Author Shala Howell Book Signing & Kid Activities

Author and public art advocate Shala Howell will debut the second book in her Caterpickles Parenting Series, titled What’s That, Mom?: Field Notes from Your Encounters with Public Art out in the Wild, at the Mother Brook Arts & Community Center’s 5th Anniversary Festival on June 16 in Dedham, Massachusetts. A former technical writer and current parent, Shala has spent the past seven years working to help parents transform their children’s natural curiosity from a nerve-wracking torrent of “why, why, why” into a powerful parenting tool. 

“Every time your child asks you a question, what she’s really doing is inviting you to have a conversation,” Shala said. “Even better, she’s telling you exactly what she wants to talk about. All you have to do is let yourself participate—even if the subject is one you don’t currently know anything about.”