Public Service Announcement #18
build! (stop motion video) + book drive for LA kids affected by fires + my 2025
PSA: BUILD
It’s here! Our Davis Handmade yearly PSA animated short. My partner, Todd and I—and a truly tremendous bunch of collaborators and kind souls—are so thrilled to share this special project with you.
What can one million marshmallows be?
The latest stop motion video from our collaboration embodies the spirit of play and ingenuity, exploring what it’s like to build, step-by-step—or in this case, marshmallow-by-marshmallow.
Building includes curiosity, imagination, ingenuity, fun, experimentation, humor, growth and surprise. It also includes determination through inevitable obstacles.
This all-ages PSA reminds us that despite the sometimes-agony of creating something new, it’s going to be worth it—and always absolutely magical.
Just like with marshmallows, when building something with people, one person then another and another and another, together, they—we!—can become something bigger than anyone could’ve ever imagined. Something amazing!
From me as the writer/producer: BUILD has been in the making for around a decade if you can believe it! I wrote a picture book manuscript about the creative process with marshmallows years ago! It’s gone through dozens of iterations and now found its home in stop motion. Woo hooo! (And please stay tuned because I’m extremely hopeful this will be a picture book someday toooo!)
While our audience is anybody of any age, in terms of kids, this is a STEAM story that centers a child’s process, creativity, purpose, and play, empowering kids to use their minds or hands to create, acknowledging the agony of inevitable parts of any undertaking with humor, and showing the spirit and payoff of persistence and experimentation.
Please consider this video an invitation to build! Creativity is our conduit to so many amazing things! Art, inventions, community, change!
“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.”
― Vincent Van Gogh
Now you:
What do you want to build this year?
What’s your “one marshmallow,” the first step?
Please share in the comments!
PSA: books for LA’s kids affected by fires
I’m so honored to be supporting Carmela who started Children’s Books for Altadena, an incredible grassroots project. We got in touch through Dena Rebuild, which has mobilized for one tragically impacted area. Carmela, a former teacher, and I share a desire to support kids as well as Octavia’s Bookshelf, a wonderful indie bookstore and community hub turned mutual aid center.
Carmela is organizing a GoFundMe to raise money for books! Books for kids in Altadena and Pasadena (LA-adjacent cities) who’ve lost homes, schools, a sense of security, and much more in the devastating, unprecedented Eaton Fire.
By giving, you’ll deliver diverse, brand-new reading materials of all kinds to kids from local indie Octavia’s Bookshelf. Books that kids or their libraries have lost, books for them to treasure and to make them feel treasured.
Octavia’s is “an independent bookstore highlighting BIPOC authors.Black-owned. Woman-owned. Octavia-inspired.”
“Your contributions will help…
*Provide books for affected children as families are displaced.
*Help us strengthen local businesses as we order and buy books.
*Rebuild and replenish our PUSD libraries.”
Let’s do this! Please consider giving if you’re able.
Children’s Books for Altadena IG.
My 2025
I thought I’d introduce myself and some of what I’m up to in case you’re new or are curious about the details. :)
My books! To Make + Zinnia and the Bees.
Editing and picture book practitioner! Essentially, I offer editing/critiques on manuscripts as well as editing for independently published books (7 so far!). And Picture Book Practitioner is a special month-long service for writers that provides collaboration, editing, coaching, mentoring, and motivating via 3 video calls, emails, line notes, and support in other forms along the way. It’s my favorite way to support writers in a meaningful way. More info in this PDF— it’s flexible, especially if you’re a return client! Also, educators get a 30% discount!
A recent testimonial (thank you, Pau!):
"Playful, productive, fun.Having Danielle as a mentor for a full month was a fantastic experience...Not only did she help me make my story beautiful.. I was allowed to play with no judgment!!! I have a finished project and the words needed to sell myself and my book!" —Paulina Suarez
Info about author visits. And if you’re a teacher, librarian, or parent, please email me or fill out the form on my site to get in touch about booking a school or library visit here in Southern California, online anywhere, or for a travel presentation in person. Reading, discussing, and making with kids (we sometimes sing/dance too) is just about the best thing ever and author visits inevitably leave a lasting impression on every child.
I’m thrilled to have another class on the books at Writer’s Digest University starting May 15th! More info and sign up if you’d like! I’d love to see you in an office hour.
A recent testimonial (thank you, Svapna!):
"I absolutely loved this class. Danielle is an encouraging and supporting teacher. I felt challenged but never overwhelmed. Every session was comprehensive and thought provoking. I was inspired to rewrite my manuscript four times and I feel like the final product is just what I needed it to be. One of the sessions helped me assess my process as a writer and was invaluable. I highly recommend this course. Thank you so much.”
And now you know I write and produce animated short films for kids! More about each on my website as well.
Here if you have questions or want to work together!
Spring paid subscriber meet-up
Okay, let’s plan another virtual hello + inspiration-session + Q&A! If you’d like to join, please upgrade your subscription—it’s $5/month and these meet-ups are your perk!
Thank you for spending this time with me and for reading! I hope it served you as moments well spent. And please do tell a friend, leave a comment, or stay tuned for the next PSA from Danielle Davis.
What a beautiful short, Danielle! Congratulations! So very joyful!
Danielle, this is a beautiful site!!! You truly express the joyfulness of childhood, as well as the out of the box type thinking that sometimes scares us adults!!!! Thank you for caring about our communities. It is a great gift to acknowledge experiences, pain, fear, hope, and the feeling that one is not alone. 💕💕💕