kindness pledge

Step Right Up is a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee!

I am immensely honored that Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness has been named to the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list for 2018-19. Many hundreds (500-700?) of books are considered before the twenty finalists are chosen for this list. What a thrill! Thank you, Texas librarians! Thank you,… Read more »

FAQ about STEP RIGHT UP and Beautiful Jim Key

The most difficult part of writing nonfiction is deciding what to leave out of my narrative. In Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness, it was especially painful to leave out super-cool details and anecdotes. Kids ask me about behind-the-scenes goodies at almost every school I visit, so I decided… Read more »

“Educating” Beautiful Jim Key — the Dee Dee Effect

I had an interesting conversation recently about how I thought Beautiful Jim Key was “educated” or trained to exhibit his remarkable skills. I was asked if I believe that Jim learned the way a child would learn, or if I thought there might have been some undetected cues from Doc. Since Step Right Up: How… Read more »

It’s Random Acts of Kindness Week!

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness has received such lovely attention since its October release. A list of some of those accolades and reviews can be found on the book’s dedicated page on this site. Thank you to all who have supported and embraced Doc and Jim’s story…. Read more »

Step Right Up is an Orbis Pictus Recommended Book!

I wish I had been at the 2016 NCTE conference this past weekend. Alas, I was home revising my creative thesis for my final VCFA packet. (Did I mention that I graduate in January with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults?) In a wacky, wonderful coincidence, I was revising the Orbis Pictus section… Read more »

Launching Step Right Up with a Charitable Outreach

Launch celebration for Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness Sunday, October 23, 2016 3pm. Book People—603 N. Lamar Blvd. Austin, TX   In two days—October 15, 2016—Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness officially releases. While I celebrate the culmination of this… Read more »