Tag Archives: charles darwin

My Found Treasure: A Pro and Con List ala Charles Darwin!

Posted on by September 8, 2015

 

Happy Birthday week, Charles Darwin! There’s a lot of excitement in the Darwin world right now because the Cambridge Digital Library has announced the publication online of more Darwiniana. Most importantly (being the child-centric person that I am) is the inclusion of the drawings of his children. When Charles discarded a manuscript draft, the children grabbed the pages and drew on the back of them. Their loving parents saved the pages not for the great man’s words, but for the kids’ drawings. I had known about these doodles when I wrote CHARLES AND EMMA, and do mention them in the book.… Read more

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin

Posted on by February 12, 2013
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Happy Birthday, my dear Charles. (And one to you, too Mr. Lincoln!) Thank you to Anita Silvey for this lovely tribute to Charles and Emma. The comments slay me, and the new ones this year especially so.

Thanks, also to Margo Tanenbaum for this interview with me about Intentions for the Sydney Taylor Blog Tour (click on the poster on my home page to see the schedule and read more interviews with other authors).

Reading: I’m halfway through Okay for Now, which I’m loving. Not sure what’s up next. Keep the suggestions coming!

Writing: Good bubble today!… Read more

Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin; Working through Fear

Posted on by August 8, 2012
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Thanks to everyone for posting or writing to me privately about your theory of life. I loved them all and I think all together they make a perfect theory of life. Be happy. Love everyone. Connect. Work through the fear. I thought of writing a poem combining all of them, but I think I’ll leave that to one of my poet friends, like Pat Brisson, whose novel in verse is coming out really soon. Yay Pat!

I’ve been thinking a lot this morning about one friend’s response, Work through the fear. I am pretty sure that was from Nancy Werlin, but now I can’t find it.… Read more

Happy Anniversary ORIGIN OF SPECIES

Posted on by August 8, 2012
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One hundred and fifty years ago (on November 24, 1859), Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was first published. I tell the story in Charles and Emma about how he struggled with the decision to publish his Great Idea, and how Emma helped him whip it into shape, in spite of her religious misgivings.

In honor of the day, I was lucky enough to be able to write a guest column for the Washington Post’s "On Faith" feature. I argue that we should teach our children about Charles Darwin, and give the twelve reasons why.

About five minutes before I found out the column was up, I happened to look in the mirror.… Read more

Ketchup in My Hair, Princeton Book Festival, and Other Rewards Of Writing for Kids

Posted on by August 8, 2012
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I had a great weekend. Saturday I participated in the Princeton Children’s Book Festival. I rode the train down with two great children’s book authors, Rebecca Stead and Michelle Knudsen. I had never met either one before, and I would say that by the time we got to Princeton, I had two new friends. We talked and talked (and talked) and agreed about so many things–including the fact that children’s book authors are the nicest people in the world.

The festival was fantastic! I hadn’t been to this one since the very first year and I was thrilled by how well organized it was and how many people attended.… Read more

Charles and Emma Darwin

Posted on by August 8, 2012
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So my op-ed is being reprinted in newspapers and posted all over the place on the web, which is a good, good thing. Here’s the initial piece.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-heiligman29-2009jan29,0,1470714.story

What I really hope it does (O.K. other than sell copies of CHARLES AND EMMA)is get people on each side of the religion/science debate to TALK TO EACH OTHER, and turn it from a debate into a conversation.… Read more