-Posted on: September 14, 2020
My son sits tucked in the back of our walk-in closet, a book open on his lap, his three-year-old sister at his side, giggling at a silly sentence. My oldest reads until past ‘lights out’ because she lost track of …
-Posted on: August 17, 2020
The word ‘international’ sounds glamorous. ‘National’ indicates importance. What comes to mind when you hear ‘local’? Non-stop excitement? Nah…
This pandemic has forced many of us to confine ourselves. To totally step away from our frenetic, fabulous lives. To live …
-Posted on: July 14, 2020
I knew I wanted to write for children many years before I actually put pen to paper. I had not even stepped on the path to becoming an author when I took a seven-year detour – I opened a children’s …
-Posted on: June 16, 2020
A 2.5 Minute Bumpy Blog
by Bibi Belford
I bumped my head last week and saw stars. Right before I opened an email reminding me that I signed up to write a blog post and it was due. For a …
-Posted on: May 15, 2020
The Complex Journey Toward Resilience
My debut novel in verse, Reeni’s Turn (September 13, 2020) explores the complex nature of emotional resilience in this body positive story of a shy, self-conscious tween’s urgent search for courage, self-acceptance, and identity. Reeni …
-Posted on: April 15, 2020
My mantra as a nonfiction author has always been to have fun. As a mother navigating home schooling, my new mantra is to teach with fun. That doesn’t mean my house is the Wild West with kids flinging slime at …
-Posted on: March 13, 2020
Social Constructs Made Visible
One question I’ve heard a lot since I launched my debut middle grade time-travel series, starting with Jagger Jones and the Mummy’s Ankh, is: Why middle grade? For me, the answer lies in my own middle …
-Posted on: February 11, 2020
Plus Activity Ideas
By Eileen Meyer
History and poetry meld together in my just-released picture book, The Superlative A. Lincoln: Poems about our 16th President. The topic is a natural fit with the elementary school curriculum’s study of Abraham …
-Posted on: January 12, 2020
How I Make Research Fun
By Natalie Rompella
We’ve all read our share of uninspired student research papers. Why? We’re often asking for boilerplate facts (Where does your animal live? What’s its diet?). These details are important for …
-Posted on: December 14, 2019
When I talk to educators and librarians about READ LOCAL, there is one question they don’t ask:
Why should I host an author visit?
That’s because everyone knows that bringing an author or illustrator to your school has a bunch …
