The lambiness of March is upon us. Or so it is said. But we still have the cruelest month to come. In New England, April was often quite cruel with snow storms landing on top of crocus and daffodil, as if winter was reaching up from the dead to pull us back under. In Texas in April, temperatures can freakishly spiral into the 90’s giving us a dreadful taste of what is yet to come.

Spring also brings school visits, something I truly love to do.

I love reading Snuggle Mountain. I love telling the story of how it got made. I love their questions. I love this little boy in the audience yesterday who put his hands to his ears and started humming when the book got scary. (I am very dramatic and I heighten the suspense of the two headed giant and the sleeping spell.) So he went over to snuggle with one of his teachers—a very wise little guy. At the end of the book, I checked in with him. Did it turn out okay? He nodded. Then, when I was telling the story of how the book got made, I told everyone that my first draft, my sloppy copy, which I show in the powerpoint, was too scary. It needed to be snugglier. I looked at that little sweetie who, in my estimation, was very brave to show that he was scared and asked him, “Did I make it snugglier?”

Big, head nodding yes.