Betty Birney’s Blog

 I’ve been playing catch-up for over a week now and finally realize that the idea of catching up is just a pipe dream. Now it’s just a matter of dealing issue by issue with an ever-growing list of Things to Do.

I spent 8 days in Florida where the weather was a little cool and rainy - just as it is here in Southern California. (Well, rainier here the last week.) The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs is a current Sunshine State book. I was in Florida 6 times in 2005-2006 when The World According to Humphrey was on the list - and Humphrey is still beloved at all the schools I visited.

My first stop was in Oviedo, next-door to Orlando. I was met at the airport by Kent Rockaway, a parent who happens to be from Missouri, too! (Rolla, not Sassasfras Springs). He delivered me to the Media Specialist at John Evans Elementary, Brenda Chapman, who took me to dinner and delivered me to my home away from home, a historic B&B, King’s Manor, which was lovely. As usual, with a long day of travel and a three-hour time difference, I woke up a lot during the night. When I awoke at 4 a.m., I was amazed to hear the unmistakable crowing of a rooster. (It was distant and didn’t actually wake me up.) Having arrived at night, I wasn’t sure if there was a farm nearby.

   Me with Elliott and Brenda                                                Don’t mess with this chicken!                      Fantastic volunteers                                                    Centerpiece

Brenda picked me up in the morning and drove me to Evans, where I met - at last - Elliott Hershey, the teacher who started the ball rolling for this visit. (Was it a hamster ball? Hmmm.) Then I did a couple of presentations and was whisked to the conference room for a wonderful lunch with the theme of : CHICKENS! That’s where I first learned about the famous Oviedo chickens, wild chickens who freely roam around the town.  There are legal implications if you harm one (don’t you touch one feather of an Oviedo chicken!) … they occasionally stop traffic a la Make Way for Ducklings … and their favorite hangout is Popeye’s! The room was decorated with old-timey Oviedo artifacts and lots of chicken-themed decorations. And lunch was - ahem - chicken, served up by three moms who are extremely good sports and who looked very fetching in their 50s-style waitress costumes in honor of the Town House, a venerable Oviedo eating establishment. Seven students read their winning essays about the wonders of Oviedo, and attendees included Mrs. John Evans (the school is named for her husband), Officer Mikey - a wonder of Oveido herself, and I was privileged to sit next to the Mayor of Oviedo … Mary Lou Andrews. During our free-ranging conversation, I learned that her now-adult daughter was a huge fan of Welcome to Pooh Corner, a series I story-edited and wrote most of the scripts)  - my very first TV series. Some of the attendees seemed a little surprised when I launched into a vocal rendition of the theme song, but at least I didn’t get up and do the chicken dance!

There were more presentations and lots of books to sign and dinner with Brenda, the hostess with the mostest.

MYTH-BUSTING: Roosters don’t ONLY crow at dawn. On the day I left, he started at 4 am and was still going strong when I was picked up at 10:30.

IMPORTANT LINK: You can see the very attractive Oviedo chickens and learn more about them on YouTube. Just type in Oviedo Chickens.

On Saturday, the 12th, I had a wonderful book signing at Barnes and Noble, Waterford Lakes Town Center, with enthusiastic fans of both Humphrey and Sassafras. Brenda and her husband Dave not only drove me and stayed for a couple of hours (and Dave took photos), but also delivered me to Avis where I picked up a car for the next leg of my trip.

The wonderful people who came to B & N gave me a wonderful send-off for my move East to New Port Richey … more about that in a day or two!

A quick post:

 I’ll be heading to Orlando tomorrow. I will be signing books on Saturday at 11 at Barnes and Noble - Waterford Lakes at 481 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando.

More about my fifth book-related trip to the fabulous Sunshine State to come.

 BYE-BYE-BYE!

What would writers do without librarians? Or without libraries. I visit my own Studio City branch once or twice a week. As a part of the vast Los Angeles Public Library system, I can go online, order any book in the system and pick it up near my house within a few days. Brilliant - especially since many of the books I want are out of print.

Naturally, I spend a lot of time in libraries and with librarians. This has been especially true in the last month and a half.

First, I had the great honor of going to Yakima, WA to the Washington Library Media Association conference to receive their Sasquatch Award for The World According to Humphrey. There I was greeted and entertained by a very enthusiastic group of librarians. Margaret Martin, Children’s Librarian at the Mercer Island (WA) Library presented the award, entertained me, and made sure all the details were taken care of. Didi Kearsley, Librarian at Lakeridge Elementary School on Mercer Island was an unofficial hostess and a great help as well. Here I am with the award, and a furry friend

And here’s the fun-loving Sasquatch Committee (that’s Margaret Martin in the light-colored dress, holding the book).

Judy Schachner (author/illustrator of the joyfully rollicking Skippyjon Jones books among others) was the ebullient speaker at the luncheon and we ended up flying to Seattle together on a very odd flight from Yakima … we managed to yak the whole way!

read!

Finally, this past weekend, I spoke at the CSLA (California School Library Association) conference in Ontario, CA. The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs is on the California Young Reader Medal list (yay!) and it was great to hear so many librarians’ enthusiastic response to that book.

I spoke on Friday, then returned on Sunday for an author/librarian brunch where I met even more interesting and lively librarians, and visited with writer friends, such as Mark London Williams (Danger Boy series), Hope Anita Smith (The Way a Door Closes ), Lisze Bechtold (Buster & Phoebe), Alexis O’Neill (pictured below with The Recess Queen - we both look a little blurry bu tI think I look better blurry), and I got to make some new acquaintances such as Kate Hovey (Ancient Voices), Caroline Arnold (Taj Mahal) and Barbara Bietz (Like a Maccabee). Barbara Bietz and I had each other’s lunch tickets and thus, ate each other’s lunches. I only wish my pal Barbara Bottner (of Wallace’s Lists fame) had been there so we would have had three BBs signing in a row! (Children’s writers love alliteration, even in their names. Think Lois Lowry!)

with Alexis O’Neill

And I also got to schmooze with Susan Dubin, L.A. librarian extraordinaire, who happens to be a relative! My dear stepdaughter, Rebecca (mother of Remy), is married to Suzie’s nephew, Gary (father of Remy), and we’re all one big happy family.

Growing up in St. Louis, any mention of “The Fair” was a reference to the 1904 World’s Fair, held in St. Louis. It commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. It was a huge event for St. Louis and for my family. My mom’s father was about 11 then and claimed that during the building of the fair, he went from exhibit to exhibit, picking up construction jobs. His story - maybe exaggerated, maybe not - was that he got fired four times in one day.

My father’s mother’s family was enamored of the Fair. Great Aunt Irene once said my great-grandmother went there every day.

The Fair’s claims to fame include the (possible) creation of the hot dog and of the ice cream one. One of the fascinations (and now embarrassments) of the Fair were the exhibits of “exotic” people from around the world. They set up mock villages so visitors could see how these people lived. Great Aunt Kate befriended some of the Igorotes (I believe) from the Philippines, and invited them to the family home for dinner, loin cloths and all. The neighbors were purportedly shocked, but I loved the idea of my family showing the Igorotes their way of life, after months of having people gawk at their lifestyle. I know the family didn’t have a car, though, so I always try to imagine the Igorotes on the bus! They were very popular at the Fair, so perhaps it wasn’t as unusual as it sounds.

Though most of the buildings at the Fair were temporary and torn down, there are still vestiges of it in beautiful Forest Park in St. Louis. There are lagoons and a few structures, including the World’s Largest Bird Cage at the famed St. Louis Zoo, which has been beautiful restored.

I’ve been the Fair recently - at the L.A. County Fair in Pomona, where I spent a day speaking at America’s Kids. Busloads of students on field trips (up to 10,000 a day) are brought there for the exhibits. It was pretty wild, unbelievably loud and I had to compete with forensics exhibits, animal shows and Bob the Builder! But I had a great time and met some terrific students who were also good listeners.

MOVIE RECOMMENDATION: Meet Me In St. Louis - a beautifully done Judy Garland musical perfect for the whole family, with great music and a heartwarming story. Obviously, it’s one of my favorites.