Lilly Badilly spent an evening with an extra special group of children with cancer at Gilda’s Club last night in Fort Lauderdale. The children’s program is called “Noogieland,” in honor of Staurday Night Live’s comedian, Gilda Radner, who died from ovarian cancer in 1989. The kids learned all about writing, reading and Costa Rica. Then we did a craft project – a decorated paper bird to hang. Thanks to one of our Corporate Partners (who wishes to remain anonymous) we were able to donate a book to each of the children who participated. Thank you, thank you, thank you TB!

I cannot say enough about what a wonderful place Gilda’s Club is to be and how dedicated the volunteers and staff members are there. If you are not familiar with this organization, Gilda’s Club is a completely free cancer support center – not only for those who are ill – but for all member of their families. Networking groups, lectures, workshops, specialized children’s and teen programs, and social events are all part of their programs. The South Florida location is housed in a gorgeous old mansion in the historic section of Fort Lauderdale along the Tarpon River. They rely upon donations to keep their indispensable services going. I cannot think of a better cause to support! I am sure that Gilda herself would be so proud of what the organization using her name has accomplished and how many lives it has touched. If you or anyone you know needs cancer support, check out the website to find locations near you.

I hope to be invited back soon to do more craft projects. Special thanks to Elisa Jones, Noogieland Manager, for inviting me.

Gilda’s Club of S Florida is housed in a most inviting historic house

I was greeted by a gorgeous peacock upon my arrival at Gilda’s Club

Sharing my character voices with the children

The children loved making paper birds

An adorable 5th grade girl shows me her blue bird.

It is gardening season in Miami, and one of my favorite schools, Miami Christian, is starting its wonderful winter gardening program for the year. Elementary students plant organic vegetables in raised beds outside their classrooms. At harvest time, they sell their veggies to community members. And the money earned is sent to an orphanage is India. How splendid is that? The children learn so much, and they are doing such a generous deed for the needy at the same time.

Today I visited the school to talk to the students about what I know about organic gardening and especially keeping those pests off the plants. Then we planted a few tomato seedlings I grew for them. I praise Miami Christian for their project, and I adore their curious students!

There’s a whole lot more to come . . .

Raised beds make for easier gardening for the children

An eager student from Ms. Cabrera’s class plants a tomato seedling

A board in Ms. Cabrera’s classroom proudly displays photos and letters of thanks from the children in the Indian orphanage

My author visit today at Whispering Pines Elementary in Boca Raton, FL was a whole lot of fun. What a happy and adorable group of kids! I spoke to 540 students today in 2 sessions. They were curious and courteous and eager to learn. The teachers and administrators at Whispering Pines have a great sense of humor and were ultra friendly and welcoming. You can just tell these teachers love what they do, and that what makes this school extra special.

The highlights including some silly dancing and silly voice characterizations as well as learning about the plants and animals of Costa Rica. Whispering Pines cares about geography education. Yeah! 540 K5-5th graders now all know where NY and Washington DC are on the map, if they didn’t already know before my visit. The students seem to have a lot of fun with the map and sharing what they know about the USA with the rest of us. I hope many of the students here enter our free Costa Rica Writing and Art Contest!

My favorite part of the day was when a few students came up to talk to me after the presentation about their travels and history. One boy is a descendant of former President William Harrison (and now I am going to do my homework on that Pres) and another tiny girl wanted to tell me about her trip to New Orleans where she saw the devastation still left behind by Hurricane Katrina.

Many thanks to Principal, Dr. Cornnell, Assistant Principal, Mr. Paupore, the wonderful Media Specialist, Barbara Wegner and all the welcoming teachers for inviting me to your school.  The students (and their parents) at Whispering Pines are so fortunate to have such a caring and fun school.

All about the inspiration for writing Lilly Badilly

Silly Silly dancing!

The students love to help Lilly Badilly teach about the plants and animals of Costa Rica.

Students share their knowledge about America.

Don’t let the tiny size fool you. This girl pointed to NY City in an instant!

Dear readers,

As you all know, I am a geography nut! Tomorrow I am flying to San Juan, PR for the National Council for Geographic Education Conference. I will be attending workshops, conducting a workshop called “Making Geography Fun in the Classroom” networking and taking some time to see Old San Juan. What a pleasure it will be to be among so many others who are dedicated to improving geography education in America.

Stay tuned for info about what I learn there and for photos of Puerto Rico.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…. No two author visits for me are the same. Yesterday was a particularly unique experience at Greenfield Day School in Miami. When I walked in, I was greeted by this sign:

The K-8 students at Greenfield Day participated in the Greenie Book Awards. Students nominated their favorite books by writing an essay nomination. Then the children in each grade voted for their favorite books. One of the grades chose a Dave Barry book. Someone at the school cleverly contacted Mr. Barry, and he graciously showed up to surprise the students during the Greenie Award Ceremony. How wonderful was that for these children?!

This all happened before I got there. Dave Barry is a tough act to follow!

I was invited to come to talk to all the students in the school about my book, being an author and about Costa Rica. I started my visit by enjoying a delicious kosher lunch with Librarian, Jackie Fine and one student presenter from each grade. Then I spoke to the middle school students, and we sure laughed a lot! They enjoyed hearing most about what inspires me to write. It was a pleasure to talk to such a small group of students.

Then I presented to two elementary age groups. A first grade boy knew what the word “fiction” meant, and all the 3rd and 4th graders loved the geography game! We hope that all the elementary students enter our free “I Love Costa Rica’s Rain Forest!” writing and art contest. All prizes are donated by Rand McNally’s online store.

Thank you Principal, Dr. Binder for having me and Librarian, Mrs. Fine for making me feel so welcome and for being so enthusiastic about Lilly Badilly. Greenfield Day is lucky to have you. This was a very special day for me. Had I only arrived before Dave Barry left, I’d have gotten a photo taken of him with me, in millipede costume.

About Greenfield Day School

This unique school offers a learning environment that concentrates on both general and Judaic studies. The classes are small, the teachers are dedicated and the students are happy. The children are encouraged to learn about and embrace their Jewish Heritage. What impressed me most was that the middle school students published a book called We Listened and We Learned A Holocaust Project: Teaching Tolerance. With a grant from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and the Center for Advancement of Jewish Education, students wrote about their experiences meeting Holocaust survivors. They penned stories about the people they interviewed, poems about what they learned and even drew some pictures. What a life changing experience this was for the students! It is a great book everyone should read. To learn more about this book and about the school, check out the website or call 305-595-4868.

What an incredible day we had at St. Mark Catholic School!

Normally I am so exhausted after performing at schools, that I cannot even write. But today is different. I still have a ton of energy from the inspiring students and teachers at this wonderful school! I spoke to 4 groups of children over the course of several hours, and each session was unique. That’s why I love being a children’s book author – no 2 author visits are ever the same.

The children from age 4-13 were very curious, and asked me some great questions. One 3rd grade boy had a fabulous question about how a book cover is made – binding and all! (I am impressed, because the cost of manufacturing a hardbound book was a big challenge for me as publisher when I got started). Also this school ranked among the highest I’ve visited for geography knowledge. Yahoo! The first middle school student I asked knew where New York City was located! That may seem like no big deal to you, however less than half of all high school students in the US can point to NYC on a map!

There is a special energy you get from kindergartners! They have so many stories to tell you and their imaginations are so refreshing. And they are as cute as can be! No wonder why I can relate to children (better than adults usually!)

Even the middle school boys enjoyed Lilly’s cartoon voice. After the presentation, several of them asked me for another sampling of Lilly, and even tried to do it themselves. What a hoot!

I must thank school librarian Sandy Garcia for her genuine kindness. Her dedication to the school  and the students is to be commended. Her enthusiasm and energy are contagious. She presented me with a vase of flowers to say thank you! No one has ever done that before!

I will always remember the visit at St. Mark Catholic School

and would be honored to return one day!

Downtown Fort Myers came to life yesterday at the Reading Festival! There were thousands of visitors, and the Badilly family got to speak to hundreds of children and their parents and grandparents and sell books. There were authors, illustrators, entertainers, crafts, food and more. And the event was held along the beautiful waterfront downtown. We had a great time! Every city in America, big or small, should have a reading festival every year!

Check out the photos from the event.

A gorgeous day & great event along the waterfront in downtown Ft. Myers.

Setting up our booth

Our booth attracted a lot of local teachers

Grandpa Willy and Lilly

The Lee County state-of-the-art BookMobile – Incredible!

Inside the BookMobile 4,000 titles, including Lilly Badilly!

Susan Roseberry, librarian extraordinaire!

Our new friend and  next door exhibitor, Shari Rodgers from Barefoot Books

We will be in millipede costume and will have a booth at the Southwest Florida Reading Festival tomorrow in downtown Fort Myers. All 3 Badillys will be there!

If you are in the area, please stop by to say hello!

No two school visits are ever the same for Lilly Badilly, and that is what makes my job so exciting! We had a fantastic day Friday at Miami Christian School with both our elementary and middle school programs. Librarian, Beth Mata, was so friendly and helpful, and the students love library time.  She takes great pride in her well-stocked library and is always striving to make improvements.

The Miami Christian elementary students are adorable! They were attentive and eager to learn. In addition to learning about the plants and animals of Costa Rica, we talked a lot about organic gardening. The students here have their own well-planned organic garden. I, for one, am impressed! They just recently had a very successful harvest of lettuce, tomatoes and other veggies they sold locally. They sent their profits to an orphanage in India, part of a sister school they have helped out many times. This gardening project provides these students with an excellent opportunity to learn about how much work it takes to grow our food without the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. We shared tips on keeping insects and birds out of the garden  Check out their garden on the website.

The middle school students were excited to learn about publishing and writing. In particular, they enjoyed hearing about getting through writer’s block and how to be more observant of the world around them. People and events fuel our creativity and create characters and plots for stories.

Thank you to all the wonderful students, teachers and librarians Beth and Beatrice. I am looking forward to returning some time soon!

Established in 1954, Miami Christian is the oldest Christain School in Miami-Dade County. Any readers interested in learning more about Miami Christian School for their children, please go to the Miami Christian website.

I was greeted this morning by the friendliest Media Specialist, Leonora Flietas, at Norma Bossard Elementary in SW Miami. This beautiful school is only 3 years old, and the library is fantastic!

I had the chance to share my program with a class of 36 1st graders. The school chose to hold a lottery and picked one class to meet me. We danced, sang, learned about the plants and animals of Costa RIca and all about the rain forest. These were the cutest, happiest, most inquisitive kids. They were polite and so friendly. Every time I share my book with kids, I am reminded how much energy and enthusiasm they have. And more than anything, they like to have FUN! Each of us (adults) can certainly learn from them.

Thank you Leonora and all the kids and teachers for inviting me into your beautiful school and putting a smile on my face for the rest of the day!