Can You Say "Big Shoes?"

I'm very grateful that the teacher whose class I just visited waited until AFTER my presentation to tell me that the "other" author they've had visit their class was....Robert Munsch!!!!!

That's some intimidation factor!

Book Week Ending

It was the train back to T.O. Saturday morning, November 21. You've noticed the date of this post? You're wondering what happened to me posting promptly? Answer: It took about 30 seconds for my regular life to swamp me and divest me of book touring "star" status, ha ha!

Sights Seen from a Train

• the many marvelous and varied shades of November brown
• the staggered and stacked irregular rectangles of the Niagara Escarpment's limestone cliffs
• deer snacking in a cornfield

Most Memorable Moments

• seeing the girl diagonally ahead of me sleep slumped over her book as it rested on the pullout tray (as someone who has huge difficulty sleeping in any sort of moving vehicle, this was a marvel to me)
• the wonderful lady beside Scot who was going to give our book to her grandchild
• waiting to see if Scot would be kicked off the train for not having his ticket 
• In his defense, the London lineup was colossal so we each went to different automatic ticket machines, fondly nicknamed "useless buckets of job killing bolts" by one employee early this week. Scot scanned his e-ticket and then, while the machine was preparing to print the real ticket, it promptly went out of service. This meant the next machine didn't recognize the e-ticket as valid. Train pulls in. No person to speak to. We both got on the train anyway. Suspense ensues. Scot tells his tale to a helpful conductor who found out that the ticket was indeed printed after that original machine came online, not that that was any good by that time. Still, Scot was not kicked off the train.

So then it was a car ride back home where my family was very glad to see me. Okay, so technically I found myself in an arena before I even made it home...such is my regular life.

Day Five Down

Off to London early in the morning.

Sights Seen from a Train

• crumpled and lonely leaflet litter see-sawing in the breeze on a station platform
• the scraped and scarred land of a gravel pit adorned with a rectangular jewel of turquoise water
• fog shrouded barns and silos
• combed cornfields rolling off into the distance

Most Memorable Moments

• the two student greeters who made Scot and I feel so welcome at their school
• posters on the school door and library made especially for us about our book
• the respectful quiet clap of appreciation to welcome us
• the girl who proudly handed us her autograph and drawings
• seeing all the different writing projects from many grades proudly displayed all over school

And today's bonus
Sight Seen from a Taxi: Fatty Patty's Restaurant (complete with tagline proclaiming it to be A Food Experience). In fact, it might actually bump the Hefty Hoagie from the other day out of the running as the name of a super setting for a small town drama novel.

The Book Week presentations are now finished. Hard to believe! I'm sad to be done although admittedly a bit worn out. More profound thoughts (maybe) and pictures later.

Day Four Down

Toronto today. What a busy day!

Most Memorable Moments

• the boy who had written and illustrated his transportation story and read it to Scot and I in front of his fellow students
• the beautiful pink potted plant given to me 
• the audience of kids who, despite an indoor recess and pent up energy, were amazing attentive listeners

Sights Seen from a Train

• for the first time in five days, no train today!

And the CCBC and TD Book Awards gala at night. Wonderful to see the winners announced and hear them speak. Self-centeredly even better to see my book displayed on a screen maybe 20 feet tall. I will have to write on it all later. Sensory overload!!!!

Day Three Down

Today was Hamilton. Another couple great groups of kids, and an interview with Hamilton's Cable 14.

Most Memorable Moments

• the girl who, while lining up to go back to class after the presentation, turned to me and shyly said, "Thanks for your words."
• the posters about transportation a class had made and hung on the school hall wall to prepare for our visit

Sights Seen from the Train
Too dark to see much but too tired to read, so I stared out the window anyway...

• the startling whoosh when trains whizzed by in the opposite direction
• the polka dot parade of headlights on the street
• glimpsing windows and their illuminated impressions of life 

And a bonus today:

Sight Seen from a Taxi

• the Hefty Hoagie restaurant (doesn't that sound like a perfect setting for some hometown drama novel?)

Day Two Down

Kingston kids were terrific! I'll post about all the week's visits after the Book Week tour when I'm not so tired.

Most Memorable Moments

• Being asked what it was like knowing so many kids would be reading my book (Awesome question from a grade 1 kid!!)
• Being gifted with a school pen (I love pens!)
  
• Hearing a Lebanese woman on the train talk about how she was travelling for love
• Hearing two different cabbies dis their two (different) cities as the worst in Ontario
  

Sights Seen from the Train

• The endless rippled blue of Lake Ontario
• An older model tractor abandoned in a fallow field (Why....?)
  
• A pile of TP on the lumpy green floor of the train bathroom which, sadly, I could see from my seat until someone unstuck the door and closed it (!!)
  

Day One Down

Ottawa library presentations went well. Great groups of kids! I think presenting with Scot Ritchie is a great way for the kids to see how both the words and the pictures are made. I'll post a roundup once the week's done; small updates as I'm able.

Today's Sights Seen from Train

•  Sadly, none. It was too dark to see out the window.

Most Memorable Moment

• Seeing Scot draw a hamster driving a station wagon to great gales of grade one laughter!