Technology is amazing! Every day I find something
or someone that I would have never known about if it wasn't for the Web. Last
week, I discovered someone who makes history come alive.
I had been looking for something and started
following link after link after link. What it was that I was looking for? I
forget!! How many of us start looking for something and end up forgetting
what we were looking for?
I remember one time when I was searching for
a recipe for a sauce for grilled salmon. Two hours later and zillions of
websites viewed, I never found the sauce, but I had found a great band called
"The Piano Guys". Instead of grilling salmon, I made a chef
salad and turned on the Piano Guys' videos.
Well last week I wasn't looking for a sauce
for salmon but once again got lost in space (Web space, that is) and I ended up
on a web page that jumped out at me. Imagine an old fashion vehicle pulling a
waving banner across the page that says "Michael Dooling Writes Books
About People Who Changed the World". Not only a moving banner caught my
eye, but it was Mr. Dooling's jacket and hat. It reminded me of the garb the staff at
Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts wear. I've always loved historical clothing.
As I explored his website I became more and more
intrigued. An author, artist, teacher and historian all wrapped up in one? Too
good to be true? Apparently not! He's visited over 900 schools around the
country. He inspires kids to read and write? He's an artist and illustrates
as he tells stories?
I suddenly had one of those deja vu moments. A "back in time" flashback moment...
When I taught in an elementary school during the
Ice Age, <wink> we had Stephen Kellogg come to school to talk with the
kids. It's one of the most memorable author visits I can remember. As Mr.
Kellogg spoke about his Rosy and Pinkerton books, he began sketching Rosy and
Pinkerton and with quick strokes of a black marker, his characters came alive!
The kids were so mesmerized, you could hear a pin drop (forgive the cliche but
it's true!) When his presentation was over, he had an auction and gave away all
the sketches he created. There must have been at least 20 of them.
Long story short.. Take a look at Michael Dooling's
website. Not only is he an author and teacher, but his art work is beautiful.
Am I surprised? No.. Take a look...
"He is the illustrator of over sixty
books-many on historic subjects. He has illustrated picture books, chapter
books and many Middle Grade Novels. His clients over the past twenty years
include Reader's Digest, The United States Post Office, Scholastic, Farrar,
Straus & Giroux, HarperCollins, Philomel, Puffin Books, McElderry Books,
Henry Holt, Holiday House, Beechtree, Atheneum, Disney and many others. Michael
graduated in 1988 with a Master's Degree in Illustration from Syracuse
University and is a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York."
But what I really like about Michael Dooling is
his bio... It made me think of my childhood and what fun we had as kids,
exploring, creating, and just being kids. School budgets have been cut drastically but keep in mind "where there's a will, there's a way". The "way" is to contact PTO's to see if they have raised money for author visits..
Have a wonderful summer!
I'll be here and on the Web getting lost as usual.
Ruth
