This is me. O.K. It's not. He's just a lot cuter than I am.

That's me, over there on the right.

I am hiding. I am overdue on my current book. (See below.) Do not tell my publisher I am not at my desk writing. (See below.)

This is what you need to know about me:

I am spending this year and much of next year writing, revising, writing, revising.. etc… I'm not going to be doing any school visits until the fall of 2008 at which time I will be doing school visits and presentations and store visits and whatever else my publishers or any independent booksellers want me to do.

This is what you need to know about my books:

The Holidays Around the World series is out! I've written ten (see my gray hairs). They are gorgeous and getting really nice reviews. They are all in hardcover now (some going into reprints-yay!) and will start going into paperback. CELEBRATE HANUKKAH (A Sydney Taylor Notable), CELEBRATE DIWALI and CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING will be in paperback in the fall of 2008, with the others to follow. (They were all NSTA/CBC best books.)

FROM CATERPILLAR TO BUTTERFLY is being made into a BIG BOOK for winter 2008. I can't wait to see it. I won't need my reading glasses! (Which I did NOT even own in 1992 when I wrote it…)

Coming out: The book I should be finishing right now-about Charles Darwin. It's a very personal book. It's a labor of love. (Which may be why I'm behind. Love hurts.) Fall or Winter 2008 from HOLT, depending on how I do in the next few weeks.

THE BOY WHO LOVED MATH from Roaring Brook. A picturebook biography of Paul Erdos. (Ask, I'll tell you.)

COOL DOG, SCHOOL DOG from Marshall Cavendish. A kind of sequel to FUN DOG, SUN DOG. That's all for now, but if my writing goes well, knock wood, there will be more...soon.