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It's Perfect Picture Book Friday, and almost Halloween!  So what better to share than a Perfect Halloween Picture Book?

This is such a cute one!

Title: Little Boo
Written By: Stephen Wunderli
Illustrated By: Tim Zeltner
Henry Holt & Company, August 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: Holidays (Halloween), Emotion (patience/impatience), Nature (lifecycle of a seed), Common Childhood Experiences (wanting to be bigger/older)

Opening: "The wind blew, the leaves fell, and a tiny seed hid in the garden.
"Boo," the seed said to a leaf rolling by.
"You're not scary at all," the leaf said.

Brief Synopsis: A little pumpkin seed tries hard to be scary but he just can't seem to scare anyone - not the leaves or the grubs, not the snowflakes in winter or the bees in spring!  "Be patient," the wind tells him, "you'll be scary soon enough."  But it's awfully hard to wait!

Links To Resources: plant a seed and watch it grow - indoors in a container or outdoors in a garden; 40 Things For Kids To Do With Pumpkins; 9 Easy Pumpkin Recipes For Kids

Why I Like This Book:  It's just so cute!  Look at that little pumpkin seed face - how can you not love it?! :)  The story is simple but so relatable for kids who always seem to want to grow up faster than nature allows.  And within the sweet story we also get a nice little glimpse of the life cycle of a seed - so cleverly slipped in there!  To top it off, the art is absolutely gorgeous -  colorful and warm and so appealing!  This is a wonderful one to add to your Halloween book shelf :)



For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!  And put the finishing touches on those Halloweensie Contest entries!  (You know, the thing I STILL haven't even started thinking about... :) )  I am so looking forward to the contest which starts MONDAY!!! Woo hoo! :)

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

If anyone is wondering, it is monsoon season on Blueberry Hill!  What wild, wet, windy weather we are having!  Thank goodness for my trusty canoe :)  If anyone wants to mount a rescue mission to bring in supplies of chocolate and friendly company, wear appropriate foul weather gear and do not attempt an umbrella - it will end in disaster :)

With rain on the brain, here's my pick for this week which also starts out in the rain :)

Apparently I am a one-person advertising agency for G.P. Putnam's Sons.  This is the second week in a row I've posted one of their books!  But I promise, it just worked out that way.   I love both books and they're being offered as prizes in the Halloweensie Contest, so I wanted to make sure everyone got a chance to see how fantastic they are :)

Today's choice is the 3rd book in Karen Orloff and David Catrow's super-fun I Wanna series that began with I Wanna Iguana.  I hope you like it :)

Title: I Wanna Go Home
Written By: Karen Kaufman Orloff
Illustrated By: David Catrow
G.P. Putnam's Sons, September 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: family (grandparents), appreciation, visiting relatives, persuasion, humor

Opening: "Dear Alex, Ethan and Annie,
We're so glad you're coming to visit us.  You'll love it here!  Do you know how to play bridge?  It's a card game all our friends enjoy.  When you come, we can play for hours and hours!  Can't wait to see you.
Love,
Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Ralph
P.S. Hope you like broccoli lasagna!"

Brief Synopsis: From the Amazon review: "Alex is not happy about being sent to his grandparents’ retirement community while his parents go on a fabulous vacation. What could be worse than tagging along to Grandma’s boring bridge game or enduring the sight of Grandpa’s dentures?

But as the week goes on, Alex’s desperate emails to his parents turn into stories about ice cream before dinner and stickball with Grandpa. Before he knows it, Alex has made a surprising discovery: grandparents are way cooler than he thought!"

Links To Resources: Classroom Activities for persuasive writing (this is actually for Karen's 2nd book, I Wanna New Room, but much of it applies as is and the rest can be easily modified to match this book); talk about what kids do with their grandparents - what activities do grandparents like to do?  Are they old-fashioned?  What activities do kids like to do?  Can you learn fun things from your grandparents?  Can they learn fun things from you?  What are some things you've learned how to do from your grandparents? What are some things you've taught them?



Why I Like This Book: Alex's letter-writing is always amusing.  He's a master of showing his side of the argument and getting his way, (although in this case he changes his mind and learns that maybe visiting grandparents isn't all that bad.)  Things begin badly at the Happy Hills Retirement Community.  It's raining.  Alex is bored.  Grandma Shirley is dressing baby Annie up in girly outfits, and Grandpa's false teeth are disgusting!  But as the days go by, Alex discovers square dancing, bingo, and stick ball, and realizes that his grandparents are pretty fun to hang out with.  By the end, he doesn't want to go home.  I love the way Alex's attitude turns around, because that happens so often in life - especially with kids.  They think they're going to hate something and don't even want to give it a chance, and it turns out to be pretty amazing :)  This book, like Karen's others, is filled with humor and believability and is just tons of fun from start to finish!

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you and see your wonderful picks for this week!

And please remember that there will be no PPBF next week due (October 31!!!) to the fact that the Halloweensie Contest will be underway!!!  So exciting!  I can hardly wait until Monday... to see if anyone enters... anyone at all...  I'm hoping for at least a few - your stories are always so creative and fun!  (And no, I have not written my sample yet.  But I still have a couple days.  It could still happen... :))

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! :)

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

I was certain this book had been reviewed already for PPBF, but when I went to find the link (so I could add it to the prize mention on the Halloweensie Contest) I couldn't find it anywhere!  Is it possible that since it came out in July while we were on hiatus it never got reviewed?  Or did I just not see it?  Who knows?!  But it's too good to miss, so enjoy!  (And if someone already did it, you'd better give me the link! :))

Title: Ninja Red Riding Hood
Written By: Corey Rosen Schwartz
Illustrated By: Dan Santat
G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 4-8

Themes/Topics: fractured fairy tale, humor, girl power, language fun (rhyme)

Opening: "Once upon a Ninja-filled time,
a wolf couldn't catch any prey.
He kept getting licked
by the dinner he picked
and was growing more ticked by the day."

Brief Synopsis: The big bad wolf, having taken a licking from the three nina pigs, decides to attend martial arts school and then see if he can snack on Little Red Riding Hood.  But Red turns out to be way more than he bargained for!



Links To Resources: Teacher Guide/Activity Pages; compare this version of RED with the traditional tale of Little Red Riding Hood, Little Red Writing, and any other versions you like (this page lists quite a few!) - how are the stories alike? How are they different?

Why I Like This Book: For starters, I love fractured fairy tales, and this is such a clever one!  The rhythm of the rhyme is terrific, and just begs to be read aloud.  The story, complemented perfectly by the illustrations, is tons of fun.  I love that Red has a few tricks up her sleeve and is well able to take care of herself - a great message for girls.  Gran has a few surprises too.  And the poor old wolf... you just have to feel a little sorry for him :)

Hopefully, here's the trailer (although my internet is currently being extremely uncooperative and refusing to show any videos, so we'll just have to see if this works or not!)



For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  I hope you're all thinking about and/or writing your Halloweensie stories!  Personally, I am still in the thinking about stage :)

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

I love getting to read piles of picture books and pick out the best of the best to share here, but every now and again I get the extra-special pleasure of being able to share a book written or illustrated by someone I know and admire and am lucky to count as a friend.  Be assured - no matter who writes or illustrates the book, it only makes it onto Perfect Picture Book Friday if I really genuinely think it's perfect.  So today I have the joy of introducing you to a book by a very talented illustrator.  (She is also a talented writer, and I have no doubt we'll be seeing books where she is both the author and illustrator before long!)  Those of you who hang out in the kidlit circles probably already know her well.  Congratulations, Julie, on your first book-baby - it's here! oh, it's here! oh, it's finally here! :)

I hope you will all enjoy this sweet little picture book for newborns :)

Title: You're Here!
Written By: Karla Oceanak
Illustrated By: Julie Rowan-Zoch
Bailiwick Press, October 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: Newborn - 2

Themes/Topics: first year milestones, family, new baby, love

Opening: "You're here! Oh, you're here! Oh, you're finally here!
Hip, hip, hooray! We've been waiting, my dear!
For your fingers - so perfect.  Your nibbly toes.
Your wide-window eyes and your neat, nubbin nose."

Brief Synopsis: A new baby is welcomed with much anticipation of all the wonders and milestones the first year will hold.

Links To Resources: Just read this lovely story with infants to begin the tradition of reading together; read with older children and talk about their first year - all the things they did and when, and how wonderful it was, maybe share their baby journal if you kept one, or look at photographs of them as infants; read with new siblings to help them understand what they can expect from their new little brother or sister.

Why I Like This Book: The story is simple and sweet, and expresses beautifully the wonder and love and happiness of a new baby.  It would make a perfect gift for any family with a newborn.  If you are a parent, it will make you a little teary, thinking about when you first met your babies :)  But the reason I love this book the most is the art.  Julie Rowan-Zoch's sweet drawings are simply perfect for this story.  The family, depicted as elephants, are just darling.  The baby's rosy cheeks, delightful expressions and infant antics are picture perfect.  Julie's art adds an extra layer of warmth and emotion to this little treasure of a book :)

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!  I can't wait to see what you've chosen this week!  And I will not be surprised if someone else has chosen this book! :)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! :)

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

Now that it's October, it's fair to start sharing Halloween picture books, right?

I'm glad you agree :)

Here's a pretty new one, just published this August.

Title: Little Boo
Written By: Stephen Wunderli
Illustrated By: Tim Zeltner
Henry Holt & Company, August 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: Holidays (Halloween), Emotion (patience/impatience), Nature (lifecycle of a seed), Common Childhood Experiences (wanting to be bigger/older)

Opening: "The wind blew, the leaves fell, and a tiny seed hid in the garden.
"Boo," the seed said to a leaf rolling by.
"You're not scary at all," the leaf said.

Brief Synopsis: A little pumpkin seed tries hard to be scary but he just can't seem to scare anyone - not the leaves or the grubs, not the snowflakes in winter or the bees in spring!  "Be patient," the wind tells him, "you'll be scary soon enough."  But it's awfully hard to wait!

Links To Resources: plant a seed and watch it grow - indoors in a container or outdoors in a garden; 40 Things For Kids To Do With Pumpkins; 9 Easy Pumpkin Recipes For Kids

Why I Like This Book:  It's just so cute!  Look at that little pumpkin seed face - how can you not love it?! :)  The story is simple but so relatable for kids who always seem to want to grow up faster than nature allows.  And within the sweet story we also get a nice little glimpse of the life cycle of a seed - so cleverly slipped in there!  To top it off, the art is absolutely gorgeous -  colorful and warm and so appealing!  This is a wonderful one to add to your Halloween book shelf :)



For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!

And although I haven't been posting on Mondays, be sure to visit this coming Monday for an important announcement!

Have a great weekend, everybody!!! :)

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

I spent easily half my week writing a picture book which is not working and which at this point I hate a little bit :)  Why is it that an idea which seems so good when it starts out in your head can turn out so badly when you get it on paper?  I still feel like there's a kernel of good story in there somewhere, but darned if I can find it right now :)

Ah, well, at least I have a lovely, fun picture book (not mine :)) to share with you today!

Title: You Are (Not) Small
Written By: Anna Kang
Illustrated By: Christopher Weyant
Two Lions, August 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 2-6

Themes/Topics: Differences, Perspective, Humor

Opening: "'You are small.'
'I am not small.  You are big.'
'I am not big.  See?'"

Brief Synopsis: Two creatures (whose fur, noses, and expressions suggest that they are indeed closely related) argue over who is small and who is big.  But it's really all in how you look at it :)


Links To Resources: Kids Activity Guide with printable growth chart; Classroom Guide for K-1st with Common Core Standards; start a discussion on the difficulty and/or desirability of establishing standards; read with Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - how are these books alike? how are they different?

Why I Like This Book:  This book is short and simple, yet it manages to convey an important message with humor.  I dare you not to laugh at the end :)  In 91 words, it manages to get across the idea that we can be big and small at the same time, and in spite of our perceived differences we have much in common.  The art is appealing, and the characters' expressions speak volumes.  For anyone who has ever felt too little (or too big), this is the perfect story.

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!  Can't wait to see what other wonderful picture books will be on the list this week!

Have a wonderful first weekend of Autumn, everyone! :)

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone!

Boy do I have the most magnificent book to share with you today!  It's one of those books that makes you revel in how perfect it is when you get to the end and want to read it again right away in case you missed anything and then again just to enjoy how much fun it is :)  I hope you all like it as much as I do!

Title: The Most Magnificent Thing
Written & Illustrated By: Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press, April 2014, Fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: creativity, perseverance, perspective, emotion (frustration)

Opening: "This is a regular girl and her best friend in the whole wide world.  They do all kinds of things together.  They race.  They eat.  They explore.  They relax.  She makes things.  He unmakes things.  One day, the girl has a wonderful idea.  She is going to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing!"


Brief Synopsis: A little girl sets out to make the most MAGNIFICENT thing with the help of her best friend and assistant, her dog.  Imagine their shock when the thing turns out not to be magnificent!  In fact, it's not even "good. It isn't even kind-of-sort-of okay. It is all wrong."  So she tosses it and starts again.  But it's not easy to turn her vision into reality.  Frustration leads to anger, and anger leads to defeat.  Luckily, her assistant suggests a walk which brings calm and clarity and a new perspective... and a most magnificent thing :)

Links To Resources: supply a variety of craft items and/or found objects and encourage kids to think up and create their own "magnificent things"; Goldie Blox Toys (which encourage girls to put down the dolls and pick up the tools and might give you some invention ideas)

Why I Like This Book:  I love that this story addresses what may be the most common of all childhood emotions: frustration!  The little girl has a great idea.  She can imagine it perfectly.  She knows exactly how it will look.  But she has a hard time translating what she sees in her mind's eye to the physical reality of her most magnificent thing.  Her escalation of emotion is real and believable (and kids will relate to it so well!)  And the message that sometimes a little distance and a little time to calm down can help improve your perspective is a wonderful one.  In the end, she makes something that is just perfect (but I won't tell you what it is :))  The art is cute and full of humor.  The depiction of emotion is spot on.  The story touches on imagination and creativity, making things from found objects, dealing with frustration and disappointment, keeping/finding your perspective, not giving up, the idea that it's okay to make mistakes, and the importance of having a good friend.  All around, a book kids will enjoy and parents will be glad to read multiple times.

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

Now, before we all trot off so see what everyone else picked this week, I'd like to take a moment to announce the winner of last week's giveaway.  Laura Sassi and her publisher, Zonderkidz, generously contributed a copy of GOODNIGHT, ARK and the lucky winner is . . .


Congratulations, Sandy!  Please email me so we can organize getting you your book!  And thanks to everyone who shared their bedtime routines - we all had so much fun reading about them!

PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you!  I can't wait to see what's on the list for today :)

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! :)

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As many of you know, the second installment of The Search for WondLa trilogy is about to hit shelves in May, but here is your chance to read the book and see the art before everybody else – announcing the “Wonders of the Future” Wondla Giveaway Contest!

The contest is simple: What is your vision of the future?

My vision of Eva Nine’s futuristic world contains many artifacts that are still daydreams in our real world – Hovercars, robots and holography are an integral part of her day-to-day life. So what do you think our future holds?

Here is what I am looking for:

1. A full color image of your vision of the future rendered in any medium you like (including sculptures or even animation). This vision of yours can be an item that has yet to be invented, an undiscovered creature, a new form of transportation…if you think it will (or should) exist tomorrow, then I want to see it!

2. A quick (4-5 lines) description of what your vision is and how it may impact our lives.

What I really want you to do is USE YOUR IMAGINATION.

“Wah! I’m not a good artist!” you say. That doesn’t matter.

I will be judging on originality, innovation, and creativity. It doesn’t matter if you are a good drawer or not. It doesn’t matter if you are a two-year old kid, or an eighty two-year old kid…all entries will be accepted.

And those entries have to be in front of my bespectacled eyes by APRIL 20th, 2012

You can send them to me at: [email protected]
*Please title your email “Wonders of the Future Contest Entry” and include your name, age and jpeg file of your entry.

Once you enter, you’ll receive a link and password that will allow you to sneak a peek at a secret online gallery displaying the art for A Hero for Wondla! Yes, you read that right. It’s right here on this very site! Hidden away from prying eyes except for those who enter…

The winning entry will be sent a signed Advanced Reader’s Copy of A Hero for WondLa, a signed copy of the limited “Hunger Games Edition” of The Search for WondLa (given away at select theaters at the opening of The Hunger Games film), a signed limited edition sketchbook as well as a signed and numbered limited edition print!

Winners will be chosen by myself, my loverly wife Angela, and my trusty assistant Ashley. We will announce and post the winning entry on my site April 23, 2012 and I will FedEx your winning package to you that day!

…sound cool? Then get drawing and GOOD LUCK!

PS – with apologies to all my international fans, this contest is for US residents only.

 

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I’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of amazing experiences come to pass in my life as a result of my career in illustration. One that I suppose I wasn’t expecting until much later was a book about me. However, I was pleasantly surprised last year when Abdo Publishing Company, an educational publisher, added me to their ongoing Children’s Illustrator series which includes the likes of Chris Van Allsburg, Garth Williams and Brian Selznick.

This book is aimed for elementary school libraries. The reading is fairly easy (suggested levels are grades 3-6) with the main focus being on how I came to be an illustrator, along with some career highlights.

I never thought myself worthy of having a book written about my life, which is why I’ve yet to do an “Art of Tony D” book. Besides, I am always looking forward to my next project, with that feeling that I am on the verge of the next big artistic breakthrough…though looking back, I realize I have accomplished a few things here and there. You don’t really realize it as you are experiencing it, only in hindsight does it become a bit more clear.

I like this series of books. Not because I am the subject for one, but because they focus on illustrators (both past and present) who have had an impact on children’s publishing. 10 year-old Tony would have LOVED this series.

 

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Storytelling/Writing Tip

I am a firm believer that storytelling in the early developmental years is one of the keys to literacy and literacy efforts. I am not just talking about reading a story to a group of kids, I am referring instead to the art of storytelling, which is more of a performance and less of a recitation. I will share storytelling tips here which are great for writers too, because tips for good storytelling often can directly correlate to tips for good story writing. First tip: Helping kids make predictions while story telling.

Don’t you just love feeling smart? Kids aren’t any different, and storytelling is a great opportunity to make kids feel like little budding Einstiens. Remember, when children feel clever while listening to stories they feel less intimidated by “literature” which makes them more receptive to books and reading. And books and reading make kids smart, which in turn begins the circle anew.

With the right kind of book and the right kind of body language, you can help kids predict lines, story developments, upcoming rhymes, etc… As my example, I will use one of my stories that I regularly perform, Frog in the Bog–rhyming books. In that story I have a repeating, but unrhymed line, “And the frog grows a little bit bigger.” My aim with any repeating line in a story is to get the kids to anticipate the upcoming line and say it, in rhythm, with me.

To help kids anticipate the line I need to firmly set the pattern the first time I say the line, and cue the listener in to what they need to listen for to join in. This means that there is a definite dramatic pause before I say the line, then I scan the audience making eye contact as I sweep my eyes from one side of the room to the other. This lets them know, “Oh, something interesting is going to happen.“ Then as I say the line I emphasize the most important word (bigger) by saying it louder. For Frog in the Bog the cadence is almost like a scale, going higher and louder as the sentence flows: And the frog grows a little big BIGGER!

(Writers tip: Include font cues in your manuscript to indicate when there should be a change in flow, inflection, etc…: In Bear Snores On my font size changes and formatting were written by me into the manuscript.)

The vocal qualities are important, but so is body language. As I say the line I use one of my hands to demonstrate the frog’s growth (palm flat, outstretched, and I raise it up as I speak).

Usually by the second line the audience has come to recognize what to look for (I pause, look across the room, and widen my eyes). They often hesitantly join in. If that happens it is my job to reward their participation with a head nod and a smile signaling approval (kids aren’t always encouraged to speak out during stories–so they need to know in this case it‘s okay).

But if they didn’t quite get it, I have to cue them in that I want them to join. I do this by holding my hand up to my ear as I say the word “bigger”. I have never read the story in a school and had them not join in by the third time I say the line.

But later in the story the line changes to the “And the frog grows a whole lot smaller”. This gives us another opportunity to make children feel ahead of the story. Since I want my reader to be able predict that the line changes, I wrote it so that this time the reating line DID rhyme with the preceding line (holy tongue twister Batman!). In this case:

And right in the middle of his holler,
That frog grows a whole lot smaller!

To further emphasize the change from “bigger” to “smaller” I hush my voice a bit, and bring my hand lower to indicate shrinking. Most audiences guess the word smaller with these cues.

Rhyming books are great for helping children predict, but there are other types of story patterns that also work. Circular stories, unrhymed stories with repeating lines, etc. And of course, when reading picture books you can always point out clues in the art

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You know, when I teach older primary students (5th, 6th) a poetry seminar, I always start by asking who likes poetry. Many times only four or five students will raise their hands. Then I ask, “How many like music sung by a band or singer?” and most of the kids will raise their hands. I then say, “AH HA! So you DO like poetry?!”  I point out that poetry is EVERYWHERE. It’s in commercials, music, and even video games (Oblivion, a popular video game, is full of cryptic poems).  When kids realize that many of their favorite  songs are nothing more than poetry set to music they open up a little bit. Share with them some truly humorous poems and they open up even more. Lay that foundation, and moving onto more somber or contemplative poetry isn’t nearly as painful.

So whenever you have students compile poetry for poetry notebooks, compilations–allow them a few pages for the lyrics of their favorite songs. This leads you into a great meter lesson by the way. And as something of a meter-cop I always look for good meter lessons!

 Cool Meter Lesson

A lot of great songs don’t scan so well when simply read. Meter is greatly affected by singing–beats can be added to a line simply by singing one word for a longer time or adding “ooooo, ohhhh, ya ya”. A good meter lesson is to have the kids agree on one popular song (of course they must choose only from songs with clean lyrics..ha ha) and see if it scans when read aloud. If not, work with the students on adding words or changing lines just enough to keep true to the original thoughts of the song, while improving meter.  (This lesson requires that the teacher has a basic concept of good meter and poetry rhythm.)

Good Poetry for Kids

Well, I hate to brag…but my new poetry book for kids has quite a mixture of poems, from the contemplative to the outrageously ridiculous, and I try to include a lot of teaching opportunities as well. (Teachers, there’s even a poem in honor of you–since so many humorous children’s poems villanize you–look for my poem called Red Letter Day)

 

Other great choices are Shel Silverstien, Jack Prelutsky, Doug Florian, Mary Ann Hoberman, Nikki Grimes.  For more classic poems just introduce them to the tried and true–Emily Dickinson, Frost, Lear, Stevenson…and for something entirely different check out Robert Service. His poem “Bessie’s Boil” may be a bit hard for them to understand at first, but if you explain the brogue they will HOWL with laughter.

K….

 

 

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A few months ago I did some author visits at two schools (Russell and Franklin) in Missoula, Montana. They went so fabulously I thought I would share some tips I learned from these wonderful school administrators (thank you Pat and Nancy!).

The main component in making an author visit successful is getting the kids pumped for the visit. If the kids aren’t excited for me to come, the visit will not be very exciting–period. I do my best, but nothing beats teachers working with the students before the visit to generate enthusiasm!

To get kids ready involves preparation. I will do my part, which is sending you ideas and materials to help prepare the students for the visit. Your part is spend weeks (not days) preparing students for the author visit. Use the time to read the author’s books, do crafts and activities which revolve around the author’s books, and let the the students check out the author’s website, etc…

This is a great display the schools prepared for my visit. There were dozens and dozens of pictures of students reading my books. What a great idea! Every child felt included in the visit, which ensured the students had a vested interest in the visit succeeding! Eureka!

This is a craft (a little blurry, sorry) the kids made that is suggested on the Features for Teacher’s activities on my website. It is a paper quilt made of students’ drawings based on my bear books. It was truly adorable.

But this wasn’t all they did! They also did hippo crafts for Hilda Must Be Dancing, they did Frog art, they made posters. The hallways were a tribute to reading and my books! This isn’t about my ego (really). It’s about getting the kids thrilled for the visit, and boy were they! Kids were literally coming up to me, hugging me, saying how excited they were. They were talking about how much they love books and reading and how long they had waited for the visit. It literally reminded me of kids who had waited for Christmas. The schools even did a countdown for weeks before the visit! Every day they would count down one more day until “Karma Wilson Day!”

Here is one of the posters that was made especially for the big day. Isn’t this great? When children see that the teachers are this excited, they figure it must be something big!

If you are planning an author visit with me or ANY author I ask you to do what Russell and Franklin schools did. Get your students begging for the visit! There should be a carnival air to the whole event.

Here are a few more ideas:

1. A week leading up to the visit hold lotteries each day for a signed book.

2. Help kids think of great questions for my Q&A period, and be diligent about explaining the difference between a question and a statement or story. (I love hearing the names of their cats and their latest injuries, but it does eat time…heh heh!)

3. Kids are excited to share their stories with me, so have them write a story to give me when I leave.

4. Ask art teachers, librarians, and even the PE teachers to contribute to the visit. Art projects can revolve around themes in my books, librarians can encourage kids to check out my books or use my books in story time, and PE teachers can do physical activities related to themes in my books (Frog hopping, Bear crawls, etc…) You can even enlist the lunch cooks! Can Bear book themed foods be served on the day of the visit?

The more involved everybody in the school is, the more the kids will catch the enthusiasm for the visit. They will naturally be excited about reading and writing, and that is the whole purpose of any author visit! So go CRAZY and use your imagination! I guarantee, you won’t regret it!

Karma

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First Crossing: Stories About Teen Immigrants
Editor: Donald R. Gallo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN-10: 0763632910
ISBN-13: 978-0763632915

Recommended for grades 7-10

Wow! Eleven well known authors write about the immigrant experience for teenagers. The stories are as different as the countries each immigrant comes from and completely absorbing. There are stories from Cambodia, Korea, Romania, Mexico, Venezuela among others.

Pam Muñoz Ryan's First Crossing tells the story of a young teen boy from Jalisco’s first trip across the border in Tijuana. It’s so heartbreaking. The story tells of the coyotes, how much people pay for the crossing and the dangers involved in doing so. It made me cry.

I loved David Lubar’s story of a Romanian boy that gets sent to Alaska rather than Arkansas with his family as they’ve been told. When his new school friends find out he is from Transylvania, they find new ways of testing him for vampiric abilities. It’s funny, quirky and different.

In My Favorite Chaperone, a girl from Kazakhstan describes the differences in culture and learns to fit in. This one was one of my favorites, especially when she is translating for her parents about her little brother and changes the translation to minimize the trouble her little brother gets into.

I think this is an important book for both the YA crowd as well as adults. The stories promote tolerance, explain the immigrant experience and really do a good job explaining all the very real reasons why people come here.

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