Rotary donates school supplies

The Rotary Club of Laguna Beach recently launched a new community service project called “Stuffed Backpacks,” intended to help kids in Laguna Beach with the cost of school supplies.

Volunteer Rotarians fill kindergarten, elementary school and high school backpacks with an assortment of age appropriate school supplies including pencils, pens, binders, paper, rulers, calculators and the like.

In an effort to cover the costs and increase the quantity of backpacks donated to local students, the Rotary is offering this service project to other Orange County Rotary clubs for kids in their areas.

With the elimination of lockers at nearly all schools, backpacks have become an essential part of students’ education, Rotarians state.

Illustrator of ‘Pierre the Penguin’ to visit

Illustrator Laura Regan will read and sign copies of her new book, “Pierre the Penguin,” at 11 a.m. Monday at Latitude 33 Bookshop, 311 Ocean Ave. in Laguna Beach.

When Pierre, an African penguin living at the California Academy of Sciences, begins to lose his feathers, the zoo staff is at a loss of what to do. But one rainy day, inspiration strikes a biologist — maybe a wetsuit could help Pierre.

Regan’s first children’s book illustration was for Jane Yolen’s, “Welcome to the Green House.” Among the 13 books that Regan has illustrated, are three more books with Yolen and four books with Jean Marzollo (of “I Spy” fame), including “Mama Mama” and “Papa Papa.”

For more information, visit https://www.lauraregan.com.