The illustrator, Owen Smith, did a wonderful job of bringing that old-timey, 1940′s  feeling to the book.   I googled Owen and found out that his artwork has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Time, Rolling Stone, and the New Yorker, for which he has created 15 cover illustrations.   Take a look!

Jackie Robinson slide scene from This Is the Game

Streetball scene from This Is the Game

Play ball scene from This Is the Game

Post from: Diane Z. Shore

This Is the Game

I have decided that my New Year’s Resolution is to update my blog on a regular basis.  I was pretty lax in 2009 and failed to journal some very important events.   So…  my new goal :  “20-10, blog again!”

I have to start with December 2009 and tell you about an amazing school visit I had at Paine Primary, situated front and center in a little town by the name of Trussville, Alabama, where Rachel Brockman is the media specialist extraordinaire.   It was a very cloudy day outside, but inside the sun was shining.  As I approached the media center,  the wall above and the walls on each side of the library doors were painted with scenes from all of my books.  I felt like I was entering storybook land!  Above the doors were the words: “Vivid Verbs and Colorful Words, and surrounding each scene were vivid verbs and colorful words that the kids had found after reading the books.  Is that not the bee’s knees, the cat’s meow, the elephant’s instep!   (Ohhh, now those are some colorful words!)

Paine Primary, Trussville, AL

The phrase Vivid Verbs and Colorful Words is one I repeat time after time when I give my Write On! writing workshop. As a writer I try to paint pictures with words, in other words,  I try to create visuals in the mind of the reader.  That is what writing is all about!   And Ms. Brockman got it!!  The kids at Paine Primary are such lucky pants to have Ms. Brockman as their media specialist!

But that wasn’t all that was amazing about Paine Primary.   It was the kids!!!   So smart and eager to learn, and not only that, they were very, very polite.  My favorite combination!  And wow!  are these kids readers.  I signed book after book after book, almost 300 in total!  What a way to end 2009!

Bus-A-Saurus and 1st grade class

Post from: Diane Z. Shore

Happy New Year!

And the day just kept getting better from there!  The students in ALL of the sessions were very responsive and very attentive (my favorite combination!)   Boy did we have a boppin’ good time.    Ms. Ayers had all the students well prepared.  I especially felt a tingle in my heart when at the last session the students were “squeekin’” and “creekin’” right along with me as the bus-a-saurus gobbled up his stops.  That made my day!!!

And afterwards I stayed and signed a ton of books.  Wow!  Vestavia Hills East has a LOT of readers!!!    I do have a warning for those of you who ordered  How To Drive Your Sister Crazy.   “DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT, let your sister read the book.  She may try the different pranks out on you!

Have a super- de- dooper rest of the school year and thank you sooooooo much for inviting me to your school!

Post from: Diane Z. Shore

Awesome day at Vestavia Hills East

I think a lot of thanks needs to go to Martha Powell, their Media Specialist.   She has so many activities, clubs, and wonderful books in the library and she has made it so welcome for EVERYONE!   You rock, Roswell North!

Post from: Diane Z. Shore

Roswell North Rocks!

Helen O’Brien and Karen Hinson at Level Grove went all out last Wednesday.  I knew it was going to be a great day when I saw the bulletin board right outside the library.  Karen had the the bulletin board decorated in a movie premier theme and I was the star attraction!  It was soooo cool!

A also had the privilege of  having lunch with the Georgia Young Author winners from Level Grove.  What great writers!  I even  read their stories, so creative!

Lots of talent up there in Habersham!    Glad I had the chance to be a part of it!

Post from: Diane Z. Shore

Great Week in Habersham County

First stop was Mossy Creek Elementary where media specialist extraordinare, Liz Knapp and parent volunteer  extraordinaire, Charlene Miller planned an author visit in three days!!!  (I had met Charlene the prior week at the SCIRA conference)  Mossy Creek is a  great school with great kids AND super teachers and parents.  I had forgotten my power cord to my laptop, and amazingly, Liz had one that was compatible with my computer!  She saved the day!    But that’s Liz.  You should see her library.  It was filled with costumes and props from back during the Civil War.  Oh, you can tell the kids have a fun time during library time with Liz.

Next stop, Chukker Creek in Aiken, where I did three lively sessions (lots of kids packed in the gymnasium!)     Debbie Sessions had the kids and teachers well prepared for the visit.  The teacher who played Mrs. Stein during my Poetry Pary! presentation had the kids howling!  She did a terrific (or should I say horrific job!)

Next stop was Orangeburg Prep School.  Orangeburg is very close to Bamburg which I visited back in November and found a wonderful friend, Harriet Coker, who invited me to stay with her.   I took her out to dinner at the new restuarant in town.  Now mind you, Bamburg only had one other restuarant!   At one of the tables sat a family where the boy and girl kept looking over at our table.  After dinner they came over to our table and asked for my autograph.  They had remembered me from the school visit back in November.   I had signed books for them both, so they already had my autograph, but I signed their napkins anyway!  Then another family came in and the father asked if I was the person who dressed up like the pilgrim for the presentation back in November.  They remembered too!  I felt like a celebrity!

On Thursday it was on to Orangeburg Prep School, where Celia Richardson had everything ready to go.   And boy did she have the kids well prepared. I ran out of both How to Drive Your Sister Crazy AND Bus-A-Saurus Bop!

It was a wonderful 3 days in South Carolina!

Post from: Diane Z. Shore

Back to South Carolina

   From Pocalla Springs I traveled to the great city (pop. 8,000) where I presentated at Pleasant Hill Elementary.   Jolla Powell was a terrific hostess.  She told me a lot of history in the county and it seemed that she knew someone or was related to someone in every house we passed on the way to dinner.   What was so special about Hemingway was coffee the next morning at the Liar’s Table at Floyd’s Grocery.   Can you say Mayberry?     Small towns are so homey! 

    Then off to the South Carolina Reading Conference where I met lots of media specialists and a wonderful illustrator, Floyd Cooper.  He has illustrated 80 books!!!  And he recently won the Coretta Scott King Award.       I also talked with Highlights publisher Kent Brown, whom I had met about 10 years ago when he critiqued some of my poetry.  

  I think Donna and Jolla are going to send pictures, so I’ll post those when I get them.

Post from: Diane Z. Shore

A Wonderful Week in South Carolina!