My Travelin’ Eye was recently reviewed by Donna Firgurski and her energetic and thoughtful posse, the Kiddle CRITers. Donna has a unique way of reviewing a book with the Kiddle CRITers — a manuscript of the students’ in-depth, uninterrupted conversation about the story. It seems they always get to the heart of the book. When reading their review of MTE, I giggled and sighed and even melted a bit. They “got” it. Following their review are some fun lesson plan ideas from Donna for use in the classroom. Check it out here (and their archive!). Thank you Donna and Kiddle CRITers! I really enjoy your blog!

This brings me to what I’ve been excited to write about for a long time –and PLEASE, I need YOUR help! I have received many emails from teachers over the past couple of years asking me if there are any lesson plans written for my book, My Travelin’ Eye. — specific ideas and activities. And since there are none that I am aware of, I thought it might be inspiring and helpful for teachers ‘out there’ to gather some ideas and make them available on my site. Donna’s ideas were the perfect motivation.

In the spirit of my mom — “Jenny Sue, we just have to get creative!”

So, even though I’m not a teacher, I have given it my best try (and maybe there is something there to use :) ), AND I also thought I’d send a request out into the blog world to see what YOU can (or already have) come up with. Teachers, HOW have you used it in your classroom? How do you/could you use it differently for different age students? Parents, what sort of discussions come up when you’ve read it with your little ones? Do any activities naturally follow?

Donna’s lesson plans focus on Jenny Sue’s eye challenge and for kids to put themselves into her shoes to get a better view, both what is positive and difficult — which is great, I think. Compassion and empathy, and simply trying on someone else’s shoes…or, um glasses. Often when I’ve read my book in schools, the kids naturally cover up one eye with their hand when Jenny Sue gets her patch. It’s fun to watch them discover how it’s a bit tricky to just have one eye.

This is another idea that I’ve used when I visit with classrooms, with the focus more on storytelling. This might be for older grades 2-3:

Writing a story from a memory in the first person. No rules. And, as authors, it’s OK to embellish your memories! Also, include real-life detail into the art. It could be as simple as a one paragraph story OR they could develop a longer story with multiple illustrations. Whenever I visit with students and read my book, I want mostly to inspire them to tell stories and create pictures. For me, my life and memories are where I find stories. (I’m not the author who makes up stories out of the blue.) I always tell them that I first got the idea to write about my eye from staring at my birth announcement photo and how I immediately noticed that my left eye was traveling from the get go. To help get them started, I share what some of the little ‘details’ in my book mean — like when Jenny Sue is kneeling in the sink looking into the mirror (which I specifically remember doing — I still remember how hard the sink was on my knees and shins). She is wearing the No. 83 football jersey which was my oldest brother Freddie’s and who I thought was the coolest. It’s these details that make an artist’s pictures unique. There are many more details like this in my book…all the students in Jenny Sue’s classroom are real-life friends I had in gradeschool. And the scene with my mom making fashion patches — that is the table and wallpaper in the kitchen I grew up in, and my mom did the newspaper crossword puzzle faithfully every morning.

A much simpler activity I did with a few hundred students in a very short time:

Create a cloud landscape mural in their hallway. We talked about how we all see differently from each other — just like Jenny Sue. That is why we draw, sing, dress, and think differently. Each student thought of one thing in their life special to them and drew a cloud in that shape. The mural turned out so fun with 200+ unique clouds!

Another idea I came up with: Create a super hero character whose ‘power’ is based on a weakness or disability that is turned into a strength. These would be positive super heroes, of course. :)

Thanks in advance for sharing your ideas and feel free to pass this along to teachers you know! Please write them in a comment or email me at coloredsock@mac.com. I want to add a page in my book section that shares everyone’s ideas that teachers can put to good use!

I need your help. My publisher, Henry Holt, just sent ten copies of my book, My Travelin’ Eye, that I need to find homes for. Perfect timing for the holiday season! I’m looking for ten places to send them to: children’s hospitals who have libraries, a shelter or community center, special ed or art therapy programs, maybe your son or daughter’s ophthalmologist’s office, etc. Basically, a variety of places where a lot of kids are likely to discover and enjoy it. Please leave your suggestion in a comment below, and if a lot more than ten suggestions pile up, I’ll keep them for the future. Thanks!!

It’s not every day you feel like a rockstar. In fact, I think this is the only time in my 35 years I’ve felt like one, and it’s all because of a SUPA groovy 5 year old named Lucy. Last month, her family was going on a cross country road trip, and she asked her mom, “Do you think we can visit Jenny Sue along the way?”

So her really cool mom Sarah emailed me. I don’t know if I ever shared exactly where we live, but it’s basically in the middle of NOWHERE. Sure, it’s 35 miles from Taos, which is a cool town but also far from anywhere. We live at the base of the Sangres and look out onto what looks like a dried up ocean with an enormous sky. There is absolutely NOTHING for hundreds of miles out there. I often imagine a longneck dinosaur meandering thru the extinct volcanoes that have retired ‘out there’. To get to our house, you drive a ways on a 2 lane highway, turn onto 3 unmarked dirt roads, and when you hear a trio of Tanzanian dogs trying to out howl the coyotes, make two rights. Our little house and garden are tucked away in the thick pine forest.

So, basically, we’re never “along the way” for anyone.

But when you have a daughter who just melts your hearts day and night, you go out of your way for her. (I know this now!)

Back to last month…one early evening, a knock at the door, and in walks Lucy in her fancy dress, wicked cool glasses (that I want in orange), and her sweet, genuine, curious self. She comes up to me while I’m nursing Tulsi, and presents me with 3 rocks (I’m a rock lover), a drawing, a painting, flowers, Tulsi tea, and her copy of My Travelin’ Eye (for me to sign).

Melt my heart.

Lucy couldn’t speak a word for 5 minutes, but soon she made up for lost time. She got to see my travelin’ eye (which seems to travel all the time now that I’m a new mama and tired all the time, hee), and she took off her glasses and showed me her travelin’ eye. She told me how she was always afraid to walk down hills, and I confided that I (ever so slightly) bumped Tulsi’s noggin recently at a friend’s house with doorways and hallways…Ya see, us folks with travelin’ eyes don’t have much in the way of depth perception. We talked a lot about our travelin’ eyes, and I found out that Lucy is an artist, too! (and a very talented one.) I shared with Lucy that I have an appointment with THE ‘Dr. Dave’ soon (when I go to St. Louey) and I’m a little scared and excited. I’m hoping Dr. Dave can somehow help me once again, because while a travelin’ eye provides a lot of inspiration and amusement to my everyday life, let’s just say I don’t want to mistake a tree for being 50 ft away when it’s really only 5 ft away (like I did last year)… Note to self, in your next life, don’t throw your glasses away in art school because you don’t think you need them…

Lucy also told me not to be scared of eye drops, that they are pretty ok. (I squirm and wrinkle and squint like crazy with eye drops…even ones that don’t burn.)

Lucy’s visit came at such a sweet time — during this magical time with Tulsi AND painting the final spreads for my next book. She reminded me WHO my books are for and just what kind of positive effect they can have on people who read my books.

Before Lucy and her sweet family left, I read my book to her outside as the sun was setting. “OK,” she began in her sweet-n-quirky way, looking up at me over her glasses, “I’ve got questions.” (Her dad informed me she’d been saving up several questions for me.) “Did you REALLY see an elephant in a tree??????”

Yes, Lucy. I did. I see elephants in trees all the time still. :)

Thanks Lucy, Sarah and Jeff! Patrick, Tulsi, Oso and I hope you visit again. And Lucy, Oso can’t wait to play with you. NEXT time, maybe?

Connie Gotsch of the radio show Write On Four Corners here in the SW interviewed me last September about my first book, My Travelin’ Eye. It was finally broadcasted today! I was super nervous and had major morning sickness goin’ on when she called…so I was a bit clumsy with my words at first…but I think it turned out ok. Hope you enjoy it! And thanks, Connie, for having me on your show!

You can listen to the show by going to www.ksje.com — or click here to play the mp3.

Hey there! Sorry for the lack of creative posts lately–I’ve been consumed with some great new projects, as well as my next book. All is really awesome though! I love Fall. The aspens have formed lemon rivers streaming down the mountains, the oaks are pumpkin-burgandy, the cottonwoods are mustardY, and the junipers are filled with silvery-blue berries. And (knock on wood), no frost yet, so our garden is just amazingly beautiful. We’ve had 81 degree days and 35 degree nights–the best of both worlds (to me).

Tomorrow morning I’m heading down to Santa Fe for the NM Women Authors’ Book Festival, sponsored by the Museum Foundation. I’ll be among 75 authors presenting, and I’m going to attend 9 other children’s book authors’ readings and talks. It will be so inspiring. Plus, I’ll get to visit one of my favorite museums–the International Folk Art Museum. I’ll be sure to post about it all, and if anyone will be in the SF area tomorrow, please come say hi.

I’ll be reading My Travelin’ Eye and presenting in the Children’s Pavilion from 12:40-1:10pm and signing books at Milner Plaza from 2-3pm. Have a fun weekend!

Something interesting about travelin’ eyes (that I don’t think I’ve shared before) is this article about how travelin’ eyes actually aid artists! There are some famous artists in history and today who have one!

Hope you enjoy the recording!

The students at Spring Lake rocked! We had so much fun. Two FULL days of art makin’! Everyone made their own travelin’ eye–in the form of a fashionable, cool button. Then, we used our travelin’ eyes to dream up a 50 ft cloud mural!

Spring Lake also gave away a whoppin’ 75 books to kids who came to my library night! The kids were really excited!

After Omaha, I went to St. Louis (my home town) where I had the BEST night at the Kirkwood Public Library. Special guests included 2 main characters in my book–Mom and Dr. Dave!–and Dad, more family, grade school & high school friends AND teachers (insert smiley!), and a lot of new faces, too. It was such a special event! My parents and Dr. Dave even signed MY book! Dr. Dave (Dr. Robert D. Lewis) wrote, “to the only woman to ever make me famous!” Hee. I also had a really nice visit at Truman Elementary and a fun video conference with 5 classes throughout the St. Louis area.

My last stop was Kansas City–another ‘old’ home of mine. I saw TONS of friends from my Hallmark days. I also got to see more family and meet a lot of new people. Kelly won BEST dressed, doting a wild, Odd Fellows Lodge coat from the late 1800s with a few BIG EYES staring out! I’ll have to request a picture from her to share, since I missed the photo-op (darnit!). Also, if you haven’t visited Kelly’s blog, you MUST! She is an amazing artist, always creating straight from her big heart and with so much depth. I just love her! (And Kelly’s husband Rhett, too! His sculptures are of the wow-factor.)

I have to say my trip was both invigorating and exhausting. I learned that authors really have to get out and promote their books, especially as a newbie-no-name. At first I thought it was odd to ‘promote’ my book, like I was saying, “Look at me! I’m so cool!” That is so not me at all. BUT, connecting with the kids was the BEST part and worth every bit of insecurity I felt and little sleep I got, and mostly, I felt really comfortable with everyone. It didn’t feel like I was advertising myself–it felt more like sharing, and inspiring, which is something I love to do naturally. It made me laugh when I overheard some kids in an art class saying, “I really like Jenny Sue. She’s so fun and funny.” One girl came up to me after a library event to say, “My dad says you rock!” Hee. I can’t imagine better compliments!

In writing and illustrating a kid’s book, a lot of time passes from conception to birth–sometimes 3 years, as with My Travelin’ Eye. When you’re finally able to share it and hear kids’ reactions and talk about it, it grows into something you couldn’t have ever imagined. I especially liked the school visits since I could connect with hundreds of kids in one day. The kids were really interested in learning about my process, from a notebook-full of drafts (trying out different perspectives) and writing down ideas as they come (even on napkins at a cafe) to letting the story sit (incubation time). Some kids guessed it took me one week to write my book, and when I told them it took me over a year, their eyes opened abnormally tall. We looked at some originals, too, and they guessed the different mediums I used.

The kids also had a lot of questions and comments about Jenny Sue and how they related to her in some way or another. We talked about how differences are mostly scary or weird when we don’t understand them, and when we learn more about each other, what makes us different is what makes us all one-of-a-kind. They all wanted to look at my eye, and I showed them how my ‘lazy’, travelin’ eye sees. I drew a picture of a man walking in front of me. Then, I drew a dog walking further away and to my right (the same direction my eye travels, up and to the right).

I showed them what happens sometimes when my travelin’ eye decides to take charge. (Yes, it really does have a mind of its own!) It grabs what it sees to my upper right and throws it in front of me, creating a mixed-up image that my brain tries to make sense of:

The kids agreed it would make a pretty cool super-power…if only I could figure out how to make it happen on command! I told them I’m working on that for the sequel…

They were also curious about how I became an illustrator and author, and I shared about my schooling, apprenticeships and continual study. I met MANY students who want to be authors and artists! One 1st grader asked a great question: what should you do if you send your story to a publisher and they don’t like it? I only had a second to respond but blurted out, “That’s just ONE person’s opinion! Believe in yourself and never give up!”

I signed a ton of books last week, but I also got a lot of autographs myself! I’m excited about all the new friends I made on this trip and want to thank them for inspiring me! Also, a BIG, big thanks to all my hosts in Omaha, St. Louey and KC for such nice events! Thanks for your support! xojenny sue

When I was little, I loved to read books and draw. My sister (you know her as Miss Kostecki) and I set up an office in our closet under our hanging clothes. She sat at one end and wrote long, rhyming poems and said I could be her illustrator. I knew then that I wanted to be an artist for my whole life! Being an artist is a lot of fun, but it’s also hard work. Lucky for me, my travelin’ eye still loves to roam about and discover new things!

I know you all love to read, too, because I heard your school won the READ AROUND THE WORLD contest! (For anyone reading this post who doesn’t know, the students at Spring Lake Magnet read 101,000 books in THREE months!) This is an amazing accomplishment! You are very inspiring to me. What books were your favorite? Here are a few books I read recently and liked. Do you like to write stories and draw pictures, too? If you’d like, I’ll show you how I made my book during my visit next week–from start to finish–and then maybe you’ll make one that I can read!

Also, I was wondering, do any of YOU have travelin’ eyes? If you do, raise your hand. (Can teachers take count?)

Hmmm. Are you sure you don’t have one? Didn’t you know that EVERYONE is born with a travelin’ eye? It’s true. It’s just that some get tired and fall asleep. As Dr. Dave says, “We must wake it up and set it straight!” So that’s just what you are going to do!

In preparation for our project next week, which by the way, is going to be a GIANT 2nd & 3rd Grade creative-collaboration, you are all going to make a travelin’ eye. (And for any of you who already have a travelin’ eye, then you’ll be doing double the travelin’!) Your teachers are going to give you a plain, round circle (much like Jenny Sue’s plain, round patch), and you can design a travelin’ eye (aka an artist eye). So have FUN! Make them colorful, playful, bold, abstract–however you like! Then, next week, your travelin’ eyes will be made into buttons so you can wear them. AND for our big project (and your whole life), they’ll help you see UP and down, and ALL AROUND. Think of it as a turbo-charge of creativity!

Btw, leave me a comment below–just select ‘anonymous’ and sign your name in the comment. I’d love to hear from you!

See you next week! We’re going to have a lot of fun!
Jenny Sue

P.S. I heard you like to play trivia. Can any of you guess who is who in this picture?

The My Travelin’ Eye party at TWIRL was SO much fun. I’m marking it down as one of the best days ever. My Travelin’ Eye was a few years in the making, but to me, it felt like it really came to life yesterday. I want to thank everyone who came–and everyone who was their in spirit. It meant the world to me and to little Jenny Sue, too! And the kids–they were so sweet and curious and excited and beautiful. Every time I looked up while I read and saw their wide eyes and tall eyebrows (and their groovy, travelin’ eye buttons pinned on their shirts), I smiled even bigger. It was the first time I read my book to a room packed with people, and they liked it! (which made it even more fun!) Also, it was the first time ever when I spoke in front of people and knew my eye was flying all over the room, and I wasn’t embarrassed or shy about it. (man, that was so nice…) I hope everyone enjoys their new book! Also, a BIG thanks to Patrick and the Wonder-Women of Twirl who made it such a fun event!