Already missing summer! What a treat it was to spend some summer days writing in the John Hay Writing Studio deep in the woods on Cape Cod. Thank you Brewster Conservation Trust for refurbishing the cabin that once belonged to John Hay, writer, naturalist, and founder of one of my favorite places, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History! Grateful to be included in this summer’s writers.
One of the things I have been grateful for during this turbulent time is the feedback I’ve received from readers of WHO’S HIDING IN THIS BOOK? MEET TEN FAMOUS AUTHORS. It is an honor as an author to see the life your book takes on after it leaves your hands.
Thank you to ALL my readers—the teachers who have shared their experience teaching this book in their classrooms; the four-year-olds who ask their parents about authors after reading the book; and the grandparents who have told me about reading it with their grandchildren. . .
So, thank you! I’m at work on my next project. . .Stay tuned!.
As someone with high reverence for books, it may seem surprising to hear me say, “Throw those books in the toy bin!” The precious spines! The delicate pages! The toil of the author and illustrator! But at a time when many of us are spending copious amounts of time at home and maybe rethinking organization—especially with little ones around!—I’ve considered getting some beautiful bookshelves, some book displays, and instilling a sense of order for the children’s books in our house. Of course, I have some very special signed copies from relatives and friends in a careful place. But for the most part, I think letting young kids have access to books in the same way they have access to toys instills in them a sense that books are FUN. There’s nothing intimidating about books, or more delicate than their toys.
I’d love to hear what you think about this approach, and other ways you make books easily accessible and fun for young children!
At the Boston Book Festival last fall, I met fifth-grade teacher Elaine Temel, who kindly bought my book (thank you!) and then asked if I would consider coming to talk to her students. A few weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure of visiting her classes at West Vine Street School in Pawcatuck, CT.
Stepping into her fifth-grade classroom, I could immediately feel the joyful energy Elaine has inspired in her students for reading and writing. I peeked at the range of books that students were reading independently, browsed the books she’d displayed from cultures around the world, admired the selection for Black History month, read her tips on the writing process, and smiled at the Boston Bruins reading corner. I didn’t want to leave this inspiring classroom at the end of the day!
I loved talking to fifth-grade students about the writing process—from finding inspiration to brainstorming ideas to writing. . .and revising (lots of revising)! Students wrote their own stories and then (my favorite part!) shared them. Another highlight of the day was getting to have lunch with a group of aspiring authors. We discussed their dreams of writing journalism, novels, and poetry—and we even traded tips about reading under the covers! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the visit (thanks again, Elaine and West Vine Street School!).
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators 2020 New York Conference kicked off with a talk by James Patterson (yes, he also writes for children!), who gave a passionate call to get children to say “Give me another book.” Saturday began with Kate Messner giving all writers and illustrators a “License to Cultivate Curiosity,” and the legendary illustrator Jerry Pinkney concluded the day by sharing an inside peek into his studio and inspiration. Between these impressive keynote speeches, we rolled up our sleeves in writing workshops and chatted at networking socials. I met countless other writers and illustrators who share my excitement about creating books for children. An inspiring weekend! And my children were happy I returned home with a bag of new books…
By the way, New York City is always beautiful, even in the midst of February!
1. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (Released December 2019)
2. Jane Austen’s Emma (February 2020 Release)
3. Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield (May 2020 Release)
I recently had the launch of my book at Belmont Books. It was so much fun and exceeded all my expectations! Thank you to Belmont Books for organizing and to everyone who came to celebrate!
Here’s a sneak peek into one of the authors you’ll meet in Who’s Hiding in This Book? Meet Ten Authors! Illustrations by Daniel Fiore.
I wrote Who’s Hiding in This Book? Meet Ten Famous Authors to promote the positive message that anyone can become a great author, and to introduce young children to a range of classic authors. It was a challenge to choose just ten!
I started selecting authors the way I do for the courses I teach at Boston University, trying to include well-known classics as well as trying to expand the notion of “classic authors” beyond the white male canon of literature.
I wanted to include writers with interesting, inspiring lives. Taha Hussein’s imagination and curiosity carried him from Egypt to Paris and back. Zitkála-Ša was not only an accomplished writer; she was a talented violinist.
I aim to expose children to a mix of different kinds of writing, including novels, poetry, essays, short stories, and memoir. I include Virginia Woolf’s book Flush, for example, which is a biography of a dog!
Finally—and this was the trickiest part!—each author had to have some fun action scenes that could be illustrated in a way that would come alive to children. I tried to find ways to include elements that would capture children’s interest and then draw them into learning about classic authors. You will notice many animals (such as a whale, a fox, and a cocker spaniel) and moving vehicles (such as horse-drawn carriages, wagons, and bicycles) throughout the book.
Of course, I couldn’t fit all my favorite authors into one book. I’ll just have to write another book!
I had so much fun being interviewed by Lillie Marshall at Teaching Traveling! I loved having the opportunity to reflect on how my travels have influenced my teaching and my writing for children. Click here to check out the interview and all the great resources on the Teaching Traveling website.
The countdown begins. . .We are less than a week away from the Nov. 15th release of Who's Hiding in this Book? Meet Ten Famous Authors!
I am really pleased to say that the book can be found on www.indiebound.org, the website for a network of independent bookstores. Their website encourages shoppers to shop locally to benefit shoppers and their communities!
What is your favorite independent bookstore?
One of the fun parts about designing a new literature curriculum centered on Boston and New England is that I get to travel to different corners of the region to test out excursion ideas! In the past month, I’ve visited The Breakers mansion in Newport—where Edith Wharton once admired the view of the Atlantic—and I’ve sat in Herman Melville’s pew in the Seamen’s Bethel in New Bedford. Yesterday, I climbed the twenty steps up the secret staircase in the House of Seven Gables in Salem, which inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. As I walked around Salem, amidst memorials to 17th-century people accused of witchcraft by Puritans and 21st-century shops gearing up for Halloween, I concluded that Salem is a unique destination. I’d love to hear what literary New England destinations you might recommend!
On a perfect fall day at the Boston Book Festival in Copley Square, I signed early copies of Who’s Hiding in This Book? I loved having the opportunity to talk about the book to teachers, parents, and grandparents. Thank you to everyone who stopped by!
It was inspiring to be among so many other authors and book lovers! I attended wonderful sessions on subjects ranging from writing nonfiction picture books (a favorite subject of mine!) and “The Campus Novel” (another favorite!).
My family came along for the festival and as we pushed the double stroller around Copley Square, my son even got to meet Maisy, one of his favorite characters!
There are many fun Halloween books for children, but my favorite way to get into the spirit with my family is to read sections from some of the spookiest classics aloud. Why not expose young children to the classics while you’re holding their attention about Halloween? Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow always delivers a fun adventure. Passages from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables are sure to inspire some serious haunted houses! The picture book, She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein (by Lynn Fulton), helps introduce children to the idea behind one of Halloween’s original characters.
By Goldenrowley - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16234755
I teach Humanities at Boston University and I’m a mom of two young children. I’m currently teaching a course on Children’s Literature and developing a Boston-New England themed literature course for the spring semester. I try to teach works by well-known authors as well as diverse new ones!
I studied English at Smith, Oxford, Columbia, and Boston University, but I’ve loved classic literature long before I became a student and teacher. I used to beg my parents to take me to the library or bookstore! I became excited about the idea of sharing my love of great literature with young children after spending hours reading to my sons. I saw how open they were to anything read to them by an adult they loved. Why not introduce them to famous authors? At the heart of my children’s book is the message that anyone can become a great author—and it’s never too early or too late to start!
When I’m not writing, I love reading all kinds of picture books to my children, riding the tractor with them at the local farm, and visiting Cape Cod.
Fall brings crisp air, pumpkins, apple picking . . . and a new group of curious students in my classes. This fall season seems especially exciting (more to come on that later!). Here’s a peek at a few of the books I’m teaching in my Children’s Literature course this semester. I’m excited about the mix of old and new classics!
