Laurie Keller, Children's Book Author
Guest Laurie Keller, Children’s Book Author
Recently on J Schwanke's Life in Bloom - Episode 402- Bein' Green- I had the distinct pleasure of visiting with an author and Illustrator of many children’s books - including “Arnie the Doughnut” - Laurie Keller - who is well known for her wonderful, inspiring Children's Books- including "We are Growing" that was awarded the 2017 Theodore Seuss Geisel Award!
Laurie went to art school with Kelly- and thus they are long time friends. I'd not had the honor- or privilege to meet Laurie in person before the filming... so this was a sheer delight. I was so excited to meet her- and she surprised Kel and I with a couple of Laurie Keller Original flower doodles- for Life in Bloom. (See these doodles attached to this blog) Laurie is - just as you imagine- Wonderful and Extremely Comfortable, Entertaining and Quick Witted ... and it didn't take long for us to visit - just like old friends!I had a lot planned- Chocolate Sprinkle Doughnuts for one... in Honor of one of her most popular books- Arnie the Doughnut... I wanted to talk about her amazing books, and how they HELP children (Of all ages) be better humans! I also had lots of questions-(I'm curious by nature) and I wanted her to join me for Flower Arranging, Flower Cocktail-ing and I even made a very special all Green Flower Crown- for my SUPER SPECIAL Guest! Thanks for dropping by Laurie- it was an Amazing Day!
In the Bein' Green Episode- Laurie and have a chance to talk about her books, the inspiration that created them - and the inspiration they provide... Laurie's books are built on positivity. I've read them all- and while my favorites are - We Are Growing, and Birdy’s Smile Book, I really love the fun way- that Do Unto Otters provides fun examples for good manners. Plus many of these books are filled with little "side bar" doodles- that truly showcase Laurie's quick wit and lovely sense of humor!
Laurie travels frequently- to share her books- with LIVE in person readings at school- all across the country- she was returning from a series of readings in Kansas City- immediately prior to her visit... the In Person Readings provide amazing interaction- with children that love to read (and benefit) her amazing books!
Laurie actually created some fun Flower Doodles for Kelly and I- what an incredible treat- and it makes me think about the possibility of a Children's Book - based on flowers... Stay tuned !
Of course- It wouldn't be a visit with Laurie Keller without a box (or Two- I always do things BIG) of Chocolate Sprinkled doughnuts. (Chocolate Sprinkle Doughnuts inspired the Star of Laurie's Book - Arnie the Doughnut) My Incredible "Life in Bloom" Crew- (and a few of our Crew Kid Visitors) are always up for a SNACK- and we had the amazing opportunity (off camera) to have doughnuts with Laurie- Arnie the Doughnut is quite possibly the Most Popular of Laurie's Books- and I Love a Chocolate Sprinkle Doughnut- so things work out... (You'll have to watch the show- to hear what Laurie has to say about Broccoli ... hehehe!)
Be sure to watch Episode #402- Bein' Green - to experience first hand to experience the wonderful visit I had with Laurie- and learn more about Laurie and her wonderful books!
“Look for Laurie's Books at Your Local Independent Book Sellers, or on line- and don't forget your local library- it's a great resource for books- and education! Learn more at http://lauriekellerbooks.com/
You get a quick look inside one of Laurie's Latest Books- " We Are Growing" - the theme of this show is the color green - so the amazing group of grass blades Laurie created for this Award Winning Book- fit in nicely!- "We are Growing" is part of the Mo Willem- "Elephant and Piggy Like Reading" book collection- and Laurie was invited to write this book- which turns out - is the recipient of the 2017 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award - After reading this book - which explores finding out about what makes you special - I like to think of myself as the flowery-ist - check out the show- and see what Laurie considers herself to be!
Laurie's books have so many great take-aways about inclusion, diversity, and finding yourself! That's what I love about the way Laurie crafts her books- they are fun- sometimes funny- and always revealing... I loved having Laurie in the flower kitchen for the day!
*Special Thanks to Meta4mat and our Flower Friend Dan Norman for creating the outputs of Laurie's Flower Doodles featured in this show- Laurie sent us the images via email- and I wanted to have them available so you could see them close up and personal... Thanks to our special friend Danny for making this happen!
Be sure to check out our "Behind the Bloom" with Laurie Keller- coming to uBloom.com SOON!
One of my favorite things is arranging flowers- and when I find a guest that maybe feels a little bit uneasy about flower arranging- I like to share my favorite tips and tricks- I think it's important to make people feel comfortable with Flowers- Flowers really are EASY- and non-confrontational... and I can help anyone learn that by being a good "Flower coach" ... Plus it doesn't hurt to have some beautiful flowers on hand too!!
Flowers are forgiving and they HELP you along the way - by imparting health and wellness benefits- just by having you touch them- and arrange them in a vase... it's what I always refer to as FLOWER POWER- and boy - are Flowers Powerful
Join Laurie and J for Flower Cocktail Hour- and create the Verdant Lady- Recipe here!
I love "Flower Cocktail Hour" and I just couldn't resist inviting Laurie- to join me for a special cocktail... that's called the Verdant Lady... and it includes one of my favorite ingredients "Chartreuse"... Oh My! Follow the link above to get the recipe and learn more about this "Green Lady" Cocktail!~
It was so amazing being able to share my LOVE of Flowers with Laurie- and some of my favorite Flower Arranging Tips- as you know- it's my personal mission to make everyone feel more at ease and comfortable with Flowers- Especially when it comes to arranging flowers- and it was a huge success with Laurie... and we had a Ball!
To Learn more about Laurie's Book- visit her website- http://lauriekellerbooks.com/
