Peggy Archer
Children's Author

I've finally added some photos here from my recent author events. Thanks to everyone who made my visits so enjoyable! The Book Launch Party for NAME THAT DOG! was great fun-- thanks to everyone who came to help celebrate my new book.

A special thank-you to YA author, Janet Fox, for interviewing me on her blogspot. You can find the interview at http://bit.ly/9h0zPI. While you're there, check out Janet's website at www.janetfox.com.

Writers of all genres are invited to the 2nd anual Indiana Writers Consortium picnic on July 17th, from noon to 4:00pm at the Community Park Lions Shelter in Munster, IN. Come and meet other local writers. Enjoy the games, and bid on items at the silent auction. Bring a dessert or side dish, and enjoy lunch and soft drinks which will be provided. For more information go to www.indianawritersconsortium.org. I hope to see you there!

In my newest picture book, NAME THAT DOG!, Xerox is the name for the letter X.

From the tops of his ears
to the tip of his tail
and everything else in between--
he couldn't have looked
any more like his dad
if he'd come from a copy machine!

copyright Peggy Archer 2010
from NAME THAT DOG! Dial Books 2010

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Especially to my husband, Chuck :)

What a fun month April has been!

I visited schools and libraries where I talked about my books and writing poetry. I got some great questions from the students (and grown ups, too) and got to meet some very nice people. There was a book launch party for my new book, NAME THAT DOG! at the Valpo Library, complete with dog bone cookies, and cookies in the doggy dish. Thanks to everyone who was there to help celebrate. I met pet owners and some beautiful dogs at the Be Kind to Animals event, sponsored by the Porter County Animal Shelter and PAW, at the PC Expo Center. And I've enjoyed the book reviews, and seeing my new book finally out in bookstores. I'll be wrapping things up for a bit next week after a presentation at a Young Authors Event in Plainfield, Indiana. Be sure to keep an eye out for new pictures being added on the left.

Later in May I'll be taking time out for our Indiana SCBWI Spring Conference, and to enjoy our daughter's wedding! It's been a joyful year.

I thought I would wrap up this week's blog post with one of the poems that did not make it into the book. This one is for Spot:

One black nose
Is all that shows
In all that fur she’s got.

White as snow
From head to toe--
I think I’ll call her
Spot!

(copyright Peggy Archer)

What a wonderful week-end spent in Mitchell, IN, where I met local and neighboring librarians-- including some poets!-- at the Mitchell Public Library. The friendly reception (and the afternoon tea!) were awesome. Thanks to Alexis and library staff for making it such a pleasant visit. Even the weather gave us a warm welcome :) There are some pictures from the event posted to the left of this blog.

Name That Dog!, my newest picture book of poetry for children, received some very nice reviews, which I've posted on my website under 'My Works--Name That Dog!'.

Booklist comments "T.S. Elliot’s Old Possum has his practical cats; Peggy Archer has puppies from A to Z. This picture-book poetry collection presents a rogues’ gallery of pooches in selections designed to help an unidentified dog owner name his or her new pet..." and ends by saying "A great choice for dog lovers, this will easily find a place in elementary-school language-arts classes."

Book Page included Name That Dog! in its list of new poetry books, and says "Name That Dog! is a crowd-pleasing canine chorus."

The Chicago Tribune starts out "Imagine the appeal of “The Puppy Channel” between book covers. The premise: Every puppy needs a name that’s perfect...."

I hope this book finds a place in the hearts of its readers.

Here are a few more sites to check out for poetry month!
http://gottabook.blogspot.com/
April 2010
Thirty Days, Thirty Poets
blog by Gregory K. Pincus

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6516981.html?rid=413491236&q=poetry
An introduction to sijo poems, an art form that originated in Korea, in this interview with Linda Sue Parks.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/search/siteall?q=poetry&t=&t1=&t2=&tf=&ct=&at=
An article by Marilyn Singer, ALA Poetry Blast coordinator, on "...Making Poems a Part of Children’s Every Day Lives" gives some ideas on ways to excite children about poetry. Marilyn's new book of poetry for children, "Mirror, Mirror," was released this month.

Enjoy! And join in celebrating poetry for children this month!

It's official-- Name That Dog! is finally released for sale by Penguin's Dial Books for Young Readers,and is available in bookstores and on line!

Happy Spring!

Happy Poetry Month!

Happy Reading!

I'll be looking at poetry books for children, poetry blogs and websites, and posting more this month.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! What a beautiful day today is. I actually went for a walk outside with no coat on! The grass is green. Spring flowers are poking through the ground. Tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer.

I need to get rid of last year's dead growth to make room for the flowers coming up, and rake the leaves out of the bushes. Soon I'll be able to plant new flowers, too. If I plan it right, I'll have a beautiful garden that will last until the snow comes again.

Manuscript revision is sort of like that, too. I need to go in and pull out what's not working, and rake out the unnecessary words that are cluttering up the story. Then I can plant new words, and watch my story grow. If I plan it right, (more…)