You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby

Byron crawled today. He’s been working on it for weeks. He could get up on his knees and hands and try to throw himself forward, and he could lift hands and feet separately, he just hadn’t quite figured out how to do all of that in the right order. Sometimes he would fall face-flat on [...]

Read Full Post »

The Hairy-Nosed Otter of Borneo

You may have… and by “may have,” I mean “better have, if you know what I mean,” heard that they recently spotted a hairy-nosed otter in Borneo. These remarkable probiscally-folliated mammalian piscivores of Asia were, until recently, believed to be extinct, but like my own childhood aspirations, have soldiered on despite daunting odds. Now you [...]

Read Full Post »

Thoughts Upon a Second Book Release

My second book is now one week old, at least by the somewhat arbitrary release day. As I venture forth into being the author of multiple books, and not a one-off, I hope I’ve learned a few things. There are a few things I have not learned — like how to not obsess on reviews, [...]

Read Full Post »

How to Write for Boys

Yesterday Nicholas Kristof — who blogged from Liberia last year — took on another interest of mine, boys as readers. The basic message: boys are more likely to fail in school, especially when it comes to reading and writing. The part that struck me is this aside: Some educators say that one remedy may be [...]

Read Full Post »

QNABS: The Awesomest Animal

Question nobody asks but should: Mr. Scaletta, what is the awesomest animal there is? I’m so glad somebody finally asked this most pertinent question, it doesn’t even bother me that awesomest is not a word. And while each of us has their own favorite animal, I am going to try to suspend subjectivity and take [...]

Read Full Post »

Black Mamba vs. King Cobra

I asked some kids to draw snakes today, and will soon be posting them to my ever-growing snake gallery. Sam’s comic particularly struck me as being packed with awesomeness on many levels and I wanted to share it here, as I am sure you will agree. BLACK MAMBA VS. KING COBRA

Read Full Post »

No Ordinary Writer

This post originally appeared on AuthorsNow.com. I think my favorite author is Charlotte A. Cavatica, a writer with humble beginnings in a Maine barn who has written some of the most beloved words in American literature. The best-known poetic essay of Ms. Cavatica is, of course, “SOME PIG,” which asserts not just the presence of [...]

Read Full Post »

A few words about the original Mudville

This post originally appeared on AuthorsNow.com. “The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day….” So goes the first line of “Casey at the Bat” and the greatest American litotes. It’s no mistake that Mudville is introduced immediately, while “mighty Casey” isn’t mentioned until the end of the next stanza, because the protagonist of [...]

Read Full Post »

As seen in the novels… chili dog pie!

You read the novel… Now eat the dinner…

Read Full Post »

Why I don't mind turning forty…

In the early 1950s, Frank Sinatra was dropped by Columbia and was considered a has-been due to waning sales and shredded vocal chords. He landed at Capitol, and began a series of albums with arranger/orchestra conductor Nelson Riddle. Most people know the early teen idol Sinatra, the crooner the bobby-sock girls swooned over, or they [...]

Read Full Post »