Writing Begins with Reading

Posted on 09/09/2015

In the most recent edition of The Horn Book (Sept./Oct. 2015), Roger Sutton, in his editorial, “Read Before You Write,” makes a point that’s relevant, not only to adult writers hoping to break into children’s publishing, but also to those who are teaching and guiding the young readers and writers in today’s classrooms. Sutton writes:

Don’t even think about publishing until you’ve actually started writing, and don’t even think about writing until you’ve done a whole lot of reading. And not of websites or how-to guides; that’s just dilly-dallying. Read children’s books. Lots of children’s books.

It seems like an obvious point. And yet, even in classrooms where the goal is not publishing in any formalized way, the push to perform on high-stakes tests often dictates a prescribed curriculum in which reading self-selected books and writing on self-selected topics is a luxury many teachers are hard-pressed to fit into an already heavily-scheduled day.

YES, of course. Good teachers can work within and around these parameters and their students can rise to the challenges of today’s rigorous curriculum. But let’s not forget that growing as a writer begins with reading books. Lots and lots of them.
 Boy reading

Here are two, relatively newer picture books on learning to be a reader and writer. And don’t forget to check out these recommendations from earlier in the week.

HOW TO READ A STORY by Kate Messner, illustrated by Mark Siegel (Chronicle Books, 2015)

This book delivers exactly what it promises. A 10 step primer on how to read (and enjoy) a good book. From finding a story (“It can have princesses and castles, if you like that sort of thing…”) to reading with a buddy (“A buddy can be older… or younger… or a person your age. Or maybe not a person at all.”), to making predictions, turning pages, and getting lost in a story until, “…if it was a really good story…” you go “right back to the beginning and start all over again.”

This book makes a nice primary-grade introduction to self-selected reading. It would also work well in those classrooms using Gail Boushey and Joan Moser‘s book, The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades.

Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon

RALPH TELLS A STORY by Abby Hanlon (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012)

Poor Ralph. Every day at writing time, he runs into the same old problem. Stories may be everywhere, but he hasn’t a clue how to find them. He looks in all the usual places. Out the window, in the aquarium. Even under his desk which, it turns out, is kind of like lying on the soft grass in the park. A wiggly worm inches by. But… where’s the story in that?

Ralph is like so many young writers. With a little encouragement and just the right questions, Ralph learns that stories *are* everywhere.

And how about you? What are some of your favorite books for young readers about reading or writing?

How to Write Stories: 3 books, 3 different perspectives

Posted on 09/06/2015

 

Rufus the Writer, by Elizabeth Bram, illustrated by Chuck Groenink (Schwartz & Wade, 2015)

Laying on the grass, watching the clouds one day, Rufus gets an idea. “I’m not going to have a lemonade stand this summer… I’m going to have a story stand!” Rufus brings pencils, paper, and markers and waits for his first customers.

It isn’t long before Millie and Walter arrive. They want a story! Rufus promises one in exchange for a special shell from the beach. The two friends head off and Rufus writes “Orange is the Best Color.” It’s imaginative and creative and exactly the kind of story you might expect from a budding writer.

More friends come, of course. Which means more stories from Rufus. Stories that will help young students understand that no special formula is needed. Ideas for stories are everywhere!

A Perfectly Messed Up Story by Patrick McDonnell

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell (Little Brown and Company, 2014)

One of the hardest things for young kids to grasp is the idea that stories don’t have to be perfect on the first go. A mistake here, a redo there. Stories need to be messed with.

Yes, this book is a bit quirky. Yes, also, it’s hard to see all those smudges and “jelly stains” on the pages. But it does make a good point that I think kids and teachers can appreciate. Embrace the messiness and keep going. The best stories are those that have been fiddled with – worked through and through long enough to make it past the hard, messy parts and all the way to… THE END.

Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills

Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills (Schwartz & Wade, 2012)

Rocket loves books. He also loves words and enjoys collecting his favorites to bring to the little yellow bird who is his teacher. All those splendid words! What should he do with them? Write a story, of course. But, poor Rocket. He suffers from the same problem many kids do. “I don’t know what to write,” he tells his teacher. “Don’t worry,” she says.

Rocket takes a long walk looking for inspiration. He thinks about his friends and notices a beautiful pine tree. He sticks his nose in the air, sniffing the gentle breeze. Before long, he happens upon something truly lovely. A rustling in the branches high above. An owl! Rocket loves her friendly face and her big round eyes.

As Rocket begins to notice the many small details he’d missed, a story starts to grow. A wonderful story about a brave, but shy owl who becomes Rocket’s friend.

Don’t miss this lovely book about yet another way to find stories. And, for an extra treat, pair this book with How Rocket Learned to Read, also by Tad Hills.

An interview with Rebecca Langston-George

Posted on 09/02/2015

It’s a pleasure to welcome author Rebecca Langston-George to ReaderKidZ to talk about her newest book, For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story.

RKZ: As both a teacher and writer, I’m sure you’d agree that biographies are one of the most powerful ways younger students learn about the lives of others in our world. What was your approach as you sat down to write Malala’s biography, which is a story of triumph, but also of extreme adversity? How did you navigate the balance between some of the more difficult events in Malala’s life and the positive message of peace and education for all for which she’s known?

RL-G: Three words guided me as I wrote For the Right to Learn – Malala Yousafzai’s Story: bravery, determination and education. I did not want children to read Malala’s story and feel sorry for her. I wanted them to be inspired to bravely speak up for their beliefs and determined to achieve their own goals.

As a teacher, I hope my readers will also consider the important role education plays in their lives. Unlike many countries, we in the U.S. are fortunate to have free compulsory education. But, that which is free is all too often undervalued. I had the privilege of hearing Malala speak this summer in Santa Barbara. She told the audience she has had to cut back on her speaking engagements because they interfere with her school schedule and she can’t be the voice of education if she doesn’t take her own education seriously. Even Nobel Peace Prize winners have to go to school and do their homework!

RKZ: Malala’s story is perhaps unusual in that she’s a contemporary figure who is just a few years olderFor the Right to Learn by Rebecca Langsto-George than the students who will read FOR THE RIGHT TO LEARN. How did knowing your book was targeted to a younger audience influence the writing? As one of several books in Capstone’s Encounter: Narrative Nonfiction Picture Book series, were there certain parameters that guided the writing?

RL-G: It’s important for Malala’s story to be accessible for young readers as she has so much in common with them. Yet, picture books containing assassination attempts on the main character are extremely rare for a good reason. I had to balance the requirement to be factual against the need to not dwell on the violence. The page in which Malala is shot is covered in just five words and illustrated by Janna Bock with a simple but stark image of a dropped book. The adage “more is less” was definitely on both our minds.

As for the other books in the Encounter line, I am looking forward to reading them. I actually didn’t know any specifics about the other books in the line while I was writing mine. For parameters I had a target word count, number of pages and a reading level.

RKZ: It occurs to me that your process in researching and writing FOR THE RIGHT TO LEARN might have been, in at least some ways, similar to that used by students who’ve been given an assignment to write about a famous person. Any tips for writing narrative nonfiction that you can pass along to students?

Rebecca Langston-GeorgeRL-G: From the moment I first read a newspaper account of Malala’s shooting I knew I wanted to write about her, so when the opportunity presented itself I jumped at the chance. Although it was a subject I wanted to explore, it was very much like a school assignment in many ways. I had to read several books and newspapers, carefully take notes and document sources. The deadline was very tight, and I had to do several drafts before my editor gave it a passing grade. Then when it was announced that Malala was a co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize I found out I had more homework to do.

 For anyone wanting to write a biography my advice is to choose a person who really interests you and about whom you would like to learn more. Don’t just cover the person’s life sequentially from birth to death; instead, find an interesting life event to start with. It’s okay to move back and forth in time. I started with Malala’s Nobel Prize acceptance and then moved back in time to when she started school. Come up with a theme or key words that will guide your telling like I did with bravery, determination and education.

RKZ: What can your readers look forward to in the next year? Are there new writing projects on the horizon?

RL-G: In addition to the Malala book I have another book that came out last month. Designed for young people who want to write fiction, it’s called Telling Tales: Writing Captivating Short Stories. For fall 2016 I have a non-fiction chapter book about the orphan trains coming out.

Rebecca Langston-George is an elementary school teacher who reads books to children by day and writes books for children at night.   She’s the Assistant Regional Advisor for the California Central-Coastal region of SCBWI. Like Malala, she believes “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”  For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story (Capstone Press) is Rebecca’s fifth book.

For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story

Posted on 08/30/2015

It’s not often that young readers have a chance to learn about another young person, just a few years older than they – a girl who was not afraid to stand up to the injustices in her world. A young woman who has shown remarkable bravery in the face of a difficult and dangerous world.

For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story by Rebecca Langston-George, illustrated by Janna Bock (Capstone Young Readers, 2015) shares this story in a way that is engaging and appropriate for elementary-aged students. The book begins: “Scarcely 5 feet tall and only 17 years old, a schoolgirl from Pakistan stood before the microphone. Her courage was legendary. World leaders leaned forward to listen… In her home country, a female could be beaten for public speaking. But Malala was not afraid. Strength, power and courage pulsed inside…[she] lifted her voice for children everywhere.”

Malala’s story is full of dark moments. Members of the Taliban intimidating school leaders. Bombs falling in the night. And of course, the fateful day in 2012 when a gunman boarded the bus Malala was riding, asked for her by name, and fired the three shots that sent her, in critical condition, to the hospital.

But in the capable hands of Langston-George, these moments are handled with the utmost care. Students will understand that Malala’s road to recovery was not an easy one. But they will also understand that “Bullets did not silence Malala for long.”

In Malala’s own words, from the speech she delivered before world leaders at the United Nations on July 12, 2013: “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”

It’s my hope that this powerful and accessible book finds its way to public and elementary school libraries everywhere.

Later this week, be sure to return to ReaderKidZ to learn more about author Rebecca Langston-George and the writing of For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story.

Pair this book with two others, also appropriate for elementary-age students:

Malala, a Brave Girl by Jeanette Winter

Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan/Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan:Who is Malala Yousafzai? by Dinah Brown

Two Stories of Bravery by Jeanette Winter (Beach Lane Books, 2014)
Who is Malala Yousafzai? by Dinah Brown (Grosset & Dunlap, 2015)

On December 10, 2014, Malala, the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Kailash Satyarthi for their role in the fight to overcome the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. Listen to Malala’s elegant 2014 Nobel Peace Prize speech:

 

 

Books to read for the fun of it

Posted on 05/25/2015

 

Above all, summer reading should be fun. 

I like the way Roger Sutton introduced this year’s Horn Book’s Summer Reading List 2015:

“I feel I should let you know up front that the books for this year’s summer reading list were selected by our editors with zero thought for educational utility, curricular affinity, or Core Standards readiness. They are books to read for the fun of it.”

That’s exactly what we’ve collected here – lists from a variety of different sources to get you started on great books kids will enjoy reading – just for the fun of it.

Meet the Dullards by Sara Pennypacker

Two of my recent favorites? Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Zachariah OHora and Meet the Dullards by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri.

We’ll kick things off with the lists below,  but we want to hear from you! What are some of your favorites?  Share in the comments below. 

* 2015 Summer Reading List –  ASLC (Association for Library Service to Children):

* Kids’ Next: Summer ’15: Inspired recommendations for kids from Indie Booksellers

* Kids’ K-5 Summer Reading 2015 Book List selected by librarians at Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public            Library, Queens Library, and the NYC Department of Education School Library System

* Read Kiddo Read – a collection of books, organized roughly by age and categories such as: Great Illustrated Books, Great Transitional Books, Great Pageturners, and Great Advanced Reads.

* Imagination’s Destination: Summer Reading at Barnes and Noble – a free book, summer reading kit, and more!

THE WREN AND THE SPARROW, J.PATRICK LEWIS, AND MORE, MORE, MORE!

Posted on 05/20/2015

What a month April was for celebrating poetry. Such diversity of voices – words, rhythms, and rhymes.

Now, the celebration continues. At ReaderKidZ we march on to recommendations for great summer reads. Here are a few of my new favorites.

First, books by a favorite author,  J.Patrick Lewis. A Ph.D. economist, Lewis retired to write poetry – his passion – and eventually was honored as our country’s Children’s Poet Laureate. He has produced an incredible variety of poetry collections from silly and funny to serious and sad.

This year Lewis created something very different – a Holocaust allegory – illustrated by Yevgenia Nayber.  THE WREN AND THE SPARROW is at first captivating and then haunting. An Old Man, known as the Wren, uses a simple musical instrument – a hurdy-gurdy – and, with the help of Sparrow, brings hope and courage to a Polish village. This is a book to read on a quiet summer afternoon with a child snuggled next to you and then share a conversation about the use of allegory, and the telling of the truth in the disguise of metaphor to express what is forbidden to say.

cover_facebugJ Patrick Lewis with Chocolate MustacheSummer reading will be quite an adventure exploring other award-winning books by J. Patrick Lewis. I recommend FACE BUG if you like fun and creepy insects. Then try IF YOU WERE A CHOCOLATE MUSTACHE. Move into more serious poetry with VOICES FROM THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON, written with George Ella Lyon or try HARLEM HELLFIGHTERS, a part of U.S. history that will cause you to pause.

Bird and Diz by Gary Golio, illustrated by Ed YoungSummer is also a great time for exploring biographies. For something very unusual plus a visual delight, take a look at BIRD and DIZ. This “accordion picture book” by Gary Golio ,with illustrations by beloved artist Ed Young, be-bops across the pages. You don’t have to read one word, just “listen” to the paintings that “sing” as sax player Charlie “Bird” Parker and trumpeter John “Dizzy” Gillespie jive and bop.

Fab Four Friends by Susan Reich

Here come the Beatles!

Love that music and “all that jazz?” Read other biographies of modern music-makers by Golio. Each book is unique. Each book gets your feet tapping and your heart singing:   JIMI: Sounds Like a Rainbow (Jimi Hendrix); When Bob Met Woody- The Story of the Young Bob Dylan; Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey; and, soon, two brand new additions: Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday and the Power of a Protest Song (Lerner/Carolrhoda, Fall ’16) and Carlos Santana – Sound of the Heart, Song of the World (Henry Holt, 2016 ).

Susanna Reich and Gary G

Photo of Susanna Reich and Gary Golio from the Texas Library Conference

When all that foot tapping and hand-clapping be-bops your appetite, try a visual feast created by Susanna Reich’s, MINETTE’S FEAST: the DELICIOUS STORY OF JULIA CHILD AND HER CAT.   Susanna has authored a variety of picture book biographies – try them all. They are a feast! If you are a Beatles fan, Susanna’s newest book, FAB FOUR FRIENDS – The Boys Who Became the BEATLES, will be out before summer is over. These picture books are for everyone, old and young, and will fill any long summer day with delightful images and powerful words.