Pete's Blog

Pelican Pete meets Harry Potter

I have some fun news to tell you about.  There is a photograph of a painting on the front page of the July 10th St. Augustine Record and there I am, right next to Harry Potter. You may not know this, but Harry is a favorite of Hugh Keiser and Hugh has often said, "...Pelican Pete should meet Harry Potter!"  Now there is a picture of me in a tree with Harry - how neat is that?

A local artist by the name of Laurie Klein is painting a series of murals for the hallways at Crookshank Elementary School in St. Augustine.  She is painting 5 murals that will be ready when students return to school at the end of summer vacation. 

Even if you missed the newspaper, you can find the article and other pictures by going to the following link which will take you to the on-line version of the newspaper... St. Augustine Record On Line. There is also lots of information about the artist and how this project happened.

 The theme of the mural that includes me is A Salute To Children's Authors - and it "...includes Dr. Seuss, Jody and the fawn from "The Yearling," Tedd Arnold's Fly Guy, Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones, Winnie the Pooh and friends, Toad and Frog, Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid, Alyssa Satin Capucilli's Biscuit, Frances Keiser's Pelican Pete and Mercer Mayer's Little Critter in and around a huge tree. Harry Potter and his magic wand tie it all together. Off in the distance is the Castillo de San Marcos and one of the lions from the Bridge of Lions."  I feel like I am in very good company, don't you?

Do any of you have favorite characters from books that you have read?  Why don't you send me a note about them and I'll share those with other readers in a later post.  Write to Pelican Pete.

I'll be back soon.  Until then, keep on exploring...

Children's Book Week

Hey Everyone!

This is a pretty special week and I wanted to tell you all about it.  May 11 to May 17th is Children's Book Week.  You know why I like this week so much?  It's because there are four books about me and my friends that are in libraries and bookstores all over the country.  During Children's Book Week, everyone is encouraged to read books of all kinds and hopefully, some of you will read my books.  

There is a website all about this week and it has some really cool things for Kids, Teen and Adults.  You should check it out:  Children's Book Week  They have puzzles and bookmarks that you can download and some other suggestions as well.

Children's Book Week started way back in 1919, can you imagine that?  Do you know how many years ago that was?  Each year there has been the selection of a poster created by various children’s book illustrators. This year’s poster by Ian Falconer is available by going to the website mentioned above.  This is what the poster looks like.
 
One highlight of Children’s Book Week is the announcement of the winners of the  only book awards program where children make the selection: the Children’s Choice Book Awards. "The awards celebrate books, authors, and illustrators that capture the interest and imaginations of kids and teens."  Those are fairly fancy words to say that kids get to vote and pick the books that they like the most.   The series of books with my name on it: "The Adventures of Pelican Pete" received that award one year and I think that is very special. 

I would love to hear from you about some of your favorite books and if you have read any of my books, what did you like best about them?  Send a note to me at: Pelican Pete.com

I have two things that I like to encourage my friends to do: one is to GO OUTSIDE and explore all the wonderful things that nature has to offer; and the other is to READ and this is a special week for that. 

I'll be back next week.  Until then, keep on exploring...

 

Hi everybody, Pelican Pete here with some new news and notes!!!

It's been awhile since I blogged so I'm going to talk about a few things today.

One thing I wanted to tell you about is  a really cool place in Florida where a lot of my relatives live and it is called Pelican Island.   I love that there is actually an island named for me. The full name is Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. It is quite historic, actually. All the way back in 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt designated it as the Nation's first National Wildlife Refuge to protect brown pelicans and other native birds nesting on the island. No one in the federal government had ever set aside land for the sake of wildlife before. Check out this website!  I think it's really exciting!

(picture is courtesy of USFWS)

Also, remember I told you about the Great Backyard Bird Count a few months ago.Well, the results are in and I'm happy to say that a huge!!! number of my feathered friends were spotted and recorded. Here are the statistics: 

You can check out all the details at this website.

You can get the details of your own state and city there. It lists all the different kinds of birds and how many were spotted. I don't even recognize the names of some of the birds. See which ones you know.

Now for a really special news story that is good for all kids, especially here in Florida. Governor Charlie Crist signed the "Get Outdoors Florida!"  resolution -

...that also includes the Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights which says that every child has the right to...

    Swim in a healthy lake
    Build a sandcastle or outdoor fort
    Camp out under the stars
    Climb a tree
    Catch a fish
    Hike a path
    Watch a bird
    Listen to a cricket, bird or frog
    Smell a wildflower
    Explore nature
    Volunteer to help wildlife
    Celebrate Florida’s heritage

These are the kinds of things that Fran and Hugh encourage all the time. This would be a good opportunity to start a journal or log where you keep track of the fun things you do outside every day. If you want, send me some emails telling me what you like best about being outdoors and we will post them on our website.Send your art and stories about your outdoor adventures too – share those experiences with the rest of us.

So until the next time, Get Outdoors! and explore the nature in your own backyard and neighborhood.

Your Pal,

Making Movie Magic

Remember my pal, Keaton Bicknell?  He’s 11 years old and going to be the youngest screenwriter in the world making a movie. That’s so cool!  The movie includes me and the job I have helping you to get to know about nature.
 
Here’s an update on what’s been happening.

January 11, 2009 was one exciting day! Before the sun came up people started arriving at my home in Crescent Beach, Florida–Pelican Perch. There were cameramen, a soundman, grips (they “grip,” move, and set up the equipment), electricians, a gaffer (head electrician), editors, set dressers, wardrobe and makeup people, photographers, caterers, craft service (snack and drink servers), producers, directors, crew, assistants, actors, extras, and parents of the kids. 

I never realized how many people and how much stuff it takes to make a movie!

 It was some big group—like me and my pelican buddies when we gather on sandbars. All the crew were Keaton's buddies who came to help him out. Don't you feel good when you help your friends?

Keaton was the director and most important person in the movie crew. He is one amazing boy! He knows all about making movies. He was able to talk to all the crew about their equipment and what it takes to do their jobs. When he was directing, I heard him yell ”action” and “cut.” Keaton has autism, but that doesn’t let it stop him.

The whole Bicknell family was part of the action. Keaton’s sister Samantha is a photographer, dad Stuart was the camerman, his mom Pam headed craft service, and his grandma, Claire Fredette, was the actress who played the movie Grandma.

My family took part in the action too. Hugh Keiser, my illustrator, was the actor playing the movie grandpa. Frances Keiser, who writes my Pelican Pete books, was helping out wherever she was needed, and team members Jennifer Sellars and Kathy Shea helped out too.

Cameron Sparks and Maggie Widener were the actors playing the boy and girl in the movie. They were awesome! I can’t wait until you see them—and my movie. I’ll send you more information on that as soon as I know more.

 

 

 

Until next time, as Keaton would say,

“That’s a wrap!”

Great Backyard Bird Count

You know that I always encourage you to go outside and explore and discover nature.  Now here’s a way for you to join others from around the country and Canada, count your discoveries, and make them count for science.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is going to happen from February 13–16. That’s just a short time away. 
 
To get all the details, you can go to the main page or go directly to the special kids page where they have games, bird id lists, posters, certificates and  all kinds of good stuff.

This count is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. Here is what they say about the project:

"The Great Backyard Bird Count (or GBBC) is an event that takes place over four days in February each year. It's very easy! All you have to do is watch birds in your yard, a nearby park, or maybe at your school. Then you tell us what you saw by entering your bird list online. We collect that information from people all over the United States and Canada so scientists can learn what kind of birds are being seen in the winter and whether there are more or fewer of them than before."

Here are the numbers from last year:

Total Checklists Submitted: 85,725
Total Species Observed: 635
Total Individual Birds Counted: 9,805,216

That’s a lot of birds!  I wonder how many of them were Pelicans?

I also see a couple of words in this story that some of you may not know: "Ornithology" and "Audubon". Why don’t you look them up and let me know what you find out about them. You can always send me an e-mail at Pelican Perch in care of Pete's Mail Bag.

Until next time, keep exploring and discovering.

Pelicans are in trouble in California

A special note to my friends, especially anyone living on the West Coast. Some of my Pelican cousins out there are in trouble. If you want to read about the problem, you can click here for a story from the L.A. Times.

If you see any pelicans looking disoriented, please call your local wildlife rescue.  You can find a list of numbers to call anywhere in California here: WildRescue

Fran included more information about saving wildlife in the back of Book 4 of the Pelican Pete series, Annie The River Otter. 

"A wildlife rehabilitation facility may be close to you no matter where you are in the world. In an emergency, local veterinary hospitals, zoos, aquariums, or law enforcement agencies should be able to tell you where the closest facility is. Visit your local library or bookstore for books on wildlife rehabilitation. If you have access to the Internet, you can learn more and search for rehabilitators at the sites of Wildlife International, The Wildlife Rehabilitation Information Directory, National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the International Association of Fish and  Wildlife Agencies, and the wildlife service in your country, state, or province."

You’ll find links to these and more sites at my website. 

Until next time, remember it's always good to go outside to explore and discover.