Bears Make the Best Math Buddies

We are super excited about this post! We’ve developed a Book Bite for Carmen Oliver’s BEARS MAKE THE BEST MATH BUDDIES. This adorable math book allows for more than math in the classroom so we just had to share. If you love this book, she has BEARS MAKE THE BEST READING BUDDIES and BEARS MAKE THE BEST WRITING BUDDIES coming in January. These books make great buddies for our students!

Pick a Picture Book Author

Fall is off to a great start because we have an interview with Patricia Toht, author of many irresistible picture books. Read on to find out when she started writing, why she does it, and what the future holds for her. We’ve also included a Book Bite for PICK A PUMPKIN, her latest book, which just happens to be perfect for this time of year!

1. How long have you been an author?
My path has been a long one! When I meet with students, I like to tell them that I started writing before the turn of the century, then I laugh as their mouths drop open. Shortly after I graduated from college, I had a brief go at writing for children (around 1986), but I didn’t try in earnest until 1995, when I stopped working full-time for awhile to stay at home with my four children.

2. What made you want to become an author?
I fell in love with children’s books as a bookseller first. I opened a children’s bookstore in the Chicago suburbs in 1988. Seven years later, Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Super Crown bookstores all moved in a few miles away and siphoned off enough sales to sink us. But my love of selling books eventually grew into a love of writing books.

3. Tell us about your most recent book, PICK A PUMPKIN. Where did you get this idea?
I took a poetry class with Illinois poet Heidi Roemer, which reawakened an affinity for poetry. PICK A PUMPKIN began as a shorter poem about selecting the perfect pumpkin, and it eventually grew into carving a jack-o’-lantern, too. Researching picture books about pumpkins, I couldn’t find any that focused on that process, and I hoped there was a need in the market for a book like that. I soon wrote PICK A PINE TREE, too, and submitted them as companion books.

4. Authors get rejected a lot. What do you do when you get rejected?
Believe me, I don’t always take rejection well! But I read a book by Steven Pressfield called The War of Art, and this quote has always stayed with me:
“So you’re taking a few blows. That’s the price for being in the arena and not on the sidelines. Stop complaining and be grateful.”
I try to remind myself of this. And I’ve also grown to know that writing can be a numbers game. The more you write (and submit), the greater your chance that something will resonate with an editor.

5. You’ve already written PICK A PINETREE and PICK A PUMPKIN. Will there be another PICK A ___ book in the future?
I have a few ideas, but that editor is not interested right now. She wants me to diversify my writing a bit, so I’m working on different things.

6. What’s the hardest part about writing picture books? What’s the easiest?
The easiest for me is coming up with ideas, although I throw out a lot of ideas before I find a really great one. The hardest is the first round of editing with my editor because I’ve worked so hard to make the manuscript the best (I think) it can be before I submit. I can be a crabby re-writer for a few days after my first editorial letter!

7. Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on now?
I have two more books that are in the illustration process. TAXI, GO follows a taxi through the stops and starts of its day, and will be illustrated by Maria Karipidou. TOGETHER WITH YOU is a celebration of grandparents and grandchildren, and pairs me up with Jarvis again!

8. What do you do when you’re not writing?
I’m a library associate in a big, busy middle school. I love it! But I do miss my days working at the public library where I led family storytimes. For me, there’s nothing like a room of “littles” to make my heart happy!

9. What advice would you give someone who wants to become an author? 
It’s not new advice – READ, READ, READ! Because I owned a bookstore, I read hundreds of picture books each season to discern which ones to purchase. I eventually developed an internal sense of picture book rhythm and length, and learned about certain elements like page turns and the “rule of three.” I still check out loads of picture books from my local library. Also, I know that I always have more to learn, so I read craft books, attend conferences, and work with critique partners to improve my writing. (I write for the GROG blog. To learn more about page turns, the rule of three, and how to make a “dummy” of your picture book, check out my posts.)

Bio: Patricia Toht is a poet, picture book author, and school library associate. She once owned a children's bookshop before turning a love of books into a love of writing. She is the author of four picture books - ALL ABOARD THE LONDON BUS, illustrated by Sam Usher, DRESS LIKE A GIRL, illustrated by Lorian Tu, and PICK A PINE TREE and PICK A PUMPKIN, illustrated by Jarvis. Find her online at www.patriciatoht.com, on Twitter as @PatriciaToht, and Instagram as patricia.toht. She is represented by Julia Churchill at A.M. Heath (London).

The One & Only Wolfgang

Happy Book Birthday to THE ONE & ONLY WOLFGANG! Steve Greig, Mary Rand Hess and Nadja Sarell have created one incredible book about one incredible family. Here are some activities you can complete after reading to extend the fun!

I'm Done! Are You?

“I’m Done!” How many times do teachers and parents hear that phrase? Gretchen Brandenburg McLellan has managed to create a character who sounds exactly like half the kids in my class! Little Beaver thinks he’s done building the dam and continues to join his friends in play. His parents have to keep reminding him that he isn’t quite done yet. This back and forth is so relatable to young readers. My students even started repeating the phrase long after the book ended in a voice they thought Little Beaver might use. I created a few extra ideas if you’d like to extend the story past your reading time. Get your copy of the book here!

Twinderella, A Fractioned Fairy Tale and a Book Bite

Twinderella, A Fractioned Fairy Tale, by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Deborah Marcero, is our most favorite fraction book ever! Seriously, our grade level had one copy to start, thought we were going to share it, then –Poof– everyone insisted on having their own copy! This charming math story conquers fractions as parts of a region and parts of a group. We couldn’t ask for more. The text is just the right length and tells a succinct, attention-grabbing fractioned fairytale. We even made a book bite for it so we could extend the use of the book. Have fun!

How to Track and Easter Bunny- A Book Bite

Well, Sue Fliess is back on the scene giving tips for finding one of our favorites…the Easter Bunny! HOW TO TRACK AN EASTER BUNNY is written in rhyme at a perfect pace to keep your students engaged! There are some amazing ideas in the back too! We’ve written a mini book bite to give you activities to accompany this book at home or school! Hip-hop-hooray!

Yes, Dragons Get Colds Too!

This book, DRAGONS GET COLDS TOO, is hot off the press, dragon breath and scales included. The hilarious Rebecca Roan has written an irresistible book full of laughs and tips for taking care of your sick dragon. The illustrations from Charles Santoso are eye-catching, and endearing. We’ve created some hands-on fun that will go right along with your copy of the book. Tip: Your dragon will not get well without this step-by-step advice!

Do You Want to be a Ninja?

Sue Fliess (http://www.suefliess.com) has done it again! She’s written another can’t-resist, must-have, children’s book called, Ninja Camp. Her talented illustrator, Jen Taylor, has created the perfect pictures to take every reader on an authentic ninja camping experience. We wrote a Book Bite to help you and the kids in your life, can become “ninjas of the night” too!

Mrs. Claus Takes the Reins

We are in the final stretch to Winter Break and desperately trying to hold the attention of our excited students. Thank you, Sue Fliess for coming to the rescue with your new book, Mrs. Claus Takes the Reins!

If you have kids in your life, put on your Santa hat, grab your boots, and go get your copy today. Then try our activities to go along with the story. This book and these ideas are our survival kit for the next couple of days! Ho, ho, go Mrs Claus!

Haunted Halloween- A Book Bite

Check out our latest Book Bite. We’ve taken HAUNTED HALLOWEEN, by Sue Fliess, and created activities for educators and parents. Download our ideas and have a spooktacular time!

Finding Christmas with Lezlie Evans

We are so excited to bring you an interview from our friend and author, Lezlie Evans. She has written some amazing books for kids and we are here to share the scoop on her latest publication, FINDING CHRISTMAS. We asked and she answered. After reading, be sure to check out the Book Bite we created to use at home or in your classroom!

AMS/ER: People say authors write what they know. Did your idea for FINDING CHRISTMAS come from your own experiences?

LE: One Christmas Eve when my six children were still at home, I was swamped getting everything ready for the big day. A large pile of toys lay on our bedroom floor waiting to be wrapped. My husband offered to help and I gratefully took him up on it. He set about wrapping the gifts and finished the job in record time. But we soon realized he’d forgotten to put names on the gifts. I panicked! With no time left to buy new paper and rewrap the gifts, my husband suggested we put the presents under the tree without any names, let the children choose one at a time, open it, and then give it to the sibling they thought needed it/would love it the most. This turned out to be one of our most cherished family memories. Our children loved giving the gifts away to their delighted siblings, and my husband and I loved watching the sweet exchanges that took place. It was so much fun, our children insisted we leave the names off the Christmas presents the next year as well. That experience is very similar to when Hare, Squirrel, and Mouse give their gifts away. They find great joy, just like my children did on that memorable Christmas Eve. So I guess that experience did spark an idea! 

AMS/ER: Is Christmas your favorite holiday?

LE: I’m a holiday lover, that’s for sure. Probably because holidays provide opportunities to make memories and instill family traditions. There are so many things to love about the Christmas season – beautiful decorations, yummy treats, and buying gifts for others! Much like Hare, Squirrel, and Mouse, I love it when my little burrow fills up with family and friends and we sing one carol after another (sometimes at the top of our lungs, just like Hare)! So, yes, I’d have to say Christmas is my favorite!

AMS/ER: What advice do you have for kids who would like to give or do something for someone else?

LE: It doesn’t need to be big or complicated. Small and simple things are often the best gifts! A hug, a picture, a kind word such as saying, “come, sit by me,” to someone who needs a friend – those things can make a real difference. Giving someone your place in line, asking your teacher what you can do to help, or being the first to listen and follow directions. Those things will make your teacher’s day! Can you think of some small and simple things you can do for your family members to show kindness?

I’m super excited about the Gifts of Kindness Advent Calendar that Albert Whitman has created! It goes along with the theme of Finding Christmas. Follow the pictures and simple instructions (below) to make this fun, easy craft/advent calendar. With this advent calendar, you can fill the 24 days leading up to Christmas with all kinds of simple acts of kindness. Before you know it, your classroom or your home will be filled with the spirit of Christmas.

AMS/ER: Who do you think is the most important character in FINDING CHRISTMAS?

LE: Great question! I’m fond of all the characters, but if I have to pick one I would say Swallow is the most important. Without Swallow, there would be no story. Swallow enables the three friends to see the holiday in a whole new way. As Mouse, Squirrel, and Hare give up their gifts to help Swallow get better, they find the Christmas spirit. While authors do not usually dictate what the illustrator draws, I wanted the message to come through in a very subtle, yet powerful way. So I asked Yee Von if she would draw Swallow with her wings wrapped around the three friends in the final illustration. Yee Von’s depiction of this moment is even sweeter than I imagined!

AMS/ER: Rumor has it you have a cat as a writing partner. Tell us about that.

LE: Well, let me start off by saying that my dearest writing friend (the co-author of this blog) despises my kitty cohorts. Even though on several occasions my kitties have tried to cuddle up to her and extend a paw of friendship, she merely cringes when they come around. Ha! In all seriousness, writing is a solitary endeavor for many authors, but not for me. My two cats see to that! As soon as I sit down at the computer, Max is at my feet and Callie jumps up and sits in between the keyboard and my computer screen. They are the purrrrrfect companions! In fact, Callie loves me to read aloud to her when I am working on a story. In this video clip below, she is doing just that! She is a rather spoiled kitty, don’t you think?

AMS/ER: What is your next book coming out? Tell us a little about it.

LE: DADDIES DO is a rhythmic, rhyming shout-out to daddies everywhere. From a daddy bird who teaches his little bird to fly, to a anteater who makes his little ones a sticky stack of pancakes dripping with ants, these animal pairings prove that though daddies come in all shapes and sizes, they all have one thing in common… their love for their little ones! DADDIES DO will be out in time for Father’s Day next spring. Look for it on May 1st.

Questions our first grade students think all authors should answer: 

First Graders: How do you concentrate?

LE: My children are grown and gone now so my house is very quiet. This helps me concentrate because I don’t have a lot of distractions. If I really want to get something done though, I turn off my phone. Sometimes, if I am really struggling coming up with an idea or revising a certain passage, I have to get up and walk around the house for a bit. This clears my head. Sometimes it helps me get in the mood to write if I turn on music. For the pioneer novel I am working on I have a whole soundtrack of songs I have compiled that inspire me and put me in that time period.

First Graders: How do you think of great ideas?

LE: Great ideas are all around us! And the beautiful thing is my ideas are different than your ideas. I firmly believe that everybody has their own unique stories to tell. Many of my best ideas come because I make an effort to notice things. I like watching people. I like to eavesdrop! That may sound funny, but so many ideas have come to me from overhearing something somebody says that strikes me as funny. And I spend a lot of “quiet” time thinking about things too. Especially before I go to sleep at night. Then I’ll wake up in the morning and POW! I have a new idea. Early in the morning is when I seem to get my best ideas.

First Graders: Why did you become an author?

LE: Because I loved reading books with my six children and I wanted to write stories that allowed others to do the same. My kids and I used to check out dozens of books each week. At any given time, we had 50 library books in the house. One night when I was reading with my kids I thought, this is what I want to do when I grow up. I want to write for children. And so studied how to do it, I practiced writing stories, I worked at revising those stories, and, miracle of miracle, I became a published author!

Book Bite #6- Surf’s Up

Have you ever met a reluctant reader? Someone who always wants to play rather than read a good book? There is a character just like that in Surf’s Up, a new book by Kwame Alexander and Daniel Miyares.

Bro and Dude’s adventure perfectly illustrates the power a good book can hold over a reader. It’s also a fantastic model of how to use a cliffhanger. Check out our Book Bite for ten ways to use Surf’s Up to jumpstart social studies, science, writing and engineering activities!

Book Bite # 5- Leo: A Ghost Story

October is one of our favorite months to be teachers! The seasonal changes, the Halloween excitement that spills over into everything students do, and the spooky stories. Oh, how we love the spooky stories! For extra ambiance, we’ll read them after turning off our lights and reading by the dim light of a glow stick or the flicker of an artificial candle. This year we’ve added a few new ones to our collections, including Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson. You can also find Mac on Twitter!

While this story is ghostly, it is not one that would actually frighten any of our first graders. It’s a heart-warming story about finding friends who are just right for you. This Book Bite includes not only some fun follow-up activities we’ve created, but also some tasty treats! 

Book Bite #4- Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast

Since our Book Bites for Lion vs. Rabbit, Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great and Sam and Dave Dig a Hole have been so popular, we thought we’d share some of the activities we’ve done for one of our new favorites- Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast written by Josh Funk and illustrated by Brendan Kearney.

You had us at the title, Josh, but then we saw the amazing book trailer. A pancake and French toast battling it out for syrup? Who doesn’t love a little competition? This book proved to be perfect for the beginning of school as we could easily relate it to our citizenship unit. Snag our Book Bite here.

Check out some of the activities we’ve already done!

Book Bite #3- Sam and Dave Dig a Hole

It’s time for another Book Bite! 

If you enjoyed Book Bite #1 based around Alex Latimer’s, Lion vs. Rabbit and Book Bite #2 focused on Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea, then you’re sure to adore BookBite #3! This time we’ve dug into 2014’s winner of the Caldecott Honor, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen.

Our students really dug this story. When I asked my first graders to create their own digging adventure from the point of view of the dog, they wrote as many as 7 pages! The words and pictures in this book are sure to illicit smiles, laughter and loud groans of exasperation from kids of all ages. (Do I count as a kid since I definitely laughed out loud when I opened the book?) If you haven’t checked out this book yet, go snag a copy now!

Book Bite #2- Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great

Last week we shared Book Bite #1 based around Alex Latimer’s, Lion vs. Rabbit. Now it's time to share Book Bite #2! This time we focused on Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea. (Have you ever visited his Twitter account? He's hilarious!)

I snagged this book last year and have been sharing it with people as often as I can. This must-read book has a goat, a unicorn, jealousy, friendship, talents and adventure all rolled into one hysterical tale. You've got to check it out! How can you resist the adorable illustrations?? (Does Goat's expression remind anyone else of McKayla Maroney's "not impressed" face after she won the silver medal?)

Book Bites

Every time a new book is released I try to rationalize why I need it for my classroom. Does it fit into the curriculum or any of my existing units of study? If the book doesn’t fit but it’s really amazing, I buy it anyway! Then I create activities around the book, so it isn’t just read quickly and shelved. I call them Book Bites and I’m really excited to share them.

Here’s Book Bite #1 based around Alex Latimer’s hilarious, Lion vs. Rabbit.

If you enjoyed this Book Bite, check out Book Bite #2 based around Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great, by Bob Shea!