Author – Page 43 – Unleashing Readers

Blog Tour with Author Guest Post and Giveaway!: Ornaments of Love by Sharlin Craig

November 6, 2016 by Kellee

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say Christmas is my favorite time of the year. And when it comes to kids, the majority of them probably agree. Sure, the kids are excited because Santa comes and brings them presents, but also because there’s a festive feel in the air. People tend to be happier and smile more during the holiday season. Fun activities abound during the season between Thanksgiving and Christmas such as parties, baking cookies, decorating the tree, reading favorite Christmas books, singing Christmas carols and so much more.

I was inspired by my own happy family experiences growing up and also by my husband and now 9-year-old daughter to write my debut children’s book titled, “Ornaments of Love”. It’s a story about a mom and dad who get too busy over the Christmas season to find the time to decorate the tree with their 10 year-old-daughter, Ayana. As the story evolves, the family is pulled together by an unexpected, serendipitous event.

As a teacher, why not integrate some of the fun and excitement of the holidays into the classroom setting? Below are some ways of utilizing the “Ornaments of Love” story with this purpose in mind:

English Language Arts: Poetry related to family theme or holiday-(Can be about Christmas or a different holiday if the child doesn’t celebrate Christmas i.e. Hanukah/Ramadan/Chinese New Year, etc)

Cinquain

Christmas (2 syllables)
Family time (4 syllables)
Presents, Decorations (6 syllables)
Laughter, Smiles, Cookies, Music (8 syllables)
Happy (2 syllables)

Haiku

I love Christmas time (5 syllables)
Believe, Joy, Hope, Love, Faith, Peace (7 syllables)
Celebration time (5 syllables)

I am Poem

I am (two special characteristics) (happy and excited)
I wonder (something you are actually curious about) (when we’ll decorate the tree?)
I hear (an imaginary sound) (Rosie bark)
I see (an imaginary sight) (a bare Christmas tree)
I want (an actual desire) (to decorate the tree with my family)
I am (the first line of the poem restated) (happy and excited)
I pretend (something you actually pretend to do) (that they’re decorating the tree right now)
I feel (a feeling about something imaginary) (lonely)
I touch (an imaginary touch) (an ornament)
I worry (something that really bothers you) (that it will be this way each year from now on)
I cry (something that makes you very sad) (because I want to do this with them)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated) (happy and excited)
I understand (something you know is true) (that they’re busy)
I say (something you believe in) (that I want to spend time with them)
I dream (something you actually dream about) (of many happy Christmases)
I try (something you really make an effort about) (to decorate this tree by myself)
I hope (something you actually hope for) (that they’ll come help me soon)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated) (happy and excited)

Acrostic-(A poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words.)

O ld
R egal
N ew
A nimals
M e as a baby
E nchanting
N ativity
T welve days of Christmas

Character analysis-Open Mind Portrait

Students considers the thoughts that each character in the story is having.

Student creates a portrait surrounded by characters’ thoughts in thought bubbles.

Writing Prompts– Here are some creative writing prompts and journal ideas teachers can use during the month of December:

-A wonderful Christmas or Holiday memory
-If I owned a toy store
-What does ‘Peace on Earth’ mean to you?
-A letter to Santa about a friend who has been very good this year
-Why we should have the Christmas spirit all year long
-What I want to do over the winter holiday
-My vacation at the North Pole
-If I could give a gift to the world, what would it be?

Ornament Hunt Game-For homeschoolers or teachers who have Christmas trees set up in the classroom, teachers can have students write a description down for each ornament that will be going on the tree. While the children aren’t in the room, the teacher can hang the ornaments on the tree and when the students return, they can play a game finding each ornament and checking them off their lists.

Social Studies: Celebrating Christmas around the world: “Ornaments of Love” can be used as one example of how Christmas is celebrated in the United States. This provides a gateway for learning about how other cultures around the world celebrate Christmas. This can also open a discussion about cultures that don’t celebrate Christmas and what holidays they do celebrate.

Science: Investigating Christmas trees

-Have students look at a real, mini Christmas tree and describe the color and branches. Discuss how the tree’s leaves stay green in the winter because Evergreens are adapted to survive the cold weather, how most Evergreen trees do not have regular leaves, how they are needles or really hard leaves, with a thick-skin, and how they have an ‘antifreeze’ chemical in the leaf to keep it from freezing.

-Explain how they produce chlorophyll year round, which helps with photosynthesis and therefore keeps the Evergreens green all year long.

– Have the children smell the tree, feel it and describe the texture. Show them the roots and talk about how the roots absorb the water. Have them measure the tree: the height, width, length of the branches and width of the leaves. Older children can produce a graph of the data. Look at the leaves through a magnifying glass and discuss what they find.

Visual Arts:

-Students can design and create ornaments out of various materials available in the classroom.

-Students can create an original cover for “Ornaments of Love” with the cover including the title of the book and the author.

-Coloring Pages: The teacher can copy coloring pages from the “Ornaments of Love Coloring Book” and have the students color them. Colored pencils or crayons can be used and students can practice the art of shading darks and lights within the pictures.

Performing Arts:

-Students may break into groups of 3-4 (Ayana, Mom, Dad and Rosie) and select a portion of the book to reenact.

-Students may select class members to represent characters in the story and interview them.

Ornaments of Love Description: A touching Christmas story with glowing illustrations, Ornaments of Love is a story to cherish for years to come. A beautiful tale of Ayana, an endearing ten-year-old who excitedly anticipates that special time of year when the entire family joins together to decorate and admire the Christmas tree.

But sadly this year is different. Ayana realizes that her mom and dad are far too busy with everything else to enjoy the tree with Ayana. Then, something unexpected happens and the family is brought together with tenderness and joy.

Filled to the brim and overflowing with charming moments, gentle humor, and timeless illustrations, this beautiful story is a wonderful reminder of what’s important not only during the Christmas season, but every day of our lives. Ornaments of Love is destined to become one of your favorite holiday stories. One that will remain in your heart forever.

Ornaments of Love Coloring Book Description: This beautifully designed coloring book is a companion or stand-alone book to the original Ornaments of Love picture book. It contains not only the complete story of Ornaments of Love, but also provides 21 full-size coloring pages for artists of all ages. The Ornaments of Love coloring book was created to bring families together at Christmas time. It provides families a perfect way to reduce holiday stress by spending quiet time coloring pages that showcase angels, bells, stars and much more.

Coloring pages range from easy to difficult, perfect for all family members!

Additional complimentary coloring pages are available to print online with the purchase of the coloring book.

Make this a special gift for your loved ones by also purchasing the original Ornaments of Love picture book with full color illustrations.

Three coloring pages are available on Sharlin’s website for preview: http://www.sharlincraig.com/

About the Author: Sharlin Craig, a Detroit native who now resides in southern California with her husband and daughter, is dedicated to writing inspirational children’s books that touch the spirit of her readers. A graduate of Oakland University, she’s taught music to children for several years while also writing music and lyrics. She’s combined her love for children and writing into authoring her debut children’s Christmas picture book, Ornaments of Love.

Sharlin believes that with the right surroundings and daily encouragement, children are boundless. She’s passionate about helping children feel understood and empowered through her books and hopes that her stories make them smile.

Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t miss out on other blog tour stops!

Thursday, Oct. 27th: This Mom’s Delight (Review)
Tuesday, Nov. 1st: K&A’s Childrens’ Book Reviews (Review & Giveaway)
Thursday, Nov. 3rd: Amanda’s Books and More (Review & Giveaway)
Friday, Nov. 4th: Mamitales (Review & Giveaway)
Saturday, Nov. 5th: Christy’s Cozy Corners (Review, Guest Post-‘My Favorite Ornament Memories’ & Giveaway)
Sunday, November 6th^:: Unleashing Readers (Guest Post-‘Integrating Ornaments of Love into the Classroom Setting’ & Giveaway)
Monday, November 7^th: The Write Chris (Author Interview & Giveaway)
Wednesday, November 9^th: This Mom’s Delight (Guest Post-‘Affirm Your Child’s Worth by Spending Time with Them’ & Giveaway)
Friday, November 11^th: All Done Monkey (Post-‘10 Ways to Make the Holidays Special’, Review & Giveaway)
Monday, November 14^th: Connie M. Huddleston (Monday Morning Indie: Review & Interview)

Thank you so much Sharlin for the guest post that will definitely be useful to many teachers coming this winter!

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Author Guest Post!: “How History Revealed the Environmental Story Behind D is for Dudley” by Ron Chandler, Author of D is for Dudley & Other Nature Tales

October 30, 2016 by Kellee

“How History Revealed the Environmental Story Behind D is for Dudley”

As a nature writer I have always been interested in the outdoors and in how people use the resources found there. So it was no different when I became fascinated by sea turtles. Originally, I thought it would be a good story to discuss how different locations handle their nature areas (i.e., states like Massachusetts and Florida have robust programs to protect sea turtles and the beaches that have become their habitat). Then I realized it would be a better story to tell how the use of a land area has changed over time. The land area in question in the story, D is for Dudley, is Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Currently, it is an area the has a lot of small towns and farms that use modern agriculture techniques. But I wondered, How has this area changed in the last 150 years? So in the story the main characters, Valerie and Doug, obtain their great grandfather’s diary, which reveals what Tilghman Cove was like a long time ago. This post will disclose the techniques that I used to unlock that secret.

At one time every area of the country was pristine with untouched landscapes and wild animals roaming everywhere. So I decided to first do research at the local libraries in Easton and Salisbury, Maryland. There I found books retained in special collections that documented the exploits of early explorers. Captain John Smith, the English explorer, was the first European to sail in the Chesapeake Bay. I read his narratives of the areas he explored to get a baseline assessment. Then I looked at how the agriculture industry has changed on the Eastern Shore. Now the main crops are corn and soybeans, but 150 years ago the main crops were wheat and tobacco. In my story I decided to have an entry in the great grandfather’s diary about how he rolled tobacco bales from his farm to the tributary of the Chesapeake Bay to be picked up by a larger ship. This research technique also disclosed several facts I could not use (i.e. wheat milled on the Eastern Shore was transported to Valley Forge to help feed George Washington’s troops during the Revolutionary War.).

My second research technique was to look at how current events repeat themselves and thus, effect the environment. For instance, floods are generally regarded as bad. But flood waters carry silt that replenish areas used to farm crops. In my research of current events, I discovered that about once every five years, a stray manatee from Florida will swim up the East Coast and then the Chesapeake Bay. When the weather turns cold, the manatee will swim back south. So I figured that if a stray manatee can do that now when there is a lot of coastal pollution, then what was it like 150 years ago. So I put a scene in the story about manatees.

Third, no story is realistic without accurate descriptions. To obtain this I visited several untouched nature areas. In Maryland, I spent time at visiting the Pocomoke River, which is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. This area is largely protected and has wetlands and forests along the river which are virtually similar to the landscape that Captain John Smith explored. I also visited Blue Spring Park in Florida to get a close-up look at manatees.

Finally, I took a look at how people talked about their environment 150 years ago. For example, the term “wetland” is a modern term. Back then people would talk about marshes and swamps. I also looked at their use of dialect. This research can be done by reading old letters from early settlers or by listening to the old letters read in documentaries (i.e., programs about the Civil War and other historical events). Then as a final step, I completed a lexicon of the language and terms used back then.

So these four steps (book research, current event research, field trips, and looking at the use of language) can unlock the historical story behind any developed area.

D is for Dudley & Other Nature Tales
Author: Ron Chandler
Published November 2nd, 2015

About the Book: This middle grade reader will raise environmental awareness. The title story is about a brother and sister relying on their wits to try to save the largest terrapin in Tilghman Cove from being hunted by fishermen. The book contains ten other short stories about boys trying to find courage or understand the outdoors and girls struggling to realize their dreams.

About the Author: Ron Chandler is a freelance writer from Baltimore, Maryland. His short stories and poems have been published in over 30 literary magazines including The Binnacle – University of Maine at Machias, Blueline – SUNY Potsdam, Capper’s, Pink Chameleon, Storyteller, and Toasted Cheese.

Thank you to Ron for this key to research!

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#TrueFriends with Kirby Larson, Augusta Scattergood, Barbara O’Connor, and Susan Hill Long

October 28, 2016 by Kellee

Four authors.
Four friends.
Four books.
All about friendship.

Friendship is the key to happiness, especially during the middle-grade years when kids are facing so much. It is so important to have novels within our classrooms, libraries, and homes that promote positive, true friendships to help our readers find their way through these years. Join Kirby Larson, Susan Hill Long, August Scattergood, and Barbara O’Connor to explore true friendship using their newest novels!

Below each author will introduce their book, discuss the importance of friendship within, then end with a writing prompt.

Audacity Jones to the Rescue by Kirby Larson
Published January 26th, 2016 by Scholastic Press

The Magic Mirror: Concerning a Lonely Princess, a Foundling Girl, a Scheming King, and a Pickpocket Squirrel by Susan Hill Long
Published May 10th, 2016 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Making Friends with Billy Wong by August Scattergood
Published August 30th, 2016 by Scholastic Press

Wish by Barbara O’Connor
Published August 30th, 2016 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Activity Kit

The activity kit can also be accessed at HERE.

Giveaway!

Fifteen lucky winners will receive a set of the four #TrueFriends books: AUDACITY JONES TO THE RESCUE, THE MAGIC MIRROR, MAKING FRIENDS WITH BILLY WONG, and WISH. In addition, four Grand Prize winners will win a set of the books PLUS a 30-40 minute Skype visit for their school, classroom, or library with one of the #TrueFriends authors: Kirby Larson, Susan Hill Long, Augusta Scattergood, and Barbara O’Connor.

ENTER HERE!

And don’t miss out on any #TrueFriends information! Make sure to visit their You Tube Channel!

Thank you to the #TrueFriends authors and Blue Slip Media for having us be part of this celebration of friendship!

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Author Guest Post!: “Everybody has a Story” by Beth Vrabel, Author of A Blind Guide to Normal

October 23, 2016 by Kellee

“Everybody has a Story”

Everybody has a story.

As a writer and a reader, I know this to be true.

Write what you know.

This is another tenet that has stuck with me through my career with writing, especially as I moved from being a lifestyle columnist to a fiction writer. After all, is it any surprise that this girl (picture) wrote a book about a picked-on dorky fourth-grader? PACK OF DORKS, my debut novel, released in 2014.

Lucy’s story reflects many of my experiences as a 10 year old wondering if I’d ever make it to the “cool table” at the cafeteria. Only whereas fourth-grade me wallowed in dorkdom, Lucy stands up to her frenemies and bullies. Even better? She finds others to stand with her. With her “pack,” Lucy realizes she’s exactly where she wants to be. I gave Lucy the ending I wish I had been brave enough to give myself.

I’m proud of PACK OF DORKS, but shortly after it was published, I have to admit I also was embarrassed by the personal connection.

I was determined that my next book would be different. It’d be completely imaginative and new and unrelated to my own life. And do you know what happened?

Everyone died.

By page seventeen, all of my characters gave up the ghost. Again and again and again. My husband suggested I start writing short stories instead.

I stopped being embarrassed. I started being scared.

Scared that the only stories inside me were ones connected to my own life. Scared that I wasn’t original or fresh or, frankly, all that creative. And, like many of us do when we’re scared, I ran away from what frightened me—those personal connections. I still hadn’t learned my lesson that a bully must be faced head on, even when that bully is comprised of your own thoughts.

Luckily, something saved me.

As I recently shared in Albinism InSight magazine, shortly after we knew PACK OF DORKS would be published, my daughter asked me for help finding a book.

She wanted to read a book that dealt with a shared experience.

My daughter has albinism, like Alice. My girl’s albinism is mild—you probably wouldn’t recognize it in her when you met her. Her hair is strawberry blonde and her skin pale. Her eyes, like the eyes of everyone with albinism work differently and she is mildly visually impaired.

But we couldn’t seem to find a book, or even a movie, where a character had albinism yet wasn’t creepy, mystical or evil. Nowhere could we find a book about a regular girl who learns, grows, has friends and happens to have albinism.

Go ahead, give it a shot. Type in albinism—or worse, albino—into a popular bookseller’s website. I did and found the following:

A dystopian young adult series in which people with albinism take over the world, destroying the lives of the “pigmented.”
A crime mystery in which the sinister villain and art thief is called The Albino.
A book about a young “albino detective” who is able to psychically solve cases.
A story about an “albino witch” who uses her powers to force apart two lovers.

It made me angry. It broke my heart.

My husband and I work hard to show our daughter that though she was born with this challenge, it does not define her. She has more in common with everyone else than this one thing that might set her apart. We tell her again and again that everybody faces challenges.

And today my girl is 13, an avid reader, a brilliant student and, making me the most proud, one of the kindest people I know. We know albinism is beautiful.

That’s why is so frustrating to see it portrayed in such ugly ways.

And so I stopped running from my own connections; instead, I leaned into them.

I wrote the story I wanted my girl to have. A story about a 12-year-old girl named Alice. She’s smart and kind, capable and caring, brave though often overwhelmed. And she happens to have albinism.

Alice scouts out stories in her new town and proves to the townspeople, her family, and, most importantly, herself that blindness is just part of who she is, not all she can be.

It’s gotten great reviews. In fact, The International Literacy Association named it the winner of its intermediate fiction prize, which is a tremendous honor.

But the reviewer whose opinion means most to me has the bedroom next to mine.

And my daughter loves the book. She read it chapter by chapter as I wrote it. Her enthusiasm propelled me to dig deeper and shine a light on other issues too often buried in children’s literature.

Let me be very clear that my daughter and Alice are different. My daughter has her own story, just like each of us, one that’s hers to share whenever and however she’d like.

Everyone has a story.

My stories reflect me.

And here’s the irony—writing stories that mirror my heart has allowed me to write characters I never would’ve dreamed possible.

Characters like Richie Ryder Raymond. You’re introduced to this wise-cracking, witty and clever boy in STINKVILLE. Richie gets his own book in A BLIND GUIDE TO NORMAL, releasing Oct. 11 through Sky Pony Press.

Due to a childhood cancer, Richie has an artificial eye and low vision in his remaining eye. I don’t have a lot in common with a 14-year-old boy, let alone a cancer survivor.

But I do know how scary it is start something new. I know what’s like to want something you can’t ever have. I know what it’s like to be awkward and cover it with humor.

Once again, I relied on those shared experiences—and a lot of research—to live through my characters. I realize now doing this makes my stories original, keeps them fresh and requires creativity.

About the Author: Beth Vrabel is the award-winning author of A Blind Guide to Stinkville (winner of the 2016 ILA Award for Intermediate Fiction), A Blind Guide to Normal, and the Pack of Dorks series. She can’t clap to the beat or be trusted around Nutella, but indulges in both often, much to the dismay of her family. Please visit her online at www.bethvrabel.com, on Twitter @beth_vrabel, or on Instagram @authorbethvrabel.

Thank you, Beth, for this outpouring and important post!

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Author Guest Post!: “I Am An Unlikable Heroine” by Brianna R. Shrum, Author of How to Make Out

October 16, 2016 by Kellee

“I Am An Unlikable Heroine”

Molly Ringwald sits in library detention, opposite Ally Sheedy, losing it over life and love and the particular unfairness of being a teenage girl. And there is a very specific injustice in it. “If you say you haven’ t [had sex] ,” Sheedy says, “you’re a prude. If you say you have, you’re a slut.”

“You’re so conceited, Claire,” says Anthony Michael Hall, because Ringwald revels in popularity. Ally Sheedy hides in the shadows, the least conceited of them all, and they call her a freak for it. Condemned if you do, condemned if you don’t. Give Judd Nelson one victorious fist pump as the credits roll, and BAM. You’ve got a hero. And every terrible thing he ever said up to that point just dissipates.

Is anything more important, more subversive, for people to read in a classroom than an unlikable girl?

We grow up in school reading Holden Caulfield, Jay Gatsby, Odysseus, and the message is clear: you boys, made of snakes and snails and puppy dog tails, show your teeth and the world will remember you for a hundred years. But what about the girls? Be sweet and good and kind and nurturing, and the world may not remember you…but the boys sure will. Boys who conquer the world are active. Flawed. Anti-heroes. Girls in stories can take the world by the scruff of its neck, and they are unlikable.

The thing I have most consistently found, in regards to Renley, the protagonist of my novel, How to Make Out, is that she is unlikable. Man does she make some mistakes. And she makes some BIG ONES, and makes them with gusto! And to that theme, I say, “You are right.”

But here’s the thing: I am unlikable. I was unlikable when I was 10 because I loved The Backstreet Boys, and the Backstreet Boys were trash pop. I was unlikable when I was 14 because I played basketball and wore high-cut puppy dog shirts that went up to my throat and did nothing to show off my curves, and didn’t I want to be a girl? I was unlikable when I was 16 and showed up to school with a hickey on my neck. I was unlikable when I was 18 because I got married, and at 21 because I had a baby and those choices were ridiculous. I was unlikable at 22 because I worried too much about the highlights in my hair and wore skirts everywhere, and lord, isn’t that vain? I was unlikable at 25 because I wore Hogwarts t-shirts and played video games but didn’t know what exactly happened at hour 2, minute 17 of a 70-hour game and so I was a fake geek girl. I am unlikable at 26 because I have blue hair and daydream about tattoos.

I am an unlikable heroine.

GIRLS are unlikable heroines.

Wouldn’t it have been amazing to have grown up in a classroom library just FULL OF US?

Wouldn’t it have been incredible for the boys to see that sometimes they can be made of sugar and spice? And that sometimes girls can have snakes and snails running through their veins too?

How delightful a thing, to grow up surrounded by people of EVERY gender who make mistakes, and who live.

How incredible to be given permission to not judge your worth and validity by being likable.

About the Book: Sixteen-year-old Renley needs three thousand dollars for the math club’s trip to New York City, and she knows exactly how to get it: she’s going to start a how-to blog where people pay for answers to all of life’s questions from a “certified expert.” The only problems: 1) She doesn’t know how to do anything but long division and calculus. 2) She’s totally invisible to people at school. And not in a cool Gossip Girl kind of way.

So, she decides to learn to do . . . well . . . everything. When her anonymous blog shifts in a more scandalous direction and the questions (and money) start rolling in, she has to learn not just how to do waterfall braids and cat-eye makeup, but a few other things, like how to cure a hangover, how to flirt, and how to make out (something her very experienced, and very in-love-with-her neighbor, Drew, is more than willing to help with).

As her blog’s reputation skyrockets, so does “new and improved” Renley’s popularity. She’s not only nabbed the attention of the entire school, but also the eye of Seth Levine, the hot culinary wizard she’s admired from across the home-ec classroom all year.

Soon, caught up in the thrill of popularity both in and out of cyberspace, her secrets start to spiral, and she finds that she’s forgotten the most important how-to: how to be herself. When her online and real lives converge, Renley will have to make a choice: lose everything she loves in her new life, or everyone she loves in the life she left behind.

About the Author: Brianna Shrum lives in Colorado with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband and two uber-hyper, superhero-obsessed little boys. She thinks chai tea is proof of magic in the world, and loves all things kissy, magical, and strange. She’d totally love to connect with you, so you can find her online at briannashrum.com or saying ridiculous things on Twitter @briannashrum.

Thank you Brianna for this important conversation-starting post!

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**Thank you to Cheryl at Skyhorse Publishing for setting up the guest post!**

Author Guest Post!: “Alaska Smokejumpers” by Mark Thiessen, Author of Extreme Wildfire: Smoke Jumpers, High-Tech Gear, Survival Tactics and the Extraordinary Science of Fire

October 9, 2016 by Kellee

“Alaska Smokejumpers”

Imagine jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, deploying your parachute and landing at a very remote campsite. Except before you get a chance to enjoy camping, you have to fight a forest fire. That’s the job of smokejumpers and it’s unlike any other job in the world.

This summer I spent 4 weeks photographing smokejumpers for National Geographic Magazine working out of Fairbanks, Alaska. It’s a vast and remote landscape where the only way you can get to fires is by air. Most of these fires are caused by lightning. Thunderstorms roll through the landscape and pepper the forest with lightning bolts. The top of a tree may explode sending burning branches to the ground. They might sit there and smolder for a few days until the weather becomes hot, dry and windy. Then thin streams of white smoke rise up to the sky. These few smoldering branches are now burning and setting the neighboring trees and bushes on fire.

In Alaska it’s often a commercial or patrol aircraft will spot these new fires and radio the dispatch office. If these fires are in remote places far from any road, they call in the smokejumpers. Planes and parachutes are the fastest way to get firefighters to the scene.

Once a plane of smokejumpers is circling the area, they are looking out the windows trying to figure out where they will land and how they will approach each fire. After a “lightning bust” there will be many fires taking off at the same time. Right now they are small. That’s the idea, jump on them when they are small before they grow and require a lot more resources to put out.

Out they go….their parachutes burst open to slow their decent. One by one they drop into a meadow or clearing and hopefully not into any trees. Loads of cargo are parachuted to the same drop point. In these boxes are chain saws, axes, shovels, and extra food. The smokejumpers tents, sleeping bags, and extra clothes are all held in pockets of their jump suit or in their personal gear bag hanging on their waist.

On the ground they quickly get out of their jumpsuits, grab their tools and attack the fire. Starting at the heel where it is the coolest, they work their way towards the head. In Alaska during the summer the permafrost has melted and the ground is wet just below the surface. They use a unique tool called a “beater”, which looks like a mud flap attached to a flexible pole. They literally beat the flames down into the wet ground below. It doesn’t take much and works really well. As they work their way along the flank towards the head, they stay near the black area that has already burned, which is the safest place. There is always a chance the fire will blow up on them. Wildland firefighters have a saying, “Keep one foot in the black and you’ll always come back.”

When the fire gets knocked down, it could be in the wee hours of the morning. But in Alaska it never gets dark in the summer because it’s too far north. Exhausted from a hard day’s work, they eat their dinner, pitch their tents and reflect on what an amazing day it’s been.

Extreme Wildfire: Smoke Jumpers, High-Tech Gear, Survival Tactics and the Extraordinary Science of Fire
Author: Mark Thiessen
Published August 30th, 2016

Ripped straight from this summer’s headlines, renowned National Geographic photographer and wildfire expert Mark Thiessen brings young readers right into the flames with Extreme Wildfire: Smoke Jumpers, High-Tech Gear, Survival Tactics and the Extraordinary Science of Fire (ages 8-12). Featuring Thiessen’s adrenaline-filled first-person narrative and breathtaking photographs, readers can almost feel the impending heat and experience what it’s like to work side-by-side with the heroes who keep the world’s forests and their inhabitants safe.

In one moment, there’s a simple spark, and then roaring flames surge 200 feet into the air, devouring forests. Trees, from root to canopy, are burned to the ground. Airtankers and helicopters hover above, executing an air attack. Brave firefighters, equipped with flame resistant suits, leap from helicopters onto the treetops and descend to the blazing forest floor.

In this book, young readers will learn about the ecological impacts of wildfires, the ins and outs of fire science including tactics for prevention and containment, cutting-edge technology used to track wildfires and predict fire behavior, and about the impressive skill, survival tactics, and bravery required to control a wildfire. Also included are “Fire Facts,” Thiessen’s fascinating “Notes from the Field” and page after page of photographs’s from Thiessen’s 20+ years of photographing fires up close.

From a searing expanse of flames in Russia to barreling blazes in California, no wildfire is too extreme for Mark Thiessen. Based in D.C., he has traveled across the globe investigating dangerous infernos and working alongside courageous firefighting teams. Mark is available for interview and can talk about his why his idea of a vacation is placing himself in the middle of blazing fires, fire prevention techniques and tips and the effects of fires on the environment and wildlife. Here is a terrific video featuring Mark and his adventures: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/wildfire-photographer

Thank you to Mark for this truly important post!
And thank you to Karen from Media Masters Publicity for helping set up the post!

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Author Guest Post!: “Robots are Awesome!” by Brian Castleforte, Author of Papertoy Glowbots: 46 Glowing Robots You Can Make Yourself!

October 2, 2016 by Kellee

“Robots are awesome!”

Robots are awesome! But they are nothing without the creativity! When I was a kid, er, when I was a younger kid, I would create these wonderful robot costumes out of all sorts of random things – cardboard boxes and tubes wrapped in tin foil, old vacuum cleaner parts, and some not so old parts (thanks Mom), wires and hangers, light bulbs and flashlights, batteries, broken toys, metal, plastic, wood, paper, Play-Doh… You get the idea.

As an adult, er, as a big kid I still love to create all kinds of wonderful things, especially monsters and robots, be they costumes or paper toys. Designing my robots for Papertoy Glowbots was a lot of fun. There’s imaging the robots and then engineering the paper shapes, illustrating the skins, writing the stories and bios, naming them; it’s so much fun stepping into the challenge and experience of so much creative play. Like being a little kid again, I can’t help but imagine my bots getting into grand three dimensional adventures beyond the flat pages of my books. In the hearts, minds and hands of kids of all ages, there can be robot dance parties led by Big Fun and DJ Waveform, sending Sparxy and Traxx into space to search for life in distant galaxies, pitting The Bionic Yeti against Glitch Hardware in the robot battle of the century! Oops! My imagination is getting a little carried away there. You see, there is never a shortage of creativity inside us, we need only let it out.

As you can see, creativity is key. It is the driving force behind everything we think, say and do and ultimately create. This is what is meant by the expression “thoughts are things.” And it’s what makes us human.

So what will you create today? Remember it only takes a single piece of paper to jumpstart your imagination. I suggest you roll up your sleeves and dig in. You can start by creating papertoy monsters and robots from my books – with your kids or even without them. Trust me you aren’t the first “big kids” to play with my books. It’s fun. And it’s good for you. Good for your brain and fine motor skills, and it’s good for your inner child. And even better for inspiring the same kind of playfulness for the kids in your life.

Whether it’s a papertoy or working on your own creation, don’t forget you still have so many wonderful gifts of creativity waiting to be unwrapped and shared with the world. Gifts only you can create. And you’ll never know what those wonderful creations are until you get started.

So get glowing and get creative. The kid in you is waiting.

Papertoy Glowbots
Author: Brian Castleforte
Published August 23rd, 2016 by Workman Publishing Company

About the Book: Origami meets amazing creatures in a book of paper craft fun!

Papertoy Glowbots introduces 46 robots that have the added cool factor of lighting up, whether using glow-in-the-dark stickers that come with the book or light sources like flashlights, Christmas tree lights, and electric tea lights.

The 46 die-cut paper robots are created by Brian Castleforte, author of Papertoy Monsters, along with the hottest papertoy designers from around the world. Meet the robots and read about their entertaining backstories in the front, then turn to the card stock section in the back to build them. The templates are die-cut and ready to pop out, fold, and glue. Bold, colorful graphics ensure the robots look as amazing in the daytime as they do with the lights off.

About the Author: Brian Castleforte is an artist and graphic designer who has created cutting-edge graphics for Nike, Sony, Warner Brothers, MTV, and others. He is the creator of nicepapertoys.com, the first and only papertoy social network, and also created Papertoy Monsters. His work can also be found at Castleforte.com and on Twitter @castleforte.

Thank you to Brian for his creativity-inspiring post!

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