Teacher-Librarian Chris Gray

I have been excited about this blog post ever since teacher-librarian Chris Gray agreed to chat with me about how his elementary school celebrated Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan. I wrote the words in red, and Chris wrote the words in black. Thank you, Chris! 

Newbery Medalist Katherine Applegate visited Harvard Elementary School in October to read the final chapters of The One and Only Ivan with our students to finish up our One Book, One School event.  I will never forget looking out at our sea of students, all with their books in their laps, engaged in reading along with The One and Only Katherine Applegate.  It was a powerful and moving way to wrap up a fantastic event.  

The One and Only Ivan is a masterpiece.  It’s moved to the top of my list of favorite books displacing several books that have been there for decades.  If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading it yet, go pick it up! 

Katherine Applegate told my students to make mistakes!  She told them you have to make lots of mistakes in order to be a great writer.  That’s good advice for all of us. 

My students will always have a special appreciation for gorillas and elephants and small dogs who provide comic relief.

I think a One Book, One School celebration is a great way to build excitement and enthusiasm about reading and build a sense of community at the same time.   

Reading is one of life’s greatest joys.  I’m so in awe of the many talented writers who can take us on exciting adventures and make us feel so many different emotions by putting their words on a page. 

  

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me what Newbery Award winning author Katherine Applegate is really like.  She is warm, interesting, kind, funny, gracious, thoughtful – and she loves pizza.  If she were your next door neighbor you would want to hang out by the fence and chat with her all day long… except that would mean she wouldn’t have any time to write more amazing, new books.   

I am giving away one copy of The One and Only Ivan. 

Rules for the Giveaway

1. It will run from 12/13 to 11:59 p.m. on 12/14. 

2. You must be at least 13. 

3. Please pay it forward. 

Happy Holidays from Chronicle Books

I always look forward to watching and sharing Chronicle's holiday video. Therefore, you can imagine how I grinned from ear to ear when I received an email with the subject "Happy Holidays from Chronicle Books." Happy watching! 

P.S. Did it make you smile? 

Video of the Week: The 12 Days of Christmas (Bookstore Style)

Yay! I'm thankful Anne Marie Pace shared "The 12 Days of Christmas (Bookstore Style)" with me. 

The following lyrics were taken from Mike Jung's YouTube channel. Thank you, Mike! 

On the first day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
A red bird looking at me

On the second day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the third day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the fourth day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the fifth day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Five wild things
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the sixth day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Six giant peaches
Five wild things
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the seventh day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Seven golden snitches
Six giant peaches
Five wild things
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the eighth day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Eight one-eyed pigeons
Seven golden snitches
Six giant peaches
Five wild things
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the ninth day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Nine magic pebbles
Eight one-eyed pigeons
Seven golden snitches
Six giant peaches
Five wild things
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the tenth day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Ten little engines
Nine magic pebbles
Eight one-eyed pigeons
Seven golden snitches
Six giant peaches
Five wild things
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the eleventh day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Eleven secret gardens
Ten little engines
Nine magic pebbles
Eight one-eyed pigeons
Seven golden snitches
Six giant peaches
Five wild things
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

On the twelfth day of Christmas my bookstore gave to me
Twelve purple crayons
Eleven secret gardens
Ten little engines
Nine magic pebbles
Eight one-eyed pigeons
Seven golden snitches
Six giant peaches
Five wild things
Four fried worms
Three little pigs
Two best friends
And a red bird looking at me

Jonker-Schu #GiveBooks Giveaway

Happy Monday! The brilliant Travis Jonker and I teamed up to give away the 2013 New York Times Notable Children's Books. One lucky person will arrive home on a wintry evening (unless you live in Los Angeles or Phoenix) to find a shiny box containing 18 books (that's not a typo). 

Please fill out this form to enter the Jonker-Schu #GiveBooks Giveaway. Travis will draw the winner on December 14. Good luck! 

Today is Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day

Illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi created the perfect illustration to encourage caretakers to celebrate Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day. 

Why are you still here? Head to the nearest independent bookshop to buy BOOKS. Bags and bags of books. ;-)

(When you get back from the bookshop, I suggest reading the blog entries from when Debbie participated in a Sharp-Schu trifecta .) 

Author Lola Schaefer

Happy Friday! I hope you had a productive and wonderful reading week. I love ending a busy school week by inviting a children's literature advocate to finish my sentences. This week's special guest is  author Lola M. Schaefer. We chatted about her latest picture book, reading, writing, and my yearly literary road trip. I wrote the words in red, and she wrote the words in black. Many thanks, Lola, for finishing my sentences.  

Lifetime is hopefully one of those books that children and adults will read and then say, “What a great idea!” True confessions. My whole life I’ve been teased about my estimations. When someone asked me how many peaches were on our small tree this year, I said, “About 27.” Not 25 or 30, because 25 seemed a bit too low and 30 sounded like too many. So what better book for me to write? 

Christopher Silas Neal’s illustrations are absolutely perfect!  I never imagined that this book would include fine art, but it does! However . . . Chris must have had a difficult time keeping his concentration when he had to make 900 flowers or 1,000 seahorses. What a pro!  

I hope Lifetime offers three things:

a good read,

a jumpstart for closer observation of the world,

and an understanding that math is a constant part of our lives.

Just One Bite and One Special Day were complete opposites in the making. Just One Bite took TONS of research with experts around the world – about a year of fact-checking. One Special Day was a gift book. I started to make lunch one day and the words flew into my head. So I put everything back into the refrigerator, rushed upstairs to my computer and wrote it.  (Why doesn’t that happen more often?)

The 2014 Amicalola Picture Book Writers’ Retreat will be a time for creative minds to come together and look at literature with a critical eye. This coming June, award-winning picture book author Jo Kittinger is joining me and together we will offer attendees a time of deep reflection and productivity. We’re hosting the retreat here in the mountains of north Georgia where waterfalls and scenic hiking trails bring out the best in all of us.

Reading is necessary to an open mind. It makes us think. Even if we disagree with what we read, we are weighing that information against what we already believe or know. That act alone can bring about a deeper understanding, or a desire to read more. I believe that not only should all children be taught how to read, but they need to be exposed to great literature and provided time for thoughtful conversations. 

Picture books are the best of literature in tiny packages. Each picture, each word needs to pack a wallop both in meaning and emotional appeal. Picture books might not be big, but they sure are mighty! 

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me what I love about Watch. Connect. Read. Everything! From your interviews to the giveaways to the book trailers – it’s all GREAT! However your Reading Road Trip video is one of my favorite posts. Traveling 6,000 miles with a few wonderful books sounds like heaven to me! 

Awww! Thank you, Lola! :)

I am giving away a copy of Lifetime: The Amazing Numbers in Animals' Lives. 

Rules for the Giveaway

1. It will run from December 6 to 11:59 p.m. on December 8. 

2. You must be at least 13. 

3. Please pay it forward. 

Presentations and Interviews from the 2013 National Book Festival

The Library of Congress started uploading videos from the 2013 National Book Festival. They did not finish uploading videos until May last year, so it might take a few (or six) months until all the videos are uploaded. I'll update this post as the videos are released. Sound good? :) 

Patrick Ness

Christopher Myers 

Holly Black

Katherine Applegate

Brian Floca

Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

Jon Klassen

Jon Scieszka

Kadir Nelson

Katherine Paterson 

Monica Brown and Rafael Lopez 

Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm 

(Updated on 12/12/13)