100 Years Ago, Ruth's House Opened for Business!

Hi Fishbowl Friends! Today is the day-the day that started this whole journey-from idea to poem to picture book: April 18th, 1923! READ ALL ABOUT IT!

Here’s the link to the article. Thank you all for being on this journey—and celebrating with me!

100 Years Ago, Ruth's House Opened for Business! Children’s Book Celebrates Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth & Baseball (einpresswire.com)

Author Chat with Robin Hall-April 6th Noon EDT! Join us!

Hi Friends! April 6th-Thursday-Noon EDT! Yes! Tomorrow—or maybe today! Maybe RIGHT NOW!

I’m chatting author-to-author about picture book creation with fellow VCFA alumnx Robin Hall, who also has a new picture book coming soon from Familus, called The Littlest Weaver. We’ll have plenty to chat about—research, writing, revising…secrets—and it will be heaps of fun! And there’s a #giveaway!

Step-by-Step Instructions for joining the chat are below! Everything you need to know.

Join Us! Bring your questions! Tell your Friends!

How to Join Insta-chat:

1. You’ll need an instagram account to access the live.

2. Follow @robinhallwrites (which you want to do for the giveaway, anyhow!)

3. At noon Eastern on Thursday, sign in to your account. 

4. On the top of your account where the stories are, @robinhallwrites will start the Instagram Live. You will see her face in one of the stories and a red circle around it. As her follower, you will get a notification that she is live, as well. 

5. Click on the story circle and you’re in

6. Enjoy the fun and feel free to ask questions and interact in the chat.

Looking forward to seeing y’all this Thursday, April 6th!

Baby's Bite! Picture Books About Siblings to Sink Your Teeth Into!

Baby’s bite! Siblings squabble! That’s reality. Reading Books about Sibling Relationships is an easy way to discuss sibling stuff with kids. And because it’s March and you are reading aloud right? Here’s a list of picture books about siblings that are—as Vampire Baby puts it, “Toothly funny!”—definitely worth sinking your teeth into:

March is National Reading Month! In between games and goings-on, pull out some books and read-read-read aloud with your kiddos!

After all, wouldn’t it be wonderful if your future all-stars could read about themselves—for themselves! Win-Win-Win! (A Three-Pointer!)

Tip-off starts March 2nd with Read Across America Day!

And get this, you don’t even need to lug around those big old clunky books. There are scores of picture book read-alouds on-line—click and pick!

Videos of my picture books are just a YouTube button Click Away! Below is a screenshot of my You-Tube Channel @kellybennettbooks9789 so you’ll know it. (Seriously…CLICK HERE!)

March Read Aloud Month more dates to remember (in case you need an excuse to read):

March 2: Read Across America Day

March 4: National Grammar Day

March 6-12: E-Book Week

March 20th: World Storytelling Day

March 21: World Poetry Day

What comes after March? April, of course! Library Week! So no excuses!

What’s more! my new picture book, The House That Ruth Built, illustrated by Susanna Covelli, available now from Familus!

“With beautiful, true-to-event illustrations reminiscent of Norman Rockwell, and with facts on every page about the stadium, the teams, and that very first fateful game that christened the original Yankee Stadium, The House That Ruth Built is the perfect book for kids and baseball fans everywhere. Take a step into the past and watch the baseball greats make history!”

For reading all the way down to here, you get a reward: It’s a brand-new readaloud of THTRB


Happy Read-Aloud March!

March Reading Madness

March Madness is on! Basketball latter-gator …

March is National Reading Month! In between games and goings-on, pull out some books and read-read-read aloud with your kiddos!

After all, wouldn’t it be wonderful if your future all-stars could read about themselves—for themselves! Win-Win-Win! (A Three-Pointer!)

Tip-off starts March 2nd with Read Across America Day!

And get this, you don’t even need to lug around those big old clunky books. There are scores of picture book read-alouds on-line—click and pick!

Videos of my picture books are just a YouTube button Click Away! Below is a screenshot of my You-Tube Channel @kellybennettbooks9789 so you’ll know it. (Seriously…CLICK HERE!)

March Read Aloud Month more dates to remember (in case you need an excuse to read):

March 2: Read Across America Day

March 4: National Grammar Day

March 6-12: E-Book Week

March 20th: World Storytelling Day

March 21: World Poetry Day

What comes after March? April, of course! Library Week! So no excuses!

What’s more! my new picture book, The House That Ruth Built, illustrated by Susanna Covelli, available now from Familus!

“With beautiful, true-to-event illustrations reminiscent of Norman Rockwell, and with facts on every page about the stadium, the teams, and that very first fateful game that christened the original Yankee Stadium, The House That Ruth Built is the perfect book for kids and baseball fans everywhere. Take a step into the past and watch the baseball greats make history!”

For reading all the way down to here, you get a reward: It’s a brand-new readaloud of THTRB


Happy Read-Aloud March!

Honoring a Life: Adele Hutchinson Bennett

My dear mother-in-law, Adele Hutchinson Bennett, passed a few days ago, at 89, with her mind and spirit saying “Yes! Yes!” as always. Her body and heart were plum worn out after a full adventurous life filled with music, travel, drama, and love. Her 4 children, Curtis, Liz, Paul & Marilyn were with her. Mom, Oma, Nana, Gramma Adele to her 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren, will live on in ferocious card games and raucous laughter.

Here’s Adele with the gang at her 89th birthday celebration in Galveston, Oct 2021.

It was May 4th a day nationally recognized as Star Wars Day—as in “May the Force Be With You” and Adele was a force! “Come Fly Away” will be her send off song during a Memorial Service on May 7th, held at St. Luke Methodist in Bryan, Texas.

Yes, Adele was known to swerve upon sighting hawks on the hunt!

Fittingly, May 4th is National Bird Day. Adele was an avid birder—raptors being her passion. She traveled throughout the world to bird trips—and highways, much to other drivers potential peril. As a subscriber to The Fishbowl, you may have tried the May 4th 7-Minute Challenge “This One’s For the Birds.” Make that “for Adele.”

When I write “traveled the world” I am not kidding. The photos below were taken when Adele came to Indonesia to visit, she said “to see us” but it wasn’t long before she was off in search of the Javan Eagle. The one of Adele was taken in the Tea Plantations north of Jakarta, the other is of the guides and on the far right, our driver Aan, who escorted Adele on what was a trip of a lifetime—hers & his. Yes! There were eagles!

I will be taking the week to celebrate this lovely loving woman and a life well lived. The next 7-Minute Challenge will post May 11th. If, between now and then, you notice a wild bird—and I hope you do—say “Would you look?”

VAMPIRE BABY Vants YOU!

FINALLY…finally…after 7 years adrift, my village has a bookstore! Red Jacket Books opened a few months ago—YIPPEE!!!! In an effort to spread the word and support independent bookstores we teamed up for a Vampire Give-Away! Which means you could be one of the lucky 20 pumpkins who win!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

The first 20 people who order a copy of Vampire Baby from Red Jacket Books win a swag bag of goodies—fangs included!

You can call the store or order on-line or in person. And, if you’d like it autographed, I’d be happy to!

Here’s the website link: https://redjacketbooks.com/products/vampire-baby

I thank you! Red Jacket Books thanks you!

Vampire Baby vil bite YOU!

BUST OUT THAT TUBA! SHARE THOSE FINS! NORMAN SWIMS AGAIN!

On the 15th Anniversary of NOT NORMAN, A GOLDFISH STORY, finally, a sequel! (The best things take time) Hope you agree!

Norman One Amazing Goldfish backstrokes into booksellers Sept. 8. 2020