Crafty Ellie

I always put lots of crafts and games and pranks in my Ellie McDoodle books. Kids can read the story, but they can also, if they want, follow the instructions on how to play the games or make the things Ellie makes.
Here's Ellie and Mo testing a roller coaster they've made out of foam pipe insulation (cut in half, tape the ends together for a longer ride) and a marble.
I learned the idea from a 4th grade teacher, Diane Allen. (The note in the margin means, make sure I check with her to find out why her 4th graders made roller coasters in her classroom.)

This is a first draft, and apparently that art was sketched on Sept. 2.

The book comes out next Sept.

In the meantime, I'm working on picturebooks...

-- Ruth McNally Barshaw