This past Friday, I had the MOST EXCELLENT time meeting new book friends on Scholastic's Storyvoice, which allows classrooms from far and wide to listen to authors share their books. I shared GIVE BACK and got to hear how students show their giving spirit. We are a caring community!

Hearts to all my new friends, including Mr. Mike and the entire Storyvoice crew!  

GIVE BACK made the covers of October's Scholastic Book Club! YAAYY!! Now is the best time to celebrate the spirit of giving.

Where can you get bear hugs AND banana canoes? Camp Grandma and Grandpa! It's the BEST camp around. Join in the adventures next spring!

Get ready to celebrate the spirit of community with GIVE BACK...set for release in fall 2024 from Scholastic! Here is the official announcement from Publishers Weekly:

Earlier this month was Teacher Appreciation Week, a time to celebrate the A+ efforts of teachers. How did you thank your teachers? Did you write them a poem? Draw a picture? I'm sure your thoughtfulness was appreciated!

Fun fact: my elementary school teacher is one of the reasons why I'm a children's book author. Really! He asked the class to write a story, and even though I loved putting my imagination on paper, I was a little scared about sharing my stories with others. My fear disappeared when he gave my story back, all graded. At the top, he drew a big smiley face and wrote, "100% Excellent!" It gave me the courage to keep writing and sharing, and I'm still so very grateful. 

Thank you, Mr. K! 

The library is a very special place. Where else can you soar on a pterodactyl's back or jump aboard a pirate ship in search of lost treasure? Stories from every corner of the imagination await at the library, and a librarian is ready to help you find them. Click on the video to get to know about our community book helpers.

A special thank you to Mrs. Kim for this wonderful read-aloud!

The night sky is filled with sparkling wonder. I love star-gazing and tracing constellations, even trying to spot planets. (If you see a reddish dot far up in the sky, that's Mars!)

Do you like learning about space? Jump into your rocket and click on the books below to find out exciting facts about the stars, Mars, and our very own Earth! 

Today is Earth Day. Hooray! Taking care of our planet is a BIG job, but we can make it easier by teaming up to help each other. My family works together to recycle, which reduces landfill waste. We also plant flowers in our backyard for butterflies and other pollinators. (The monarch butterfly is my favorite.)

In ELLIE ULTRA: TEAM EARTH TAKEOVER, Ellie tackles a special Earth Day project with her best friend, Hannah. After all, saving the planet isn't only a superhero's job.

Let's team up and help Earth together!

March 20th to 26th was National Poison Prevention Week, and Safe Kids Indiana marked the event by offering a virtual story time of POISON ALERT! MY TIPS TO AVOID DANGER ZONES AT HOME. Check out the story time HERE, and stay after for important tips on how to be safe around poisonous critters like Gila monsters and coral snakes. (Yipes!)

Thank you to Safe Kids Indiana for helping children make healthy choices!

In November, the Cleveland Cavaliers gave the gift of reading to lots of lucky students at Denison Elementary. Every student got to pick new books at the Cavs Mobile Book Fair, and one of the books offered was ELLIE ULTRA. Click here to read more about the event for happy readers and big-hearted leaders.

Thank you to the Cavaliers for championing literacy and helping imaginations soar!