I had such a fabulous dad. All of us so blessed are thankful–whether we’re grateful for our birth dad, stepdad, the dad who adopted us or a good man who plays a fatherly role in our lives. And let’s give a cheer for granddads too! Great dads: good men. The world needs them.
Pat
Congratulations to an amazing librarian, my friend Maria Rodriguez.
The 2015 theme for World Oceans Day is: healthy oceans, healthy planet. To celebrate, enjoy some poems from Water Rolls, Water Rises/El agua rueda, el agua sube.
Poem and art from Water Rolls, Water Rises/El agua rueda, el agua sube
Visiting a book store in Oregon last week, I was delighted that they had some of my children’s books in their welcoming children’s section. (As an author, I’m usually almost wary about looking for my books in book stores.) When I asked if they had any of my bilingual children’s books (Spanish/English), I was directed to the foreign language section on another floor. 
When I sign bilingual books, some bilingual families are delighted that they can enjoy both languages, and often today, monolingual English-speaking families are delighted that their children want to learn Spanish. I’m going to contact the book store suggesting that all children’s books be shelved in the appealing children’s 
section to be enjoyed by all children and families. If such books are checked out more and more by families visiting their libraries and bought by all kinds of families, maybe more presses will be excited about publishing these books, and more book stores will be excited about displaying and sharing these books.
Pat
