We took a few days of spring break to rocket over the Cascades in our tiny, packed car (complete with our big dog, Jemma in the back), to see life-long friends in Missoula.  For me, it was more than just a trip of tea, conversation, egg-painting and rambles through the snowy, vast foothills–I got to do some fun Reading Beauty things!

How cool to visit the fourth and fifth graders at Sussex School, where we talked about how we SHARE OURSELVES WITH THE WORLD!  The students made some awesome book jackets and wrote their own Drop Everything and Read skits.

I LOVED visiting Rattlesnake Elementary School.  You know how it feels when you walk into a school and there’s amazing artwork all over the walls and it feels so friendly that you just think, “I could be happy here?”  Rattlesnake Elementary is just like that.  And no, there were no snakes (phew!), just a beautiful library full of super-smart second graders.

And I was TICKLED to visit Annie Garde, the one and only AMAZING host of the Montana Public Radio show, The Peagreen Boat (You know the lovely story about the Owl and the Pussycat who go to sea on a beautiful peagreen boat?).  Annie is really cool.  She has a little black dog named “Hey, May!”  who follows her around in the radio station.  She knows what kids love, from fun songs to amazing books to what she sees and hears every day.  This is my second time on her radio show and I really enjoyed wearing those big soft earphones and chatting with her into the big, flat microcphone!

You can listen to the show (where I read the book and chat about writing) by clicking HERE.  Then click on Tues., April 4 in the archives and finally click on The Peagreen Boat.  The show didn’t start right on time, so you get to listen to a bit of a nice song before the hammer-dulcimer starts for the Peagreen Boat!

And HOORAH!  If you’re in the sweet city of Missoula, you can find my book at Fact and Fiction Bookstore, right downtown next to Butterfly Herbs.