Coman Hill's Class 2R

Miss Rowell's second grade class at Coman Hill Elementary in Armonk, New York, asked questions after reading the "26 Fairmount Avenue" series, including the most recent, FOR THE DURATION.

Class: Are you planning to write more books in the "26 Fairmount Avenue" series?
Tomie: Yes. I don't know when the next book will be published. It probably will be the last in the series.

Class: When are you going to write about Judie?
Tomie: Soon.

Class: Was Buddy ever nice to you again after the diary incident? (The children were really upset with Buddy! You can't imagine the uproar that happened when we read Chapter 13 of FOR THE DURATION!!)
Tomie: No.

Class: What happened to Uncle Charles? Was he safe during the war? (The children are concerned that he may have gotten hurt or died like Blackie.)
Tomie: He was safe. He received a medical discharge in 1944.

Class: Did you ever change your mind and write in a journal or diary again or did you decide to become a writer because you had so many stories in your head?
Tomie: I never again wrote in a journal or diary. When I got much older, I became an illustrator for books. I did have a lot of stories in my head, and that helped when I started writing stories for my books.

Class: How did you decorate your Christmas tree when you were a kid? Did you create ornaments?
Tomie: We did not create ornaments. We had a lot of special family ornaments. My father loved icicles. You can read about that in CHRISTMAS REMEMBERED.

Class: What happened to Miss Leah?
Tomie: Miss Leah is alive and well, and living in Connecticut. I am in touch with her.

Class: Did you get Miss Bailey for 3rd grade?
Tomie: Yes, but she was my third grade teacher for only half of the year. She got married halfway through the school year, and at that time, women could not be married and teach in the state of Connecticut. So, we got a new teacher after Miss Bailey left.

Miss Rowell: I just finished a week of parent/teacher conferences. Your name came up over and over again. The parents kept sharing how your stories have inspired their young children to read. I thought, "Flossie would be so proud!"
Tomie: Thanks for telling me!