Teachers and Librarians – I’m celebrating the start of a new school year on September 20th with TRAD – TRUMAN Read Aloud Day. Sign up for a free 15-minute virtual visit during which I’ll read this heartwarming, back-to-school story (which the NYT calls “An enchanting tale of bravery, heroism and undying devotion.”) followed by a… Read more »
tortoise
Happy National Spider Day and SYLVIE PW Review!
Dear Readers, Happy National Spider Day! (Who knew?) And I’m celebrating with this lovely early review for SYLVIE coming 5/10/22 from Atheneum/Simon and Schuster, Lucy Ruth Cummins and me. Thank you Publishers Weekly! https://publishersweekly.com/978-1-5344-6348-6 “In this standalone spin-off to Truman, a gray spider named Sylvie keeps a close eye on four of an apartment… Read more »
TRUMAN has won both the Crystal Kite Award and the Colorado Book Award!
Dear friends, It’s been a truly memorable few weeks. First, with my daughter’s engagement. Second, with the birth of my third grandchild. Third with the announcement of my 3-book deal with Harper Collins. And now TRUMAN winning not just one, but two major awards. I’m overcome with gratitude. But as you might expect, my excitement… Read more »
Low-Tech, At-Home Learning: Seeing the World Through Tortoise Glasses
When you change your point of view, your world grows. And that’s a beautiful thing. The following activity shows young readers what it might mean to walk in someone else’s shoes – or see from their glasses if you will – changing their perspective or point of view. It’s based on my book, Truman. And… Read more »
Low-Tech, At-Home Learning: TRUMAN Finger-Play
Don’t we all love the amazing, free and fun programming offered by bookstores and public libraries? What a gift. But I know that with these community mainstays closed, families with little ones are missing their storytimes. Well, here’s a fun, storytime, finger-play activity (below) to practice with your young readers and listeners. It’s based on… Read more »
Low-Tech At-Home Learning: Truman’s Obstacle Course
Students at Emerson Elementary in Elmhurst, IL – under the direction of awesome librarian Lauren Blanford – were the first to try this fun activity. And it’s a perfect STEAM project to try at home. While it’s based on my book Truman, illustrated by the amazing Lucy Ruth Cummins, you don’t need the book in… Read more »
TRUMAN is a Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book!
With the grand ALA award celebrations swiftly approaching (and yes, I’ll be rising early to tune into the live stream of excitement) other awards sometimes get overlooked. One of those is the Charlotte Zolotow Award – it is one of the only major awards given for picture book text. Here’s the description from the award… Read more »
Horn Book’s Lovely Review of TRUMAN!
I love when a reviewer so completely understands a book. Horn Book captures an element that many miss – that Truman’s journey parallels “a child’s own first journey into the unknown that is school.” Thank you, Julie Danielson for this lovely review! “Most picture books chronicling the first day of school focus on the small… Read more »
TRUMAN in the New York Times!
Walking to the store reminds me of my once “big city” life. And while today I heard no honking taxis or growling trash trucks or shrieking cars, I did buy a big city newspaper and a donut … because it’s not every day that a tiny urban tortoise makes his New York Times debut. Here’s… Read more »
Our tiny tortoise TRUMAN has a great big Kirkus star!
KIRKUS REVIEW A tiny tortoise discovers just how brave he is when his girl unexpectedly takes a bus headed away from home. Truman, like his girl, Sarah, is quiet, “peaceful and pensive,” unlike the busy, noisy city outside their building’s window. In just the first few spreads, Reidy and Cummins manage to capture the close… Read more »
My Books
