Janet Tashjian's Blog
May 11, 2023
Hello world!
November 10, 2017
Thanks for an Awesome Fall Tour!
Kids aren’t the only ones who go back to school in the fall. In five weeks I visited schools in over a dozen cities across the country and met some AWESOME young readers – from all the brilliant students who couldn’t wait to share their ideas for the next MY LIFE AS book to one vocabulary rockstar who nailed the definition of triskaidekaphobia. #mademyday
A huge thank you to all the teachers, librarians, book sellers, and book festival panelists that made the journey from Santa Monica, California to Charlotte, North Carolina and everywhere in between such a blast.
The post Thanks for an Awesome Fall Tour! appeared first on Janet Tashjian.
October 10, 2017
The Common Core Handout for the Sticker Girl Series Is Here!
Click here to download the PDF!
The series guide for teaching Sticker Girl in accordance with the Common Core.
The post The Common Core Handout for the Sticker Girl Series Is Here! appeared first on Janet Tashjian.
May 15, 2014
March 28, 2014
MY LIFE AS A JOKE Tour
MY LIFE AS A JOKE comes out next week so I’m hitting the road! Some events will
also include the book’s fabulous illustrator, JAKE TASHJIAN.
o April 2 – St. Joe’s, Needham, MA and Mulcahey Elementary in Taunton, MA
o April 3 – Deerfield Elementary, Westwood, MA
o April 4 – Fairfield, CT
o April 7 – Stafford Township, NJ
o April 9 – Newman Elementary, Needham, MA, Stanley School, Waltham, MA
o April 12, LA FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
• Texas Domination Tour: April 14-24: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio SCHOOL VISITS
o April 14: Katy Budget Books (Houston TX)
o April 15: Katy Budget Books (Houston TX)
o April 16: Katy Budget Books (Houston TX)
o April 17: Montgomery County Library (The Woodlands TX)
o April 21: Lewisville Library (Irving TX)
o April 22: Barnes & Noble (Dallas TX)
o April 23: Barnes & Noble (Dallas TX)
o April 24: Barnes & Noble (San Antonio TX)
• May 17: Gaithersburg Book Festival (Washington DC)
COME OUT AND SAY HELLO!
The post MY LIFE AS A JOKE Tour appeared first on Janet Tashjian.
February 2, 2014
Einstein The Class Hamster – Common Core Guide & Worksheets
For all you teachers looking to integrate fun books into the Common Core, the amazing Maureen Connelly Ed.D – Common Core expert – has written a 15-page handout for EINSTEIN THE CLASS HAMSTER with lots of amazing exercises and projects for students, grades 2-3. We’re making it a free download for all educators – let me know what you think!
The post Einstein The Class Hamster – Common Core Guide & Worksheets appeared first on Janet Tashjian.
November 27, 2013
3 Days Left!
There are only 3 days left to submit a photo; the class with the cutest class pet gets ten signed copies of EINSTEIN THE CLASS HAMSTER.
All pets considered – snakes, hedgehogs, hamsters, tigers, bunnies, guinea pigs and armadillos. Send in your photos today!
Contest guidelines and restrictions: One photo entry per classroom. Send your photo to janettashjian@gmail.com or @janettashjian on Instagram.
Please include, name of classroom pet, name of teacher, school & location of school. Entry photos will be voted for by Janet & Jake Tashjian based on feedback from Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.
The winning class will be selected by 11/30/13. Good luck!
The post 3 Days Left! appeared first on Janet Tashjian.
November 15, 2013
Jake’s Big Cartooning Influence
Here is a post I did for the fabulous Nerdy Book Club about the importance of Library Programs.
On a recent school visit in San Diego, a student asked my son Jake – who illustrated my novels MY LIFE AS A BOOK, MY LIFE AS A STUNTBOY, and MY LIFE AS A CARTOONIST – who his biggest influences were. I would’ve bet anything that Jake would say cartoonists like Bill Watterson and Jim Davis or animators like Tex Avery and Chuck Jones. But like most teenagers, he surprised me.
“There was a guy called Fred Grandinetti,” Jake said. In a million years I never thought he would’ve remembered a man who worked at the Watertown Public Library a decade ago, let alone site him as a major influence. As I thought about it, however, it made perfect sense. And since we now live in a time where library services, hours, and branches are being slashed, the effects of one of these ‘non-essential’ library programs on a budding young artist should be shouted from the rooftops.
Besides working at the Watertown Public Library, Fred Grandinetti had a local cable show called ‘Drawing With Fred’ where he taught kids how to draw such cartoon characters as Olive Oyl, Henry, and Felix the Cat. (Talk about another area in need of funding – whatever happened to local cable stations with original programming?) Fred was also the president of the Popeye Fan Club, wrote a book on Popeye, and was instrumental in getting those cartoons released onto DVD.
Jake loved Popeye as a kid, which was why we drove to the Watertown Library for Fred’s very often Popeye-related programs. (I recall one storytime coinciding with Popeye’s 75th birthday. As we drove to the library, I remember thinking we’d be the only people there on a sunny Sunday afternoon. But the library was mobbed with kids and their parents reading comics, drawing, and singing Happy Birthday to the beloved cartoon character. For a kid who loved drawing and cartoons like Jake did, it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.)
These types of library programs – the first things cut in a budget crunch – fed my son’s creativity and imagination, as well as his drawing skills. Fred generously made (VHS!) copies of his show so Jake and his friends could follow the drawing lessons whenever they wanted to. I remember many an afternoon where Jake and his buddies Greg, Sam, and Jack took turns leading drawing ‘classes’ on the easel set up in our living room. These are times I remember fondly, but never would’ve bet those afternoons would form the backbone of my son’s illustration career. Of course so did the work of Bill Watterson and Tex Avery, but it was the personal connection made at the Watertown Public Library that Jake remembers most.
We recently did school visits in Waltham and Newton, Massachusetts and in between presentations, stopped in to the Watertown Public Library to see if Fred still works there. He doesn’t, but it was fun to visit the rooms where Jake spent so many hours reading and drawing cartoons. When we got back home, I found Fred online and sent him an email telling him how much his drawing lessons meant to Jake. He asked for our address and a week later, a package arrived with new DVD’s of his drawing show and a book on Jack Mercer (the man who did the voice of Popeye, as Jake will gladly tell you.) It’s amazing that years later and three thousand miles away, Fred still cares enough about a kid who loves to draw that he went out of his way to send those thoughtful presents.
Jake and I have done a zillion school visits and signings for MY LIFE AS A CARTOONIST, as well as our new series EINSTEIN THE CLASS HAMSTER. Jake’s illustrations have received rave reviews – not bad for a kid who started out taking free drawing classes at the local library. So whenever librarians ask us to come and talk to students, I say yes. I belong to ALA, I go to librarian conferences, I attend library fundraisers each time I’m invited. I follow the librarian listservs where I listen to librarians try and figure out exciting ways to bring new readers into their folds. And to those librarians and volunteers who spend their time setting up these programs, I can only say, “Yes, they’re worth all the time you spend putting them together. Yes, they’re worth fighting for funding.” Thanks for continuing to make libraries a haven of learning for kids. And thank you Fred Grandinetti from Watertown Public Library for helping a young kid with a pencil and a piece of paper make his first cartoons come to life.
The post Jake’s Big Cartooning Influence appeared first on Janet Tashjian.
October 22, 2013
The Einstein The Class Hamster Contest
Kids – all across the country, you’ve been telling us stories about your awesome class pets – now you can SHOW us! Email a funny photo of your class pet – we’ll post it on FB, Twitter, and Instagram so people can vote. The winning classroom gets a set of 10 signed copies of EINSTEIN THE CLASS HAMSTER! Pass it on, tell your friends, and send in a photo of YOUR class pet today!
Contest guidelines and restrictions: One photo entry per
classroom. Send your photo to janettashjian@gmail.com.
Please include, name of classroom pet, name of teacher, school & location of school. Entry photos will be voted for by Janet & Jake Tashjian based on feedback from Facebook, Instagram & Twitter.
The winning class will be selected by 11/30/13. Good luck!
The post The Einstein The Class Hamster Contest appeared first on Janet Tashjian.
