A number of children came up to me after the program. One girl—I could tell she was extremely bright—showed me a list of seven topics she had written down. She asked me, “Which one should I write about?”

I’ve run into this before—and not just from children. I knew how to answer that question. “I can’t tell you that. Write about what you care about and like best. Write about what means the most to you.”

She didn’t like that answer one bit. “No. You’re supposed to tell me.”

I wouldn’t. She got mad. That’s okay. I don’t play that game. What she’s really asking is: Give me the right answer. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it. My writing means nothing to me. All I want is a good grade. Isn’t that what education is all about—getting good grades so you can be successful?

She’s only in the fifth grade, but she’s already figured out what passes for our educational system. It’s all about test scores and right answers. Writing about a topic that I want to write about is dangerous. I might make a mistake and create something the teacher won’t like. Then I’ll get a bad grade and I won’t get into Harvard. Better not to take chances. Instead, I’ll get the teacher—or the professor or the boss—to tell me what to do. Then a good grade is guaranteed. The teacher can’t criticize my choice. Not when teacher’s the one who told me to do it.

It works. This child will go far. But she’s already paying a price. She’s squashing down her real self for the sake of a grade. Do that long enough and often enough and you’ll end up pushing yourself so far back you won’t be able to find your real self at all. Because by then you won’t even know whom your real self is.

So what should you write about? Why are you asking me? You already know the answer.

Write it.

I want all of you to know that I answer every email sent to me. I will either write back or post my answer on the Ask Eric page if I think others might have the same question. If I don’t write back, it’s because there’s something wrong with the email address you sent me. Try again if you don’t hear from me in a reasonable time. But first—CHECK YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS AND MAKE SURE IT’S CORRECT!!!

One wrong letter or number is all it takes to make my response undeliverable.

The best part is reading the children’s reactions. “They try to catch this big whale but never do.” Hannah says, “Whales don’t eat people. They eat krill.”

You’re partly right, Hannah. Some whales do eat krill. But Moby Dick is a sperm whale. We know very little about their habits. Squid apparently form a large part of their diet. Moby Dick wasn’t interested in eating the crew of the Pequod. He just wanted to send them a message.

“Respect all creatures, great and small/And leave the whales alone.”

I am a preschool teacher. I teach mostly children whose families are from Mexico. I found your book, The Three Little Tamales. My children loved the book. It has been a favorite for the last few years. This year I started doing a unit on The Three Billy Goats Gruff and of course came across your book, The Three Cabritos. Another new favorite!!! I love your books and so do the children!! I have had to buy several copies of the tamales book because they are read so much they are falling apart!!

Thank you for the wonderful books.

Nothing gladdens an author’s heart more than to hear that a book has been read until it’s falling apart. That’s when books become “real,” like The Velveteen Rabbit. I believe that’s when authors (and illustrators) feel they’ve become “real” as well.

Thanks, JoAnn. And tell your little tamales that I said hello.

I received an email from Marge Shaffer of the Maryland Association of School Librarians telling me that Joha Makes A Wish was nominated in the Picture Book category for for the 2013-2014 Black-Eyed Susan Book Award. Children in Maryland schools read the books and vote for their favorite in each category.

Awards like this mean a lot to me. That’s because librarians are selecting and children are reading and voting for the books that mean the most to them. It doesn’t really matter who wins. It’s an honor to be on the list. If Maryland librarians think Joha Makes A Wish is worthy of being nominated, I know that I and illustrator Omar Rayyan created an outstanding book.

For more information about the Black-Eyed Susan Award, click HERE. The full list of nominees for the 2013-2014 school year will be posted on May 2nd.

I don’t know if Joha’s wish came true, but mine certainly did.

(If you’d like to share the story with me, click HERE to access the Hear A Story page and scroll down.

Amazon had an online special featuring Little Red Hot and my other Amazon books. That should result in a few sales, considering that Amazon promotions go out all over the world. Our local bookstore, A Children’s Place, asked me to come over and autograph their copies. My friend Kira Porton told me yesterday that she has hand-sold two copies. She said she loves selling that book. I may have to go over to autograph a few more when these are gone.

Laura Huliska-Beith, who illustrated Little Red Hot, sent me jpegs of the illlustrations in process. It’s so interesting to see how Laura starts with my text and plays around with some ideas in the margins to get a sense of what the characters might look like. She shows how she moves from sketches to full-color illustrations. I turned the jpegs into a Keynote presentation that I can use when I make school visits to give children a sense of how the process works. I’m visiting Wismer School in Beaverton, OR on Thursday. I’ll have a chance to try out the book and the slide show for the first time.

I sent Laura copies of the slide presentation of the book and the slides of the process so she can used them in her own presentations. She thanked me for sending them. It saved her a lot of work. (I don’t think I worked that hard on it. Putting slide programs together in Keynote gets easier the more you do it.)

I haven’t even shared the best part. I found a package on my doorstep. Amazon sent me a goodie basked of hot sauce and snacks to celebrate Little Red Hot. How can you top that?

This piece was inspired by four Eric Kimmel’s children books about Anansi the spider, a lazy trickster only interested in eating and sleeping.  In each corner, there is a symbol representing the topic of these books, Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock, Anansi Goes Fishing, Anansi and the Talking Melon, and Anansi and the Magic Stick.  Anansi’s

A quilt based on four stories about Anansi the Spider. The quilt was designed and created by Natalie Franklin.

schemes always involve deceiving his fellow animals.  The pattern of this piece is that of an African hunter shield incorporating fabric prints of food, animal skins, spider webs as well as South African fabrics.

The quilt is currently on exhibit with other from Natalie’s quilting group at the Natalie sent me updated information about her quilting group’s exhibit. It will take place from March 17 to May 3 at the African American Atelier Greensboro Cultural Center
200 N. Davie Street
Greensboro, NC

The exhibition is sponsored by the African American Quilt Circle of Durham, NC.