! Hint: I am bringing boxing gloves and mitts for the kids!   Picture Book Story Time Newtonville Books 10 Langley Rd Newton Centre, MA 02459 Saturday, August 10th 11 am to noon   We hope you can join us!   To examine any book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.   ..read more

My author visit coincided with the total solar eclipse in the New England area. I myself had viewed the partial solar eclipse in Newton before heading out to Stoughton. Despite competing against the eclipse, the cafeteria at Hansen Elementary School was packed. Even more amazing were the banners that the kids made for me. At first, I didn’t notice them. I assumed they were for something else. But then, I took a close look and the kids drew drawings and left comments about my picture book. I was so touched. I saved the banners and have them in my office! Thank you to Helen H. Hansen elementary ..read more

It was so wonderful to meet Ruth Behar at Newtonville Books. She was on a book tour for her newest book, Across So Many Seas. Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar This is Ruth’s story of the women in her family across multiple generations and the immigrant journeys each took. “Spanning over 500 years, Pura Belpré Award winner Ruth Behar’s epic novel tells the stories of four girls from different generations of a Jewish family, many of them forced to leave their country and start a new life. In 1492, during the Spanish Inquisition, Benvenida and her family are banished from Spain for being Jewish ..read more

My husband discovered fishing off the Charles River as a pandemic activity that we enjoyed together. We took our dog for a walk. I would either paint in watercolor, walk around with my dog for exercise, or I would forage in the woods, at least trying to identify the natural edibles using an app called “Picture This.” We eventually decided to give fly fishing a try and hired Bernie Saggau from Berkshire Rivers Fly Fishing, a fly fishing guide in the Berkshires. Bernie is awesome. He’s very patient. Those lines are awfully easy to tangle when one casts poorly. This was my fourth time fly fishing ..read more

Please welcome my guest author, Gennifer Choldenko. Her latest book is The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman. The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman has garnered 4 starred reviews thus far and is a Junior Library Guild selection. It is an Indie Next pick for July and August 2024 and the Amazon pick for the best children’s book so far this year.     The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko Hank Hooperman hates making mistakes. But right now, every decision feels wrong. His mom left him in charge of his three-year-old sister and hasn’t come home. They are out of ..read more

We are thrilled to be presenting a panel on Farm Children’s Books for nErD Camp PA on July 12th! Calling Educators & Librarians!   Please join me, Maria Gianferrari, Nancy Castaldo & Lindsay H Metcalf for a farm picture book panel moderated by Dr. Wendy Stephens on 7/12 for NerdCamp PA! We hope you can join us!   We will be giving away our books to four winners. #Giveaway #picturebooks #farm   Lindsay Metcalf, Maria Gianferrari, Nancy Castaldo, Professor Wendy Stephens and I will be presenting From Farm to Table to Classroom: Sowing Seeds for a More Hopeful, Equitable ..read more

I met Schulyer Bailar at the Harvard Asian American Alumni Association event. We were both at the author signing event, but the bookstore providing the books did not come through. Despite having no books, he was so nice about it and handed out postcards about his upcoming book event in Harvard Square which he invited me to. And here it is: Schulyer is the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer, and also the first publicly documented NCAA D1 transgender man to compete as a man in any sport. He swam for Harvard, and is currently a research scientist and an author, educator and advocat ..read more

I made a book trailer! We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Victor Bizar Gomez A compelling account of Simon Tam’s fight for free speech that ended with a landmark Supreme Court decision Music is a way to transcend cultures and divides. Simon Tam used his band’s name, The Slants(R), to make a powerful statement that racist insults could no longer be hurtful to Asian Americans. But then the U.S. Trade and Patent Office tries to stop him. In his eight-year battle to win trademark protection, Simon would go al ..read more