Virtual author visit

Students from Sorrento Elementary were joined by author Marsha Diane Arnold from Alva, Florida in a virtual author reading of her book Galapagos Girl on Tuesday morning.

Organized by teacher-librarian Michelle Krumm, students had the opportunity to join into a video-meeting for the reading and to chat with the award-winning children’s author.

Arnold has had 20 books published with her 21st book, Lights Out!, available this fall. Her books have sold over one million copies.

Arnold chose to read Galapagos Girl, which is a bilingual book (English and Spanish) and is based on a real-life person, Valentina, who grew up on the Galapagos Islands. The book features a touching story of the little girl interacting with many of the unique wildlife that can be found on the Galapagos and vowing to look after them. This turns out to be true as in real life she becomes a biologist and eco-guide on the Galapagos.

During the reading, Arnold talked to the children who were listening and asked them if they like to tell jokes, draw or write. She told them they were “early bloomers” and to keep it up. She explained she always read a lot of books but didn’t think about writing anything until she was old . . . “I was in my 30s,” she said with a smile.

She showed them some of the other books she has written including Heart of Tiger, Roar the Snore, The Pumpkin Runner, and Badger’s Perfect Garden.

Among Arnold’s honours are the Ridgeway Award for Best First Book, state Children’s Choice awards, IRA Distinguished Book, and Smithsonian Notable Book. Recently, Galápagos Girl was selected as a 2019 Bank Street Best Books of the Year, a Campoy-Ada honour book, and a 2019 Green Prize in Sustainable Literature.

Arnold grew up in Kansas, surrounded by wheat fields and dairy cows. When she married her husband, they moved to Sonoma County, California, where they raised their two children. In 2015, they journeyed to Florida to be closer to their family.

You can find more information about Arnold and her books at www.marshadianearnold.com.

Krumm has another virtual author visit scheduled for May 22. This one is for Armstrong Elementary School students with author Josh Funk. He will be reading “Dear Dragon”.

More information on Funk is available at: https://www.joshfunkbooks.com/