Helping Students Navigate the World of Books
“Big Problems and Small Fascinations” School requires a lot from young people. Focus, sitting still, hands to yourself, social skills. (This doesn’t end with elementary school. Middle school? For sure. High school? Yep!) This is all hard enough – particularly if you won the neurodivergent lottery – and then you have to throw the whole … Read more
“Delicious Details” How do you create a character that feels three-dimensional? One that readers can immediately picture and connect with? While there are many ways to approach this, I find that the simplest way to quickly nail a character is with details. One of my favorite books about writing, Francine Prose’s Reading Like a Writer, … Read more
“Teaching the Next Generation about September 11th” “What happened at the Pentagon?” one of my students asked me. “Why are they ringing that bell?” It was September 11, 2008, seven years after the 9/11 attacks. I was an elementary school librarian in Northern Virginia. A select group of students, chosen to be my library helpers, … Read more
“All Readers Benefit from Sad Stories” Often times picture books with sad storylines are seen only as tools for children who have suffered loss, but they serve a vital role for opening up conversations about compassion and kindness for all readers. A safe window into grief fosters empathy and bravery. It allows readers to build … Read more
“Little Red and the Big Bad Educator’s Guide” When I learned Shanda McCloskey would be illustrating my story LITTLE RED AND THE BIG BAD EDITOR, I was ecstatic. I knew her art would bring to life my story of the Big Bad Wolf correcting Little Red’s thank you letter to Granny. And I was right. … Read more
A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn Author: Patricia Newman Illustrator: Natasha Donovan Published September 6th, 2022 by Millbrook Press Summary: A mighty river. A long history. For thousands of years, the Elwha river flowed north to the sea. The river churned with salmon, which helped feed bears, otters, and eagles. The Lower Elwha … Read more
I am so lucky to have the opportunity to teach Children’s Literature this year at the University of Central Florida. To have the opportunity to work with future teachers are they determine their point of view as an educator is such an awesome experience. I am so glad to be part of their journey! My … Read more
