Bomu Medical Center, Mombassa, Kenya

Recently my friend Naomi from the wonderful children's charity, Project Sunshine, visited Kenya and brought books to build the library of Bomu Medical Center in Mombasa, which serves over 2,300 children and families living with HIV. To help build their library, one of the books they brought along was Being a Pig is Nice (seen in this photo below with Project Sunshine volunteers in the Project Sunshine playroom). How cool is that? For me it's especially cool because I was born in East Africa and lived in Kenya (Nairobi and Mombassa) for several years. I hope one day to go back... Here's some more information: 'Prior to Project Sunshine’s arrival, 27 children were enrolled in HIV treatment and care at Bomu Medical Center. To date, because of Project Sunshine’s clinic‐based educational and recreational programming three times per week, community‐based programming twice weekly, safe water, hand washing and healthy living programs, over 2,028 pediatric clients are enrolled in our programs. Our services, which are provided five days per week, provide continual support, education and creative outlets to children and families living with HIV/AIDS. 'According to a nurse at Bomu Medical Center, “Project Sunshine’s programs are an essential part of the HIV treatment and therapy at Bomu. Families turn to Project Sunshine just as they turn to medical treatment ‐ they can’t have one without the other.” ' To support their latest fund raiser check out their fun fashion show or visit their site where you can be part of this amazing work.

Opportunity for bloggers

Here's an exciting thing: if you're a blogger, you can register to win free copies of The Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Audio edition. You'll also get to know all about everything (who can resist that?) PLUS know it way before anyone else (even better). Any blogger who is interested can register: here. The AUDIO edition is launching in October (it's the Deluxe edition of The Jesus Storybook Bible) and by registering you'll have the chance from September on to win free copies, host give-aways, be part of weekly competitions, etc. The AUDIO by the way it is read by David Suchet (for those who don't know--he plays Agatha Christie's rotund detective, Hercule Poirot--and his voice actually is several octaves lower than Poirot's and that's a fat suit he wears BTW). He's a wonderful man, an incredible storyteller, and an Emmy Award winning OBE--and if you haven't heard a sample of him reading you can here and you'll see why.  (Do you know any bloggers? Please feel free to forward this blog or link to them. The more the merrier.) Here's the link you can cut and paste: http://fs18.formsite.com/zondervan/form475219780 Thank you for your help in getting the word out.

maira kalman: And the Pursuit of Happiness

The glorious Maira Kalman is doing a wonderful series for the times called: "And the Pursuit of Happiness" and here's her latest. I love it and her! (I am lucky enough to volunteer at school with her so I have really in actual fact even met her.)

"Clean, Sexy Water"-- charity: water

The NYT just did an article on a friend's uber fab nyc based charity, charity: water which you can read here and add your thoughts here. this video tells all...

What the Critics are saying about Being A Pig (it's Nice)

the new book's almost out and the reviews are in... from the barn: “A Complete Stinker!” A PIG “Horribly Good!” A MONSTER “Perfectly Terribly Terrible Table Manners!” A MONKEY
 “Superb Pacing”
 A SNAIL “Krall and Lloyd-Jones's manners are World Renowned and the envy of all the barn.” SPOKESPIG FOR THE EXTRA STINKY TIMES To get hold of your copy/find out more, click here.

OUT TODAY! How To Get Married

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY says it's "Stylish and Witty" SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL says it's "bound to be a hit with the Fancy Nancy Crowd" KIRKUS says "aspiring brides and starry-eyed flower girls alike will be enchanted" I say quick better go and get it before it sells out. Here's the perfect book for kids who play pretend and throw mock weddings, and also for grown-ups who are actual brides-to-be. Our know-it-all narrator is at it again, in this companion to the New York Times bestselling How To Be A Baby... By Me, The Big Sister. Take it from the six-year-old “bride-to-be”: No one will marry you if you don’t ever brush your hair and it looks like a bird’s nest back there. And never get married when it’s dark, because you might not see the groom, and marry the wrong person. When you have found your Own True Love, you must ask permission. “Can I marry you please?” you say. “Yes, please,” he says. More here. What they said about HOW TO BE A BABY: “This book is adorable, original, well-illustrated and fabulous.” THE NEW YORK TIMES “An ultra charming picture book” A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK "One of the funniest books of the year" RADIO 4, Front Row "A psychologically sound picture book" THE LONDON OBSERVER "one of my favorites" THE BOOKSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

It's Spring, Brides are here

It's that time of year. And every Bride needs people around her to help her plan her most perfect wedding day. (I'm sure even Grace Kelly did.) There are things you might not know. For instance, should she really be shoveling that cake into his mouth like that? And how do you know who exactly to marry? and what to wear? And what if you're a ring bearer? or a paige? or a bridesmaid? How do you know how to do everything? Worry no more! Coming to bookstores near you on April 14th just in time for wedding season... and the Bridal Showers ... and everything else--the perfect absolute final definitive guide: (If you know someone getting married and you're a kind friend, you'll buy this book. And even if you don't, you should because it's always good to be prepared and knowledgeable.)(About everything, mostly.) More here.

now appearing in concert and in the NYT...

see if you can spot the mention of The Jesus Storybook Bible... (thanks Sara!) here.

now appearing in different languages...

Korean, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, French ...

now appearing on a christmas album

Hold on to your hats. Yes, The Jesus Storybook Bible is appearing in a Christmas Album near you. It's in the wonderful Sara Groves' latest Christmas Album (she's wonderful and so is her music). It's read beautifully by 5 year old Toby Groves, in the song "It's True" and it's an exerpt from "The Light of The Whole World" story. I just listened to it and I love it. It reminds me of Charlie Brown's Christmas when the little boy at the end recites the christmas story. Listen here. Album available here on CD or mp3.

Why did the chicken cross 125th Street?

"That’s what some East Harlem residents are trying to figure out. A bunch of chickens and a big white turkey appeared near the corner of 125th Street and Second Avenue last week and began pecking in traffic." The New York Times. Read more here.

tech tips, basically

What are the basic computer basics-that-you-thought-everyone-knew? In a piece in the New York Times, Pogue lists some I had no idea about ... like if you hit the space bar it scrolls down one page's worth and if you add the shift key it goes back up. Cool. Also Google does maths for you. What about this Experiment. Try typing in this horrid head-achey equation: 23*15.3+15/3= (what does that even mean?) and then hit Enter. (On the computer, as we totally already knew of course, * means "times" and / means "divided by.") Want to know more? You can read Pogue's Tech Tips here and even add some of your own. Sorry excuse me but I have to go and practice my equations and scrolls now.

world magazine article

Susan Olasky very kindly came and interviewed me and wrote an article and you can read it here.

Alonso Alvarez Barreda: short

This beautiful 4 min short, The Story of a Sign, won the Cannes 2008 online competition. Watch it here.

Warship back in New York

More here.

which train?

When you visit New York, how do you know which subway to get to where the fastest? Usually you'd ask a New Yorker. Now, apparently, you should ask Google. But there are other tricks and tips Google won't tell you... Like where to head on the platform and which side of the subway car to stand. For that you need a New Yorker or a helpful article like this one: The New York Times.

Bookseller Review

The wonderful Walker Books is publishing HOW TO BE A BABY in the UK (came out September 1st) and THE BOOKSELLER just gave it a rave review. To read it, click here (and go to page 28).

SNEAK PEAK of top secret new work...

... the bossy big sister narrator is at it again... and this time? Well it's HOW TO GET MARRIED: by Me, the Bride. (Ably assisted, of course, by that little baby--who at one point ends up wearing a moustache.) It's the companion to the New York Times Bestseller, HOW TO BE A BABY: by Me, the Big Sister and it's coming in March--just in time for spring. The publisher says: "Here is the perfect book for kids who play pretend and throw mock weddings, and also for grown-ups who are actual brides-to-be. " To learn more, have a laugh, or even pre-order your very own copy, click here.

thoughts about Hot Air Ballooning

That's me in there. In that balloon. Floating about out there. Above that field in between the trees. It really is.

I had the chance to go last year. It was brilliant. You speed (with the right wind) inches from the ground. You dart up suddenly just before you hit a tree. You touch the tops of trees and see Lama, darting rabbits, deer, fawns, foxes. You float over people's heads and back yards and can inspect their roofs. And one time, a labrador chased us with such abandon through corn fields it seemed to me to be exactly what joy looks like.

Also, I wonder. Is this how it feels to be Balloon Bird? He really is the luckiest of all birds to be able to float about like that. If I possibly could, it's the only way I'd travel.

As you waft along in the silence you can hear the tiniest sounds below you.

One thing I never knew about hot air balloons: you can control the up and down, but you can't steer. You just have to go wherever the wind blows you.

Hmm. Sounds a bit like something wise ...

101 uses for a car

It's the Model Ts 100th birthday on 27 Sept and the New York Times did a cool article about the ways people adapted theirs. Best of all there's a slide show where you can see some of the ingenious ways... like this one where it's turned into a combine-harvester.

My favorite? The guy who built a church on his--complete with an organ and a steeple that folds so you can put it in the garage.

Was this kind of like the iphone of their day? Makes you wonder--in another 100 years will people be watching slide shows and laughing fondly at us and the funny ways people once used phones?