Aileen Fisher

Aileen Fisher has over 100 award winning books. She had a passion for Children’s literature, and was quoted as saying “My first and chief love in writing is writing children’s verse.” She has written a variety of books in a number of different genres that have to do with seasons, nature, animals, celebrations, famous people, and biblical stories. She was raised in a small town in Michigan, but moved to Boulder, CO when she was an adult and lived there the rest of her adult life where she wrote most of her books. As the author of several books of different genres, Aileen Fisher’s work can be applied to many different lessons in the classroom. One such lesson, can involve a read aloud of one of her poems about the seasons when introducing the seasons to a Kindergarten class. Another such lesson, could incorporate a poem or book about a animal and its characteristics to a 1st grade class. Many of her books can be applied to several different content areas and TEKS; consequently, the variety of her writings are very useful in the classroom because they are adaptable to the different lessons taught throughout the school year. Aileen Fisher also uses “writerly techniques” such as imagery, personification, metaphors, and similies within most of her writings, which are important lessons in early childhood literacy.

Author Presentation: J. Patrick Lewis

J. Patrick Lewis is an American poet. He is the author of more than 80 children’s books. Lewis’ books relate to history, geography, mathematics, and science. Through his acrostic poetry, Lewis invokes connotations with the use of hyperboles and as he plays with the shape of the text. J. Patrick Lewis’ poetry is witty and simply beautiful.

Author Presentation: Shel Silverstein


Shel Silverstein is the world renowned poet best known for his quirky illustrations and dark playful poems. Silverstein uses fun a playful language, full of irony, exaggeration and humor. His poems are easy to understand and invite readers to imagine alongside him. Shel Silverstein makes reading fun and stress-free. Many of his poems of are nonsense and allow readers to just explore the music that different sounds can make. I know I was always surrounded by his art and words. He will be truly missed.

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Shel Silverstein reading “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too” from Where the Sidewalk Ends.

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Just For Fun: Shel Silverstein singing “The Ugliest Man in Town.”

Hayley Boardman

Author Presentation: Bruce Lansky

Bruce Lansky is an internationally known poet, sometimes referred to as the “King of Giggle Poetry”. He has a passion for getting children excited about reading and writing poetry and uses fun and playful language that is easy to understand and his poems are usually humorous. After publishing their own cookbook, Lansky and his wife built Meadowbrook Press and he tackled his dream of being a publisher. He decided he wanted to put together a children’s book of all the poems they loved best, so in order to find these poems, he tested poems in elementary schools and in the process began writing his own poems. He has spent a lot of time reading and testing poems in classrooms, and schools started inviting him to perform. He’s now performed at hundreds of schools. “My goal to put on the most entertaining, most educational, and most motivating assembly a school has ever had.” Lansky strives to get children involved in reading and writing poetry with his entertaining assemblies and playful poems.

Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers is an African American author who writes young adult literature. He is a New York Times bestselling author of more than eighty books for children and young adults. He mainly writes about urban youth struggles and African American teens. Following his success with young adult literature, Myers has branched out to works of nonfiction including topics of black history. In 2012, he was named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Appointees travel around the country for a two-year term and travel around the country promoting the importance of fiction and nonfiction in the lives of young people. Walter Dean Myers theme for his term is “Reading is not optional.”

Nikki Giovanni

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Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past thirty years, her outspokenness, in her writing and in lectures, has brought the eyes of the world upon her. One of the most widely-read American poets, she prides herself on being “a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English.” Giovanni’s honors and awards have been steady and plentiful throughout her career. The author of some 30 books for both adults and children, and the recipient of some twenty-five honorary degrees, has led her to become a “National Treasure.” Always insisting on presenting the truth as she sees it, Nikki Giovanni has maintained a prominent place as a strong voice of the Black community. Her books can be used in Language Arts, Social Studies and to promote cultural awareness. Giovanni’s focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others.

Jason Chin

 

Jason Chin is an author and illustrator who just loves nature and wildlife. He has written three of his own books, but has illustrated for a total of seven. Chin incorporates factual information in his stories while doing some story telling as well. His books are easy to read and when new vocabulary is introduced, Chin offers an explanation of the word. His most recent book Island has won the 2013 Gryphon Award for Children’s Literature and was also considered to be one of the top twenty children’s books of 2012 by School Library Journal. His books Redwoods and Coral Reefs have also received starred reviews from Horn Book, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews. Jason Chin is definitely an author you will want to share in your classroom!

Joyce Sidman

Joyce Sidman is an American poet. She has written 11 children’s books. Some have won awards and Caldecott honorable mentions. Her recent book Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature had been critically acclaimed and is a Junior Library Guild Selection. She has a love for the nature world and it shows in her writing. I read that she said, “the natural world fascinates me, elates me, grounds me. It raises questions that I try to answer in my writing.” Her writing pulled me into her poems and books and I couldn’t stop until I got to the last page. Her themes include nature, animals, and insects. She give the natural world a voice. Her books can be used for Science and Language Arts. On her website www.joycesidman.com there are lesson ideas that can help students use her books in their classroom.

Larry Gets Lost in Texas

Illustrated by John Skewes

Written by Michael Mullen and John Skewes

Larry Gets Lots in Texas is a quirky picture book that explores the landmarks of the great state of Texas. The book exhibits the ins and outs of Texas from very well-known historical  structures such as the capitol in Austin to lesser known structures such as the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. The book is arranged in a way that makes the book readable for younger ages but still contains a large amount of knowledge and facts. The book begins with a boy, Pete, and his best friend, Larry. The buds are traveling across Texas and somehow get separated.   This engaging story serves as a mini lesson in the geography and history of Texas. (TEKS 1.5.B locate the community, Texas, and the United States on maps and globes.)

Here is a Snippet of Larry Gets Lost in Texas (Note: “/” means a break)

“This is Larry. This is Pete. /They like riding together in the backseat. /The family loved going to Adventurous places./This new one was all about /Wide-open spaces. /At the first stop there was a hill, /And on top was a star./Then the biggest boots /Larry had seen, by far!/They drove a long while /Through a curious place. /At first it looked empty,/But that wasn’t the case./While Pete ate with his parents/ At a picnic spot they’d found,/Larry stayed in the trailer/With the windows rolled down./Larry’s hunger was something/He never could hide./And a tangy smell swirled /Through the air just outside. /It was some kind of meat /On a sauce-covered bun. /He could get it and eat it /Before Pete was done./Larry made his decision /And pounced on his treat, /But there was so much food,/ It took a long time to eat./His tummy full, /He came up gasping for air, /And saw that his best friend Pete /WASN’T THERE!”

Hayley Boardman