Interview with Michele Elliott, Founder of British Charity, Kidscape

It is my distinct pleasure and honor to interview Michele Eliott, OBE, founder of the British charity, Kidscape.  It is also my pleasure to call Michele a dear friend of over twenty years, and I welcome her warmly to my blog.

NS: Please tell us how and when Kidscape came into being?   

ME:  Kidscape came into being around our kitchen table when I found out from working with children and their families that nothing was being done about sexual abuse and other issues like bullying.  This was back in 1984, and in the UK there was denial about both issues.  I went to the National Society for Protection of Children and the police and the Home Office, but they all said that these things were not happening or that they were rare or that they were happening in other places, like the USA.  That is because I am American but living in London, so they heard my accent and concluded that this was an imported problem.  So that night around the kitchen table, I founded Kidscape.  Kid for children and scape for escape or landscape- kids looking over things.

NS:  What are the main goals of the charity?

ME:  Our major goals are preventing children being harmed and giving them practical ways to keep safe.  We say: preventing bullying protecting children.

NS:  How far reaching globally is Kidscape?

ME: Kidscape has been adopted in Portugal, Spain, Greece and our books are in 16 languages, including recently into Spanish in Chile.

NS:   I know you are a prolific author.  Please tell us about your books as they relate to Kidscape.                                                                

     

      ME:  Somehow I had published 26 books over the past 25 years, ranging from children's color picture books about keeping safe, to books for older children and teens, parents, teachers, and other professionals.  I didn't plan for that to happen - it just grew 'like Topsy.'  I have also written a column for Family Circle magazine in the UK, which taught me a lot about how to write using stories in an accessible style - that took me quite a while and the editor was extremely patient.

                                                                                                "preventing bullying
                                                                   protecting children"

  NS:  What do you see for the future of Kidscape?

       ME:  I am retiring from Kidscape but staying on as an author and consultant.  I did not want Kidscape to be Michele Elliott but to be about children.  We now have a fabulous team headed by Claude Knights, who has been with Kidscape for 10 years.  She and the staff are carrying Kidscape into schools, holding free courses for severely bullied children and young people and sending the messages worldwide.  I am very proud of them all - some have been with Kidscape for nearly 20 years - the staff is very loyal and committed to helping children.

     NS:  Your were recently awarded a great honor by the Queen of England.  Please tell us about it and what it means to you personally.

      ME: When I received the letter from the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, saying he was 'minded' to suggest to the Queen that I be given an honor', I thought it was a practical joke!  But it was real, and the letter asked if I was willing to accept.  WILLING????  Thrilled, delighted, excited would be more like it.  Of course that kind of enthusiasm is from the American half of my personality (my mother had a British passport).  Anyway meeting the Queen was one of the highlights of my life - she was so gracious, and I was terrified that I would trip while approaching or genuflecting.  She put me and all the other recipients at ease with her friendly manner and questions.  Being in the palace and getting to wear a lovely hat were the other highlights.  By the way, the queen is quite tiny and she does carry a handbag.  xxx

      Many thanks, Michele, for your insightful-and fun-answers!  It's always such a pleasure to hear about Kidscape and its history.  You can be so proud of your accomplishments, and what you have modestly said here is only a tiny part of the story and of your achievements.

      For those who would like to know more about this important charity for children, the link is:

      http://www.kidscape.org.uk/

One Book at a Time May Help Save Our Planet

A Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was rocked by an  explosion and fire on April 20, 2010.  It sank into the Gulf of Mexico. Tragically, eleven crew members died. Multiple attempts to completely shut off the flow of oil failed. On September 19, 2010, BP announced that its well was permanently sealed.

The spill caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife habitats as well as to the Gulf's fishing and tourism industries.  This kind of catastrophe should never occur again anywhere on our earth.

To this end, I've written a  children's picture book, One Pelican at a Time, to help put a face on this disaster.  One old, crooked beaked pelican helps Bella and Britt point the way to what even kids can do in such a tragedy.


Pelican will be released in the coming weeks.  This is the first children's book dealing with the Deepwater Horizon spill to be published in the US. 


Children want to know what they can do in such times.  One Pelican at a Time empowers kids to help in a real and meaningful way.  I hope they, and you, enjoy it.  And if it becomes a teaching moment tool, how wonderful is that?

Pelican Cleaning from Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

The Beautiful Brown Pelican



Green Sea Turtle Rehab at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium

While we and our friends, Ed and Michele, were watching the inspirational Winter the dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium last Sunday, a Green sea turtle was brought in and readied for surgery.  He is a young turtle who had been hit by a boat propeller and suffered a cracked shell. 

We all watched as his beautiful shell was cleaned and glued together.  Lucky for guests, there is a large glass window where surgeries can be viewed. 

This fortunate turtle will recover and be released back into the gulf, but it will take a year before he's ready to return to his home.  In the meantime, he will live at the Aquarium, where he can be monitored in safety. Without the support and loving care of the Marine Aquarium, his would have been a far different story.

Green sea turtles evolved on land and took to the ocean about 150 million years ago.  They are one of the few species so ancient that they watched dinosaurs evolve and become extinct.

What a terrible tragedy, then, that these marvelous and dignified creatures are now on a worldwide endangered list.  We humans must be aware of and sensitive to the animals with whom we share this planet.  If we do not, we will all be diminished.

The Glorious Messiness of Writing

I am following a great blog titled, Literary Legs, written by Laura Page.  The blog is witty and well thought through.  She has done a terrific post called, The Flaws are Fine.  With Laura's indulgence, I am including it in my blog

The Flaws are Fine

"I've noticed something. When I'm writing in my journal, which I do frequently, my writing is much different than it is when I'm writing elsewhere. I don't use whole sentences. I use a ton of elipses. I can stretch a single inchoate sentence over a page and a half. Basically, I describe my thoughts and the events in my day in a series of fragments and run-ons. And rather than be dismayed by this, I think it's kind of cool. I'm mean, I'm a grammar nazi and I can be pretty neurotic when it comes to correct punctuation and usage and whatnot (I'm that girl who deletes her own tweets and comments/status post updates on facebook when I discover an error and reposts the edited version). Still, the "messiness" of my informal writing makes me happy. It sort of takes for granted modifying circumstances. It's raw. It's life.

I would like to bring some of this disorder to my creative writing. Some fragmented, incomplete elements. I think this could make my prose a little more human. Somebody once told me that ancient Chinese art as well as many other great works of art throughout history, often have flaws that the artists deliberately included. I make a comparison in my head between these subtly flawed works of visual art and something akin perhaps to "stream of consciousness" in fictional prose. Both are ways to convey authentic human experience.

So maybe a little "messiness" or something that is just a little "off" in our creative work is not a bad thing. Maybe it's a really beautiful thing. Maybe it's what makes it uniquely our own."

This is just a sample of Laura's writing.  Please take a stroll through this marvelous blog.  You'll be glad you did!

Winter, the Dolphin's, Heroic Story

My husband and I are spending a week in Clearwater Beach, Florida.  Pelicans soar just outside our window, and on many days, dolphins swim literally under the balcony. 

At the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, lives an inspirational young Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Winter. Nearly five years ago, on a wintry day, a three month old dolphin became entangled in a crab trap line, and she was drowning.  A fisherman, Jim Savage, came to her rescue, cut her free and, with the help of several other people, managed to steer her to shallow water where they rescued her.  The bottom of her tail had been severely damaged.  None of her rescuers on that desperate day could begin to imagine the impact this tiny orphan would have on so many people the world over.

Winter was immediately taken to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which is an animal rescue and rehab center.  There she underwent a many hour surgery on her tail after the bottom actually fell off. 

Although the team of surgeons saved her life, Winter was now an almost tailless dolphin.  What to do?  She could swim awkwardly, but the veterinarians knew she would have spine issues if she could not swim properly.

A company of expert prosthesis makers offered to assist Winter, and a prosthetic tail was devised--all free of charge. The little dolphin adjusted to it quickly.  She could swim normally while wearing it, and she actually began to jump out of the water as dolphins do!  As she grew, new tails were fashioned to accommodate her size.  Although she does not wear the tail all the time, she exercises with it, and normalcy is hers, if only for a time.

Winter has become an inspiration for people worldwide.  Along with other visitors, children and adults with prosthetic limbs visit the aquarium to see the brave little dolphin who greets as many as she can with a wet dolphin kiss!

This was such an amazing and heroic event that a Hollywood film about Winter's life has just been completed.  It is called A Dolphin's Tale and is set for release by Warner Brothers on September 23, 2011.

Every time I see a dolphin swimming freely around the docks, I think of Winter.  Her new normal is not freedom but hope.  She does so much for humanity every day.  I can't help but believe she has a life that is well lived and is content in that knowledge.

Take a look at Winter, her rehabilitation and her heroic life below:

Photo of Winter taken by Nancy Stewart

Sunday, January 23, 2011

And for more information, visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium's web site at:  http://www.seewinter.com/

Eagle Day

Once a year in mid-January, we and our friends, Stan and Kathy, drive along the Mississippi River on a mission.  Eagles!

These glorious creatures spend their winters at the confluence of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois Rivers, having migrated from the upper mid-west and Canada.  For several magical months, we in the St. Louis area, have the great good fortune to gaze at them in all their majesty. 

The eagle pictured here perched just above us in a winter clad tree.  It paid no attention to the earthbound mortals below.  Its gaze, rather, was on the icy river, sparkling with late morning sunshine. 

Everyone watching this beautiful bird fell quiet and observed it.  What an awesome experience it provided us. We were so close yet light years apart from this creature's world.  I couldn't help but wonder what it thinks of ours.

Here is a lovely children's book about eagles written and illustrated by Caroline Arnold.  It was published by PictureWindow Books (2010).  The eBook edition is available lybrary.com.

My Writer's Group--Not a Step Without It!

My Writer's/Critique group is very much like eating bread.  I can't do without it, and I don't want to!  I've been a member for four years and realize what a pivotal part they play in the life of my mind.  I don't make a literary move without them.

This is a pretty selfless group of people, and the trust factor is very high.  We work together as a team.  The critiques are fair and to the point.  They always provide those fresh eyes that are so needed after countless hours of toiling over a 600 word manuscript--a jigsaw puzzle in implausibly slow motion. 

Our two co-chairs, Sherry and Anastasia, never fail to support and encourage the group as a whole.  They devised a brilliant plan to keep spirits from flagging.  It was a Share Your Rejection Letters contest and was great fun.  In fact, one of our members who is a much published children's author and whose name would be recognized here, shared several new rejections with the group.  That was a major boost.  "Wow.  It even happens to her!"

A high point came this past spring when five of our company received offers of publication within a week.  It was celebration all around.  No pettiness.  No jealousy.  No ill will.  Just solidarity and support.  A circle of writers, both published and hopeful, working together to make the world a better place, is who I hang our with once a month and communicate with by email constantly.  Am I lucky or what?

Happy January!

This cheerful fellow wishes happiness from my house to yours. January is a great month for sharpening our minds, reading great books and setting our computers to tapping. 

What a wonderful time of year to get down to serious business.  The holidays are a memory, and lots of productive reading and writing lies ahead.  

This is a magic month to snuggle up in your favorite chair with or without a cozy fire, and let your mind and heart wander at will. 

I find this time of year to be a clearing house of sorts.  The cobwebs are gone, and nothing but clarity is in view.

This in-between time, before spring even thinks of appearing, I consider a gift.  I embrace it and hope you do, too.

Happy and fulfilling reading and writing!

Guardian Angel Kids Ezine January 2011 Issue Now Available

The 2010 holidays are now behind us and the January 2011 issue of Guardian Angel Kids Ezine http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com blasts in the New Year with wonderful activities, short stories, articles, a poem, and a parent/teacher article to brighten your days.

Be prepared to spend memorable time as you both explore the monthly features:

Featured Books:

Chesley’s Crazy Hair Flip Book written and illustrated by Joanne Potts

Animal Sound Mix-Up Flip Book written by Connie Arnold and illustrated by Kit Grady

Children poems, stories, and articles:

“Swinging Sweet Tooth,” by Ann Ingalls takes you on the adventures of the nocturnal mammal the Kinkajous.

“Cassie the Runaway Cow,” by Peg Finley is a whimsical tale of learning through the eyes of Cassie the Cow as to whether or not life is better on the other side of the fence. Cassie’s journey comes to life through Jack Foster’s illustration.

“Spring Parade,” by Julia Cousineau is an awe inspiring journey of a frog’s determination to join in on the annual spring parade. Will he succeed? Jack Foster’s illustration leaps off the pages and into your imagination.

“Those Amazing Animals,” by Katie Clark is a fast paced article that shows how the zoo evolved from personal gardens into the exciting habitats they are today.

“The Coquí, Island Singer,” by Mayra Calvani. What in the world is a Coquí? Find out in this intriguing tale of an Island Singer.

“What’s In a Name? Fun Name Activities to Do With Your Child,” by Jeanine DeHoney. Teach your young muses to celebrate the uniqueness of their name through fun activities.

Stop by for a spell and enjoy your time together in the interactive world of Guardian Angel Kids where the delightful stories take you to glorious heights.

Tim's First Footer New Year's Toast

2011 First Footer Toast

for Stewart Family

“Great good luck to the house,
Good luck to the family,
Good luck to every rafter of it,
And to every worthy thing in it.

Good luck to the horses and cattle,
Good luck to the sheep,
Good luck to everything,
And good luck to all your means.

Good luck to the good wife,
Good luck to the children,
Good luck to every friend,
Great good luck and health to all.”

Our New Year's Eve First Footer

We are a very Scottish family.  Each New Year's Eve (or Hogmanay in Scotland) we give a party, and many of the men dress in kilts.  Haggis is served, and there is never a scrap left.

My cousin, Tim, who lives in Boston, always attends the party and introduced us to the Scottish tradition of first-footing.  The custom says if the first visitor who arrives at your house after midnight of the new year is a tall male with dark hair, good luck will follow you for the next twelve months.  This gentleman also must bring gifts with him.  He usually brings scotch (no surprise there), salt, bread and always coal. 

Tim, who fortunately for us, happens to be tall with dark hair, follows this tradition slavishly.  Just before the stroke of midnight, he leaves our house by the back door, braving cold and sometimes snow, and knocks at the front door.  Quite ceremoniously, he presents us with a bottle of single malt scotch, salt, a loaf of bread and a cachet of coal.  The problem, of course, is the coal.

Prior to his debut first footing evening, Tim began searching Boston for a lump of coal.  He thought it would be easy to tuck it into his suitcase and go.  This was not to be, as no one had just a lump of coal.  If anyone sold coal at all, the smallest amount was fifty pounds.  Tim searched the greater Boston area for coal sold in smaller amounts.  There were no smaller amounts.  Fifty pounds.  Take it or leave it.  He chose the former and drove to his condo, richer by fifty pounds of coal.

That was four years ago.  Tim now has forty five pounds of coal in his condo, tucked away in a closet.  As long as our New Year's Eve party continues, there is hope of his coal's diminishing bit by bit.  If not, perhaps he may want to have an A Christmas Carol party that features the reformed Ebenezer Scrooge who burns the stuff all at one go. 

Happy New Year/Hogmanay to you all!

Here is the Cover of One Pelican at a Time

My first picture book in the Bella and Britt series will be out soon.  One Pelican at a Time is the story of the two girls and their valiant struggle to save the life of the old crooked beaked pelican.  Along the way, they help other endangered pelicans as well.

Samatha Bell is the artist, and you can see a sample of her work here on the cover.  I am so delighted that she will be the artist for the other two books in the series, Sea Turtle Summer and Bella Saves the Beach. 

Of course, many thanks to my wonderful publisher, Guardian Angel Publishing, and in particular, Lynda Burch, without whom none of this would be possible.

The Generosity of Christmas in September

My husband and I did not want to go to the dinner party.  Our friends, the hosts, implored us, and we gave in.  They were entertaining four people from Peru, Costa Rica and Bolivia along with a translator and did not want to run the language barrier gauntlet alone. 

As it turned out, there were ten of us for dinner.  The South American guests, all journalists sent to the US on tour by our State Department, spoke enough English to get along.  It was certainly better than my Spanish.  They were charming, urbane and well educated.  We had a wonderful time right from the beginning.

One young lady, who turned out to be the anchor of a morning TV news show in Lima, sat across from me at dinner. The entire evening, as she spoke, a simple but stunning Peruvian silver ring on her finger caught my attention.  Finally, I told her how beautiful and unusual it was.  Without any hesitation, she took it off, handed it to me, and said, "It's yours.  A gift from me."

I didn't know what to do.  I felt my face go red and was bewildered as to how to proceed.  I mumbled something about how it was too much, and I couldn't really take it.  I only meant to compliment her on it.  Really, it was so kind, but I just should not take it.

About then, our translator, Javier, who sat next to me, touched my arm and quietly but firmly said, "Take it, and say thank you.  Otherwise, she will be offended."  I did as he said, my face still burning from this extraordinary gesture.

As we said our goodbyes that evening, I wore my already cherished ring.  I promised her that as soon as my book series was published, I'd send her copies.  And I will do that.  It is a solemn oath.

Since that autumn night, I've reflected many times on the event.  Nothing quite like this had ever happened to me.  The ring has become a treasured talisman of the generosity of the human spirit.  I wear it almost every day, and it makes me happy.  It makes me reflective.  It makes me realize there is such generosity and kindness in people wherever they may live, whatever their culture. 

Never have I met a person with a more giving spirit.  I was later told this is the South American way, and I do believe that.   I also believe it is the human way.  It is the way of a kind heart and a generous soul.  It is the generosity of Christmas in September.

December 2010 issue of Guardian Angel Kids Ezine Now Available

The blustery days of winter have arrived and what better way to spend a cold afternoon then taking your young muse on an interactive adventure at the Guardian Angel Kids Ezine http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com.

Be prepared to spend memorable time as you both explore the monthly features:

A Blessed Bethlehem Birth Flip Book by Walter Lee McElligott

Follow A Star – a Rooter and Snuffle Story by Shari Lyle-Soffe (read aloud by Donna Shepherd)

Children poems, stories, and articles:

“Blanket of Snow” written by Alice Knisley Matthias, takes you on snow filled vision.

“Twas the Night before Christmas, Down on the Farm” written by Ann Ingalls and illustrated by Kim Sponaugle immerses you in the wonders of Christmas on a farm.

“All by Myself” written and illustrated by Samantha Bell brings you on an adventure of one young girl’s determination.

“Nothing Was Stirring” written by Marion Tickner and illustrated by Jack Foster is a laugh out loud mousy adventure.

“Treasures, Treats, and Traditions” by Lisa Hart brings to life the wonders of this magical time of year with a bonus Pinwheel Candy craft.

“Names for Nick” by Carol Douglas, the origins of good old Saint Nick.

Tune your child into the wonders of prediction through Dorit Sasson’s parent and teacher article “Teaching Prediction in Picture Books and Non-Fiction Text,” and by doing so will make their reading adventure that much more enjoyable.

Stop by for a gander and enjoy your time together, for the adventurous world of reading is at your fingertips.

Green is More Than a Christmas Color!

With festivities of the holiday season in full swing now, I want to remember that green is not just a Christmas color but a way of life.  I find it so easy to revert back to wasteful ways, indulging in mega-packaging of gifts, using wrapping paper topped off with lots of ornamentation and simply buying too many unnecessary things. 

I've always loved the holidays and its myriad of trappings.  But now I find myself in a new paradigm of being  torn between comforting consumption and the knowledge that so much of it is not good for our planet.  How do we find a balance? 

Education and leading by example is, I think, much of the answer.  If we can model the value of even a bit more conservation for the younger generations, we may be on to something. 

Take a look at a good blog with great green ideas.  It's called The Little Green Pen and is written by Michelle Schaub.  Here is the link:  http://littlegreenpen.blogspot.com/

Maybe we can all give our fragile planet a great holiday gift by consuming less and reusing more.  Now wouldn't that be the best present of all!