Leda Schubert * Writer of Picture Books

Nov 30, 2010 6:41 AM EST

Thanks to you both for the background on Almanac. It's my morning wake up/coffee read and better than vitamins, both fascinating and inspiring. Thanks!

(ps--wondering why my verification words are "was indaze" and how do they know this about me?)

- bonnie christensen

Nov 30, 2010 5:40 PM EST

Thanks, Leda, for this interview and the heads-up about the Children's Book Almanac. It will be a daily check-in for me.

- Joyce Ray

Nov 30, 2010 5:51 PM EST

I, too, start my day with a visit to the Book- A -Day- Almanac and also enjoyed learning more about how it is written. Come on, Anita, please do go to 1000 books. I promise to buy whatever you write!

- Judy Weymouth

Dec 09, 2010 4:02 AM EST

I really enjoyed reading the backstory on Anita Silvey's almanac, and was impressed by how much research she does. The dog party sounded like crazy fun.

- Deborah Kops

Nov 23, 2010 7:27 AM EST

My dogs all have multiple names. Our first dog (mine and my husband's) was Tasmanian Devil (Taz). We'd just returned from Australia and this little black ball of fur looked just like one of those critters. Our second and third dogs came to us named (they were rescued). Kirstie was named for Kirstie Alley and it fit. Indigo Jones is a variant spelling of one of England's early architects and a play on Indiana Jones (for us) for my current adorable schipperke puppy. His mother is Daisy. She was originally named for some Welsh imp (Dae something) but we didn't like it. We do sometimes call her Day.

- Jeanette Larson

Nov 23, 2010 7:42 AM EST

I used to housesit for a couple who were careful to avoid giving their dogs (and cats) human names. But some of them were close: there was Borus the dog, for example.

I've come up with a few good names for characters: Lord Snoudley (which comes from a spoonerism of a line from Snow White and the seven dwarfs, where someone "snored loudly" -- as a spoonerism it becomes Lored Snoudly and I just moved the "e" in "Lored" over to "Snoudly" to make it work better.

Another character I came up with for an as-yet-unwritten children's story is The Walloping Bimbus. It just came to me one night as these words and phrases sometimes do. Hmmm, Lord Snoudly and the Walloping Bimbus, it has potential...

- Brad

Nov 30, 2010 6:00 AM EST

Thanks for your comments, Brad and Jeanette. Brad, the world is waiting for your book.

- Leda Schubert