Happy Birthday Blooz!

"Did somebody forget your birthday Blooz?"

NOPE! How could I forget the birthday of my very first picture book?

October 2nd, 2012 was the day Harcourt Houghton Mifflin published, Stuck with the Blooz, the book that was so beautifully illustrated by Jon Davis, and so wonderfully edited and taken care of by Adah Megged Nuchi. The idea, however, for Stuck with the Blooz, was conceived almost a decade before the book was even born!

When I go to schools and tell kids how long I had to wait to see Blooz become a book, they can't believe it! But they sure can relate to the agony of waiting, and the dificulty of persisting through disappointment. When I ask them how they think I felt on the days when I got rejection letters, they are quick to call out, "You probably had the blooz!"

Luckily, the kids Blooz and I visit always have amazing advice for what to do when you are feeling blue...so for Blooz's birthday today, we want to share some of that advice with you. We'll be reminsicing on the great words we've heard from kids all month—cause when you're a kid, birthdays last all month long, right?!—so sign up for the muse-letter or check back here to find out more tips from kids!

Here's what some of the first kids Blooz met told us they do when they get Stuck with the Blooz!

Sleep

Eat a grape

I would lie on my back and read

I would sulk in the corner and eat pie

Reading a book, while eating a muffin, and listening to music on the radio.

I like to listen to a book on tape

I would eat an apple

Hide under the covers. And eat a banana

Ask for a hug

Lie in bed and do nothing. Doing nothing is time for thinking, and clearing your mind.

Draw

Read a book

Flop around like a worm

Hang out a little bit

I'd go to my friend's apartment and we'd build a fort together.

Speak to my fish

Groan-Ups, here's a tip: when YOU have the Blooz...ask a kids what you should do! They have fabulous ideas.