I’m over at Mary Boone’s blog answering questions about my latest release, YUMBO GUMBO, and my writerly life. Here’s the link to Six Questions with Keila V. Dawson.
The October Substack newsletter is live! Teachers and librarians will find news you can use. And there’s another educator Book Bundle giveaway for subscribers.
October: Smells like pumpkin spice and book challenges
Bookish news, giveaways, a profile of Nancy Churnin, and new mini lesson on sensory language!
We are a group of children’s book creatives who write nonfiction and informational fiction books who are also dedicated to supporting teachers, librarians, and students to help them discover ways to use our books with students.
Also follow us on Twitter/X @ForGrowingMinds.
EXTRA! EXTRA! Read All About It! I belong to a group of children’s book creatives who write nonfiction and informational fiction books. We are also dedicated to supporting teachers, librarians, and students to help them discover ways to use our books with students.
We’re publishing a newsletter on Substack! And each month we will share news and teaching tips.
Read our first post written by moi and subscribe to win a Back-to-School book bundle to support a school of your choice! And please share with others.
Also follow us on Twitter/X @ForGrowingMinds.
I am thrilled to have had my first in-person school visit since the height of the pandemic at Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, in June. Aga Khan Academy – Mombasa is a primary through secondary dual language, International Baccalaureate World School, with a residential option. Student leadership and community service are important strands within their school programming. The school admin, teachers, and support staff are incredibly dedicated and hardworking. It was a pleasure to spend time with kids at this amazing school. The students made this visit so much fun!
I visited with Year 3, 4, 5 students in the primary school; read The King Cake Baby to the younger class and OPENING THE ROAD to the older classes. And they did some writing too. Students knew about Carnevale and one student even knew about Mardi Gras! They have also learned US history and that people are treated differently in America because of the color of their skin. And now they know more, soaked up that knowledge like little sponges. It was so good to be back among our future leaders. Some things are truly universal because one student asked how old I am! I told her old enough to be her grandmother. LOL!
My last visit was with Year 7 – middle school aged kids. The school asked me to discuss poetry. I promised they will love the poems I’d share from NO VOICE TOO SMALL. Then asked them to “show me” what mood they were in, because poetry is all about emotion and, at their age, they have experienced all kind of moods! HA. At first they were a little reserved, then I struck some poses, some cracked up, and joined in! Middle schoolers! I showed them the video of Charles Waters reading his spoken word poem about DJ Annie Red and they were hooked! They gasped at the story about Noah Barnes and were impressed with how Lindsay H. Metcalf followed rules to write a Tanka sequence about him. And of course I bragged about my friend Marcie Rinka Wessels, who writes beautiful and thoughtful Haiku, then shared my silly version “How to Haiku” when discussing voice. After the presentation, a teacher told me she saw a few boys chatting, walked over wondering what they were up to and they were engaged in a conversation about what is and isn’t poetry while discussing rap music. She was so happy! For the writing part, they started brainstorming and will write bio poems.
What a blast to be with kids again, and to visit with students at Aga Khan Academy – Mombasa.
December – ReFoReMo Best Mentor Texts of 2020
November – Deborah Underwood
October – Margarita Engle
September – Mentor Text Research NO VOICE TOO SMALL Lindsay Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, Jeanette Bradley
September – Tim McCanna
August – Kevin Henkes
July – Nikki Grimes
June – Kim Norman
April – 2020 ReFoReMo Challenge Reflections
May 2020 – Lesléa Newman
January 2020- Julie Abery
Today on the Reading for Research Month (ReFoReMo) blog, I share how I used mentor texts to write OPENING THE ROAD: VICTOR HUGO GREEN AND HIS GREEN BOOK. Coming to a shelf near you this month!
The October Mentor Text Author Study looks at Margarita Engle’s latest picture book about pianist Teresa Carreño. Celebrating Latinx Heritage!
I had a chat with author Rosie Pova on her blog to discuss my road to publication, my latest picture book release NO VOICE TOO SMALL: Fourteen Young Americans Making History, and what’s next for me. Follow this link to read that interview.
Hope you enter the GIVEAWAY for a chance to win a copy of NO VOICE TOO SMALL!
Available now!
Charlesbridge | ISBN: 978-1-6235-4131-6
40 pages | ages 5-9
Bookshop | Charlesbridge | Amazon | B&N
I’m planning giveaways for my forthcoming book, too. Stay tuned!
Beaming Books | ISBN: 978-1506467917
40 pages | ages 4-8
Coming January 26, 2020
PRE-ORDER:
Bookshop | Beaming Books | Amazon | B&N
In this month’s author study, I revisit master storytelling Tim McCanna in this month’s Reading for Research blog post!
It’s been a joy to be a part of the 2019 Reading For Research team of bloggers that study stellar picture books.
Best of 2019 from the Reading for Research Team
November 2019
Reading for Research Mentor Text Study: Cece Bell
October 2019
Reading for Research Mentor Text Study: Yuyi Morales
September 2019
Reading for Research Mentor Text Study: David Michael Slater
August 2019
Reading for Research Mentor Text Study: Susan Verde
July 2019
Reading for Research Mentor Text Study: Ashley Spires
June 2019
Reading for Research Mentor Text Study: Lesléa Newman
May 2019
Reading for Research Mentor Text Study: Anika Aldamuy Denise
March 2019
January 2019
Revisiting author/illustrator Kevin Henkes today over at the Reading for Research blog. Imagery, repetition, and alliteration, oh, my!
Join us at this year’s Picture Book Summit to hear the very talented picture book author-illustrator Peter Reynolds!
I was honored to write about his work. Read my author study to learn more about him and while there register for the virtual conference.
Register for Picture Book Summit to hear the very talented picture book author Lesa Cline-Ransome! I was honored to write about her body of work. Read my author study to learn more about her and while there register for the virtual conference.
Register for Picture Book Summit to hear the very talented author and illustrator Sophie Blackhall! I was honored to write about her books. Read my author study to learn more about her and while there register for the virtual conference.
It’s time for another Coronavirus Creative Mentor Text Author Study post!
In August 2018, I wrote a mentor text author study featuring poet and author Nikki Grimes. Since then, Grimes has released two new picture books this year. Let’s look at those books. Read more at the Reading for Research blog.
Happy reading! Stay safe!
This month I discussed informational picture books and looked at at Give Me Back My Bones by Kim Norman, illustrated by Bob Kolar over at the Reading for Research blog. What a fun read!
I took a look at Lesléa Newman’s latest book for our May Reading for Research mentor text author study!
Happy reading!
Today I looked at books by Julie Abery for my January Reading for Research Month post. What a wonderful way to start 2020!
Head over to the Reading for Research Month blog to read about the stories ReFoReMo contributors picked for best picture book mentor texts of the year! Read on!
Newbery Honor–winning author-illustrator Cece Bell is well known for her graphic novel El Deafo, the autobiographical book about living with her hearing loss from childhood. In this post, I look at Bell’s picture books and how she uses imagination and more to connect with a younger audience.
Read more at the Reading for Research Month blog…
Read about the talented author and storyteller Rukhsana Khan. I was honored to write about her books. We will hear from her tomorrow and many others at this year’s fifth anniversary of Picture Book Summit!
We’re celebrating Latin culture and Latinx Heritage Month over at the ReFoReMo blog today using books by the talented Yuyi Morales!
This month I look at picture books by by word whiz David Michael Slater over at the Reading for Research blog! His word play is filled with puns and idioms. And his humor is delightful.
This month’s Reading for Research author study takes a look at books by Susan Verde. Read how she connects with kids and invites them to learn and grow. Her books address compassion, empathy, mindfulness and community.
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