London!

I recently returned from two wonderful weeks in London. A few highlights:

​1. I met with my agent, Julia Churchill, from A.M. Heath. She is sunny and sweet and funny. And, I FORGOT TO TAKE A PHOTO OF THE TWO OF US! So instead I've included the amazing sketch that my hubby, Don, made for her as a gift for being so amazing.

​2. I met with my publishers, Frances Lincoln Children's Books and Walker Children's Books. For this writer, who has been at it for a very long time, meeting my publishers was a DREAM! From editors and art directors to marketing and sales, everyone was enthusiastic and so sweet to me. Thank you!

​3. I led a few poetry workshops at ARK Atwood Primary School. We wrote poems of complaint in the form of a letter, mimicking the poem "Registering a Complaint" in my collection ALL ABOARD THE LONDON BUS. The students were brilliant and we had so much fun! Thank you, ARK Atwood for opening your classrooms to me!

4. I made a special visit to The Alligator's Mouth, a gem of a bookstore in Richmond-Upon-Thames. Check out their welcoming "Love London" window! The kids and I acted out some of the poems before we took to decorating a giant double-decker bus. I have a soft spot for children's bookstores, so this was a special day indeed! Thank you to Margaret and Tony for making it happen.

Of course, we squeezed in lots of time to visit with friends and reconnect with the city. A busy, but terrific trip. Cheers to London!

P.S. If you are planning to visit London and are looking for some kid-friendly things to do, check out my Pinterest page, London with Kids.