Small Reads for Brighters Days
My most recent author visit was with Pipestone Elementary School. I had such a wonderful virtual time with them. We talked and moved and wrote and connected. I was so tickled to get a lovely packet from Marcy Schmitke, the school librarian. I love how each grade level was inspired by the session we did. […]
Author Patricia Newman has such an extensive collection of great LitLinks posts, all connecting books, science, and language arts. What a great gift for teachers! I’ve shared activities there before for Snowman-Cold=Puddle and If You Want to Knit Some Mittens. Today I have a new post up there about weather! I’m sharing about weather journals […]
Hi teachers, it’s good to be back! I shared this Legit KidLit video once before, but it might have gotten lost in the frenzy of National Poetry Month and book launch celebrations. I think this is an awesome video to have on hand to play in your classroom during this last month or so of […]
I’m popping in for a quick Classroom Connections so that you don’t miss hearing about two things. First up, I was part of a Legit KidLit interview on Saturday morning, and it’s live now! Meet me and three other others! We answered questions about our recent books (I was chatting about Finding Family), drew silly […]
Did you know Geologists Day is April 2? Me, neither. But I’m so grateful to geologists. Some of the most fascinating things I know about the earth were revealed/discovered/figured out by these rock scientists. It’s the perfect time to pull out A Rock Can Be… to share with your students. I’ve got all sorts of […]
Celebrating World Water Day? Check out my post last week! One of my very favorite things is when a teacher uses a book I wrote as a jumping off point for a classroom activity. A bit ago, @mmtteacher on Twitter shared these images of her students’ lift-the-flap riddle-ku. They were inspired by Lion of the […]
World Water Day is March 22, and I’m realizing how many of my books are about water! That includes all 3 of my spring 2023 books, Zap! Clap! Boom!, Finding Family, and Puddle Song (which published yesterday!). There’s also Water Can Be… and Secrets of the Loon. I do love water! If you include any […]
Woohoo! I’m so excited to share that Finding Family is now out in the world! People have been so generous in helping to spread the word. Teacher, author-illustrator, and poet Jena Benton posted a beautiful Simply 7 interview with me yesterday, and her questions made me realize something that I had totally missed while working […]
In less than a week, my second picture book coming out this spring will be here! Here are two resources for you: a book trailer and a teaching guide. Hope you find them helpful! [My Classroom Connections posts share a way to connect one of my books or poems to a classroom […]
Sometime in early spring, most states celebrate Severe Weather Awareness Week. If you’re talking with students about weather and storms soon, you might like to use this activity sheet for the life cycle of a thunderstorm. I made it to go with my forthcoming book (March 28), Zap! Clap! Boom! Just click, and a downloadable […]
