Deborah Diesen
Children's Author
Just For Kids!
Thanks for coming to my web site. I'm glad you're here!
On this page, you can learn all about me.
You can also play some fun word games.
And you can (with your parents' permission) download a "cootie catcher" and two Pout-Pout masks. Enjoy!
[To head back to my main page, click here.]
All About Me
I'm in my forties now, but I've been writing creatively ever since I was a
little girl. When I was in grade school, I mostly wrote rhyming poems,
but I also wrote a short novel that was modeled after my favorite books at the
time, the Little House on the Prairie series. I still have it -- I
even drew a picture for the cover. I felt proud to be a writer, and I was
lucky to have parents, teachers, and librarians who always encouraged me to
write.
As I got older, I wrote less and less. I allowed myself to think I was
too busy to write, or that I had other things to do that were much more
important. But I missed writing! After I became a parent over ten
years ago, I fell in love with children's books all over again. I started
to think, "I'd like to try that."
So I began writing again. Since that time, I've written many things.
I've written dozens of picture book stories, hundreds of poems, and even
two novel manuscripts. Three picture book stories that I've written have
found "homes" and become books. I'd like to think that
eventually I'll find publishers for some of my other writing, too. But
even if I don't, I'll keep on writing. It's fun! And it's part of
who I am. I forgot that for a while, but now I know it, and I don't plan
to forget it again.
In addition to being a writer, I'm also a reference librarian by training.
I'm currently working as the grants manager and bookkeeper for a small
nonprofit organization. I'm married, and my husband and I have two
children. The four of us share our home with a small black cat.
And every day, at least for a little while, I write.
Perhaps you're a writer, too. Or maybe you do something else that's
special to you. Maybe you love to draw. Maybe you love to play
soccer. Maybe you love to take care of animals. We all have things
that are unique about us, and only you know what yours
is. But whatever it is, the thing that you love to do is a crucial part
of who you are. Be proud to be you, and then be you! You're
the only one of you that there is, and you're pretty spectacular.
All About My First Book
Many years ago, I wrote a story about a mopey
fish. I worked on my story for a long time, until the words and rhymes sounded
just right to me. Then I took it to my writing group. They helped
me to make it a better story. Then I sent it to publishers, to ask if
they would make it into a book. I received lots and lots of rejection
letters. It's hard to hear "NO" over and over again.
"NO, we don't want to publish your story." "NO, not quite for us." "NO, it doesn't
suit our present needs." NO, NO, NO. I almost gave up!
But I decided to keep trying, and I'm glad I did. Because now that
story is a book: The Pout-Pout Fish, written by me and illustrated
by Dan Hanna.
My book is now in print and available. Your local library will probably
have a copy. If not, they may be able to borrow a copy from another
library on your behalf. You should also be able to find the book in
bookstores.
There’s also a sequel to
The Pout-Pout Fish. It’s called The Pout-Pout Fish In The Big-Big Dark.
Fish not your
thing? I also have a non-fishy book
called The Barefooted, Bad-Tempered Baby
Brigade. It’s a fun and silly book
about a bunch of babies who go on a protest crawl.
Fun Word Games
I love word games! Here are a few that I've made for The Pout-Pout
Fish. In most cases, I haven't posted the answers, because I'm pretty
sure you can figure them out. Enjoy!
- A word find
- A word ladder
- A crossword puzzle
- A very hard word find
- And, for
you codebreakers out there, four different word codes to try to crack
Downloads of these
puzzles are available:
Educators and parents, these puzzles are
available as Word documents. Click to download the word find; the word ladder; the crossword puzzle; a very hard word find;
and word codes. Each
document should be a single page in length. Also available are a coloring
page and a fingerplay rhyme. The coloring page document
consists of two pages. You may print only the first page, for a
single-sided coloring page; or you may print the document as a doublesided sheet, to make a foldable booklet (a mini
book).
You may print and reproduce any of these materials for classroom, library,
bookstore, home or other use. If you are unable to open the documents, or
if you need them in another format, please contact me.
Cool Origami "Fortune Teller" (also known as a "Cootie
Catcher")
Dan Hanna, the illustrator for The Pout-Pout Fish, has made a really
neat "cootie catcher" featuring Mr. Fish. If you would like to
download a copy, please ask your parents' permission.
I have two jpg versions of the cootie-catcher file available for
download. Which one you use will depend on what your browser uses to open
and read the file. (If the jpg versions don't work for you, there are
also Word document versions.)
- Start
by clicking here
for the smaller jpg version. Then, before you print it, do a page
preview. The cootie catcher should fit onto one page and be
approximately 8 inches by 8 inches. If it looks about right, you're
all set. Go ahead and print. (If you only see part of the
cootie catcher, check under your File menu and see if there's a Page
Set-Up option. If so, you may need to select "Fit to one
page" in order to get the document to fit.)
- But,
if the link above took you to a cootie catcher that looked tiny
(about an inch-and-a-half square), then click here for a
much larger version. Caution: This larger file is 1.62 MB,
which may take 15 minutes or more on dial-up. (If the cootie catcher
doesn't fit to one page, look under File for Page Set-Up, and choose
"Fit to one page.")
Another option is to
download the cootie catcher within a Word document. There are two
options, both of which are LARGE files (so don't download either one if you
have dial-up). There's a very high-res version that's 10
MB, and a somewhat smaller one at 2.25
MB.
If you can print the cootie catcher on a color printer, it will look best.
But you can also print it in black and white -- it just won't be as
colorful.
For detailed
fortune-teller folding instructions, click here.
IMPORTANT: Please remember that the cootie-catcher is just for fun, and
it doesn't really tell fortunes or predict the future. :)
Pout-Pout Masks
Also available for download are two Pout-Pout masks, one with a pouty face and
one with a smile. If you're interested in your own set of
express-yourself masks, ask your parents' permission, and then click here to download a PDF file for
11x17 paper. (I don't currently have
instructions for formatting this for smaller paper – haven’t been able to
figure that out yet.) After printing the document, cut out the masks and
the eyeholes, and attach string where indicated. Have fun!
Thanks for
stopping by my web site. Come back soon!
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