I'm not new to book publishing, but last night was one of my proudest moments as a writer. I was honored to be asked to write the storybook for the 2008 StreetSmarts contest for the school district. I came up with a little tale about aliens landing on the playground during recess but the best part was that all elementary students were invited to take a crack at illustrating their favorite page and highlighting the book's traffic safety message. Last night was the awards ceremony where the pictures were displayed and the winning illustrations went into the real live book. Friends, I've got to tell you what a thrill it was to see all those talented little people with their amazing drawings. I got to speak to many of them and they told me a bit about their pictures. I will never forget the look of pride on their faces as they told me about their work. The book, Way Out Visitors, will always stand out for me because it was a collaboration between me and more than 300 of my friends. Our book is smashing, kids. I'm so proud of all of you! Dana