15-16 May -- Meet the Author at Parker's Maple Barn!
1316 Brookline Road
Mason, New Hampshire
Website: ParkersMapleBarn.com

Come join me for pancakes and pawprints at the famous Parker's Maple Barn in historic Mason, home of the original, real-life Uncle Sam! I'll be there paw-tographing copies of my road-trip guide and first-day-of-school book from nine until noon both Saturday and Sunday.

 

Best-Ever Birthday Party!
Birch Mountain Day School
Wednesday 4 March 2009
Manchester, Connecticut

To celebrate my 15th birthday, I loaded up the Chaucermobile with my family and took a jaunt down to Birch Mountain Day School, where I’d done a photo shoot last year for Learning Is Cool… It’s the First Day of School. My little friends there had created beautiful handmade cards for me – and they lined up class by class to deliver them in person. I felt like royalty! And then… I got my very own real birthday cake! From the local dog barkery, Leaps and Bones, it was quite a treat. After several hours of ear rubs and back scratches, large bowls of water and the occasional pizza crust, I slept the entire two hours home. As is of course proper, I sat down to handwrite one of my HUGE thank-you cards to all my Birch Mountain buddies the very next day. I hope the mailman could fit it in his bag! I would also like to thank my online pen pals – Miss Fergi, Jake, and Farfel – for their sweet birthday messages and wishes on my special day. Woof!

Photo Shoot
Central Elementary School
Friday 13 February 2009
New Ipswich, New Hampshire

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than by meeting 20 new friends?! My People and I recently visited Central Elementary School right here in New Ipswich to take photographs with Mrs. Hutchins’s second-grade class. The students and I made Valentines for residents of the local assisted-living home and acted out scenes demonstrating kindness to others (holding the door for a teacher carrying a load of books, for example, and introducing a new student to one’s friends).

The photos will be used in Be Mine, Be Mine, O Valentine!, another Chaucer in the Classroom book that will be published late this year. The message of this book is how the Valentine’s Day themes of love, generosity, and kindness apply to everyday life at school and home.

Photo Shoot
Dolores Mission School
Friday 5 December 2008
Los Angeles, California

Another photo session – what fun! This time my entourage and I visited the Dolores Mission School in Los Angeles to take pictures with the first- and second-graders for my forthcoming book, Stand Up and Cheer… Make It a Drug-Free Year! I brought my entire hat collection (and borrowed a few crazy ones from friends), and the children and I had a marvelous time dressing up and posing for the camera. Why funny hats, you ask? You’ll have to wait and see when the book comes out in late Spring!

College Quidditch World Cup
Middlebury College
Sunday 26 October 2008
Middlebury, Vermont

Middlebury College, where students adapted J.K. Rowling's imaginary game of quidditch for the real world several years ago, hosted the second annual World Quidditch Cup – and Brontë and I were there! In between games, visitors enjoyed entertainment from The Flying Fists, a stilt-walking, flame-throwing troupe, and the Mountain Ayres, a Renaissance a capella group that sang while a Middlebury chemistry professor exploded potions.

As for the games themselves, well.... Before we went, my Editor wrote the following in her
GO DOGS GO! blog: “The game of quidditch itself (in this world as in Rowling’s) looks pretty rough-and-tumble. The photos I’ve seen online suggest a madcap combination of soccer (the footwork), basketball (the throws), and dodge ball with an out-of-control second-grade class (what with the multiple balls on the field at once).” Having been to the world cup, I can say that her description only begins to do justice to the controlled mayhem of a real-world quidditch match! See more photos from this fun day at the official website.

Annual Fall Dogfest
Dog Mountain
Sunday 12 October 2008
St. Johnsbury, Vermont

My “little” sister and The Boy and I had a marvelous time at artist Stephen Huneck’s annual dog party on Dog Mountain in gorgeous Vermont. Next year, Brontë is participating in the “best swimmer” competition!

Perhaps the highlight of the day for me was meeting one of my fans! Gatsby, a fellow wire-hair fox terrier who has also traveled the country by RV, recognized me from my books and website within minutes of our arrival. After we disentangled ourselves, he and I sat down for the photo you see here (along with Tootsie and their “driver” Carolyn).

Book Signing and Art Demonstration
New Ipswich Library
Thursday 14 August 2008
New Ipswich, New Hampshire

Illustrator John Clarke joined me at my hometown library for a tail-wagging good time with the local kids (and members of the local Red Hat Club, as you can see from the photographs…) to mark the official launch of Learning Is Cool… It’s the First Day of School! After I read from the book and handled the Q&A portion of the presentation, I turned the floor over to John and settled in for a rest. He took suggestions from the audience (“Do Chaucer with an octopus!” “Draw Chaucer flying a plane!”) and thrilled the crowd with his rapid execution of illustration after delightful illustration, each in just a matter of minutes. Almost a dozen lucky fans took home a “John Clarke original”!

Photo Shoot
Birch Mountain Day School
Thursday 5 June 2008
Manchester, Connecticut

Talk about a royal welcome! When the Chaucer Bus pulled up to Birch Mountain Day School, Mrs. Minicucci’s kindergarten hailed me from the windows as if I were a celebrity! We spent a great morning together. The kids read to me from their favorite books. I helped them practice their songs for the year-end concert. We even took a walk outside so I could teach them the proper way to hold a dog on a leash. The day of my visit was “mermaid day,” so before I left, the class presented me with a prettily decorated shell strung on a ribbon which they had made just for me. These photo shoots are a wonderful way to meet new friends!

Photo Shoot
Merced Elementary School
Friday 2 May 2008
West Covina, California

What fun I had visiting Mrs. Perez’s kindergarten class! We pretended it was the first day of the school year and took all kinds of photographs for my forthcoming book, Learning Is Cool… It’s the First Day of School! A big WOOF of thanks to Principal Pfitzer (who joined us for the class photo), Mrs. Perez, and all the children and nice staff members who scratched my ears and gave me belly rubs and bowls of water. As you can see in the third photo here, I had such a terrier-ific time I had to be dragged away from the classroom when our time together was over.

Slideshow Presentation
Distant Lands Travel Bookstore & Outfitters
Monday 14 January 2008
Pasadena, California

Here I am being held by my old friend Karen Welch of SPARE, which is celebrating its 20th year of rescuing homeless and abandoned pets in 2008. Brian and Jennifer of The Kennel Club Resort & Spa in Torrance brought their little boy out for my special presentation, and Distant Lands´ staff member Julia made me feel truly welcome!

9th Annual Wiggle Waggle Walk
Sunday 30 September 2007
Pasadena, California

As the Happy Tails Fan Club team gathered for the walk, an annual event to benefit the local humane society, I met four-legged participants of every shape, size, and personality type.

Passing the lady with a walker during the home stretch, my Publisher and I run across the finish line. Angel, Mika, and I find a shady spot and wait for the other team members to bring us a few barbeque pork sandwiches.

Meet the Author!
Williams Book Store
Saturday 29 September 2007
San Pedro, California

As long-time fans of mine know, this frolicsome terrier spent many happy years living in San Pedro. How delightful to return to this quirky port city for my first bookstore signing! Williams Book Store is the oldest bookstore in the Los Angeles area: 97 years in business and going strong. I enjoyed a great afternoon catching up with old friends and making new ones.

 

Meet the Author!
Central Coast Book & Author Festival
Saturday 8 September 2007
San Luis Obispo, California

The weather couldn´t have been more beautiful in historic San Luis Obispo, and with so many fans 
stopping by my table all morning, I was ready for a siesta by noon. Alas, my Publisher had scheduled 
me for an Author Presentation. Good thing she and my Editor were on hand to read excerpts from 
my travel guide and answer all the questions for me!