A Letter from Pat - June 2002

Dear Girls and Boys,

Do you like lizards? This morning I saw a gray lizard scurry across the wooden deck in my back garden. I have always liked them. I remember that when I was a little girl in El Paso, Texas, my sister and I used to look for lizards behind our house.

What are your three favorite animals? Can you write a story about them?

My husband, Vern, is an archaeologist. He has often gone to Belize to study the Maya. One time when I was visiting Belize, we saw great large green lizards. They reminded me of little dinosaurs. Do you remember which of my books have lizards in them? Why are lizards in the jungle green and the lizards in the desert gray?

Writers write about topics that interest us. Often we’re not sure why we like lizards or turtles or tulips or roses, but we know we do, and we know we enjoy thinking about those topics and imagining them.

I hope you’re reading every night before you go to sleep. I do. It’s one of my favorite times of the day. Do you tell your family and friends about the books you like? It’s fun to share books.

Keep writing and reading!

Your friend, Pat Mora