Fin Pal asks Norman: "Do You Pee?"
Norman T. Goldfish answers letters from readers. Click on the link to read his reply.
This is a question lots of kids ask.
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
Below is a drawing of a goldfish’s guts (really just the intestines but guts goes betters with goldfish.) Below that is a drawing of the human digestive system aka people guts. See how much more complex human guts are?
When it comes to guts—goldfish or human—in the end, it all ends up…coming out the end!
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish—about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Fin Pal asks Norman: "How Did You Draw That?"
Norman T. Goldfish answers letters from readers. Click on the link to read his reply.
This is a question lots of kids at school visits ask.
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
Here’s a photograph of illustrator Noah Z. Jones with Kelly at a school visit. Read more about Noah and how he created Norman in this interview “About that Sweatband!”
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish—about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Poetry Challenge #176-Hooray! Library Shelfie Day
Every fourth Wednesday in January, bookies, biblophiles, readers, library nerds, like us—OK us—celebrate Library Shelfie Day. They (we) take a picture of themselves (ourselves)—a selfie—in front of a shelf of books—making it a shelfie.
Pictures are taken at the library, bookstore, school, or home—anywhere there is a shelf of books—and posted to social media #LibraryShelfieDay #ShelfieDay #Shelfie. Check out this collection of NYPL Favorites & Shee for your shelf!
When it comes to celebrating, they stop a snapping shelfies but, that’s not how we click:
Poetry Challenge #176
Library Shelfie Day
In honor of Library Shelfie Day, this week’s prompt is to write a spine poem. Find books on your shelves and arrange them so that when you read the spines, each book creates a line in the poem. See if you can include at least 5 books.
Here’s Mine writing Shelfie
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Spines Out! Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
My Shelfie—read it in the comments
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1742 days ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl): SUBSCRIBE TO THE FISHBOWL
Goldfish to Artist: Interview & Give Away: Noah Z Jones...About that Sweatband?
One Amazing Interview with Noah Z Jones, the artist/creator of our finny goldfish, yes…Norman!
Noah Z Jones: the Human, the Artist & Goldfish Imaginer, the Disposal:
NTG: Do you have a pet? If so, what kind and what’s its name?
NZG: We’ve got three pets. A hermit crab named Pineapple and two loafy guinea pigs, Hippo and Panda. Pineapple makes weird squeaky noises in the middle of the night and Hippo likes to take Panda’s lettuce when she’s not looking.
NTG: What is your favorite food?
NZJ: Tacos. Always tacos. From now until the end of time it’s tacos. And Fruity Pebbles. But mostly tacos.
NTG: If I’d had a bigger breakfast maybe I wouldn’t have been so nervous.”
NTG: Any food you would not eat—even for a million dollars?
NZJ: Look, I’m gonna be honest, I’m like a garbage disposal. I’ll try anything once.
NTG: What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?
NZJ: Naps. Give me a couch, a nice pillow and twenty minutes to doze and I’m the happiest person on Earth.
Kelly & Noah finally met years after NOT NORMAN was published—they were guppies!
Then (When you were a kid):
NTG: What did you like to do best?
NZJ: Draw and read. That’s all I used to do. And watch Saturday morning cartoons.
NTG: What was your favorite subject in school?
NZJ: Art! I loved it. I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew up from the time I was in second grade or so.
NTG: Did you have a best friend or pet? (If yes, what kind and what was his-her-its-their name?)
NZJ: My best friend was a kid named Jon Tarr. By the time he was in sixth grade Jon had cracked his skull five times, on accident of course. I was only there for two of the skull crackings. This is real. Hi Jon!
NTG: What was/is your favorite kid movie or TV show?
Norman One Amazing Goldfish sketches—the eyebrows have it!
NZJ: Movie would be a tie between MATILDA and BABE, they’re both SOO good. When I was a kid I loved THE INCREDIBLE HULK, I loved imagining turning green and smashing things.
ALL THINGS NORMAN:
NTG: How do you get me to show so much emotion? (And what’s with the sweatband?)
NZJ: It’s all in the eyebrows! Most of my drawings of characters start with the eyes and eyebrows. Some people say eyes are the window into a person’s soul, but I say it’s clearly the eyebrows. OF COURSE NORMAN NEEDS A SWEATBAND!! The little fish is always sweating up a storm.
NTG: Do you do all the illustrations on the computer? Or do you draw some by hand? How does that work? Can you describe your process a bit?
NZJ: The drawings for both Norman books were all done on the computer, I like being able to change things and move parts of my drawings around and it’s so much easier to do those things digitally. I have a special kind of screen that I can draw on with a digital pen, it’s pretty cool. Though I have to say I’m always keen on drawing in paper sketchbooks, that’s where most of my ideas start.
NTG: What was it like illustrating a sequel to NOT NORMAN?
NTZ: It was fun and a little harder than I thought it would be! The first NORMAN book came out FIFTEEN YEARS AGO and my adorable fish drawin’ skill shad gotten a little rusty!
NTG: Must have been hard to top that boy-peeking-through-the-fishbowl NOT NORMAN cover for the sequel—or was it? How many ways did you try? Can you show us some?
NTZ: It was a little tricky, the first sketch for the cover got rejected…I’m sending it along so you can get a behind the scenes peek at it!
NTG: Would you like to work on another Norman the Goldfish adventure?
NZJ: YES, YES A MILLION TIMES YES!! Let’s do the first book series with a HUNDRED THOUSAND sequels!!
Last question N to N: What does your letter Z stand for? (I’ll tell you about my T is if you share your Z.)
To see samples of Noah’s cartoons, animation, antics—and to find out what he’s really up to, google him—that’s what we did—cyber stalking. Here’s his bio: Noah Z Jones,
Glu-glu glu-glug And don’t forget: A GIVEAWAY!
One Amazing reader will win hot-off-the-press, a Copy of NORMAN’S ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!!!
To enter: Subscribe to the Fishbowl & Leave one comment below. A random winner will be selected on Jan 31st.
Glug Luck!
P.S. If you think you’re read this before, you may be correct. A sassy artist needs to be celebrated twice—leave 2 comments and you’ll be entered in the contest twice. Twice is nice!!!
Goldfish to Artist: Interview & Give Away: Noah Z Jones...About that Sweatband?
One Amazing Interview with Noah Z Jones, the artist/creator of our finny goldfish, yes…Norman!
Noah Z Jones: the Human, the Artist & Goldfish Imaginer, the Disposal:
NTG: Do you have a pet? If so, what kind and what’s its name?
NZG: We’ve got three pets. A hermit crab named Pineapple and two loafy guinea pigs, Hippo and Panda. Pineapple makes weird squeaky noises in the middle of the night and Hippo likes to take Panda’s lettuce when she’s not looking.
NTG: What is your favorite food?
NZJ: Tacos. Always tacos. From now until the end of time it’s tacos. And Fruity Pebbles. But mostly tacos.
NTG: If I’d had a bigger breakfast maybe I wouldn’t have been so nervous.”
NTG: Any food you would not eat—even for a million dollars?
NZJ: Look, I’m gonna be honest, I’m like a garbage disposal. I’ll try anything once.
NTG: What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?
NZJ: Naps. Give me a couch, a nice pillow and twenty minutes to doze and I’m the happiest person on Earth.
Kelly & Noah finally met years after NOT NORMAN was published—they were guppies!
Then (When you were a kid):
NTG: What did you like to do best?
NZJ: Draw and read. That’s all I used to do. And watch Saturday morning cartoons.
NTG: What was your favorite subject in school?
NZJ: Art! I loved it. I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew up from the time I was in second grade or so.
NTG: Did you have a best friend or pet? (If yes, what kind and what was his-her-its-their name?)
NZJ: My best friend was a kid named Jon Tarr. By the time he was in sixth grade Jon had cracked his skull five times, on accident of course. I was only there for two of the skull crackings. This is real. Hi Jon!
NTG: What was/is your favorite kid movie or TV show?
Norman One Amazing Goldfish sketches—the eyebrows have it!
NZJ: Movie would be a tie between MATILDA and BABE, they’re both SOO good. When I was a kid I loved THE INCREDIBLE HULK, I loved imagining turning green and smashing things.
ALL THINGS NORMAN:
NTG: How do you get me to show so much emotion? (And what’s with the sweatband?)
NZJ: It’s all in the eyebrows! Most of my drawings of characters start with the eyes and eyebrows. Some people say eyes are the window into a person’s soul, but I say it’s clearly the eyebrows. OF COURSE NORMAN NEEDS A SWEATBAND!! The little fish is always sweating up a storm.
NTG: Do you do all the illustrations on the computer? Or do you draw some by hand? How does that work? Can you describe your process a bit?
NZJ: The drawings for both Norman books were all done on the computer, I like being able to change things and move parts of my drawings around and it’s so much easier to do those things digitally. I have a special kind of screen that I can draw on with a digital pen, it’s pretty cool. Though I have to say I’m always keen on drawing in paper sketchbooks, that’s where most of my ideas start.
NTG: What was it like illustrating a sequel to NOT NORMAN?
NTZ: It was fun and a little harder than I thought it would be! The first NORMAN book came out FIFTEEN YEARS AGO and my adorable fish drawin’ skill shad gotten a little rusty!
NTG: Must have been hard to top that boy-peeking-through-the-fishbowl NOT NORMAN cover for the sequel—or was it? How many ways did you try? Can you show us some?
NTZ: It was a little tricky, the first sketch for the cover got rejected…I’m sending it along so you can get a behind the scenes peek at it!
NTG: Would you like to work on another Norman the Goldfish adventure?
NZJ: YES, YES A MILLION TIMES YES!! Let’s do the first book series with a HUNDRED THOUSAND sequels!!
Last question N to N: What does your letter Z stand for? (I’ll tell you about my T is if you share your Z.)
To see samples of Noah’s cartoons, animation, antics—and to find out what he’s really up to, google him—that’s what we did—cyber stalking. Here’s his bio: Noah Z Jones,
Glu-glu glu-glug And don’t forget: A GIVEAWAY!
One Amazing reader will win hot-off-the-press, a Copy of NORMAN’S ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!!!
To enter: Leave one comment below. A random winner will be selected in a couple weeks!
Glug Luck!
P.S. Keep reading…there’s more down below…
WHO YA CALLING a "SCAREDY FISH"?
Yes! Norman! Okay, if you've read the book, you know how brave Norman the Goldfish can be. Especially late at night. When it's super dark. And some strange, super creepy something is scratching at the window. But...
SCRITCH, SCREECH! What's that noise?
Everybody's afraid of something (Okay, maybe not everybody, but almost everybody) even Norman the Goldfish.
In fact, I can think of 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 things that really really creep Norman out. (And all of them begin with the same 3-letter word that we are never, ever, even in the most extraordinary cases allowed to say--or even think--around Norman's Fishbowl.)
However, because Not Norman is Jumpstart's 2015 Read for the Record© book, and frankly, Norman's been acting like he was a little too big for his fishbowl lately, I'm going to share that list with you. But only if you register to Read for the Record© 10-22-2015 ! Promise? I'll even give you a hint.
Hint: What animal has fur and pointy ears and 4 paws and purrs?
Norman’s Top 10 Scariest-Yuckiest-Grossest-Freakiest-Worst Things Ever List:
1. Scariest Villian? Catwoman
2. Scariest Boat? Catamaran
3. Yuckiest Herb? Catnip
4. Scariest Sight in the Sky? Catbird
5. Scariest Plant? Cattail
6. Worst Thing to Find in the Mailbox? Catalog
7. Gunky-est Condiment? Catsup
8. Scariest Sound in the Whole World? Caterwaul
9. Freakiest Insect? Caterpillar
10. Scariest Fish (even scarier than sharks)? Catfish
10-22-2015 WHO'S READING FOR THE RECORD? NOT NORMAN!
You know the song from Guys and Dolls, the one Sister Sarah sings after she loses the bet against Sky Masterson and pays up by going with him to Havana? Cue the music: Ask me how to I feel . . . Well, Sir, all I can say is if I were a gate I'd be swing-ing!/And if I were a watch I'd start/ popping my springs!/Or if I were a bell I'd go ding dong, ding dong ding!
Add to that, If I were a fish I’d be flip-ping! Because that’s how I’ve been feeling since I heard the big news—Like that swing-ing gate, that spring-popping watch, that ding-dong-ing bell, that fish! Some of you may know why. For those who don’t, cue the trumpet!
My little book, NOT NORMAN, A GOLDFISH STORY, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones (Candlewick Press), is Jumpstart’s Read for the Record book for 2015!!!
What’s that mean? Only that, on October 22, 2015 children and adults will read Not Norman together, aloud, it what can become—for the Record—the world’s largest shared reading experience! You, too, I hope.
In case you don’t know, Jumpstart is a non-profit early education organization with a mission of helping every child in America enters school prepared to succeed. Their motto is:
How does it work? “Jumpstart recruits and trains college students and community volunteers to work with preschool children in low-income neighborhoods. Through a proven curriculum, these children develop the language and literacy skills they need to be ready for school, setting them on a path to close the achievement gap before it is too late.”
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record, began in 2006, to raise awareness of the achievement gap and Jumpstart's work with preschool children in low-income neighborhoods—and to raise funds to support programs. Candlewick Press, Jumpstart’s partner in the 2015 campaign, in addition to other contributions, will donate some 13,000 copies of the Jumpstart special edition (available in Spanish & English) to ensure that anyone who wants to participate, can!
Thrilled as I was when Jumpstart announced Not Norman as the 2015 Read for the Record book, the magnitude of this honor didn’t really register until I did some digging into the history of past campaigns. Since 2006, when more than 150 thousand children & adults read The Little Engine that Could on the same day, thus earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records*, funds raised, number of books given to children—for many their first book—and number of children & adult participating has burgeoned. The record high to date is almost 4.3 million, set in 2012, when children & adults reading the same book on the same day! Totally freaks me out to think my little fishy story is on the list with such time-honored classics, all for a single purpose: Helping children read & succeed!
For the record: Yes, learning to read the words in a picture book is the goal. But we all know it’s the picture on the cover that compels children to pick up a book, and the illustrations inside that keep them turning—and returning—to those pages. Let’s hear it for Noah Z. Jones!
I first met Noah Z. Jones at a school event 6 years after Not Norman was published.
Believe it or not, Not Norman is Noah’s first picture book! And, bucking traditional illustration techniques, Noah utilized his animation background and tech-know-how while he was at it; the art for Not Norman by computer!
Way back then, 2002-3, computer generated illustrations in picture books were unheard of. In fact, some reviewers scoffed. The rest of us, especially kids & I, loved it! One look at that cover, at that boy’s face peeking through the fishbowl with Norman as his nose, and I just have to laugh-every time!
You know, the 3rd thing I did, after learning Not Norman, a Goldfish Story, had been named Jumpstart's Read for the Record book for 2015? I went on a crazed Internet search. I looked up everything I could about Jumpstart, all about past Read for the Record Campaigns, and of course, the other 9 Read for the Record books. You can bet my mind was ding-dong, flippin! Here's the list:
JUMPSTART Read for the Record books:
2006: The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper (more than 150,000 children & adults read the story on the same day, earning that 1st spot in The Guinness Book of World Records.)
2007: The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (258,000 children & adults participated)
2008: Corduroy written by Don Freeman (688,000 participated)
2009: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (2,019,752 participated)
2010: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (2,057,513 participated)
2011 Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney (2,185,155 participated)
2012: Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad by David Soman & Jacky Davis (4, 2,385,305 participated)
2013 Otis by Loren Long (2,462,860 children & adults participated)
2014 Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells (2,383,645 children & adults participated)
Add to that:
Not Norman, A Goldfish Story, by Kelly Bennett & Noah Z. Jones (How many children & adults participate on October 22, 2015 is up to us . . . )
What’s especially exciting is that this is Jumpstart’s Read for the Record and Not Norman’s 10th birthday! I sure hope you’ll join me in helping to make this 10th campaign a record breaker. Here’s How:
Mark Your Calendars: READ FOR THE RECORD DAY is October 22, 2015
Pledge to Read: http://www.jstart.org/campaigns/register-read
Get Involved: Donate! Join the Team! Be a Sponsor! http://jstart.org/get-involved/get-involved1
Buy the Jumpstart Special Edition of Not Norman: http://www.jstart.org/campaigns/jumpstart-shop (English & Spanish available):
Play Around: Check out the free resources on the Jumpstart Toolkit: http://www.jstart.org/campaigns/toolkit
Spread the Word: Please share the Jumpstart Read for the Record link on social media word-of-mouth, too! http://www.jstart.org/campaigns/read-for-the-record
Who's Reading for the Record? Playlist:
- If I Were A Bell from Guys and Dolls
- Fish Gotta Swim from Porgy and Bess
- Let's Here it for the Fish...er, Boy by Deniece Williams