Laura Purdie Salas

Writing the World for Kids

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Back to School with Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten #ClassroomConnections

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It’s almost time for school to begin—in one form or another! As a kid, one of my favorite things about school was spending time in the library (these were the days before media centers!). I’m so sad that this year, many school districts facing financial hardship have laid off librarians and media specialists. I’ve worked […]

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Dandelion Poems, Crafts, and Coloring Page

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There’s something about a dandelion. I know many folks hate them, and I admit a yard over-run by them can be…intimidating. But a single beautiful dandelion seedhead…. I seem to have a number of dandelion poems. Here are two from two 2019 picture books, Snowman-Cold=Puddle and Lion of the Sky. The riddle-ku on the left […]

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Puppet Play to Encourage Being a Good Friend

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There are so many ways we can encourage kids to be good friends. And the actions that might be friendly to one child can feel totally overwhelming to another. In Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten, the other kitties aren’t really a squealing tornado of fangs and fur…but that’s how it feels to Clover. Check out […]

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Use a Countdown Calendar to Ease Back-to-School Anxiety

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[Guess what? Author/artist Lydia Lukidis is also featuring Clover Kitty on her blog today–with ANOTHER chance for a giveaway! Plus backstory and writing process info. You can check it out here!)   Is your child anxious about starting school? (Or are you?!) Check out the cute countdown calendar I created to go with my new […]

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Celebrate the Lunar Landing Anniversary with If You Were the Moon

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July 20 is the 51st anniversary of the first lunar landing! I bought stamps recently featuring this momentous occasion in our history. It really is astonishing to me that humans were able to walk on the moon. Want to celebrate the moon landing with your students or kids? Check out the post I wrote for […]

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My New Back to School Picture Book Is an Amazon First Reads Selection!

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Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten (more here), in which an adorable but anxious kitty discovers kittygarten is just as bright, loud, and overwhelming as she fears, comes out August 1. Officially. Buuuuuut, it’s an Amazon First Reads pick, which means if you’re a Prime member, you can choose it as your free Kindle book this […]

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Moving Toward Independence

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We’re coming up on July 4—the day the United States celebrates its independence. Lots of picture books also celebrate independence, since it’s a crucial journey kids embark on. This includes my newest photo picture book, Secrets of the Loon. In it, Moon Loon has to learn LOTS of skills to become independent! To extend the […]

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Some Poems for World Refugee Day

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World Refugee Day is coming up on June 20. This is a subject that holds power for me, and looking at the photos of refugees, meeting asylum seekers in a refugee camp overseas, and talking to people who work to help with refugees have all inspired me to write poems over the years, and you […]

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We Are All Family!

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When I sign my book Meet My Family  for readers, I write the above phrase. And when I read it out loud to groups, I invite kids to look for an animal family in the book that has something in common with their own human family. It’s fun to see kids’ eyes open wide when […]

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Father’s Day Picture Books

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  Looking for examples of great dads to share with young readers for Father’s Day? My new picture book Secrets of the Loon illustrates how both loon parents share all the responsibilities, from guarding the nest to giving hatchlings piggyback rides to feeding the chicks. You can expand the reading fun by partnering my title […]

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