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We celebrated the new book, The Cupcake Boy, at Amy Belle Elementary at their Spring Fling. It was a big success! It makes me feel fulfilled to see all the proud young student illustrators. Below is a young artist displaying her picture of the cupcake boy realizing he is like a greedy little piggy. Pictures like this help inspire new pages in the book and round out the story. And a special thanks to the custodian, Rochelle, who turns out to be Amy Belle’s own Cupcake Lady. She spent a week baking monster cupcakes, Despicable Me Minion cupcakes, Cinderella cupcakes and much more. And many more parents donated hundreds of cupcakes to the school bake sale. And thanks to Arma for helping to organize everything in her cupcake pajamas.

Photo with courtesy and permission from the family.

I think this is a beautiful picture even though it didn’t turn out as I imagined. The photo was taken on St. Patrick’s Day when all the kids were wearing green. I asked everyone with a red coat to be part of the cherry. I also didn’t account for perspective, which makes the muffin top look too small. Below you can see my preparatory drawing using a satellite image of the playground and a cupcake illustration, which I then transferred to the school playground using chalk and a grid pattern.

The new book is being printed now.

The Cupcake Boy is the story about a boy who makes the most beautiful and tasty cupcakes in the world; however, the villagers take the boy for granted. So disheartened, he leaves his home wondering: “Why should I bake cupcakes for a world that doesn’t love me?”

In many ways it is a sequel to “Falling Uphill: The Secret of Life” because it is the story about coming home again.

The Cupcake Boy
by Scott Stoll with Amy Belle Elementary

Here’s a very strange coincidence. I’m working with Amy Belle Elementary as the author-in-residence to create a new book “The Cupcake Boy”. Before I arrived in one class the teacher had just finished reading them Ruby the Red Worm’s Dirty Job, which is a book I worked on with the STEM Academy. And, just as we were finishing the illustrations in the classroom, a mother brought the class a treat. Guess what!? “Dirt cupcakes” with grass and a gummi worm on top. Bizarre!

I’m hoping she contributes some of her culinary creations to the end-of-year Spring Fling when we will be celebrating the book. And all the student illustrators will be autographing their page in the book.

Pictured here is a stack of about 1500 drawings for our new book “The Cupcake Boy” with Amy Belle Elementary. On top are disco-flavored cupcakes.

The Cupcake Boy is a story about a boy who loves to make the most beautiful and tasty cupcakes in the world. But the greedy villagers take the boy and his cupcakes for granted. So the boy becomes disheartened and goes to the top of the mountain to ask himself why he should continue to make cupcakes in an ungrateful world.

There has been a lot of research for this book involving eating cupcakes :) I’m already excited for the book launch cupcake party!

Here’s how I like to launch a speaking engagement at elementary schools and a book project :)

Before I begin working on a new book with the school kids, I like to introduce myself with a slideshow about my trip around the world on a bicycle. I also bring lots of extras, like: a set of free books, bookmarks, reader-teacher guides, my bicycle, and more. In this case, I pitched my tent in the library for the kids to explore; and I also set up my stove (without the fuel), cookware and water filter.

Just getting started with bike touring? Wondering what bike and gear to buy? Find out in Bike Touring Basics with this free 66-page eBook from my friends at Travellingtwo.com. I read this and thought it was a great how-to bicycle tour introduction, with fantastic pictures. In fact, I can’t believe they are giving it away for free! I even have the honor of being quoted. Of course, if you’d rather relive the adventure from the comfort of your armchair, I recommend Falling Uphill, a coming-of-age story, which happens to take place on a bicycle.

More info.

The Making of “Cayendo Hacia Arriba: El Secreto De La Vida”

Here is the fifth and final and my favorite video from my trip to Argentina as the Cultural Ambassador. Here we have the real Ambassador to Argentina, Vilma Martinez, and the Deputy Ambassador, Jefferson Brown, along with the women who made it all happen, Shannon Farrell, Press Attaché, distributing the books to all the kids in 12 schools. The embassy gave away about 2000 books to kids that have never owned a book.

I love minute 1:44. I would have never imagined that my cultural exchange program would involve cheeseheads. The Argentina children called me: “the man with the head of cheese”. Also notable is minute 0:24 which shows the books coming off the printing press.

U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Jefferson Brown and Press Officer Shannon B. Farrell met with the Governor of Chaco Jorge Capitanich at the provincial Government House in the city of Resistencia to talk about local public policies and explore future opportunities of cooperation between the province of Chaco and the United States.

Mr. Brown presented the governor with gift copies of the book “Cayendo Hacia Arriba” by Scott Stoll, illustrated by primary school students from the provinces of Chaco, Corrientes and Buenos Aires. (More.)

The Making of “Cayendo Hacia Arriba: El Secreto De La Vida”

I had the time of my life in Argentina as the Cultural Ambassador with the US Department of State. We worked with 12 schools to create the Spanish edition of “Falling Uphill: The Secret of Life”. I visited some underprivileged schools, an orphanage for HIV+ children, bicycled through Buenos Aires in their city “bicicleteada” with the Secretary of Transportation, and much more. Rather than write 10,000 words to describe this honor, perhaps it is easier to just watch the movies of my trip below.

The first video is about my trip the Chaco and Corrientes, back where I got stuck in the mud so long ago. The second video is about the making of the book at a school for deaf children. The third video was one of my favorite days at an extremely poor community know as “Fort Apache”. The fourth video is about the “bicicleteada”. And the last video is a TV interview partially in English.

Here I am sharing my story with an elementary school in Corrientes, Argentina, the same place I got stuck in the mud for 5 days. This is Escuela Bernardino Rivadavia, just one of 14 schools I visited. Read the before and after story in the Diario Epoca.

Here is one of my most popular articles. It appeared in various forms in almost all countries from Argentina all the way up to Canada and about a 1000 people “liked” it.

Viajó por el mundo en bicicleta y halló la felicidad. Meaning: “He traveled the world and found happiness.”

Or read the translated version by Google.

Update: Here is the follow up story on Infobae.com after the publication of the new book illustrated by the local Argentina schools, “Cayendo Hacia Arriba”. Pictured below is Ambassdor Martinez, Press Attaché Shannon Farrell (the woman who made it all happen),  Director Javier Canepa and the professors and staff of Escuela Pública Nro. 3 “Arturo Marasso”, Escuela Nº 26 “Dardo Rocha” and Escuela Nº 13 “Armada Argentina”.

Another one of my favorite stories was this article that originally appeared in the Buenos Aires Herald, titled “Soul Rider“.

I’m very excited. This Thursday the Ambassador to Argentina will be visiting some elementary schools in Buenos Aires to read the new Spanish edition of my children’s book. The kids will be receiving their own copy of the book and the certificate of recognition pictured above. We added another 18 illustrations to the certificate to honor even more students. What a great honor for me to have 2000 books given away to the kids, some whom are so poor that they have never owned a book.

Update: Here is Ambassador Martinez presenting a certificate to Director Javier Canepa of Escuela Pública Nro. 3 “Arturo Marasso”.

Here is my new book on the floor of the print shop waiting to be bound. It’s the Spanish edition of the kids book. “Cayendo Hacia Arriba.” I needed to hover over the guys at the shop, because it just wasn’t getting done on schedule. Grr!

Would you believe they printed enough for 250 extra books just in case there is a mistake in binding?