UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOT INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE, AND I DO NOT RECEIVE UPDATES ABOUT ITs PRODUCTION. THE MOVIE IS BASED ON THE BOOK, BEAUTIFUL JIM KEY: THE LOST HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S SMARTEST HORSE, BY MIM EICHLER RIVAS. I’m as eager as you are, but I cannot answer move-related questions. That… Read more »
Next week brings the 2017 Texas Library Association conference in San Antonio, Texas. I look forward to the event every year. If you’ll be there, please find me and say hello. Below is my schedule. Stay tuned for more information about my latest co-venture with authors Cynthia Levinson and Susan Kralovansky, NARRATIVE ARChaeology: Teaching Kids… Read more »
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 »
When I first learned that Daniel Minter had signed on to illustrate Step Right Up, I was over the moon excited. I was already a fan of his work. As is typical, we did not have contact during the years-long process of evolving the manuscript into a book. Except that I did introduce myself to… Read more »
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 »
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 »
It’s a bit like planning a wedding, really. Months or years of anticipation come together in dramatic fashion. And so it was on October 23, 2016 as friends and family, and fans of Doc and Jim celebrated at Austin’s Book People. I was/am honored by the standing-room-only crowd, and by those who attended the private… Read more »
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 »
Please join me for the official book launch party: Sunday, October 23, 2016 at 3pm. Book People, Austin. In 2007, I had a first draft of this story. Today, the first hardcover author copy, along with a few f&gs arrived! But nobody was home to whoop and holler with me. So… I gingerly pulled my book… Read more »
On the last day of my VCFA summer residency, which was the first day of my final semester, I received a joyous surprise. Kirkus posted a starred review of STEP RIGHT UP: HOW DOC AND JIM TAUGHT THE WORLD ABOUT KINDNESS. A star! Imagine that! Here’s how the review closes: “An incredible story that ought… Read more »
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