Kate DiCamillo's Blog, page 2

I get a lot of letters about how I need to write more Mercy Watson stories.
I also get a lot of letters that tell me what needs to happen in the next Mercy Watson story:
Mercy Watson goes to the moon.
Mercy Watson goes to Mall of America.
Mercy Watson is attacked by a shark and Mercy Watson wins.
This week, I got a letter from Pablo in California.
Pablo loves Mercy Watson.
And he has some ideas for more Mercy Watson books.
Pablos list starts out in a traditional way with Mercy visiting the...

This selfie was taken a couple of weeks ago at the Library of Congress.
Thats Jon Scieszka on the left, me in the middle and Katherine Paterson on the right.
All three of us have served as National Ambassador for Young Peoples Literature.
When Jon sent the picture he said, What is the collective noun for ambassadors? Gaggle? Flurry? Embrace?
I said that we should be a joy of ambassadors.
Because we are.
Joyful.
And because our job is to remind everyone (kids and adults) of the joy to be...

At a hotel somewhere in New England, I was in the elevator and the doors opened and four older ladies got on. They were all dressed up.
The first of the ladies tripped as she was stepping into the elevator. I put out my hand and she grabbed hold of it and steadied herself. Thank you very much, she said.
The elevator doors closed, but she kept hold of my hand.
A gentle smell of talcum powder and lilacs filled the elevator.
When the doors opened again, one of the ladies said, Well, here we are...

I did a reading at the Boston Public Library last week and talked with a 21 year old man who was graduating from college. He had read Because of Winn-Dixie when he was a boy.
I asked him what he had majored in.
He answered me, but before I could ask him what he was going to do now, he said, Dont ask me what my plans are. Im not sure. I just hope that the right thing finds its way to me.
And then, when he was getting ready to leave, he turned back and recited these words:

Littmus W. Block f...

Last week, I was walking down the sidewalk near a school when a boy ran past me.
You are looking great, Alfred! someone shouted. You have never looked better!
I turned and saw a small girl standing on the corner.
She couldnt have been more than eight years old.
Her hands were on her hips.
Faster! she shouted. You can do it.
Three more kids ran past me.
Do not stop! the little girl screamed. Stopping is not an option.
I laughed, and then I turned back around and walked to my car.
The next m...

Sometimes, for no reason at all, a feeling of hopelessness will settle down on top of me.
I used to call this feeling low-grade existential despair.
A friend of my brothers calls it the nudgies.
This morning, I woke up with that feeling hanging over me, but then I felt a burst of happiness.
Why?
Because I had a new name for the nudgies.
It is the whim-whams.
I got the word from a book by Tricia Springstubb entitled Cody and the Fountain of Happiness.
This is what I love about books.
They give...

Remember how I said that I never make it through the mail without laughing and crying?

From Janie in Atlanta: I have been wondering what happened to Opal. Did she find her mom? Maybe you have an answer you just didnt put in the book.

From Jacob, Beth and Arlene (son, mother and grandmother) in Pennsylvania, who worked together to make a Flora and Ulysses cake for an edible book/cake contest at the library: As it happened we won honorable mention but the real joy was that your book brought u...

Kate DiCamillo's Read Aloud PSA

I came home the other day crabby and frustrated.
I was unloading the groceries, moving back and forth between the garage and the house, muttering to myself, when I became aware that I was being watched.
I looked around. No one.
And then I saw him.
He was hiding underneath the forsythia bush.
He was the biggest, fattest rabbit ever, and he was looking right at me.
His eyes were enormous.
Hi, I said.
His ears twitched.
Really, he was the loveliest thing.
I wish I could paint you, I said.
...

From the Candlewick team: Kids Reading Across Rhode Island create a music video parody of Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" to celebrate Flora & Ulysses - check it out!

http://ribook.org/2015/04/22/kids-reading-across-ri-video/


Kids Reading Across RI Video
ribook.org
Visit the post for more.