It's great to be alive, it's great to be a Puddle Jumper!

In Forks, everyone is a Puddle Jumper at some
point, but these are the official ones!

Leaving the town of Chelan, in central Washington state, if you drive west until you reach a large body of water, then ride a ferry across that body of water and keep driving west until you reach the ocean, you will find yourself in the tiny, quaint town of Forks. Made famous by the Twilight series, set in its city limits, and still featuring Vampire tours, Music night with Edward and Bella, and Jacob Black's Rentals, Forks is also the home of my new friends, the Puddle Jumpers.

Such is the nickname carried by all students at Forks Elementary, where, I learned on my first day there, "It's Great To Be Alive, It's Great To Be A Puddle Jumper!" Forks is situated in the Olympic Rainforest, and they receive over 100 inches of rain (that more than 8 feet, by the way) a year. I can attest to that during my short 36 hour stay!

Time to kick off a Reading Program!

I was there at the invitation of the Forks Elementary principal, Rob Shadle, who also happens to be a childhood friend of mine. He has done great things there, and there is a spirit not only of learning, but excitement of learning that permeates the building. You sense it in the teachers, and it flows out of them into their students. March 2 was the day they kicked off their Spring Reading Program and I was asked to come and share my love of reading through my book Fibonacci Zoo.

Bring in those Puddle Jumpers!

I gave nine presentations that day, as I welcomed all ages, from the sweet Pre-Ks through the academically strong 3rd graders. The energy was palpable, and summed up best by one of the 2nd grade teachers, Mrs. Haag, who said "anyone who can keep 40 second graders quiet and on the edge of their seats for half an hour must be doing something right!"

The gorgeous Second Beach in La Push

After a short break in the afternoon, spent exploring the rough and rugged Washington coast in "Jacob Black" territory on the Quileute Reservation, I was back for an evening presentation open to the public. It was so exciting to see so many familiar student faces from earlier in the day (who by now knew all the answers!) along with their parents and family members and even community members who came for the curiosity (and delicious cookies from JT's Sweet Stuffs)

Thanks Laura and the
Pacific Inn!

After the presentation, I did a book signing and was overwhelmed by the manner in which parents in Forks support and encourage their kids' love of reading. The town struggles with poverty. While the Twilight mania brought (and still brings) much needed tourism money to town, the elementary, for example, struggles with over 70% of their students qualifying for free and reduced lunch from the government. And yet, parents were quick to buy books, often multiple copies in multiple languages, in order to foster a love of learning in their children.

I sold out of almost everything I brought, including science books and Spanish language versions of Fibonacci. As I drove out of town the next morning on my long journey back home, I was filled with hope for our future. Hope that was evident in the face of every little Puddle Jumper I met there in Forks.

The site of my evening presentation - a beautiful facility!

The Weather Channel

Just casually running through my Facebook feed and came upon this little gem. Fibonacci strikes again!!

Fibonaci Spiral In Weather

Headed to Forks...and Vampires?

Photo credit: TripAdvisor.com

I am pleased to announce that I will be visiting Forks (WA) Elementary School, as a guest of my buddy, principal Rob Shadle on March 2 to help them kick off their spring reading program. I will be giving presentations to all K-3 classrooms during the day and then will be hosting an evening event and book signing for parents that evening.

If you happen to be on that side of the state, please come by and say hello!

Photo credit: TheAwl.com

A Book For All Seasons (Leavenworth, WA)

A Book For All Seasons - Leavenworth, WA

A big thank you to Theresa at A Book For All Seasons, in Leavenworth, WA for hosting me today for a book signing. I've lived here for going on nine years now and have really only been to Leavenworth for athletic contests, though we did make it out to Oktoberfest last year for the first time.

So this was my first experience with a Christmas weekend and wow - it was jaw-dropping. I was worried I would be there too early and would have to find something to do for 45 minutes or so, but about 2 miles outside of town (not on the Seattle side, mind you) traffic just stopped. We inched along the whole rest of the way as the snow started to really come down. By the time I left, the snow had only picked up, and the backup (bumper to bumper) stretched for several miles. There's no way they all were going to make it for the tree lighting. But I didn't care - my work was done and I limped home with just the passenger side windshield wiper working - but that's a story for another time.

I had a great day today meeting and greeting everyone who stopped in. You can't really see from the photos, but we were kind of placed right in the middle of everything, so anyone coming in kind of had to at least take a look at us. I met some super fun kids, including a young lady who is going to take the world by storm when she grows up (right now she wants to teach fashion design, but I have a hunch she may end up a math teacher), a high school teacher changing lost lives in an alternative high school in Tacoma (remember, every life you save is a life saved!), a first grade teacher whose kids are already begging for more challenging reading material (such as...say...Fibonacci Zoo?) and a 2nd grade teacher (seen above in the picture!) who just casually picked up my science book not realizing the author was standing right next to her. She is taking a really fun resource back to her students on Monday morning.

Did I mention 'throngs'?

I never know what to expect from book signings, but so far, I have never been disappointed. Today, despite the crazy snow outside and the throngs of people (who apparently come from ALL OVER on buses for this event - yes, it's a thing!), I had a really fun day. The drive home took way too long at 40 mph, partially because of the snow, and mostly because I really couldn't see out of my driver's side. But all's well, and more kids are getting some really powerful new books under their Christmas trees this year!

Oh, and just sharing some other fun news - each year at this time of year, my Everything Kids Science Experiments Book rises up Amazon's Top 100 list to near the top. It's uncanny, and so cool to watch! Today, it's at #28 (having DROPPED, mind you). Thanks to everyone who helped put it there!

Buzzin' about Books!

Had a great day at Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee last weekend! It was a better turnout than I expected, but what really blew me away was the amount of people at the market overall. It was packed on a November Saturday afternoon. Kudos to Steve Robinson who has built this public market into an events each weekend! Beside us, there was the National Diabetes Day presentations (yoga and a cooking demo, I think), the usual shops that are permanently there, and so many vendors in the aisles selling their art, craftwork, food items, and personal passions.

As for the books? There were 13 of us, all seated at tables and the vibe was very low-key and approachable. I suspect eventually I will stop saying this, but this was really my first event like this. It wasn't so much about selling books (though ultimately, that IS the goal), but more about giving folks a chance to meet local authors, here the back stories, and if they are so inclined, to buy books.

To her credit, Theresa from A Book For All Seasons (more on her later!) did a wonderful job of featuring our books, but also making it possible for folks to visit with us without feeling pressure to buy. Each attendee was given a sheet of paper with all of our names and books on it. All they had to do was stop by our spot, talk with us, and get us to sign their sheet. Once they had nine of thirteen signatures, they were entered into a drawing. And boy, did they come!

I met some wonderful kids, including Aurelia, Peter and Emmy, and my buddy Eli who ended up with a copy of Fibonacci though his dad only planned on buying my science book. Parents and grandparents who really care about developing a love of reading and learning in the next generation. Really, it was an uplifting day, and a fun day to talk about math, science, and philosophy of education (!). I was proud to sell out of one of my science books, sell all but one copy of the other, and to sell half a case of my Fibonacci Zoo.



Even better, I got to meet some local authors who have been doing this a lot longer than I have. And most are self-published, which is a growing trend in the book publishing business, but still can be a very challenging way to go. I was honored to meet Wendell George who has written several stories (Coyote Finishes the People, Last Chief Standing, and Raven Speaks) about his tribe's history in north central Washington, Jim Talbert, who has penned a non-fiction account of Lake Chelan's history (Lake Chelan Revisited), and enjoyed sitting next to Sarah Hartsig, who was sharing her first picture book as both author and illustrator - a lovely, upbeat story of a birthday party (Party for Pepper) for a mouse and all the fun decorations to count at the party.

And even more fun, Theresa has asked me back to her shop in Leavenworth for their Christmas party December 3 to sign books! And then on December 5, I'll be back up there for another author event. It is heart-warming to connect with a local bookstore owner who supports local authors and is excited about bringing us in to meet the public and share our stories.

If you think you might be in or around Leavenworth that fir
st weekend after Thanksgiving, please stop by and say hello!

"Think Local Authors First" Book Buzz

The beautiful and fun Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee, WA

It's coming! November 7, from 11:00-1:00 pm the Pybus Market in Wenatchee, WA will be hosting its semi-annual "Think Local Authors First" Book Buzz event. The event is hosted by local (Leavenworth, WA) bookstore A Book For All Seasons.

At this event, local authors from all over North Central Washington will be on hand to share stories of their stories, to sign books, and do a meet and greet with the public.


It's been a while since I last got to present Fibonacci Zoo so I am excited to have the public come out, the LOCAL public, and see what it's all about. The weather is still fabulous in our neck of the woods, and Pybus is a rare find. There's lots to enjoy for all ages - I hope you come out and enjoy the festivities!

Village Books - Fairhaven/Bellingham (WA)

Village Books in Fairhaven/Bellingham (WA)

I earned my Master's degree from Western Washington University. However, I did so by studying at the Seattle branch, and only traveled to Bellingham for graduation. And that was 21 years ago. So I hadn't been back to this part of the state in a long, long time. I discovered that I had been missing out!

The Readings Gallery at Village Books

Village Books is a large three-story independent book store, now in its 35th year of operation and it's impressive. Books galore, people galore, and it's also connected to a cafe on its top floor, a bigger
cafe/restaurant on the bottom floor (Colophon Cafe), and a paper/art store (Paper Dreams). And now I hear talk they are expanding to a second store in Lynden later in 2015. The stage was set (literally) for a big visit.

Alas, the best laid plans... only a handful of people showed up. Here you can see what it COULD have looked like, had the house been packed. It's a lovely place for an author visit - intimate, formal enough, but still informal at the same time. It would have been dynamite with 30-40 people there. But as it was, I tip my cap to those who came, including my former student Sara and her two boys, and I gave them the best I had.

Jean Hamilton's first attempt at a Fibonacci Spiral quilt.
How great is this??

I think overall, Fibonacci was very well received. The common theme seemed to be searching for meaningful math books for grandchildren, and I think I hit the sweet spot there. One woman is the mother of a math professor at the University of Utah and was thrilled to be able to buy a book for her grandchildren that would teach them mathematics. Another woman, a quilter, told me she was going to go home and make a Fibonacci spiral quilt. I asked her to send


me a photo when she finished, thinking it would be at least several weeks, possibly months. She sent me this picture TODAY! She apologized, saying it was her first attempt and future ones would look better. But wow - isn't this awesome?

Part of the trail that connects Fairhaven to
downtown Bellingham. This may be my
favorite spot in all of Bellingham!

Oh, one other little glitch...they only had a handful of books. I think there were 4 or 5 books available for purchase. And this woman bought three of them. So despite the small crowd, several left without books in hand. They ordered copies, and will receive them in a few days, but it's sad not to be able to have the book signed by the author. I made an executive decision, then, to sign bookmarks and give one to every person there. At its worst, it's great advertising, and at its best, it's something tangible, signed by me, the author, that those without signed books can have.

The stone bridge over Whatcom Falls where I enjoyed
my picnic dinner. Beautiful!

My visit to Bellingham was wonderful. I could have explored so many more spots, but really enjoyed several, as you can see below, including the South Bay Trail that arches out over the water as you leave Fairhaven (and end up walking 5 miles round trip after finding myself in downtown Bellingham at the abrupt end of the trail!).

Whatcom Falls

Another highlight was Whatcom Falls Park, which is a series of trails through a beautiful forest with the Whatcom Creek bubbling and babbling its way over falls and down into the bay. I love exploring places I don't know and this trip afforded me that luxury.

You may not be hearing much from me in the coming month. I'm taking some time off to travel and gather my plans for the fall, when I hope to be hitting the school trail in earnest. For now, enjoy the pics, and remember, you can always "Count on Fibonacci!"