Pages

Monday, November 11, 2013

Another Tea Party...




In 2007, my poem for children, “When Jean Forgot to Say ‘When’” first appeared in Highlights Magazine with lovely, whimsical illustrations by David Galchutt.  

In this story-in-verse, Jean is invited to the castle
for tea with the Queen.  The proper Queen asks Jean to say “When” as she pours her tea.  Jean, however, is so giddy to be in the palace and so distracted by the sights that she forgets to say “When.”  And so the Queen pours, and pours and pours…

Flash forward to the summer of 2013 and the trip of a lifetime to Denmark, Scotland, Ireland and England.  

In Scotland, we had the chance to visit Edinburgh – and I found out one could be served tea at the lovely and majestic Edinburgh Castle.  I was every bit as thrilled as Jean! I felt giddy, too, that my life was imitating a tiny bit of the story I had created years before.  After all, I was having tea (and some scrumptious pastries and delectables) at a real castle!
Edinburgh Castle


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

A Brand New Bug Book: WHAT’S BUGGING NURSE PENNY?: A STORY ABOUT LICE by Catherine Stier, illustrated by Suzanne Beaky



This just released picture book, dedicated to school nurses everywhere, offers both information and assurance about an all too common pest:

Nurse Penny is a fun and funky school nurse who wears honeybee earrings and a butterfly smock and carries a ladybug purse. But there's one kind of bug she'd rather not have around. . .head lice! So she calls a special school assembly to talk about those pesky critters--what they look like, how to avoid them, and how to get rid of them. After all, lice can happen to anyone--even the school nurse!

An information note outlines facts about lice.

Kirkus calls this colorful picture book “entertaining” with “good instruction for prevention" and notes the "expressive and bright" illustrations by talented illustrator Suzanne Beaky.
 

Monday, May 27, 2013

Kids Design Queen Mary Ships on Memorial Day Weekend




Here’s just a sampling of the work of the creative kids in San Antonio!  Lots of young readers stopped by to take part in the book signing/kids crafts at San Antonio’s
Barnes and Noble at San Pedro Crossing on Sunday, May 26. With the release of my new WWII era picturebook WELCOME TO AMERICA, CHAMP! and in observance of Memorial Day weekend, kids had the opportunity to decorate their own ships.  Much of WELCOME TO AMERICA, CHAMP! takes place on the Queen Mary, an impressive
Postcards of the Queen Mary
ship (larger than the Titanic) that played an important part in WWII.  Some kids based their designs on the real Queen Mary -- we had plenty of postcards and the lovely book illustrations by Doris Ettlinger as examples.  Other young designers chose to go with their own whimsical motifs.  No matter the approach, the results -- as you can see --
were amazing!



Saturday, May 18, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend Event!




Join Catherine Stier for a Memorial Day Weekend Book Signing/Kids’ Crafts
Sunday, May 26, 2013
2 – 3 p.m.
Barnes and Noble at San Pedro Crossing
321 NW Loop 410 #104
San Antonio, TX.

Have fun with patriotic crafts and meet Catherine Stier, author of:

BARNABY THE BEDBUG DETECTIVE (2013), TODAY ON ELECTION DAY, IF I RAN FOR PRESIDENT (Editor’s Choice Award, Library Media Connection), IF I WERE PRESIDENT (100 Best Books, IRA Los Angeles), BUGS IN MY HAIR ?! (Best Children’s Books of the Year, Bank Street College of Education) and THE TERRIBLE SECRETS OF THE TELL-ALL CLUB (Teacher’s Pick, Scholastic Instructor Magazine)
 And her newest release, WELCOME TO AMERICA, CHAMP!

WELCOME TO AMERICA, CHAMP!
By Catherine Stier, Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger
In this hope-filled WWII and immigration story, Stier and Ettlinger present an extraordinary historical event – the “Brides and Babies” voyages of 1946 – as experienced by one spirited English boy who sails on the Queen Mary with his war bride mother for a new life in America.

“Heartfelt watercolor illustrations bring to life the anxiety and tentative joys of this unique historical situation.” Booklist

See you there!