fall book tour flashback part 2

I made my first trip to Arizona and visited Ocotillio Elementary.

Home to the incomparable Cathy Bonnell! Talk about your awesome school librarians, Cathy is top-notch! Beyond top-notch!

It's a shame she's retiring at the end of this year. Look at all of the authors she's met over the years!

I couldn't resist getting a closeup of this one! Did you kow Jon and Lane have been working on books since they were in Jr High? I had no idea!

The Ocotillo lunch ladies made a special stop in at one of my presentations. They brought their cafeteria equipment to show the kids what they're really used for!

Check out the walls at Cathy's library! Sczieska! Gantos!

Adam Rex!

Diane deGroat!

I was honored to add my stamp.

While in Phoenix, I also stopped by Changing Hands, a great local indie!

Cathy was also nice enough to host a dinner for me at her home. And what a magnificent home she has! There is art from books everywhere. She even has a framed note from Dr. Seuss! Local educators and local artists/authors Wendy Watson, Lynne Avril and Chris Gall all stopped in to join us that evening. It was a fantastic evening!

Speaking of Cathy's art and fantastic evenings... I donated a piece to the Eric Carle Museum Gala and Cathy won this painting of Ollie. (He's the hero of my fall 2011 picture book.)

The Carle invited G and I to attend the Gala. It was a very fancy affair. I was waiting for the Joker to attack and Batman to crash through the ceiling. (That's just where my mind goes.)

We got all dulled up for the evening. And it's a good thing, too, because the Huffington Post published our photo.

I was invited to pull the winning raffle tickets at the end of the evening. Alex Kennedy, director of the Carle, was brave enough to trust me near a microphone.

It was an impressive audience, with the 2010 honorees seated in the front row. Glad I didn't have to give a speech! Yikes!

Carle Gala photos by Johnny Wolf photography.