The Joy of Children's Literature

My classroom in the new School of Education I am so lucky! This week, the fall semester started at The College of William & Mary and the first group of students entered a brand new School of Education ! The picture above is of the classroom in which I am teaching. It is so beautiful. There is so much light and space and everything is new. Including the technology. The picture to the right is the podium from which I can choose to use the computer, document camera, VCR, or television, all at the touch of a button. Let me tell you, it is a wondrous thing, especially when I have had access to none of it in the old building (and when you teach on a campus that is over 300 years old , "old" takes on a new meaning:-). My office, however, is still in need of work. I did get pictures hung on the wall though. Does anyone know from which picturebook I took these pictures? And, I did get most of my picturebooks shelved.  But, as I said, I still have a lot of work to do! O...

Did you know that two time Caldecott Medal winner, David Wiesner has a new picturebook coming out in October? Well, you do now! It looks and sounds amazing, but of course, we would not expect anything less, right? Check out the video below to see what a treat we are all in for when the book comes out in 43 days (not that I'm counting). You might also be interested in A Tribute to David Wiesner , written by David Macaulay , that appeared in Horn Book Magazine .

Are you impatiently waiting for August 24th? If so, here are a few links to blog posts that might help past the time... 5 Questions with Suzanne Collins: Author of the Hunger Games Trilogy . Suzanne Collins answers these questions in the following video: Hogwarts Professor has posted a Mockingjay prediction along with several other posts about the book. Oz and Ends has posted about dystopic novels in general. Plan a Mockingjay party! CardiganNation has lots of ideas. Start your own conversation about Mockingjay at the JCL Ning .

www.thejoyofchildrensliterature.ning.com I have excellent news! The publisher of The Joy of Children's Literature is sponsoring the JCL Ning for the upcoming year. You do not have to be an adopter of JCL to use the Ning. It is simply a gathering place for those interested in discussing children's literature. If you are unfamiliar with a Ning, go to the JCL Ning and look around.  Here are some of the things you can do: Start a book club group . Any book. Any group. Want to discuss the third book in the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins coming out next week? Start a discussion. Want your students to form groups to discuss their books all year? Start a group. Start a forum . Have questions for other teachers about books they are reading in their classroom? Need ideas for books on specific topics or genres? Have ideas you'd like to share with others? Start a forum. Wendy has started a forum on literature that supports writing workshop . Share your ideas with her....

I just received a link to a wonderful new series of videos on effective literacy practices developed by The Reading Recovery Council of North America in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education to offer professional development resources and activities to strengthen early literacy outcomes with K-3 students nationwide. As I clicked on the first module, described below, I was thrilled to see Vicki Altland (in the picture above), a literacy coach at Sallie Cone Elementary in Conway, AR, and a dear friend of mine who is featured in The Joy of Children's Literature ! Professional Development Resources to Strengthen Early Literacy Outcomes This video library offers extensive examples to help educators strengthen early literacy outcomes for K-3 students. Six effective literacy practices are highlighted to deepen teachers' understandings of literacy learning. The practices may be incorporated into teaching in the classroom, small groups, and one-on-one instruct...

It's hard to believe that this is the 10th year for the National Book Festival . The first festival began the summer I moved to Virginia, which made it possible for me to attend. And, am I ever happy that I made the trip! Being among people who love books as much as I do is a wondrous thing indeed. Hundreds of people, old and young alike, descend upon the National Mall in Washington D.C. each year to hear authors talk about their work. It's usually hot or raining and crowded, but still, you gotta love it. This year, the National Book Festival will be held on Saturday, September 25th from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and as usual, is free of charge. Each year, the line up of children's and YA authors/illustrators/advocates  is commendable and this year is no different. Check out the list so far: M.T. Anderson Michael Buckley Suzanne Collins Timothy Basil Ering Jules Feiffer Mem Fox Margaret Peterson Haddix Phillip M. Hoose Norton Juster Pat Mora...

Two days ago I was drinking my morning cup of coffee as I scrolled through my blog roll when I received my first gift from children's author extraordinaire, Barbara O'Connor. I came upon a post from Barbara's blog,  Greetings From Nowhere , titled: The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester , Chapter 1 . I thought maybe she had posted the first chapter of her soon-to-be-released new book. But, no. It was so much better than that! Barbara READ ALOUD the first chapter of the book!! And, it is amazing for many reasons: First, Barbara does an excellent job of reading aloud. Second, there is nothing like hearing the author read aloud his/her own work. Just think about it. The author's craft comes alive! Third, what a great way to entice the potential reader to run out an buy a copy of the book as soon as it becomes available.   I think we readers should start a new campaign. Rather than or in addition to the ever so popular book trailer, the author should...