THREE GHOST FRIENDS AND THE BATTLE BOOS - COMING SOON!

Proof copies of my next book, THREE GHOST FRIENDS AND THE BATTLE BOOS arrived yesterday. I am so excited to share the book with you. It won't be long. Hang tight!

A Visit to Dover Public Library

I had a really fun day at the Dover Public Library. My wife heard my presentation for the first time. I met many really nice people, three enthusiastic young readers, and a few future children's book writers, too! A huge THANK YOU to Dover Public Library staff for inviting me and making me feel so welcome.

I am so happy she was able to hear my presentation.

I shared a few photographs of my children's BABY BEARDS.

I read the awful first draft of BABY BEARDS!.

I had a fantastic audience!

I shared many illustrations from the book.

I haven't met a child yet that hasn't made a bubble beard in the bathtub.

My favorite part of the presentation -- reading BABY BEARDS! to a new group of people.

I gave a copy of one of my Three Ghost Friends books to a young boy who helped me during my presentation. He did a great job and it was his debut acting gig!

MONSTER Story Time at Miller Elementary School Book Fair Night

Last night, I had a "monster" good time at Miller Elementary School. It was nice to see so many happy children picking out books at the book fair. I read two of my favorite books during story time in the gym -- JUMPY JACK AND GOOGILY by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall and JEREMY DRAWS A MONSTER by Peter McCarty. Thank you to the PTO for inviting me to participate.

There are so many great picture books about monsters! 

I wore my bowler hat just like Googily. Well, almost...his is green.

"Draw me a hat. I'm going out!"

Art Tales: Baby Beards! at the Akron Art Museum

I had the most amazing day participating in ART TALES at the Akron Art Museum. Thank you so much to Amanda Crowe, Assistant Educator, for hosting and planning a great event! Your activities and ideas were amazing! Also, thank you to Gina Thomas McGee, Associate Educator, for inviting me to the museum!

My youngest two children and I arrived at the art museum before it opened. The first thing I saw was this amazing story time area set up in the lobby of the museum.

Then, I saw all the activities on the tables. WOW!

There were many photographs of famous people with beards and mustaches. Amanda used these for a hands-on mustache/beard sorting game.

This table had black and white copies of artwork from the museum. Different materials (yarn, black sand, colorful pom-poms, and big fuzzy pom-poms) were provided to make facial hair on the people in the artwork.

A printed copy of the bathtub from BABY BEARDS! was provided along with straws and glittery-watercolors to make a colorful scene to clean those messy beards.

Copies of artwork from the museum were placed within plastic bags. Pudding was provided to paint on beards with a spoon to give it a new look.

Edible beards! Yum! Whipped topping and brown sprinkles for whiskers! Mirrors were used to check out your beard as you licked it!

A Shel Silverstein poem, a beard song set to the tune of Skip to the Lou, and a poem were used during story time.

Lots of great books about beards and mustaches were on display. 

BABY BEARDS! is available at the gift shop!

Amanda opened the Art Tales story time with a few imaginative ways for the children to pretend they had beards and mustaches. Locust seed pods for mustaches and torn black garden fabric for beards! 

Amanda acted out a poem of an old man who had birds make a nest in his beard.

My introduction!

I am a stay-at-home dad that likes to read to his kids, do fun art projects, and take lots of pictures.

I shared some of my favorite messy face pictures of my children. 

I had a brave volunteer help me reenact the day I coined the term BABY BEARDS!.

He didn't know he would be wearing a bib when he volunteered! 

We needed to roll out the red carpet after his great performance! 

After showing the paintings I did for the book, I read BABY BEARDS!.

I am so thankful for this experience.

A pudding beard.

A black sand beard.

Bubble bath art!

Beards-on-a-stick. 

My son loved the edible beard station! He loves to get messy.

More beards-on-a-stick.

More edible beards!

He has probably made a dozen beards-on-a-stick at my events this year, but this was the first with glitter!

Giving a famous piece of art a new look. 

I had to try the pudding beard station, too!

He did the edible beard station at least three times!!

I am so blessed for this opportunity to share BABY BEARDS! at the Akron Art Museum. Thank you to my mom and dad for making the trip, too!