Where's Kelly Going?
Hi Friends! Happy Back-to-School!
Like everyone, I have a busy fall schedule planned, which includes several book events. I’ll be sharing my story—and my stories!
Spoiler Alert: I may or may not be wearing my tutu!
Below are places I’ll be presenting, signing, speaking this Fall—to which everyone is welcome! (I don’t post school events.)
Check it out! Along with getting to see me—HURRAH!—there will be lots of other authors, illustrators, books, fun, games, and prizes—always prizes!
Hope to see you there, here, everywhere:
KIDS’ STORYTIME!
Barnes & Noble, Danbury Connecticut
When: Sept 23, 11:00 am-1:00 pm
I’ll be reading, chatting, signing:
THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT
NOT NORMAN, A GOLDFISH STORY
NORMAN, ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH
There will be PRIZES!
Chappaqua Book Festival
Sept 30, 2023 10-4 pm
We are talking 140 Authors! Storytime! Crafts! Food! Fun!
Chappaqua Train Station!
The Author Location list is below, I’ll be in the Turquoise Tent—my favorite color!
Check the CBF website for all the Info!
. . . and then it’s TULSA TIME! Oct 23rd : 5-6 pm
Magic City Books
221 E. Archer St., Tulsa, OK
I’ll be reading, signing, tap dancing! So looking forward to connecting with Tulsa friends!
When: Oct 23, 2023
Time: 5-6:00 pm
Check the website: Magic City Books
There will be treats!
Oct 25, 3-4:00 PM:
Quogue Library
Family Presentation & Signing
I’ll be talking about my journey to becoming an author, creating stories & tips on how your stories can come alive!
BOOKS WILL BE SOLD—PROCEEDS GO TO WGC!
Quogue Library is in Quogue, New York, just east of Westhampton Beach. Click over to the for location and more—Website: HOME | QUOGUE LIBRARY
Louisville Book Festival!
Nov 10 & 11th, all day!
This is the third year and WOW! What a great event!
That’s all for now! Hope you’ll come out and keep us company! Grab some new books! Meet some cool creatives!
And please keep me in mind for events, festivals, conferences in your area!
What Inspires Me? Smiling in the Nighttime Mirror
You drink your coffee from a reusable cup, tote your own bags to the store, say “no” to Styrofoam, compost, recycle, reuse…at the end of the day, flossing—just as the dentist ordered—you look yourself in the mirror, feeling good about doing your bit you smile and then toss your floss.
Oh the tangled web we weave . . .
Dental floss may be good for your teeth. But it is not good for the earth. It is not good for the dogs—maybe your dog—that might eat it.
It is not good for the animals and sea creatures who might become tangled in it.
If you flush it, is not good for your pipes…
Dental floss is made of nylon. Most dental floss packages are made of plastic.
Nylon is the material most commonly used in clothing, parachutes, and— smile—toothbrush & floss pick bristles. Nylon is not biodegradable.
Please! If you use nylon dental floss:
Do NOT flush it.
Sewer systems become backed up with discarded plastic floss, that twists with hair strands, that clump wet wipes that clog…
Do WAD it into a tiny, tangled ball. Knot it. Clump it. Tangle it.
Yes! Absolutely! It will still stay in the landfill for eternity. But at least if you wad it into a knot the floss will not be nasty long string just waiting to tangle with everything else— (see above.)
If you’re a good patient and floss as your dentist advises, the way your dentist advises, every day, 365 days a year, imagine how much floss you toss?
Even if you’re a conservative floss unspooler that 365 ft of floss from you alone. Now multiply that by the number of regular flossers in your home, your office, your building…. It’s fodder for a horror film.
Invasion of the Giant Floss Monster!
Believe it or not, in this case, those floss sticks, picks, brushers are a better option for at least they won’t tangle around wee warbler feet. Or tiny turtle necks, and feetsies, and intestines…. Have you ever tried to break floss with your hands, you know how strong those strands are. Imagine how an otter might feel trying to gnaw its way through a floss tangle. (Be happy there’s no photo inserted.)
What to do? Water Pick! Water Picks work! And they are reusable. If charged on solar even better.
Wah, not a fan of the waterworks? Me neither. I’ve got 3 words for us:
Biodegradable Dental Floss
The most common materials used in biodegradable dental floss are silk and bamboo. One I found is corn-based.
Ironically, just as the first sandwich wrappers were biodegradable plant leaves, the first dental floss was made from silk.
Let’s go back to better! And really have something to smile about!
Here are some eco-friendly dental floss that are biodegradable and compostable. (These are just a few brands available wherever you buy the icky, non-earth-friendly, uncool dude brand you currently use.)
Biodegradable Dental Floss! Now that’s inspiring!
What Inspires Me? The Babe Going Out With a BAAAAAAAM!
On May 25, 1935, at Forbes Field, Babe Ruth didn’t hit one home run—he hit three!
For more Baseball & Babe, check out my book! Click! Even if you love the Mets or Sox…even if you hate the Yankees…you’ll LOVE it—it’s baseball history!
He belted the first one into the lower deck.
The second homer landed in the upper deck.
The third blasted clear out of the ballpark.
Ruth went four for four that game, hitting three home runs and driving in six runs.
As the Boston Globe put it, “Babe Ruth’s final home run was a moonshot!”
“Twice he cleared the playing field with home runs which have been made in the same manner by ordinary sluggers. The third time, in the seventh inning, he caught hold of one of Guy Bush’s slow curves, and with one mighty swipe sent it clear out of the ballpark 50 feet over the right field stands, the first time the ball had ever been knocked out of the park in that particular spot.”
Back to the game: The game was a history maker for The Babe, but not for The Braves. The Pirates won 11-7.
Five days later, on May 30, 1935, Babe Ruth played his final Major League Baseball game.
Babe Ruth retired with a career record of 714 home runs, 2,213 RBI, 2,062 walks and a lifetime .342 average. His pitching record in 10 seasons was 94-46, with 107 complete games.
What Inspires Me? Goldfish Rescuer
We all need another hero!
Channeling Tina Turner (my personal superhero) today, singing in her rockin’-stompin’ heels with one small but mighty change.
Change “don’t” to “all” in the Thunderdome Theme on behalf of unwanted, forgotten, deserted goldfish and friends everywhere.
We All Need Another Hero!—sing it Tina!
Writing stories about Norman, One Amazing Goldfish gives me great joy, but also comes tinged with great responsibility, especially when I hear people say those four dreaded words uttered in the same sentence as the word “goldfish” or “fish” or frankly anything other than bodily waste and TP.
“Flushed down the toilet…”
Hello Brenda Prohaska, beautician, cancer survivor, and fish rescuer!
I first read of Brenda’s fish rescue efforts in a NY Times article about how she sprang into action on behalf of 300 goldfish that had somehow washed into a basement during Hurricane Sandy.
Brenda took up fish rescuing about three years ago, after learning of the 300 trapped goldfish and quickly became NYC’s official fish help hotline—a weighty, exhausting and expensive task. Like all superheroes, she needed a trusty sidekick. Lucky for her—and stranded fish—as the NY Times article put it, in 2020 a disabled construction worker, Laboy Wiggins, “rescued the fish rescuer.”
Reasons fish need rescuing are “varied as fish in the sea: a messy divorce in which a restraining order prevented a spouse from collecting his fahaka pufferfish; a man moving to California stopped by Transportation Security Administration agents at the airport for trying to take his suckermouth catfish in his carry-on bag.”
Not to mention the “won it at the fair but it didn’t die” tough-luck goldfish variety.
Laboy set up and maintains their facebook page: NYC Fish Rescue.
And they are in the process (perhaps have) established a non-profit Fish Rescue group.
And here’s the link to their Fish Rescue Go Fund Me Campaign:
Brenda’s fish-ambulance is a repurposed hearse.
NYC Fish Rescue isn’t the only ditched, deserted, abandoned hope for fish either. There and group in other places—google it!
Now that’s inspiring!
For more about Brenda, Laboy, NYC Fish Rescue, here’s the NY Times Article, “When Helpless Fish Need a Hero”
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!
WINNER OF The House That Ruth Built Pre-Order Giveaway is!
Happy April Fool’s Day! But not trick, only treats!
Before I announce the winner of The House That Ruth Built pre-order give-away, Thank you! Thank you! Everyone who shared about the book, reposted, liked, loved—and pre-ordered a copy of my new picture book.
Now…. scroll down for the big winner . . .
The winner is: Lindsey Vagt.
I repeat: Lindsey Vagt.
Lindsey wins the way-cool ALL-STAR Baseball Backpack Charm from Veronica's Arts — personalized, too!
IF YOU DIDN’T WIN the contest, you are all winners. And if you ordered from Red Jacket Books you’ll be recieving a surprise along with your book.
If you ordered somewhere else, you deserve a sweet surprise, too. So pop me a note in the comments and I’ll make sure you get a treat!
And be on the lookout because there is more prizes and more fun ahead! After all, the 100th Anniversary of the original Yankee Stadium and that opening day game is April 18th! So get ready to Play Ball!
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!”