Helpful advice

Timeless words of wisdom from Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake.

Eyes on the prize

American athlete and Sac and Fox Nation member Jim Thorpe competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics. On the morning of his events, he discovered his shoes were stolen. Luckily he found two mismatched track shoes in a garbage bin. One shoe was too big, however, so he threw on an extra sock. He went on to win two gold medals that glorious day, in decathlon and pentathlon. Take a lesson from Jim, and don’t let setbacks keep you back. Keep on keeping on!

Out with the bang!

A new war on Christmas

George from Portland, OR writes:

Dear T,

I have a new holiday story to tell. It’s Rude-olph, the Rudest Reindeer. Forget about Rudolph. Rude-olph could chew him up for breakfast and spit him out at lunch. He’ll tell you you’re really smart…on Opposites Day. P.S. It’s only ten dollars. How many can I put you down for?

T replies:

Hey, George! The holidays are not a time for disrespect and bad manners. And charging ten dollars for this story is nine dollars too many. All I can say is that I hope Rude-olph learns to overcome his rudeness and is able to join in the festivities in a considerate and neighborly manner.

Something to keep in mind

See me in person…I don’t bite!

Hey, everyone! I’m going to be at the SCBWI booth at the West Hollywood Book Fair in Los Angeles, CA from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, October 2, 2011. Come by and say hi, grab a copy of THE BOY WHO HOWLED if you haven’t got one already, and get a wolf paw stamp on your hand!

Stephen and Callum=wolf brothers

On the May 11 episode of The Colbert Report, America’s most patriotic pundit Stephen Colbert revealed that he had been raised by a North American Gray Wolf named Lucan.

Stephen and Callum from THE BOY WHO HOWLED share a lot in common, perhaps even a taste for raw spleen and pancreas. Wolf brothers for the win!

I finally meet the big guy

I grew up in a family that celebrated Christmas, and yet I never had my picture taken with Santa.

As they say, it’s never too late!

This historic photo was taken by JayPG Photography, when Santa showed up at a benefit for Moving Arts, a Los Angeles-based theatre company. Ho, ho, ho!

The war on Christmas

George from Portland, OR writes:

Dear T,

I am back with another holiday story. This time it is Randolph, the Red-Toed Reindeer. He is the newest most famous reindeer at the North Pole. Obviously, having four red feet beats Rudolph’s one red nose. So the two reindeers go at it in a battle to see who gets to lead Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve. Only one reindeer can win! Can you guess which one it is?

T replies:

Well, you’ve done it again, George. You’ve managed to bring a violent altercation to a peaceful holiday season. All I can say is I hope Randolph and Rudolph make friends and lead Santa’s sleigh side by side!

Thanks, Alot!

A blogger named Allie has recently posted about her pet peeves concerning spelling and grammar. One thing that really puts a bee in her bonnet is when people spell “a lot” as one word: “alot.”

She’s thought a lot about “alot,” and drew a picture of the image that came into her mind.

She’s incorporated her feelings for Alot in another drawing.

When it comes to Alots, Allie reaches out with love and understanding.

But there’s one thing Allie would like to get straight. When Alots (or anyone else) are spelling “a lot,” they had better make it TWO words, not ONE.