Tameka’s Story

I was an only child…with a really big family! The way I grew up, relatives who lived outside your house were just as much “family” as the ones who lived inside it. My family included many aunts and uncles, and lots of cousins to play with.

People always ask if I was spoiled as an only child. My answer is, “Yes.” Except I wasn’t spoiled with things; I was spoiled with lots of love and attention—the good kind of spoiling everyone can use.

The first book I remember owning as a very young child was a book of Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes. It had a black and white checkerboard pattern around the edge, and I knew every single word in it.  I wish I still had it today.

I also remember going to my cousins’ house and reading their beat-up copies of Dr. Seuss books. Every time I went over there, I would read those books. I didn’t even mind that some of the pages were missing; the stories were still enjoyable without them.

While we didn’t travel much when I was a kid, I do remember the few times we took the Greyhound bus to Alabama. My grandmother packed food for us to eat, like ham sandwiches with mustard, chicken, sweet potato pie, and cheese and saltine cracker stacks.

I remember a whole lot of things about my early years because I loved my childhood. That doesn’t mean things were always perfect—they weren’t—but I loved it just the same.

  • What kind of student were you?

I was a very good student. I mostly made A’s. Doing well in school was important to me, partly because my mother expected me to do my very best, and partly because I was very competitive and liked to be number one. I was no good at sports, so getting A’s was my thing.

  • Did you have any bad or funny habits as a child?

I had a habit of sitting around with my mouth open. Adults were always telling me to close it. I don’t know why I did that. Hmmm…maybe I had a problem breathing through my nose. Mom did say I always kept a cold…

  • Did you play an instrument?  Which one(s)?

I never learned to play an instrument as a child—but I’ve always wished I had. So next year, I’m signing up for piano lessons.

  • What one thing can you tell readers that nobody knows?

I used to think I could fly. Well, more like float through the air about 15 feet. I clearly remember doing it when I was about 5 years old.  I flew from one end of the living room to the other. I was twenty-something years old before I realized that it had all (probably) just been a dream.

Shhhh…let’s keep that a secret.

  • Favorite pastime as a child?

My favorite thing to do was to sit quietly and listen to grownups talk. The more quiet I was, the more interesting thethings I heard.

Do you listen to music while you write, or do you like silence?

I work best when it is silent.

Is it hard to write a book?

Some books are harder to write than others. Some books take a lot of figuring out, while other books just seem to flow out of your brain and on to the page. The longer the book is I’m trying to write, the more figuring out I have to do.

What’s the hardest part about writing a book?

The hardest part about writing a book is finding the words to express what you want to say, in an interesting way that makes kids want to read it.

Have you ever thrown a manuscript away?

Nope. They’re all on my computer somewhere. But there are some I’ll probably never go back and try to fix, because I’m not excited about them anymore.

Do you have any children or pets and have you ever used them in a book?

I do not have any pets, but I do have children. Sometimes I use things they have said or done in my stories, but I mostly use my own childhood memories. I try hard to remember how I felt about certain things, and then I try to find the perfect words to describe those feelings. Kids from the past and the present share the same kinds of feelings, and we always will.

  • Are you famous?

No, and I do not want to be. I do hope my books become famous, though.

Quick Picks:

  • Soup or salad? Salad, especially if it has strawberries, raisins, cranberries and mandarin oranges. (I am speaking of a green salad, although it sounds like I’m describing a fruit salad.)
  • P & J or Mac and Cheese? Very tough call. I’ll say mac and cheese…but only if it’s homemade and VERY cheesy.
  • Favorite or least favorite vegetable? Least favorite: Beets. Blech.
  • Favorite or most hated subject? Favorite:  English and Spelling. Least Favorite:  Geography.
  • Longhand or computer? Computer.
  • Early Bird Writer or Night Owl? Neither. I’m too sleepy at those times. I’m a Mid-morning/Early Afternoon Writer.

Download a copy of Tameka’s story HERE.

Read “Your Friend, Tameka Fryer Brown (A Letter to Readers),” HERE.

For more about Tameka, visit her website HERE.

Your Friend, Cynthia Leitich Smith

Dear Reader:

I hope you enjoy HOLLER LOUDLY! It’s a celebration of my love of public libraries, small towns, and the southwest.

When I was growing up, my mama took me to the public library every Saturday morning. First, I’d go the “new” section, so I could see what had come in. My goal was to read every single book in the whole building, so I had to keep up with those new ones.

I loved books about magic so much that my mama and daddy gave me a magic kit. I would read the directions in the book and then practice my tricks in the basement.

I also loved to play teacher. Next door lived a little girl named Kathy, who was a couple of years younger than me. We set up a pretend classroom, and I helped teach her to read using workbooks and library books. Back then, I loved her like a little sister, and I still feel the same way about her today.

My house was in a newer suburb, but most of my family lived in older houses in small towns that were slowly being swallowed up by Kansas City. I spent most of my holidays in places like Belton, Missouri; and Raytown, Missouri; at the homes of my grandparents and my Aunt Gail

What I love about small towns is that they have a strong sense of history. Everybody knows each other. And they pull together in hard times.

Now I live in the southwest. In Austin, Texas. It’s sunny, hot, and the people are really nice. The story of HOLLER LOUDLY takes place time ago.

Today fewer folks hereabouts wear hats and boots than they did in the old days. But I always keep my eyes out for cowboys.

Have fun with HOLLER LOUDLY! Read the quiet parts quietly, and the LOUD parts LOUDLY! That’s what Holler himself would do.

And then when you’re done, go to your public library and find another book to read!

Your Friend,

Cynthia Leitich Smith

Click HERE to download and share Cynthia’s letter with students and HERE to download Teacher’s Guides for HOLLER LOUDLY.

For more about Cynthia, visit her website HERE.

Your Friend, Tameka Fryer Brown

Dear Reader,

How are you? Fine I hope. As for me, I’m very excited these days because I have just published my first picture book called AROUND OUR WAY ON NEIGHBORS’ DAY.

AROUND OUR WAY is special to me because it was inspired by the place where I grew up: Miami, Florida.  Miami is a place that is full of so many different cultures. I remember having friends whose families were Haitian, Cuban, Chinese, Jamaican, Jewish, Italian, Dominican…and the list goes on and on. I am so thankful I grew up there, because I learned to appreciate that every group of people has something special and interesting about it, and how fantastic it is to share those things with others. Plus, Miami has all kinds of yummy foods. My favorite things to eat when I’m there are fried conch and conch fritters.

You know, it’s the little things that make our families, friends, and communities special to us.  Is there a friend you can always count on to play a certain game with? How about a particular place you like to go in your neighborhood? Can you think of a favorite activity you enjoy doing with a family member? If you give it some thought, I bet you’ll find that lots of things are special around your way. Maybe you can even write about them, and have a wonderful poem or story of your own to share.

Speaking of writing, guess how long it took me to get a book published? Almost five years, but it was worth the wait. I’m so glad I didn’t give up. Do you dream of doing something big…or interesting…or difficult? Then don’t you give up either! You never know what you can accomplish unless you give it a good try.

Well, I’d better be going. Thanks so much for reading AROUND OUR WAY ON NEIGHBORS’ DAY. I hope you like it.

Your Friend,

Tameka Fryer Brown

Download a copy of “Your Friend, Tameka (A Letter to Readers)” HERE.

Take a peek at Tameka’s Office HERE.

For more about Tameka, visit her website HERE.

HOLLER LOUDLY

Author Cynthia Leitich Smith has made it darn-tootin’ easy for her charming tall tale, HOLLER LOUDLY, to be assimilated in Pre-K through Grade 2 classrooms anywhere in the USA. Why, she’s gone and had some larger-than-life cross-curricular classroom guides made that are packed with age-appropriate reading comprehension, vocabulary building, grammar, mathematics, spatial awareness, science, social studies, music, drama, and art activities. All of this and a complete list of annotated academic standards for all levels!

And – if that weren’t enough – she’s even included a recipe for chocolate chip cookies! Yee haw! Ms. Leitich Smith and guide creator Shannon Morgan sure know how to treat a teacher right.

Download the classroom guides below and keep HOLLER LOUDLY on your classroom bookshelf for a long, long time.

Holler Loudly – Guide for Pre-K

Holler Loudly – Guide for Kindergarten

Holler Loudly – Guide for 1st Grade

Holler Loudly – Guide for 2nd Grade

A Peek at Tameka’s Office!

Wherever my laptop computer is, that is my office. Sometimes I have a dining room office…

Sometimes I have a living room office…

And sometimes I have a bedroom office.

A traveling office works for me!

Read more about Tameka on her website HERE.

Perfect Picture Book Friends

JULIUS by Angela Johnson, illustrations by Dav Pilkey

Granddaddy’s mailed a gift for Maya, all the way from Alaska! She’s been hoping for a horse. Or an older brother. Instead, out of the crate comes Julius.  A big and busy pig who quickly becomes Maya’s very best friend.

Julius leaves huge messes, eats too much peanut butter, and makes too much noise! Maya’s mom and dad are not pleased.

Will Maya be able to help her friend Julius learn to be the best pig he can be?

MANAÑA, IGUANA by Ann Whitford Paul, illustrations by Ethan Long

Dear Amigo:
Please come to my fiesta this sábado.

Iguana

Iguana is planning a party to celebrate Spring, and Conejo, Tortuga, and Culebra are excited. A fiesta! !

But when it’s time to help with preparations, Conejo complains that he writes too fast. Who’ll be able to read his words?  Tortuga has the opposite problem.  He writes too slow.   And poor Culebra (Snake). Can it be his fault that he’s not able to hold a pen?

The friends seem willing to help, but all they ever say is:  “Mañana, Iguana.”

Mañana will never do and Iguana, like the Little Red Hen whose friendship woes this tale is loosely based on, resolves to do the work “all by herself.”

Happily, in this tale, Conejo, Tortuga, and Culebra come to their senses and show Iguana what good friends they truly are.

POPPLETON AND FRIENDS by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Mark Teague

What could a mouse named Hudson and a llama named Cherry Sue possibly have in common with a pink pig named Poppleton?

As it turns out, they’re neighbors and good friends and together they help make Poppleton’s days just a little bit richer.

Whether Poppleton and Hudson are telling Cherry Sue about their bus ride to the shore and the songs and dances they learned from a club of older ladies who call themselves the Sassy Sues, or Hudson and his Uncle Bill are convincing Poppleton that good friends are the key to a long, happy life, kids are sure to get a kick out of the unusual situations the well-meaning Poppleton finds himself in.

GEORGE AND MARTHA by James Marshall

George and Martha are great friends. Who but George would be willing to eat, without complaint, ten bowls of the split pea soup Martha’s so fond of making?

And who but Martha would forgive George when he reaches his limit and carefully dumps bowl number eleven into his loafers under the table?

Over the years, James Marshall – known for his carefully-pitched humor and timing – has penned some of the funniest and most memorable books in children’s literature. The GEORGE AND MARTHA collection is one of his most well-known and has earned a prominent place alongside other timeless favorites.

BUBBA AND BEAU, BEST FRIENDS by Kathi Appelt, illustrations by Arthur Howard

Bubba Junior is the perfect little baby of Big Bubba and Mama Pearl.  Beau is the perfect little hound-puppy of Maurice and Evelyn.

Each loves to chew and crawl on all fours, neither is house-trained, and they both “howl to beat the band.”

“Sister, those two got along.” In no time at all, Bubba and Beau were best friends.

When Mama Pearl throws Bubba’s pinkity pink, cottony-soft blanket into the wash, it’s one sad day in “Bubbaville.”  Will Bubba’s blankie ever be the same?