The January edition of Book Links includes an interview I did with Carolyn Marsden. It was great fun to read all Carolyn’s lovely middle grade novels and to find out how her multicultural stories grew. Check it out!
January 24th, 2009
New Article: Talking with Carolyn Marsden
September 28th, 2008
A Visit with Lois Ehlert
My article for Book Links on Lois Ehlert is out!
Last spring I was in Milwaukee for our state school library/media conference and I met up with Ms. Ehlert at her apartment/studio to talk about her latest book, Oodles of Animals. I was so nervous! I’m not the most outgoing person, and I had never interviewed someone in person before. So not only did I have to navigate the Marquette interchange construction on my own, but once I got there, I had to sound (and look!) coherent while making sure my new Zoom H2 Handy Recorder was working. But it went great and Ms. Ehlert was very gracious. The full interview is in the September 2008 issue of Book Links. In the meantime, here are some tidbits I found interesting that didn’t necessarily make their way into the article:
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If you haven’t read Oodles of Animals yet, all the animal illustrations were created from the same 9 shapes used over and over again.
I’m dying to try out a similar activity with students. - If you have enough of something, it makes a cool collection and visual statement. I took this photo for my sons. These are antique wooden fishing lures displayed on a windowsill.
- She also had a collection of wooden birds. You could tell she loves color–outside of her books, too!
- She has a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree!
Well, not really. This is a wooden papaya tree, not a coconut tree. But it was still cool.
Links a-plenty:
- Wondering if it’s Ell-ert or Aye-lert? Check out the Teaching Books author name pronunciation guide!
- Reading Rockets : A Video Interview with Lois Ehlert
- Introducing Illustrators: Lois Ehlert
- Visit the Leaf Man minisite (still my favorite book by her)
November 10th, 2007
Cynthia Lord and the Schneider Award!
My November Book Links articles are here! Inside are an interview with the Newbery Honor-winning author of RULES, Cynthia Lord. She talks about the book, writing, raising a family with a son who has autism, and the awards. I also wrote a second article on the emerging Schneider Family Book Award. This award is just a few years old, but it fills an important niche in children’s literature: books that portray the disability experience. It also has a local connection for me. The award is funded by Katherine Schneider, faculty emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The article profiles the books that have won, as well as a talk with Katherine Schneider about why she started an award like this.
Take a peek at your local library or in the links below!
The Schneider Family Book Award (HTML)
The Schneider Family Book Award (PDF)
October 15th, 2007
Linda Sue Park: “Exploring Family Heritage”
My latest article in Library Sparks is out in the November 2007 issue. If you know Linda Sue Park‘s books at all, you know I had lots to dig into when considering classroom extensions. I finally decided to take a global perspective on her work. Even though she’s published in just about every genre–historical, fantasy, contemporary, not to mention her poetry and picture books!–they all draw from her Korean heritage. My article jumps off from there, giving ideas of how to celebrate diversity and family heritage in the classroom.
March 8th, 2007
“Snipping and Snapping with Lauren Child”
My article, “Snipping and Snapping with Lauren Child,” is out in Library Sparks this month. In it, I’ve included a fun project for classes using THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA as a model to build miniature sets and digitally photograph and edit a story. Just like Lauren Child.
P.S. THAT PESKY RAT and I WILL NEVER NOT EVER EAT A TOMATO are still my favorite books of hers.
December 7th, 2006
Leo and Diane Dillon: “Two Heads are Better Than One”
My article on using Leo and Diane Dillon‘s books in the classroom and library is in this month’s issue of Library Sparks. (If you don’t have access to the print magazine, still check out their website; there’s all sorts of great book and reading and library activities in their Web Resources.)