Wonderful: Grand Finale

Here's the way we wrapped things up in New Lexington. What fun. It's amazing to see my little fan-club friends grow up into mature fan-club friends. LOVE it!! Love it!! LOVE IT!!!!

Birchard Library Fans

After we were all wrapped up with the program and I was personalizing the purchases, THEN I remembered about my camera! So we do have some documentation of a few in attendance. Several had come straight from church and were in their absolute finest. It's great to greet everyone personally after a show. (My favorite part of the day.) Thanks to all who made plans to come to the library on such a gorgeous afternoon. The Birchard Library has now added ALL of my materials to their collection..... so get your library card, get ready, get set, and go, go get singing!!

***Special thanks to Marilyn Radel and the entire Birchard Library staff for their warm welcome, support and enthusiasm. I just love 'library-ladies.'

Brooke: Sign Interpreter

Meet Brooke. My sign language interpreter for the program at Birchard Public Library. Brooke is a student learning ASL and our program together was one of her first for the public. It was hard to tell who was more excited? Me? The children in attendance or Brooke? We had a chance to put our heads together for a few minutes before the audience arrival and talked thru the likely selections for the program. [I always have about three times more choices than we have time for. Then I wait to see the age and attention span of those in the audience and I go from there.]

At today's event the youngest participants were very mature four year olds and we ranged from there up to an eleven year old. So we were able to use lots of 'big-kid' songs. Several of the children were at the event yesterday, so they had 'favorites' of their own and made requests. I totally forgot to get my camera out to take shots during the event. Argggggh. First time I've done that in a while.

We were significantly outnumbered by the adults in attendance, as quite a few ASL students/teachers/librarians had come for the show. Some had driven quite a distance. What a great outreach to the community. I thought Brooke added much to the program. Whooooohooooooo!!

UPCOMING: 10th Annual

I am sometimes the slowest light bulb in the pack...... but it JUST dawned on me that I could use this forum to announce things BEFORE they happen, rather than only using it as a conduit for reporting after the fact. (Duh. Marketing not my middle name Clement??)

This occurred to me because I've been involved with a flurry of emails tying down the details for the upcoming "Sandusky County 10th Annual Storybook Festival." This year, their 10th (!!), is my invitation to take part in all of the festivities as the author/illustrator-on-duty for the day.

The event is scheduled on Saturday, April 25th, from 10:00 a.m. till 2:00 in Fremont Ross High School, Fremont, OH. You'll find me in the school's library.

It is my understanding that there will be numerous exciting things going on beyond my scintillating participation of ongoing performances & book/CD signings. This collaborative adventure is a joint sponsorship of area schools, libraries & child care settings. The goal is to get a FREE book into the hands of every child in attendance.... and is part of the "Month-of-the-Young-Child" fun organized by NAEYC. In the past they've averaged about 2000 in attendance!

In addition I will be performing on Sunday afternoon, April 26th at the Birchard Library in Fremont at 2:00. This performance will be especially unique in that I will be performing with a trained ASL interpreter and the event is especially open to those who may be deaf or have an interest in sign language. I'm excited, how about you?

P.S. There's also an elementary school performance scheduled for Fri, but that's completely hush-hush and my favorite principal has asked that I not say anything, because she wants to surprise her teachers!! (So I sure hope that you can keep a secret. Do you just love what I get to do?)

WONDERFUL Friends

Here we are in glad smiles, warm hugs and celebration after the evening family fun at the Lexington Branch Library concert. Pictured from left are children's librarian, Janet Madden, happy me, exactly-one-year-old Isaac-who-looks-incredibly-like-his-daddy, and beaming mommy Kate (Janet's daughter and grandson.)

I owe an absolutely ENORMOUS debt of gratitude to Janet for her support through the years, ingenius ideas and for connecting me to her extremely talented family. It was years ago that Janet started putting the ducks-in-a-row to introduce me to her son-in-law, the talented Shawn Likely. It turns out that Shawn directed my DVD, "Kweezletown" following Janet's introduction. Kweezletown is my first national award-winning project -- having received the Dove Foundation award for family viewing. Shawn is husband to Kate and daddy to Isaac and was busy at work at his TV station this evening.

It's incredible to have people that believe in you. It's amazing to have a cheering section. It's astounding to have people recognize your potential and direct you to making a quantem leap forward, beyond your own imagining. These people in my life include Janet, Kate and Shawn.
Thank you friends.

A Blog! Debbie has a BLOG!!

Welcome to my ramblings.

My dreams. My images. My travels. My goals. My hopes.

All wrapped up here for us to get better acquainted.

Several of you, dear friends, have asked for a back-stage pass to where these ideas of mine originate and how to put them into best practise. I have much to learn about blogging, but let's get underway. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, after all.

It's summer time in the city and that means travel to libraries for summer reading events: families, children, books, singing, librarians ...... what could be better? What could be more fun?

Here's a sneak peak at the after-the-show shanannigans @ the Cardington Library. Pictured are the children from the summer adventure camp, summer school friends. Can you find Waldo?