Back to Louisiana

Yes, It was imperative that I share my beachie photos in 'real-time' rather than Debbie's running-behind-in-blog-world-time. Here we are back at the Zaner-Bloser booth in Baton Rouge. We're posing photographs with eager teachers and the author/illustrator. Then the teachers get the photo developed in the real world and laminate it inside the front cover of the book. That way every time they read my book to their students they can show the photo...... "here I am, it's me, Miss Zippa-dee-doo-dah and here's the lady who created the book, that's Debbie Clement, she's the author AND she's the illustrator, too!! Real people make books. People who you can meet -- people you can hug. You, too can make a book.... taking one of your ideas and writing it down is the beginning of a book."

This is such a brilliant idea to turn authors into 'real' people, especially for young children. It's an idea that was originally shared with me by a grandma children's librarian. Her grandchildren have an entire collection of picture books with photos inside the front cover, featuring their very own grandma with a host of authors and illustrators.