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Author Guest Post: “Spread Hope and Optimism with STEM Picture Books” by Linda Zajac, Author of Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals

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“Spread Hope and Optimism with STEM Picture Books”

Last year was a challenging year for children. The pandemic disrupted familiar routines associated with school, play, and family life. Kids were thrust into a world with masks, Zoom, and isolation that have taken a toll on their social, emotional, and academic well-being. While news outlets reported grim statistics, students struggled to focus. For some families, basic needs like food and shelter were challenges. Mental-health related visits to pediatric emergency departments increased 24 percent for children aged 5–11 from mid-March 2020 to October 2020.

When the situation seems insurmountable, it’s hope and optimism that help us deal with the stress. Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece studied the qualities that make kids resilient to disasters like pandemics. They wrote that hope and optimism in families, schools, and communities contribute to resiliency.

In these extraordinary times, hope and optimism can brighten a world that seems dark. They can temper feelings of anger, worry, loneliness, anxiety, and despair. Hope and optimism in STEM books can educate, illuminate, and inspire while shining a light on science.

In STEM books, hope is a promising discovery, a new method, a novel solution, or an advancement in technology that benefits society. In addition to educating readers, STEM books with visions of a better tomorrow inspire them. In a time of rising seas, raging covid variants, and racist tensions, hopeful books can help a child cope and inspire them to action.

They are many benefits in giving kids hope. Hopeful children have better health and less anxiety. Studies show hope improves academic and athletic performance. It builds resilience and lessens stress in challenging times. Hope can motivate a child to take action towards a long-term goal.

In my book, Robo-Motion: Robots That Move Like Animals, (Millbrook, 9/7/2021) the design team at Millbrook Press took my words and made them richer by surrounding them with color, intrigue, and hope. On each spread, in strikingly similar poses, animals are paired with the robots that mimic their motion,. Robo-Motion, a book about biomimicry, has action verbs on every page. Like animals in the wild, robots in the lab skitter, scuttle, grip, and glide. If we could move like animals, we could jump without getting tired, squeeze into tight spaces, and climb up glass. By building robots that mimic animal motion, we can move like them. Robo-Motion is a hopeful book about how robots can benefit society. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity.

With the following exercises, you can use Robo-Motion to boost hope and optimism in your classroom:

EXERCISE 1 – Gratitude

Ask children to pick the robot they are most thankful for. Have them write down the robot name and why they picked it.

EXERCISE 2 – Boost optimism

Have children close their eyes and spend some time thinking about the robot they picked. Ask them to imagine a scene where the robot is doing its job. The robot could be saving a life, cutting costs, gathering information, or making work more efficient.  Have them imagine that everything works out for the best.

EXERCISE 3 – Writing skills

Ask children to write an optimistic story about the robot they picked and how it helped society.

EXERCISE 4  – Spread optimism

Ask children to share their optimistic stories with the class.

You can also bring hope and optimism into your classroom with these recent STEM nonfiction picture books:

  • Crossings by Katy Duffield (Beach Lane, 2020) is a unique STEM book about structures built to protect wildlife from traffic. Although the vehicles that make crossings dangerous for animals are never mentioned in the main text, they appear in nearly all the illustrations. The book takes a fascinating look at manmade structures created to help various animals avoid traffic in the United States and abroad. The common thread is the desire to help wildlife and the hope that they will survive and flourish.
  • The Brilliant Deep by Kate Messner (Chronicle, 2018) is another book with a hopeful message. First, readers meet Ken Nedimyer, a diver. Then, in a wordless full-page spread, readers see the effect of one hotter-than-normal summer—bleached coral. Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation are farming corals and transplanting them to restore reefs. They’ve planted thousands of coral stalks off the Florida Keys and they’re working with other countries to help their threatened reefs. The book gives readers hope something can be done to regenerate corals damaged by warming ocean waters from climate change.
  • Mario and the Hole in the Sky by Elizabeth Rusch (Charlesbridge, 2019) is a story about Mario Molina discovering and helping to solve a global problem. In the 1980s, scientists discovered a huge hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. When countries came together and agreed to stop making the CFC’s that were in everything from aerosols to air conditioners, the ozone layer began to recover. By comparing the ozone problem with climate change, readers see that by working together countries can solve global problems. We’ve done it before, we can do it again.
  • A leaking oil pipeline can wreak havoc on the environment. In We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom (Roaring Brook, 2020), the Ojibwe tribe fights to protect the ecosystem. A black snake symbolizes the oil pipeline that’s never mentioned in the text. The last page gives readers the opportunity to sign a pledge to protect the Earth. With gorgeous illustrations, this book is a rallying cry to action. It leaves the reader feeling hopeful that the tribe, along with others, will not give up their fight to protect water, land, plants, and animals.

STEM books with hope and optimism have power. They can broaden a child’s horizons, expand a child’s mind, and brighten a child’s world. In Emily Dickinson’s poetry collection, hope is the thing with feathers. In a post-pandemic classroom, hope is the thing with pages.

Resources:

Published September 7th, 2021 by Millbrook Press

About the Book: Like animals in the wild, robots in the lab skitter, scuttle, grip, and glide. In this STEAM title about biomimicry, crisp color photographs of animals are paired with the robots that mimic their motion. Action verbs and literary devices introduce each animal on the left, while details about each robot and its purpose grace the opposite page. This nonfiction picture book is a hopeful look at how robots can benefit society. Back matter includes a glossary and information about biomimicry. The book will appeal to young readers interested in animals, engineering, technology, and science. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to charity.

About the Author: Linda Zajac is an award-winning science writer. She’s a former computer programmer, systems analyst, and consultant who would have jumped at the chance to program a robot. Linda writes about cutting-edge science, technology, and biotechnology and how they’re used to save wildlife, advance medicine, and protect the environment. Linda is a Tassy Walden winner and a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award. Her published works include six Minecraft books for kids along with many magazine articles in Highlights, MUSE, ChemMatters, and more. Robo-Motion: Robots That Move like Animals was published September 7, 2021 by Millbrook Press.

Thank you, Linda, for this post focusing on the social and emotional learning our students need to do in addition to academic and a way to combine the two!

Author Guest Post: “The Case for Graphic Novels and Chapter Books” by Dusti Bowling, Author of Aven Green Baking Machine

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“The Case for Graphic Novels and Chapter Books”

I have always been a huge reader. At some point during third grade, I discovered my love of stories and have never looked back. Third grade through sixth grade was such a formative time for me as I developed this lifelong love of reading, and some of the books I enjoyed the most were comic books or shorter stories with illustrations. I gobbled up as many Archie comics as I could, read all of The Far Side by Gary Larson, and shuddered in fear at the creepy illustrations in Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I honestly couldn’t tell you if I’d be the reader and writer I am today without books like these, and now that my own children are of reading ages, I’ve actively encouraged them to read anything and everything they enjoy. Yes, that has meant a lot of graphic novels and illustrated books. It has also meant them reading the same books over and over and over again, just as I did when I was a kid.

The first thing my ten year old fell in love with was Diary of a Wimpy Kid. She was five when she picked up the first book, and I still remember her coming to me every minute or so to ask me to explain a word. Then she’d read the story again and come to me maybe every couple of minutes. Then she’d read it again. And again. After she’d read that first book probably about a dozen times, she no longer had to ask me to explain any of the words. It was through this rereading of the same book that she developed great reading fluency, confidence, and comprehension skills, and I’m very grateful to Jeff Kinney for teaching her how to read. Would she have naturally gone through this same process on her own with a book without pictures? Without the silly jokes and goofy humor that kept her so engaged? I doubt it.

Being homeschoolers, we’ve spent a lot of time at the library, and my ten year old has always gravitated toward the graphic novel section. We would frequently come home with stacks of graphic novels nearly as tall as she was, and she would read every single one of them. I would make a lot of recommendations, try to introduce her to other styles of books, play longer audiobooks for her, and suggest we try reading new books together, but all she wanted were graphic novels all the time, so I didn’t push it. She loved to read, and I never wanted to interfere with that in any way. After all, her love of reading has always been the end goal.

Then something interesting began happening after a few years of nonstop graphic novels—she decided on her own to try a great big book without illustrations called Wings of Fire, which she found in a little free library at a park. Did she get through it and enjoy it? Let’s just say she’s eagerly anticipating book fifteen right now. Would she have gotten to the point in her love of reading that she’d be willing to read fourteen lengthy books if I hadn’t always allowed her to read and reread the graphic novels she adores so much? Again, I doubt it.

Now that my six year old is reading, she loves my Aven Green chapter books. She brings the books to me over and over for help with the words and to show me the illustrations so we can laugh together (she seems to think I’ve never seen them before). She also loves Junie B. Jones, Puppy Place, Wedgie and Gizmo, and many other chapter books with illustrations. I know one day soon, she’ll probably also fall in love with graphic novels. She’ll probably want to read the same books over and over again (actually she already does that). And then, eventually, she’ll probably also be ready to pick up longer books. When that happens, I’ll be ready for it every step of the way.

Expected publication: August 17th, 2021 by Sterling Children’s Books

About the Book: Aven Green Baking Machine is the sequel to Aven Green Sleuthing Machine which Kellee reviewed in April.

Aven is an expert baker of cakes and cookies. She’s been baking with her mom for a really long time. Since she was born without arms, Aven cracks eggs and measures sugar and flour with her feet. Now, she has her eye on the prize: a beautiful blue ribbon for baking at the county fair. So she teams up with her friends Kayla, Emily, and Sujata. But It turns out they all have very different tastes and a lot of opinions about baking. Talk about a recipe for disaster!

About the Author: Dusti Bowling grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, as her family will tell you, she always had her nose in a book. She released her first middle grade novel in 2017 and hasn’t stopped writing since.

Dusti’s books have won the Reading the West Award, the Sakura Medal, a Golden Kite Honor, the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, and have been nominated for a Cybil and over thirty state awards. Her books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections and have been named best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, Kirkus, Bank Street College of Education, A Mighty Girl, Shelf Awareness, and many more. Dusti currently lives in New River, Arizona with her husband, three daughters, a dozen tarantulas, a gopher snake named Burrito, a king snake name Death Noodle, and a cockatiel named Gandalf the Grey.

Thank you, Dusti, for this post that we definitely agree with! Like you said, “ove of reading has always been the end goal!”

Author Guest Post: “Using Anthologies to Teach Writing” by Rochelle Melander, Author of Mightier than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World Through Writing

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“Using Anthologies to Teach Writing”

When I was growing up, our family had an Anthology of Children’s Literature. (No doubt one of my mom’s college textbooks!) Even though we regularly checked out books from the library, I spent a lot of time browsing through that book. I loved that I could find stories from all over the world. In that volume, I discovered new tongue twisters, Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky,” and James Weldon Johnson’s “The Creation.”

Today, biographical anthologies have become popular in the children’s literature market. You can find anthologies on a wide range of topics like sports, science, technology, math, and more. They provide young people with an easy way to access stories about people who overcame obstacles to achieve success.

Because anthologies collect the stories of people around a theme, they offer many ways for readers to engage with the stories. Readers can take a treasure hunt through the essays in search for someone that interests them. Students might seek someone who:

+Champions a cause that matters to them.

+Overcame difficulties in school.

+Plays their favorite sport.

+Works in a career that interests them.

+Did something brave.

But how do you get young people to engage with these stories? When I wrote Mightier Than the Sword, an anthology of stories about people who used their words to change the world, I chose people from many disciplines because I wanted young people to see that many people write, not just storytellers. I added interactive writing exercises so that young people could write to change their own worlds.

I’ve been an artist educator since 2001, teaching in classrooms, libraries, and museums. I often use mentor texts and anthologies to engage young people in learning history and inspire their writing. Here are three writing exercises—and an art exercise—I use with historical texts:

Writing Exercise #1: Social Media Profile

Sei Shonagon (965-1010) captured court life in her writing, a genre known as zuihitsu that combined lists, advice on conversation and letter writing, observations about events, and suggestions on how priests should preach and dress. Had Sei Shonagon lived today, she might have developed a social sharing site like Instagram or Twitter.

Try this: Invite students to create a social media profile and several posts for the person they’ve chosen. This will especially fun when working with historical people. Maybe George Orwell would write a status update like: “Big brother? This whole platform is sus.”

Note: You can use any social media site that your students can relate to. There are several kid-friendly social media sites that might work, like GromSocial and PopJam.

Writing Exercise #2: Protest Song

The Afghan rapper and activist Sonita Alizadeh was angry about her parents’ plan to sell her into marriage, partly to help raise money to purchase a bride for her brother. To protest this, she wrote and performed the song “Brides for Sale” and posted it on YouTube. Alizadeh’s song saved her from an arranged marriage and paved the way for her to go to school.

Try this: Invite students to write a protest song for a cause that they care about.

Writing Exercise #3: Letter Campaign

Young Sophie Cruz wrote a letter to the Pope, asking him to fight for the rights of immigrants in the United States. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to protest the advice to “wait” for justice. His letter became a sermon and then was published in newspapers and magazines across the country.

Try this. Ask students to write a letter to encourage change. Perhaps several students will want to create a letter-writing campaign to challenge an organization, government agency, or a government official.

Bonus Exercise: Protest Art!

To protest the lack of women’s works of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Guerilla Girls plastered posters on New York City buses asking: “Does a woman have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” The poster featured a reproduction of the nude in Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’ La Grande Odalisque, with her face hidden by the group’s signature gorilla mask. The poster educated readers on the statistics: “Less than 5 percent of the artists in the Modern Art Sections are women, but 85 percent of the nudes are female.”

Try this: Invite students to create an art poster or social media meme to support their favorite cause.

Choosing Anthologies

The library is full of many kinds of anthologies on a wide range of topics like sports, science, technology, math, and more. Check out a big stack and let your students browse. The more they read, the better chance they will have of finding a role model who matters to them.

Published July 27th, 2021 by Beaming Books

About the Book: Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World through Writing is a middle grade social justice book that tells the stories of historical and contemporary writers, activists, scientists, and leaders who used writing to make a difference in their lives and the world. The stories are accompanied by writing and creative exercises to help readers discover how they can use writing to explore ideas and ask for change. Sidebars explore types of writing, fun facts, and further resources.

Download the free activity pack: https://ms.beamingbooks.com/downloads/Activity_Packet_MightierThanTheSword.pdf

About the Author: Rochelle Melander wrote her first book at seven and has published 11 books for adults. Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World through Writing is her debut book for children. She’s a professional certified coach, an artist educator and the founder of Dream Keepers, a writing workshop for young people. She lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband, children, and two dogs. Visit her online at writenowcoach.com or rochellemelander.com

Thank you, Rochelle, for your book and for this incredible post with such useful classroom ideas! 

Don’t miss out on other stops on the Mightier than the Sword Blog Tour!

Author Guest Post: “7 Ways to Get Your Child Who Reads Less Frequently to Read More” by Paul Lonardo, Author of The Goblin Pitcher

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“7 Ways to Get Your Child Who Reads Less Frequently to Read More”

1.  LEAD BY EXAMPLE

If your children see you reading, they will be more inclined to read themselves, especially if they see that you are genuinely engrossed in a book and will to share your experience by talking about what you are reading and expressing to them what it is about the story or subject that fascinates you. By explaining what you like about a particular story, whether it is the mood, the setting, or an interesting plotline or character, in essence you are encouraging them to pick up a book without having to force them to read. Plenty of studies have shown that forcing students to read something that they have little interest in is likely to result in students not reading books at all. The enthusiasm that you show for a book alone could spark a child’s interest, if not in the same book you’re reading, then perhaps in a different one. But it is not a bad idea to read books yourself that are written for the age of your child. You might even be pleasantly surprised how well-written and entertaining many young adult, middle grade, and even children’s book are for any age reader.

2. THE BROCCOLI PRINCIPLE

Similar to foods children don’t like to eat, like broccoli, or whatever vegetable it might be, the best way to get them to eat it is by giving them small portions. It makes sense. You can’t put a plateful of broccoli in front of them and expect that they are going to eat all of it. Whatever they eat will be better than nothing, so give them a small portion to start off. Even a little bit will benefit them. Take the same approach with reading. Set aside some time every day for reading. Keep in mind, it doesn’t have to be a significant amount of time. However long it might be, five minutes, ten, fifteen, it is better than nothing. It’s a starting place, and it can only grow from there. You may be surprised what even this minimal effort will accomplish over time. Maybe it’s just a chapter at night, but after a few weeks, or a month, if a book really takes root with your child’s imagination, they may want to read multiple chapters each day to find out what will happen next, and before you know it, fifteen minutes a day could quickly extend to twenty minutes, twenty-five, or more on certain days. And that is something you have to look at as a victory.

3. CHOSE BOOKS WITH A SUBJECT MATTER THAT INTERESTS THEM

This may be obvious, but it’s really important. Everybody has an interest or two, and you know your child better than anyone. Find out what they are into. Whether it is a nature, animals or magic, plots in stories involve a wide variety of subjects and interests. It doesn’t even have to be fiction. A nonfiction book that become an enjoyable experience achieves the goal you are seeking, which in this case is getting your child to go from not reading at all to reading something on a regular basis.

When my son was younger, it was a challenge to get him to read anything that wasn’t required. For me, as a writer, this was a real dilemma. Like any parent in this situation, I had to find ways to get him to read more. I knew the two things he liked more than anything was baseball and creepy stories, anything in the Goosebumps and Scooby-Doo vein. My new novel, THE GOBLIN PITCHER, is a kids’ book that I wrote with him in mind. Hopefully, it will be of interest to other finicky readers.

4. VISIT LIBRARIES AND BOOKSTORES

Visit as many as you can, chain and independents alike. Finding topics that your child is interested will be a cinch if you show them that there are ample books on whatever subjects that matter most to them. Seeing shelf after shelf spreading out in all directions might just be a source of inspiration, showing your child how books are revered, old and new titles alike. Watch them explore and see what sections they gravitate to. The library/bookstore experience is made easier these days with the children-friendly themes and attractions you are likely to find inside as well as outside, where there is often a playground. For the parents, coffee is usually available because it could turn into a long afternoon. But it is well worth it if your child finds a hidden treasure to take home.

5.  START SMALL

Lengthy books can be intimidating and a turn off for young people who do not read a lot. Start with chapter books or short novels. It doesn’t matter if they read one long book or a couple of shorter works. It tends to be easier to draw beginning readers into narratives of shorter stories. Everything happens faster, and there are few if any subplots to detract from the main action, which was why they chose the book to begin with.

When I began writing, I eased into it by writing short stories. This is not something all writers do, of course, but for me it was easier than jumping into writing a full-length book my first time out. Graphic novels are a great way to introduce young readers to books. They are illustrated, but there are story lines and plots to follow just as there are in traditional novels.

6. BASED ON A NOVEL
Take your child to the movies. Yes, that’s right, the movies. Whether in the theater or at home, on Netflix, or whatever platform you prefer. Pick a movie that your child likes and has seen before, or one you know they will enjoy. The only thing you must do is make sure the movie was based on a book, the more popular the better, and preferably one that can be enjoyed at any age, such as The Wizard of Oz, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Willy Wonk and the Chocolate Factory, or Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events. There is bound to be a movie or two they have seen that they did not know had been a book first. If your child liked to film, it might just be enough to get them to seek out the original source to learn even more about the characters and storylines that did not make it into the film.

7. READ, READ AGAIN

It’s okay to read the same book twice, or even multiple times. If a child enjoys a book, there’s nothing wrong with them reading it as many times as they want. It’s all about reading and enjoyment. In rereading the story, they are liable to discover things about their favorite characters and the story that they did not know before, and they might end up seeking out another book by the author. And today, with so many books that are part of a series, odds are there are other adventures with the same characters that they can follow.

These are my humble suggestions to get young people interesting in books. You might have some other ways, but whatever it takes to ease children onto that road to discovery and fascination, you will be initiating an experience that they will enjoy for a lifetime.

The Goblin Pitcher
Author: Paul Lonardo
Published April 11, 2021 by PL Publishing

About the Book: The one thing eleven-year-old Jake Lupo loves more than anything else is baseball. However, despite his father being a professional pitcher, Jake’s fear of failing has kept him from competing against children his own age. When his father, who has recovered from a serious arm injury, is invited to pitch for an independent team, Jake and his parents move to Pine Barrows, a far flung forested mountain outpost. Jake is excited about his father’s chance at a comeback, but he soon learns that he is not the only one in Pine Barrows who loves baseball. Goblins love to play baseball, too, and Pine Barrows happens to be chock full of them. Then Jake discovers that the region is occupied by two factions of warring goblins.

Seeking to take control of the goblin kingdom, the leader of the evil goblins kidnaps Jake’s mother and bans baseball, a game which itself is a natural source of power for the goblins.

It turns out that Jake has a secret kinship with the legendary beings, and he is the only one who can save them, their kingdom and his mother. However, Jake must believe in himself and play a winner-take-all game against the best goblin players in Pine Barrows.

About the Author: While this is my first book for young people, I have authored both fiction and nonfiction books in a variety of genres, from true crime to romance. As a freelance writer, I often collaborate with people to help them write and publish their biographies, memoirs, or to tell of a particularly compelling personal experience.

I studied filmmaking / screenwriting at Columbia College – Hollywood. I earned an A.S. (Mortuary Science) from Mount Ida College and a B.A. (English) from the University of Rhode Island.

I live in Lincoln, RI with my wife and son.

Thank you, Paul, for sharing strategies to encourage kids to read more!

Author Guest Post: “I Write About the Real World and Real Feelings… by Using Magic” by Corey Ann Haydu, Author of Hand-Me-Down Magic Series

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“I Write About the Real World and Real Feelings… by Using Magic”

I like to say that I write about myself without writing about myself, that I try to understand my feelings by writing about someone else’s very similar feelings.

And I use magic to do it.

I have never owned a second hand shop filled with cuckoo clocks and birdcages and patchwork purses and chandelier earrings. I have never participated in an end of the school year parade, and, regrettably, I didn’t have a cousin who lived in the apartment downstairs from me when I was growing up. And most of all, as much as I wish I could, I have never witnessed magic. At least not the kind that shows up in my books. Not the magic passed down through generations, not the kind of magic that the best friend cousins of my HAND-ME-DOWN MAGIC series encounter in book after book.

But. I did have a best friend growing up, and we did it get into fights. I did have family that I sometimes felt part of and sometimes felt confused about my place in. I did feel jealous when a friend had something I wanted, and I did feel scared when things didn’t feel entirely in my control. Some of those things—fighting with a friend, feeling jealous or scared or left out or uncertain about who you are—are a little bit scary. Uncomfortable. Hard to talk about, and harder still to write a whole book or series of books about. When I am feeling those hard and scary and uncomfortable feelings, for myself or for my characters, I know it’s time for magic.

When something feels hard to look at straight on, I introduce a bit of magic to help make it easier to understand. Because there’s a lot about the world I don’t understand! There’s a lot about my characters’ worlds that I don’t understand right away. I don’t know when I first start writing why a particular bag in a particular shop window could make someone feel like they would become the best version of themselves if only they had it over their shoulder. And I don’t know why someone else’s happiness can sometimes feel like a personal slight. Or why it is hard to share in that happiness sometimes. I don’t even really know how to solve those problems, or any of the strange and awkward and tricky and uncomfortable problems that arise simply from being a person in the world interacting with other people. But I do know that many of us think we aren’t supposed to talk about those messier parts of our hearts and friendships and lives. And I do know that if I add magic, the conversation becomes easier.

I don’t try to hide the truth in my books—that doesn’t feel fair to anyone—me or my readers or the characters I spend so much time writing and falling in love with. But I try to make the truth easier to understand, easier to look at straight on, easier to manage. Magic helps manage hard truths—big ones, sure, but small ones too, little moments where your heart hurts or you are blushing and wish you weren’t, or your best friend is making you mad or sad or uncomfortable and you don’t know why. Look! Look at me! Magic says in those hard moments in my books,  I’m here too! Maybe I can help? Maybe I can explain it? Or maybe I just make things a little lighter, a little prettier, a little more interesting than regular old life is.

Sometimes, I use magic to make a feeling bigger: what if Alma feels a little left out of her family life, not just because she hasn’t lived in the same home as them ever before, but also because the rest of them have a belief in magic that she just can’t seem to muster?

It’s an added layer to bulk up the feelings I want to discuss. A way to turn up the volume on the circumstances, so make sure they come through loud and clear.

Sometimes, I use magic to make the feeling easier: Someone I loved did something mean to me: maybe it was because of magic?

Mostly I use magic to make things easier to talk about: Life is confusing and big and hard to understand and not in our control and that is scary. But Del doesn’t want to say all of that. Or even think it. Del is scared of a crystal ball telling fortunes that come true in tricky ways. Let’s talk about that, and maybe it will show us some other things along the way.

Magic is sneaky. Maybe when we talk about Del’s fear of her crystal ball, we can start talking about other things that happen unexpectedly or other times we think something bad might be our fault. Magic lets a conversation evolve naturally, instead of going right to the center of things. Magic is a beautiful and fun and silly and shiny way in to the scary things.

It is easier to talk about the world—a world which is sometimes very challenging and uncomfortable and sometimes even a bit sad and lonely, especially lately—when there is a mix of the familiar and the mysterious. A mix of real life and magic. A combination of the things we understand and the things we never fully will. Magic, when done well, is the bridge between those two things.

Using a bit of magic to talk about the real world reminds me of an old fashioned radio dial. Magic can turn things up or down, it can cut through the static, it can help you search for the story you want to hear, it is a tool in the toolbox of a writer, and a reader, and a person in the world, when you are a bit lost and bit frightened and a bit unsure. I am those things pretty often. That’s why I use magic so much!

The truth is—I’m a writer and a reader and a parent and a person in the world, and I’m just as flummoxed as everyone else, about why things are the way they are or feel the way they feel. Magic helps me make sense of it all too, it gives me a little space and perspective, a new angle at which to look at my character’s circumstances. Which in turn helps me make sense of my own. I believe it can help make sense of things for young readers, too. Magic can bring order to the mess and can put a magnifying glass to the tiny tricky details. It can amplify what we need to look at more closely, a quiet what feels too scary to approach head on.

We all want to reach young people, we all want a way in. For me, magic is the way.

Maybe it can be for you too.

Hand-Me-Down Magic: Perfect Patchwork Purse
Author: Corey Ann Haydu
Illustrator: Luisa Uribe
Published May 4, 2021 by Katherine Tegen Books

About the Book: Family magic saves the day for best-friend-cousins Del and Alma in the third Hand-Me-Down Magic book! With adorable illustrations and short, easy-to-read chapters, this series is perfect for fans of Ivy & Bean and Dory Fantasmagory.

Almaknew it the first time she saw it: The patchwork purse in the window of the Curious Cousins Secondhand Shoppe was magical. Special. Perfect. But when her friend Cassie spots the purse and buys it, what could Alma do but agree that the purse really did look just right on Cassie?

Del decides it’s up to her to bring some homespun magic back into Alma’s life, and she’s got just the plan to do it. After all, she is the EXPERT on magic!

All she needs is some glitter and lots and lots of glue . . . because she knows magic can always come from the most unexpected places, but most importantly, that best-friend-cousins never let each other down.

About the Author: Corey Ann Haydu is the author of Eventown, The Someday Suitcase, and Rules for Stealing Stars and four acclaimed books for teens. She grew up in the Boston area, earned her MFA at the New School, and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her dog Oscar. Find out more at www.coreyannhaydu.com.

Thank you, Corey, for sharing how you use magic to tackle what is real!

Author Guest Post: “Using Similes and Metaphors to Spark Conversations about the Power of Empathy” by Michelle Schaub, Author of Kindness is a Kite String

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“Using Similes and Metaphors to Spark Conversations about the Power of Empathy”

One of the most important things we can do as parents and educators is encourage kids to be kind.  Not only does fostering a culture of kindness and empathy create a positive learning environment, but it also improves kids’ sense of well-being and agency. Besides, spreading kindness makes the world a little brighter. And who doesn’t want that?

How can you cultivate kindness, both in the classroom and at home?

One simple way to develop this much needed virtue is by sharing books that model kind behavior. My picture book, Kindness is a Kite String, does just that. The book starts with the words, “Kindness is like sunshine, it starts the day off right” and shows a child hugging his mom. This starts a wave of kindness that ripples through the community, connect diverse groups of people. As readers follow the story, they gather ideas for ways they can lift others with kindness.

Building Connections with Similes and Metaphors

Each action in Kindness is a Kite String is described using a simile or metaphor. For example, “Kindness is an open door to welcome others through,” and “Kindness runs like dominoes. Reach out and tip a tile.” As a writer and teacher, I know that similes and metaphors are powerful tools. They unlock readers’ imaginations and inspire mental pictures. Similes and metaphors build connections that promote understanding. They help kids comprehend something unfamiliar or abstract (like kindness) by comparing it to something they know well (like sunshine or an open door). In this way, similes and metaphors go hand in hand with kindness. When you act with kindness, you also bridge the gap between something familiar (yourself) and something that might seem new or different (others).

Kindness is a Kite String packs a double educational punch. Not only does the book help spark conversations about empathy, but it also provides models of similes and metaphors in action. That’s good news, considering knowledge of figurative language, including similes and metaphors, is part of the ELA Common Core Standards starting in grade three. However, this concept is often introduced with even younger kids.

Kindness is…

How can you use Kindness is a Kite String to reinforce the concept of similes and metaphors?

One way is by creating a collective “kindness poem.” I have found writing collective poems to be a very effective and engaging strategy to use with students. In a collective poem, each child contributes a line according to a provided prompt or rule. Collective poetry is a great warm-up writing activity because it invites all students to participate without the pressure of having to compose an entire poem from the get-go. It’s also an effective way to explore different perspectives on a topic, like kindness.

After reading KINDNESS IS A KITE STRING with your class, take some time to define and review similes and metaphors. The Authors Note at the back of the book will help you do this. Then provide the provide the prompts, “Kindness is  like…”(for similes)  and/or “Kindness is… (for metaphors.) If you’re working with students in person, you can write this prompt on the board. If you’re working with students remotely, try posting the prompt with an online program like Padlet or Flipgrid.  Ask students to think of something that they enjoy doing or something makes them happy. Ask them how this activity or object might relate to kindness. After modeling some possible responses, invite each student to contribute their own simile or metaphor to complete the prompt. String the student responses together and you’ll have a kindness poem to display in your classroom or home.

Here’s an example of a kindness poem I started with second and third graders:

Kindness is
a cuddly kitten-
it makes you feel warm and cozy.

Kindness is like
a trampoline
bouncing happiness from one person to another.

Kindness is
Lego bricks
because kind deeds build on one another.

Kindness is like
a bowl of popcorn
because it’s meant to be shared.

Not only will your kindness poem remind kids to act with kindness, but it will also serve as great student-created examples of similes and metaphors.

Continue the Kindness Chain

There are many other ways Kindness is a Kite String can spark conversations about the power of empathy. The front of the book includes prompts to use before, during, and after reading. For example, one prompt says: “The last line of the book is ‘When you catch it, pass it on.’ Ask your child what kindness they have caught. What can they do to pass it on?” A free Readers Guide, downloadable from my website,  also accompanies the book. It includes activities like a printable Kindness certificates and a kindness journal for kids to log their empathetic actions.

You can continue to reinforce kindness by exploring other recent picture books with themes of empathy, including Evie’s Field Day, by Claire Noland, Be Kind, by Pat Zietlow Miller, The Big Umbrella, by Amy June Bates, and Scribble Stones, by Diane Alber.

I hope I’ve inspired you with some new ways to promote kindness with kids.  After all, as I say at the end of Kindness is a Kite String, “kindness is contagious. When you catch it… pass it on!”

Kindness is a Kite String: The Uplifting Power of Empathy
Author: Michelle Schaub
Illustrator: Claire LaForte
Published April 1st, 2021 by Cardinal Rule Press

About the Book: Cultivating kindness is easy when you try. Spread a little kindness and watch empathy ripple through the community… spreading happiness like sunshine, connecting diverse groups like a footbridge and lifting hope like a kite string.

How can YOU lift others with kindness?

This compelling book illustrates simple, yet impactful ways, to spread kindness and brighten the lives of others. Through poetry, the inspiring words uplift young readers, planting seeds of empathy, kindness and community support.

The best book for positively teaching kindness.

Kindness is a Kite by Michelle Schaub carries the key message of kindness as well as how to teach similes and metaphors supported by the many advocates of positive parenting solutions. It’ll sit comfortably on your shelf alongside other books that focus on the power of kindness.

This book comes with a free Reader’s Guide for children. The guide is available for free download from the publisher website. Lesson plans, activities and discussion questions to allow parents, teachers and caregivers to explore the topic further and deepen comprehension.

READER’S GUIDE

COLORING PAGES

READ-ALOUD

SEE INSIDE THE BOOK

About the Author: Michelle Schaub is an award-winning children’s author and language arts teacher. Her previous books include Dream Big, Little Scientists, Finding Treasure: A Collection of Collections, and Fresh-Picked Poetry: A Day at the Farmers’ Market. Her poems appear in several anthologies, including Great Morning! Poems for School Leaders to Read Aloud. Michelle speaks at conferences on the power of poetry to boost literacy. Michelle lives near Chicago, where she loves finding creative ways to cultivate kindness.

Thank you, Michelle, for writing this book for kids. Kindness and empathy are what is going to change this world–thank you for opening up the conversation more!

Author Guest Post: “Two Words That Can Help with Writer’s Block in Students!” by By I.M. Maynard, Author of the Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar

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“Two Words That Can Help with Writer’s Block in Students!”

Imagine, you’ve just announced an end-of-school year creative writing assignment for your students. You are expecting a positive response given your school just hosted a local author who talked about the writing process or your class just finished an inspiring novel. Besides, all students want to express themselves, right? And in creative writing, there are no wrong answers and so this should be a slam dunk assignment.

Then the arms shoot up into the air.

“What can we write about?” Anything, you respond.

“Can it be about space aliens?” Yes.

“How about super heroes?” Absolutely.

Can I write about myself?” Sure. This is your assignment. Be creative and have fun.

This is going really well. The students are as excited as you are about this assignment. But when you walk down the row of desks to check on their progress you notice that several notebooks or laptops remain blank. These students defend their lack of progress by saying that they have nothing to write about. They don’t know how to start. Even the students who started strong complained of writer’s block. “I don’t know what to write next. I’m stuck.”

If this scene plays out in your classroom, it is time to let them in on the creative writing secret that has launched stories and even writing careers. It was certainly key to my middle grade time travel series, Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar. The creative writing secret I refer to is what I call the what if technique. In my view, what if are the two most important words in creative writing.

The origin of my middle grade time travel series started as a what if. My toddler son was obsessed with calendars. About the same time, he was given a children’s magic kit with a cartoon magician featured on outside of the kit box. It got me thinking: what if the magic wand was used to turn the calendar magic? Thus started my journey with Roger Tarkington and his adventures at Jefferson Middle School.

While I can’t be certain, I would imagine that many stories started using what if.

          What if a boy were trapped inside a video game (Trapped in a Video Game)? What if a student with a face deformity went to school for the first time (Wonder)?  What if a boy was stranded alone in the woods (Hatchet)? Asking what if can help turn an ordinary situation, such as playing a video game, hiking in the woods, or going to school, into an intriguing premise for your next story.

Answering the what if question often leads to more questions. For example, how did a boy end up in the woods by himself? Perhaps the author used what if to come up with options, such as: What if he got lost by taking the wrong trail? What if he was on a school or Boy Scout outing and got separated from the group? What if the small plane he traveled in crashed in the middle of the woods?

I went through several what if scenarios before I settled on the premise of Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar. Originally, I was focused on the magic wand from the magic kit. I looked around my son’s playroom and asked a series of what if questions. What if the magic wand brought my son’s stuffed animals to life? I liked that idea, but it was too similar to the movie, Toy Story. What if the magic wand was used to turn my toddler son into a grown man? No, I wanted to tell a children’s focused story and so I opted against that idea. It wasn’t until I saw my son sitting near the magic kit while looking through a wall calendar that I came up with the premise of a magic calendar that allows someone to repeat days of the week by touching inside the calendar day. The idea matched my interest in writing about everyday school life, but with a fun time travel-like twist.

Inevitably, writer’s hit snags in their story. The what if technique is a great place to start in overcoming what seems like impossible roadblocks. During this brainstorming, I write down every what if answer, especially the silliest ones. If nothing stands out, I come back to the sheet of paper later and reread the answers. If nothing else, you’ll get a good laugh. However, this review often triggers new what if answers, sometimes ones that combine elements of two different answers.

The what if technique forces writers to face the creative problems they face with action. The technique also shifts the focus from negative thinking (i.e., I don’t have any ideas, I have writer’s block) to possibility simply by framing the roadblock as a question.

So does the what if technique solve every writing problem? Of course not. What if won’t motivate you to write, it won’t help with sentence structure or spelling, and it won’t address writer doubt or fatigue. However, the what if technique and similar writing strategies can help writers at any level or writing stages to address challenges and find solutions so that writers can get to the two next important words in creative writing: the end.

About the Book: Meet Roger Tarkington.

The almost 11-year-old has a plan for middle school greatness. A perfect plan that—lasts for all of about five minutes. 286 seconds, to be exact.

It’s all ruined when Kyle-the-Vile Brossman appears unexpectedly on the first day of school. Making matters worse, Kyle pledges to make Roger’s year miserable, just like he did at Bellingware Elementary School.

Roger’s unlucky start to sixth grade turns magical when his calendar turns into a time travel portal that allows him to repeat days.

Influenced by his Middle School Greatness Tip #31 (Don’t wait for it to happen, make it happen), Roger devises a new plan to use his magic calendar to beat Kyle, clearing his path to middle school greatness.

Foolproof plan for middle school success, right? Maybe in real life, but remember, this is middle school!

Will Roger succeed in using his magic calendar to standout at Jefferson Middle School and achieve middle school greatness?

Or will he fall under the constant attacks from Kyle and the unexpected, everyday obstacles of middle school?

About the Author: I.M. Maynard is the author of the Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar middle grade time travel series. The first book in the series, Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar: Quest for Middle School Greatness, was released in 2020. The second book in the series, Roger Tarkington and the Magic Calendar: Surviving Middle School, was released in 2021. I.M. Maynard is currently working on the third and final book in the series. When he isn’t writing, I.M. Maynard enjoys reading. HIs favorite contemporary authors include Louis Sachar (Holes), Stuart Gibbs (Spy School), Gordon Korman (Jackpot), and Chris Rylander (The Fourth Stall). Born and educated in the Midwest, I.M. Maynard now lives on the East Coast with his wife and son, who was the inspiration for the middle grade series. Learn more about I.M. Maynard at https://www.maynardauthor.com/.

Thank you, I.M., for this post showing how to help students get those creative juices flowing!