Earlier today, he had a storytime event at my local Barnes and Noble, at Del Amo Fashion Center Mall in Torrance. The unique thing about his book is that every illustration in the book is made out of clay and then painted on using Photoshop. If you love bugs or art in general, you would have loved this event! He talked about his interests in bugs and then drew some artwork from the book in front of us. He then read his book to the kids and then drew some hilarious bugs for them afterward.
My daughter and I had so much fun! This is probably the 5th time we went to his book signing events. She had him fill her book with a bunch of bug illustrations. 
We plan on going to his next event as well, which will be held at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra on June 18th from 2pm – 5pm.
More info about his next event at Gallery Nucleus.
Video of how Andy makes his art
My daughter and I love her! She is sweet and quite talented. Her style of artwork is just beautiful and amazing. So when we heard she was having an art show last Saturday, we were pretty excited to go! Her art show was at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra. There, she showcased original artwork from her latest book, A Fairy Friend.
If you love picture books, this has to go on your must-have list! Every page is beautiful and I absolutely love the poetry on how to be a fairy’s friend.
The kids got to make their own fairy houses at the event and everyone just loved the fun photo booth! We all dressed up in our fairy wings and took lots of pictures. My daughter’s favorite part of course was getting her copy of “A Fairy Friend” signed by Claire herself. We met up with some friends at the event and had a lot of fun! We cannot wait for her next event. Perhaps to showcase her next book, “Little Big Girl.”
The Festival of Books is a great event for the whole family. For parents of young ones, I recommend spending most of the day at the Reading By 9 Children’s Stage on the McCarthy Quad on the USC Campus. The line-up this year is great and there’s something for all the kids. Not to mention, there will be a lot of booths — aisles and aisles of them — to explore. Some booths will have activities, games, and freebies as well.
Here is the schedule for the children events at the Reading By 9 Children’s Stage. My additional comments are in bold below.
SATURDAY, April 9, 2016
- 10:00 a.m. – The Nick & Jen Show – Music Performance
- 10:30 a.m. – Peter Brown, author of “The Wild Robot”
- 11:00 a.m. – Sarah Mlynowski, author of “Once Upon a Frog” (Whatever After series)
- 11:30 a.m. – David Soman, Illustrator of “Ladybug Girl: The Super Fun Edition“
- 12:00 p.m. – Disney’s Lion Guard Rock & Roar Experience – Presented by Disney and Kindermusik – Must See! It’s a musical experience for kids 2-5 years old. Classes are normally packed, but it’s free at the festival!
- 12:30 p.m. – Taye Diggs and Shane W. Evans, author and illustrator of “Mixed Me!“
- 1:00 p.m. – Dinosaur Encounters – Presented by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County – The dinosaurs normally roam around at the Natural History Museume, but once a year, they come and join us at the Festival of Books! The first show is usually the cute baby triceratops. The second show of the day usually involves the ferocious tyrannosaurus rex. They’re both life-size puppets that look very realistic. The kids just love them when they come on stage!
- 1:30 p.m. – Book Time Show by Ronald McDonald Presented by McDonald’s
This fun and educational performance will engage your students with a creative mix of music, magic, and games which reinforce the idea that reading is fun.
The show emphasizes appropriate library use and proper care of books. Ronald McDonald® delivers a powerful message: “Book Time” is an important part of every day!
- 2:00 p.m. – Emily Arrow, “Storytime Singalong“, Musical Performance – I’m really excited about seeing Emily Arrow! Thanks to the Festival of Books, I recently discovered this lovely musical talent. She recently released a new album and one of my favorite songs is Books, Books, Books!
- 2:30 p.m. – K.G. Campbell, author of “Dylan the Villain“
- 3:00 p.m. – Tad Hills, author of “Duck & Goose: Let’s Dance!“
- 3:30 p.m. – Dinosaur Encounters – Presented by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- 4:00 p.m. – Jane Smiley and Lauren Castillo, author & Illustrator of “Twenty Yawns” – This book is appropriate for 3-7 year olds.
- 4:30 p.m. – Meg Medina, author of “Mango, Abuela and Me” – This is a story about family, patience, and love.
- 5:00 p.m. – Andy Harkness, author of “Bug Zoo” – Andy is Disney Animation Art Director who will be reading his new book, Bug Zoo, at the festival! He will be signing his book right after the reading.
Harkness is an art director for the Walt Disney Animation Studios. He’s worked on such films as “Pocahontas,” “Mulan,” “Lilo and Stitch,” “Tangled” and “Frozen.” He’s art-directed short films such as “The Ballad of Nessie” and Mickey Mouse’s “Get a Horse!” and won both an Annie and Emmy Award for art-directing ABC’s “Prep and Landing.” He lives With his wife and two sons in Manhattan Beach, and his newest book is “Bug Zoo.”
- 5:30 p.m. – The Nick & Jen Show – Music Performance
SUNDAY, April 10, 2016
- 10:00 a.m. – Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, authors of “Here’s Hank #7: You Can’t Drink A Meatball Through A Straw“
- 10:30 a.m. – Emily Arrow, “Storytime Singalong“, Musical Performance
- 11:30 a.m. – James Burks, author of “Pigs and a Blanket“
- 12:00 p.m. – Dinosaur Encounters – Presented by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- 12:30 p.m. – John Rocco, Illustrator of “Beep! Beep! Go to Sleep“
- 1:00 p.m. – William Joyce author of “Ollie’s Odyssey” Book is being released April 12th, so you will get a preview! The story is appropriate for ages 7 – 11 year old.
- 1:30 p.m. – Steven Savage – “Where’s Walrus? And Penguin?” Book is appropriate for children 3 – 5 year old.
- 2:00 p.m. – Jose-Luis Orozco, “Caramba!” – Music Performance
- 2:30 p.m. – John Bemelmans Marciano, author of “The Witches of Benevento“
- 3:00 p.m. – Dinosaur Encounters – Presented by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- 3:30 p.m. – Mary Pope Osborne, author of “Magic Tree House” series
- 4:00 p.m. – Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs – Presented by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County – New exhibit coming July 3 – Oct 20, 2016! So you get to see a preview of it!
- 4:30 p.m. – The Nick & Jen Show – Music Performance
For more information, check out Festival of Books website.
We are all so happy and excited to announce that our family is growing by two little feet!
My daughter and I were super excited when we found out that the last stop of iJustine’s book tour was in LA! We got to Barnes and Nobel around noon and hung out in the children’s book section for a while. My daughter loves books so you can only imagine how happy she was in this amazing playground.
I got in line early and hung out with some of iJustine’s amazing and loyal fans. Everyone was just so excited and you can see them looking around hoping to catch a glimpse of her. When it got closer to 2pm, my family and I met up with iJ and got the VIP treatment from the B&N folks. My daughter was starstruck when she saw Justine. After a few minutes, she was comfortable and dancing around in her new So So Happy hoodie. I was happy we were able to capture that moment in the photo above!
We hung out and watch iJustine greet her sweet fans for photo ops. We also made some new friends along the way. We loved the behind-the-scene experience and had so much fun! Thanks for inviting us iJ!
If you have not picked up your copy of the book yet, you should! The first chapter starts out at about the same time when I was first introduced to her. I remember Luria Petrucci posting something about an iPhone bill so I checked out the video. Woah, I cannot believe the bill was 300 pages long! This was about 7 years ago (Aug 2007). From that moment on, I started following her videos and I am happy that I did. We shared so many laughs — or I laughed at her a lot at least! We finally met in real life of Aug 2008 at New Media Expo and worked on a charity project together in 2009. She is sweet, caring, creative, and funny in real life — just like in her videos. Follow her at iJustine.com.
Justine, many congrats on your book! It is an amazing and huge accomplishment and we are all very proud of you. We cannot wait to see what more you have in stored for us. Until we meet up in real life again… In the meantime, we will see you on the internets!
Thank you for our exclusive iJustine So So Happy hoodies!! We love them! Rawr!
The parks were definitely more crowded than I expected on a Friday afternoon. It is usually packed by the evening only, but I think everyone had the same idea we had about taking the day off.
On this trip, I wanted to visit some of the places I do not normally go to in the evening. So Pixie Hollow was the first stop. It’s a small character experience attraction that’s hidden away behind Astro Blasters at Disneyland. The wait to take a photo with Tinkerbell and a friend was about 45 minutes. They photo attraction closes at 3pm so we definitely had to see them on this trip. I love the backdrop when you meet the first fairy (we saw Silvermist). There’s giant grass blades, flowers, and mushrooms. So cute!
Next on my to-do list was the Springtime Roundup! The event usually runs until Easter, but it will be here longer this year, until June 7th! It is tucked away at the Big Thunder Ranch. There was live music and after they characters dance, they are available for photos. So you have a lot of characters to take photos with in one area with very little waits! Not a lot of people know about this event since it is hidden away. We saw Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Pluto, The White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, and Rabbit from Winnie-the-Pooh.
We took a ride on the Jungle Cruise and then headed to Mickey’s Magical Map show (pictured above). It is one of our favorite shows at Disneyland. After the show, we took the monorail back to our car to head to another event.
We only spent a few hours at Disneyland, but it was enough to put lots of smiles on our faces. We cannot wait to be back soon. Thanks for a memorable day Disneyland!
If you know someone who loves Frozen, and I am sure you do, be sure to take them to the Disney Parks in Anaheim to check out all of the Frozen Fun! Frozen has taken over the two parks and my family and I were really excited to check it all out!
We had a few hours of Family Fun time so we dropped by Disney California Adventure to check out all the amazing new events and attractions on a Friday night. Your Frozen Fun begins just as you head down Hollywood Blvd of DCA. You will see a giant snowflake with “Frozen Fun” on it. Keep walking down to where the Mad T Party used to be and you will see it has been converted to an magical icy city. It is a dance party outdoors. On the main stage was either a DJ mixing the music or a live musical act on stage. On another stage were four ice sculptures, created live every hour starting around 6pm. And around are two bars where you can get a few snacks and drinks. For photo ops, Marshmallow was also on display. For indoor activities, there was the First Time in Forever Sing-along show and Olaf’s Snow Fest where you can play in the snow and meet Olaf. And you can’t forget to meet Anna and Elsa in their Royal Welcome!
I was at the park with my 3-year-old daughter, so a stroller was a must. The great thing is that there is plenty of stroller parking at the entrance of the Frozen Fun area, and across the walkway. All the Frozen Fun stuff is nearby, so you’re not too far from your stuff.
As we walked around the Frozen Fun area, we saw so much that we just needed time to absorb everything in. There was an area with all the kids were dancing and in the distance was good old Marshmallow hanging out in the background. The photo line was not long at all so we hopped in line. Be sure to ask for a Photopass card! It has Olaf on it!
We then stopped by to watch the second ice sculpture carving. It was pretty fun watching the lady start cutting away with a chainsaw! As you are watching, the DJ has music playing in the background and everyone is having a great time dancing. On the main stage, there were various shows to entertain you. The group, “Ice Breakers” have awesome icy dance moves. And around 8pm, there was a performance of “Let it Go” and snow falls down from the sky. And at the end of the song, paper snow drops down. That was my daughter’s favorite part of the night.
Earlier in the night, I picked up some FastPasses to see “Anna and Elsa’s Royal Welcome.” The FastPasses were distributed in a small cart in front of the Animation Building. It is not that noticeable, so be sure not to miss it! The FastPasses tell you to return in a couple hours. After dinner, my family and I waited in line to see Anna and Elsa. The wait was about 10 minutes. That is so much better than the usual two hours when they were in Fantasyland! Their new home is located in the Character Close-Up area of the Animation Building. This was where the The Toy Story Zoetrope use to be. The room has been renovated to be a room in Arendelle’s castle where the Queen and Princess await to welcome you. They let in about 3 kids and their families at a time into the room. Then you get your time with Anna and Elsa. Seeing Anna and Elsa made my daughter’s day. She walk through the doors and just had this big smile and look of amazement on her face. She waited as the other kids talked to the sisters. When it was her turn, she walked right up to them and the sisters began chatting with her. They were both so sweet. So my daughter got to talk to her heroes and I got some great photos to share!
By 9:30pm, we ran into Olaf’s Snow Fest. The atmosphere was incredible and resembled Arendelle so much. The room was highlighted in pink, purple, and blue lights, making you feel like you just stepped into a scene in the movie Frozen! It was a wintery sight and I am glad we had our adventure boots on!
My daughter enjoyed playing in the snow for the first time (in forever). I only wished it was more like fluffy snow than ice. It was slippery, so be careful. I came prepared with boots and gloves for the little one so she was able to scoop up snow for a while. There is also an area where you can do some sledding! My family were the last guests to go sledding that night, so we briefly had the whole place to ourselves! Be prepared to get a little bit wet!
It was a little after 10pm by this time, so we all left DCA and headed over to Disneyland for some more Frozen Fun. We stopped by the Disney Gallery to check out the Snow Queens – Art of Ice exhibit. It was not crowded at all, so we looked at all the lovely artwork that was up.
That was our Frozen Fun-filled night at the Disney Parks in Anaheim. We did not have enough time to do everything but our night was magical nevertheless. We will definitely be back to do all the things we missed. Frozen Fun was pretty awesome. At our next visit, my family and I are looking forward to meeting Olaf, singing in the “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration,” and watching the Frozen show at the Royal Theatre.
This blog post was originally written for DisneyGeek.com.
We were there this morning for the fire drill (9:50am). When the teachers told the kids to find a friend and grab hands, Katie picked Lucy (she is transitioning from Infants), and walked with her all the way to the end of the parking lot. Teacher Ja’Neice thanked Katie for helping their new friend. Katie was so proud that on the way back she grabbed Lucy’s hand again, and took her back to the play area. She is a big girl now
I really enjoy seeing all the arts and crafts that my daughter create at school. I love it even more when I get to take them home. Now that I have my craft room all set up, I decided to start giving her more projects to do to foster her creativity.
One of the first projects we worked on in our new craft room is this Hungry Caterpillar-inspired paper art. I cut out a few circles and gave her a color gluestick. Then I showed her a picture of the Hungry Caterpillar and she just went at it. She’s definitely familiar with the story and was talking to me as she glued pieces of paper down. She was telling me how many pears, strawberries, and ice cream this little guy ate.
There’s green glue all over the front and back of the circles, and she even added some brown feet and a nose — punches I created with my hole-puncher!
It was a fun evening and I enjoyed watching her think and be creative. I love the ending result, but what I love more is capturing her create her masterpiece! Now to think of what to do for the next project.. Brown Bear, Brown Bear? Many thanks to her Daddy for helping us put our creative space together!
These FREE Kid Workshops are held on the first Saturday of each month. This weekend, my daughter and I built a race car from two blocks of wood, some nails, paint, and wheel. It was quite an experience and I highly recommend taking your kids to these workshops.
We arrived at our local Home Depot a little after 9am and they handed us the car kit, a hammer, an apron, and a project pin. We sat down at the workshop bench and started working away. My daughter is two, so Mommy and Daddy did a lot of the hammering. But she enjoyed watching and helping where she could. Painting the car was her favorite part. She picked out a color for her car, and we gave her some paint and a paintbrush and she just went for it. We kept it in the sun to dry for a bit, and then went back and put all the stickers on it. After the car was completed, she kept rolling it and you can see the sense of accomplishment she felt knowing that she help make the toy.
I love these kind of learning events! Thanks Home Depot for having these workshops!