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EVENT BRINGS BOOKS TO LIFE
FOR THIRD-GRADERS
By Zoe Fraley. BELLINGHAM HERALD

Event Brings Book to Life for Third-Graders By Zoe Fraley. Photo by Philip Dwyer. BELLINGHAM HERALD - Happy Valley students join in ‘Tofu Ling’ performance. As a dragon emerged from the blue waves before them, a group of Happy Valley third-graders broke into a measured scream. The students weren’t at risk of losing life or limb. The sea was in a classroom, and the dragon was a puppet, but it didn’t make it any less fun for the children to scream along. The third-graders provided sound effects and sang as students from Western Washington University acted out scenes from the book “Tofu Ling Sets Sail.” The WWU students are elementary education majors in professor Gaye Green’s arts methodology course, and the performance is part of the art education department’s Bringing Books to Life program. The author, Rosanna Porter,told the tale of the sea-fairing adventures of a mouse named Tofu as the WWU students acted out the story in masks and with props....

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ARTS PROGAM FOR KIDS
OFFERED AT
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
PROGRAM FACULTY
DR. GAYE GREEN AND ROSANNA PORTER

THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
March 20, 2011 Page A6

Arts Program For Kids Offered at Western Washington University. This summer, WWU's College of Fine and Performing Arts will host a new Western Arts Preparatory Academy integrated arts program for youth in addition to the current dance, music and theater offerings.The arts program, "Calling all Picassos, Shakespeares and Jane Austens!" features creative writing, fine arts production and performance art. The program takes place July 25-29 and is open to youth entering grades 3-5 in the fall.
Students will explore the creative writing process and develop their own short stories. Young writers and their original tales will grow as they then design an eye-catching book cover and transform the work into a script for a play.
Adding further artistic experiences to the week, students will bring their story characters to life by constructing play sets and puppets for a showcase performance at Village Books in Bellingham. All participants will take home a bound book of their work as a lasting token of their creative journey....

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MOONBEAM AWARD SHINES ITS LIGHT
ON SISTERS-IN-LAW
By Beverly Crichfield. SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD

Moonbeam Award Shines Its Light on Sisters-in-law by Beverly Crichfield, Photos by Frank Varga. SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD. Who would have known the magic combination for an award-winning children's book could be found just an in-law away?
Former teacher Rosanna Porter had been fishing around for a suitable illustrator for her first children's book, "Tofu Ling," about a small mouse whose family learns the meaning of cooperation to survive a harsh winter together. She'd sent her book to several publishing houses in New York who wanted to pair her with illustrators of their choice.
But Porter wasn't impressed. The suggested illustrations were too "cartoonish," too childish for a book Porter had meant more as literature with a message than silly fun.
"I wanted this book to be good litearture and good art," the Bellingham resident said.
On a whim, Porter decided to send a manuscript to her sister-in-law, Lynda Porter, a successful artist who had worked with various art groups around the world and had created an art and music program....

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WHIMSICAL ART BRINGS 'TOFU LING'
BOOK SERIES TO LIFE
By ELAINE WALKER. News editor. ANACORTES AMERICAN

Whimsical Art Brings 'Tofu Ling' Book Series to Life by Elaine Walker, News editor. ANACORTES AMERICAN. A cute little brown Japanese mouse with a good heart is bringing joy to children and acclaim to sisters-in-law Rosanna Porter and Lynda Porter, who teamed up to create a charming series of children’s books and finger puppets based on their furry character “Tofu Ling.” Rosanna, a Bellingham writer, created the young mouse and his artistic world. Unfortunately, the New York publishing houses that were interested in printing the first Tofu story wanted her to use silly or cartoonish illustrations that did not complement the thoughtful material. She found a kindred creative mind when she turned to Lynda, an Anacortes-based artist. “We wanted it to have artistic value,” Lynda said. Rosanna’s descriptions of the characters and their values brought instant images to Lynda’s mind, putting her into her own mouse world “I fell in love with Tofu because he does not always approach life in the traditional sense... .....

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TOFU LING AND THE CARP BANNER COMES TO LIFE AT SUNNYLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Bringing Books To Life Series

Tofu Ling and the Carp Banner Comes to Life at Sunnyland Elementary School: Bringing Books to Life Series, Raisykinder Publishing Newsletter. Author Rosanna Porter tells the story of her award-winning book, “Tofu Ling and the Carp Banner” with her puppet, Dragon, while Western Washington University students in Dr. Gaye Green’s class, Integrated Arts for Elementary Educators, performed for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders at Sunnyland Elementary School on Tuesday, December 6. The production was part of a program that combines visual art, theater, dance, music, and literary works. “It was better than a Mt. Baker theater performance I saw recently,” said a 2nd grade girl. Rosanna Porter told the story as the Western Washington students pantomimed the story. During scene changes, the students sang in Japanese the Koinobori song that describes the carp banners on Tango No Sekku Festival flying in the breeze. The students who were “water” made waves as the “fish” swam up the stream. There was a lot of action as the students did Taekwondo sparring to imitate the tournament that took place in the story. The university students kept their audience mesmerized as the story unfolded and of course, Dragon was up to his usual naughtiness. Tofu Ling and the Carp Banner won the 2009 Moonbeam Children book award.

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