Love that Fan Mail!

I love getting fan mail. Often after a visit to a school, I get a big packet of letters from the students and teachers. One little girl drew a picture of me that looked just like me! Another boy wrote,
"Please come back again and visit us soon. We're here in school till the middle of June." Another one wrote, "I loved your singing. You sound just like my mom." A lot of the kids add drawings and one little boy drew a picture of The I Believe Bunny perfectly! I'm going to try and remember to encourage the kids to write me at the end of my presentations so I can grow my collection of favorite letters. They're priceless.

Turning a Poem into a Book

When I first created The I Believe Bunny I was excited by the fact that as an author as soon as you've created a character and the world he lives in, the possibility for stories is truly endless. Last Christmas I wrote a Christmas poem for The I Believe Bunny and sent it out to fans and family. At Easter time, I sent out another poem, both illustrated by the amazing Frank Endersby. What I soon learned was that both poems can easily be expanded into full books by giving more detail and "setting the stage" for what happens in each story. I'm planning on creating two new books from these poems with more to come. So far we have The I Believe Bunny and his friends Skunk, Little Mouse, Squirrel and Racoon. Now, I'm looking forward to working with Frank to create Bunny's Mommy and Daddy Bunny, just as soon as we can.

Oklahoma Friendliness

A few months ago I had the honor of visiting a large school in Sperry, Oklahoma and it was a wonderful experience. I'd never been to Oklahoma and was amazed as we drove through the flat farm lands and then suddenly- there was a school! I was touched by the lovely hand made banner they made to welcome me and presented The I Believe Bunny to hundreds of students in grades K-5. The kids sat in bleachers in the gym that reached to the ceiling and at first I wondered how I could reach so many kids at one time, but they were an amazing audience. When I left they gave me a school T shirt, a wonderful thank-you note and this picture and I will cherish it always.

Sometimes Old School is the Best School

Last week I went to read my I Believe Bunny books to the students at the Rogers International School in Stamford, Connecticut. As always, I came prepared with my power point presentation about how I came to create the Bunny and his friends and the Flower Filled Glen which is their home. When I arrived it soon became clear the school had a microphone, but no computer, so my slick power point was not going to work. This has happened before and I went back to the "old school" way of walking around the auditorium asking the kids questions, singing with them and telling them the story of how I became a children's book author. Though at first I was a bit rattled by not having the power point to guide me, I honestly had so much fun interacting with the kids and was amazed by the level of questions they asked me so-power point or no power point-I truly love it. Here I am with Jack and Maddie, two of the I Believe Bunny's biggest fans. You may recognize them because they sing the "I Believe Bunny Song" on our web site www.ibelievebunny.com. Check it out!

Ideas are like Snowflakes.

Last week I was doing an Author Visit in a nearby school when a second grader waved his hand wildly until I called on him and then asked me "Where do your ideas come from?" I remember feeling a sudden panic and deciding quickly that "I have no idea" was probably not the response he was looking for! Where do my ideas come from? Sometimes they come in an orderly fashion when I'm actually working on the manuscript for a new book, but just as often they come into my head from out of the blue when I'm standing in line to pay for groceries, walking into the library or driving my car. I carry notebooks with me at all times and jot down the ideas just as quickly as I can, even if it's just a scrap of a rhyme which has woken me up in the middle of the night.

I remember going to a concert and hearing Kenny Rogers sing and walking into my hotel room and writing the words The I Believe Bunny down in my notebook. Something about the sound of his amazing voice had inspired me to want to write a story about a bunny who believed in himself and in God's love. So, I took a breath and answered the boy as honestly as I could "I'm not always sure where my ideas come from, but I always write them down because ideas are like snowflakes- if you're not careful they quickly disappear." He nodded and smiled and wrote that down in his notebook.

What Inspired Tish Rabe to Write The I Believe Bunny?

In this beautiful Easter season it is joy for me to look around and see all the pictures of The I Believe Bunny that fill my office. It is an amazing gift for me to know that on the covers and the pages of these books is a brand new character who first came to life in my mind and my heart.

Over the years I have written over 85 children's books, but always for wonderful characters developed by someone else, Curious George, the Cat in the Hat and Clifford to name only a few, but I've always wanted to create a character that I could bring to life with all the creative ideas and magical stories that dance inside my head.

The world today is a pretty uncertain place, but I knew right from the start that I wanted The I Believe Bunny to live in a world that was warm, secure and beautiful and, for however much time children and their families could spend with him, they would truly feel at peace.

So, this Easter is special for me because more and more each day the gentle messages of The I Believe Bunny stories are going beyond my imagination and out to children everywhere. It truly is the most wonderful feeling a children’s book author can have.