Save the Date: Author and Illustrator Brian Floca is coming to Williamsburg on October 16, 2014

Award-winning author and illustrator, Brian Floca, is going to be a guest speaker for the Williamsburg Area Reading Council! You may know Brian Floca for his most recent award, which was winning the 2014 Caldecott Award for Locomotive. 

The event will occur on October 16, 2014 at the School of Education at the College of William and Mary. Specific times and other details are being ironed out at this time, but please save the date in your calendar! You can follow the Williamsburg Area Reading Council on Facebook or find out more via WARC's blog.

Symbaloo Collection of Nonfiction Links

    Hello everyone! I've created a Symbaloo collection of links which highlight nonfiction in some manner.You'll find links to suggested authors that are great for a study of nonfiction author's craft. Also, you will find links to kid-friendly websites and blogs that give instructional ideas for teachers. You just need to simply click on the picture to start your exploration! :)

 

Mo Willems - Interview on CBS Sunday Morning

   Author and illustrator Mo Willems was recently featured on the CBS Sunday Morning Program. The interview took place in Paris, where Mo currently lives. You can read the interview in its entirety, as well as view the feature via this link to CBS Sunday Morning.

     Mo made a thought provoking statement about the collaboration that he aims to foster between his readers and himself. Willems stated, "My goal is to write 49% of the book, and to let my audience create the 51%. They (the readers) are my collaborator more than they are the audience." Mo certainly honors the intelligence of children, and he respectfully knows that readers breathe the life into his picture books. 

    The next addition to the Elephant and Piggie series will be coming out on June 3rd, 2014. It's entitled My New Friend is So Fun! Mo's Elephant and Piggie books are very popular with children. Willems has won 3 Caldecott Honors, 2 Carnegie Medals, 4 Theodore Geisel Honors, and 2 Theodore Geisel Medals. His most recent award was a 2014 Geisel Honor for A Big Guy Took My Ball. Prior to his current success as an author and illustrator, Willems worked on Seseme Street, winning 6 Emmys during his time with the show.  


    Mo's most recently published book came out in April 2014. The newest title in the popular Pigeon series is The Pigeon Needs a Bath.You can view a mock interview by "Rock Dove" with Mo through this link as well. One of the characteristics that makes Mo Willems a favorite is because he manages to communicate clever humor in a simplistic manner, and both adults and children enjoy the hilarious story lines in any of his books. 

                                                                                                                                                                           

Be sure to check out Mo's sites and apps to extend an Author Study or for pure enjoyment!

• Mo Willems Doodles (his blog) 
• Frequently Asked Questions (a separate blog site to answer FAQs) 
• Go Mo (games, video clips, games, and more)
• Pigeon Presents! (video clips and fun activities starring Pigeon)
• Mo on the Go (App) 
• Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App! (App) 
• When you look up Mo Willems on Twitter, you will find a Twitter page with one post, and he directs you to the Pigeon's Twitter page! You can follow the sassy bird at @The_Pigeon

Read Across America Day is Here!

     Read Across America Day is here! The birthday of The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss will be celebrated across our country on March 2. It is officially sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA.) You can visit the link here for ideas. If you are on Facebook, there is a page from NEA dedicated to the day as well.  You can find the official Dr. Seuss Books page on Facebook, too. Also, Read Across America Day from the NEA is on Twitter.

     Do you have a special person coming to read to your class? It can be anyone from a parent, a fellow teacher, administrator, a regular volunteer, or a special member of the community. Our Mayor, Clyde Haulmanm and our Vice-Mayor, Paul Freiling, are among 15 special visitors scheduled to visit our school on March 2! We are so happy to host them all!  I will take plenty of photos (that do not identify children) to share after the event. I will also show pics of cute Dr. Seuss themed projects, writing pieces, and decorations. 

More To Explore:
  

• Be sure to follow me on Pinterest and check out my board for Dr. Seuss projects, websites, and creative ideas for Read Across America and Dr. Seuss's birthday! (pinterest.com/wmsbg301)

• Dr. Seuss Official Website: Visit Seussville for fun inspired by the classic books from Dr. Seuss. The teacher page also can give you a fun inspiration or two during these cold winter months. :)  

• PBS Kids Show: PBS Kids hosts an all day Suess-A-Thon on March 2 with episodes of the show The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!

• For older kids, you can share Hooray for Diffendoofer Day (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1998). This text was created from work of Dr. Seuss and completed by the duo of Jack Prelutsky and Lane Smith.  A neat feature of the text is the additional information provided about the book's creation after the end of the story. Here is a lesson plan of ideas to use with this book provided on the Dr. Seuss site. I have a copy available to borrow! Of course, I have a big collection of Dr. Seuss's classics that I'm happy to lend out, too. :)
  
  
  
  Happy Read Across America Day everyone!
  
  

  

  Dr. Denise Johnson of the College of William and Mary Shared Hooray for Diffendoofer Day in 2011.