Family in Feast and Feria

On Monday I read about Kristina's great experience Meeting Tomie at a booksigning. She encouraged checking Tomie's Calendar to see if he'll be coming to store nearby.

I was so tired, that at first when I read October 25 in Middleburg, I thought "Darn, I missed it." Then I looked at the calendar and realized that was THIS Wednesday and I could make it. And he was coming to my favorite historic, quaint town of Middleburg which wasn't exactly next door, but it would be a beautiful scenic drive through rolling hills of horse country with the mountains in the background and the beautiful fall colors...Oh, I thought, I definitely have to do this!

My son is three, but a huge fan of Tomie dePaola. We've read many of his books, including of course, Strega Nona, many of his Christmas themed books, his saint books, his books about Mary, his humorous books...the list is long. One of the highlights of course is to search for the heart signature in the pictures. We've only met one book that he doesn't enjoy, and that's Pancakes for Breakfast. The reason: he dislikes the disaster page...it's upsetting to him.

The books he loves the most are the stories that get me all choked up when I read, like Now One Foot, Now the Other, and the autobiographical picture books Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs (the perfect book we read when my grandmother died last year) and The Art Lesson (which has inspired him to color and paint all the time).

But when I asked which is his favorite Tomie book and The Baby Sister came his most definite reply, every time I asked. I know he enjoys it because of the relationship between Tomie and his mother, but he also wants a baby sister...and prays just like Tomie in this book. Shall I say from his mouth to God's ear, please?

But to share this moment with other Tomie fans would make the day even more perfect, so one of my sisters and two friends, Rachel and Mary Chris, whom I've met from 4RealLearning Forums all joined up to meet Tomie. There were 14 children and 5 adults.

Most of us arrived early, and entered the vine covered, tiny but adorable book shop, bought our books and walked over to an adorable cafe for a snack while we waited for the arrival of our author. When we sent a few of the boys on a scouting mission to see if there was a line forming, the answer came back negative. We were puzzled, because we were sure this was going to be a jam-packed, overflowing crowd. So we walked back around the corner to sit in front of the bookshop until the time came, but Tomie was already there and he was starting early!

Mr. dePaola is so great to meet in person. He's just so gracious and unassuming and he just fills the room. He's warm and welcoming, and offered to pose for pictures...nothing was too much to ask. He even stood and posed for a 4Real group picture.

He was surprised at how young my son was for his enthusiasm for his books. (Caught my son at a bad blink in the picture.) My son was being shy, so I told him his favorite book, and what else we enjoyed, and thanked him for sharing his gift. I told him the story of my mother reading The Clown of God while babysitting my niece and nephew. My sister came home and found my mother was just sobbing with the kids on her lap. He loved the story and said that's the effect he's going for. BTW, his publicist said that The Clown of God was her favorite book.

The time with him wasn't long enough (is it ever)? I spent last night thinking of things I wanted to tell him. I think I need to write to him...I have some suggestions for saint picture books. ;-) But I digress.

After walking past the historic Red Fox Inn, to show an actual place where "George Washington slept here", we went to the local school playground for some play time. The children had a blast climbing on the equipment, and all got along really well.

It was a lovely memory-making day. I'm so grateful to have seen one of our favorite authors and to share the joy with my son, family and friends.


Our 4Real Group Picture, Rachel, Mary Chris and Jenn, our children and Tomie! It's not completely focused, my apologies! But you can still see those happy faces!

Inspired by Elizabeth Foss' preschool posts, particularly It's a Wonderful Thing, our son received a two-sided art easel for his third birthday. One side has a chalkboard, the other a whiteboard and capability of putting attaching paper and painting. By far it is one of his favorite gifts. He wants to paint all the time. He enjoys wielding the paint brush and using the brilliant primary colors. Each page is a masterpiece. Yesterday he stepped back from his work and said "I'm looking at my painting." After a little quiet surveillance, he declared: "It needs more paint."

And his cousins, near the same age, feel the same tug, the same attraction for this easel. A chalkboard has such wonderful possibilities, but the paint -- Oh! it's just wonderful. One nephew (my darling godson) spied it immediately walking into the house. There was a painting my son had already completed still hanging on the easel. Such oohs and ahhs and "He painted that? Wow, that's beautiful." And it was.

I watched another niece and nephew this week for a little while. I thought that they would be spending most of their time playing Thomas & Friends, as there was a lovely track set up and a roundhouse that was so appealing the last visit. Yes, it was attractive, but the magnetic appeal of the easel was even stronger. We ended up painting, and it was their first time, too. What concentration on their work, and what pride at the completed masterpieces!

And this is my favorite gift, too. For the first time in my memory, I am using tempera paints. Yes, you read that correctly. I mean it's MY first time. My kitchen and dining room have the wonderful odor of tempera paints. It brings back a flood of memories. I remember walking by the art supply room, smelling that aroma. I remember seeing those large jars of those brilliant colors and wondering, wishing, hoping that one day I could paint. In all those years of Catholic school, I must have teachers who didn't want the mess, because I never experienced the joy of using tempera paint. So now I have, and it's even better than I ever dreamed.

It's the olfactory sense that really triggers memories of my childhood art supplies. The smell of Crayola Crayons, PlayDoh, Paste, Elmers Glue, Construction Paper, Scotch Tape, fingerpaints, pencil leads....all have a distinct and delightful aroma. And smelling any of these takes me on a delightful trip down memory lane...and reminds me that I need to provide opportunities for my son to make these kind of memories, also.

And for ds, the chalkboard and painting have ignited other artistic pursuits. The creative floodgates have been opened. He now can't get enough of using markers and crayons...he even talks about being an artist. The artist part is in thanks to the inspiration of The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola, one of his favorite books right now.

Now, I have to admit, I have been wondering why some of these Tempera paints have labels that say "Really and Truly" washable paints. I couldn't understand, because our paint is washable. It says so...right on the label. Well, this week I figured it out. The paints don't come out as easily as just washing the clothes. But do these "really and truly" washable paints smell like traditional tempera paints? Are they as brilliant and have the same texture? Any recommendations for brands?

Next stop, fingerpainting. I'm a bit nervous on this endeavour. It's not the mess. I loved fingerpaints, mostly because of the smell (I tell you, my little nose really plays a prominent role in my life) and the lovely texture of the paints and special paper. But I had a disappointing experience with my little sister (13 years younger than I). When she was about 3 or 4, I thought she would LOVE trying her hand(s) at fingerpainting, so I bought a little kit. After setting her all up, she placed her fingers in the paint, dabbled a little and then was done. She wanted her hands cleaned. It was way too messy for her.

I can't tell if my son would have the same reaction. I thought I would start "small" and if successful, I would buy larger tubs of fingerpaint. My problem is I can't find a simple fingerpaint kit with small jars and paper. If you have a source, please share!