My published picture books are aimed at the youngest readers, so teachers of 2nd-12th graders often wonder what I can do in their classrooms. Why Skype with an author who writes kiddie books? With older students, we usually talk more about writing and I often share with them my Top Ten Super Secret Writing Tips…. Read more »
School Visits
Tuesday for Teachers: A View From their Window
In my book TIME OUT FOR MONSTERS, the boy in the story draws a window with a view. What would students like to see outside their windows? Let them draw their dream views on square-shaped pieces of paper. When they’re finished, let them add a paper window frame and panes with thin strips of brown… Read more »
Tuesdays for Teachers: “TOO” Cool Copycat Writing
Imitation may be the highest form of flattery, but it’s also a darn good writing tool. I call it “copycat” writing. Educators call it using a “mentor text.” If you’ve read my book LIGHT UP THE NIGHT, you realize that it was patterned after the classic THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. The structure of the… Read more »
Tuesdays for Teachers: The Author Q & A Video
In late 2014, a school contacted me about a week long literacy event it was hosting this month. Originally, organizers hoped to schedule virtual author visits throughout the week to go along with the program. But when scheduling became a nightmare, they came up with another idea. The Video Q&A! Classrooms brainstormed questions about books… Read more »
Author Spots for Schools is in Session for the 2014-2015 School Year!
Here’s a great way to connect children’s authors and readers, and it’s a WIN-WIN-WIN for schools, authors and school book fairs everywhere! AUTHOR SPOTS FOR SCHOOLS! Author Spots are FREE mini-commercials created by children’s authors which schools can broadcast to promote their book fair to kids and parents. I’m not talking about anything fancy here… Read more »
Happy Birthday to Me, an NYC Editor Critique for YOU, and the Gift of Literacy for ALL!
Happy Birthday to me … 8 months late. But no matter, I’m still 55 and it turns out that 55 is a very special number. It was the highest speed limit allowed in the United States between 1974 and 1986. So slow! It is the largest Fibonacci number to also be a triangular number. Whatever… Read more »
All In a Day’s Walk
One of my Top Ten Super Secret (so this one’s no longer a secret) Writing Tips that I share with students is DO NOT WRITE! As in, Step Away from the Computer, Unplug Shoot Some Hoops Take a Shower Go For a Run Get a Massage Strike a Yoga Pose Meditate Go For a Walk… Read more »
Upcoming Appearances 2014
2/7/14 Colorado Council International Reading Association, Signing and chatting at the RMC-SCBWI Booth 12-2 and 4-5. 2/11/14 School Visit Littleton Academy, Littleton CO. 2/21/14 Skype Visit Ringgold Elementary School, Ringgold, LA 2/27/14 Skype Visit Cartoogechaye Elementary School, Franklin, NC 3/5/14 World Read Aloud Day! 3/6/14 Skype Visit West Newton Elementary, Covington, GA 3/7/14 … Read more »
Let’s schedule a Skype visit today!
Offering FREE 20-30 minute author visits for the rest of the school year!
States I’ve Covered in My School Virtual Visits
The states I’ve visited are in red below! Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South… Read more »
My Books
