Lana Button's Blog - Posts Tagged "picture-book"
Getting my Virtual School Visit Groove On
Being a children's author means being privileged to visit classrooms of children to read your stories. It's an amazing opportunity to inspire and educate young children, and spark a love of reading. Bringing your stories to life in front of your audience is a storyteller's dream come true.
But author visits look very different this year. Gone are gyms full of students sitting criss-cross-applesauce, as we are forced to reach our audience through a zoom lens or a youtube link. It is different. But I still love it. As a former actress I can dig deep into my tv experience and speak to that green light on my laptop like I'm speaking to that kindergarten class. Instead of holding the book up high, for the child in the back row to see, I' m now holding the page close to the camera so each child can see the intricacies of the pictures. My projected voice has turned into a quieter voice that requires a different kind of energy and excitement to hold on to my young viewer's attention.
But the goal is the same. Entertain, inspire and educate. Every visit. I consider it a privilege. Every time.Lana Button
But author visits look very different this year. Gone are gyms full of students sitting criss-cross-applesauce, as we are forced to reach our audience through a zoom lens or a youtube link. It is different. But I still love it. As a former actress I can dig deep into my tv experience and speak to that green light on my laptop like I'm speaking to that kindergarten class. Instead of holding the book up high, for the child in the back row to see, I' m now holding the page close to the camera so each child can see the intricacies of the pictures. My projected voice has turned into a quieter voice that requires a different kind of energy and excitement to hold on to my young viewer's attention.
But the goal is the same. Entertain, inspire and educate. Every visit. I consider it a privilege. Every time.Lana Button
When You Gotta Go
I'm a children's author and I've also been working with young children for over 30 years. And so I know that starting new school routines are milestones in a child's development. One of those milestones is using the bathroom independently— like totally independently- like without hints, or help in any of the pants down, wiping department. It's a big deal. Every year I see children attempt to avoid this scene all together, determined to 'wait til they get home.' It's why I wrote my latest picture book, "Raj's Rule (For the Bathroom at School) I wanted to show children in a fun and funny way that they would have a lot more fun at school if they faced this fear. And illustrator Hatem Aly did the most fantastic job bringing my determined bathroom avoider Raj to life.
And I'm here to tell you that I didn't get far into this school year before meeting a few new friends who were avoiding my class washroom at all cost. Raj did not let me down! Kids found the story relatable and helpful. It even made an overnight trip in a backpack to a child's home so his parents could read the story at bedtime. And the child told me, with a stone cold stare, "You know he almost peed his pants. But then he did it! He used it! The bathroom at school." And I am pleased to report that the child then marched into the bathroom and soon triumphantly returned. You know, as a children's author, starred reviews are a great thing, but nothing is better than knowing that your story has helped a child.
Raj's Rule
And I'm here to tell you that I didn't get far into this school year before meeting a few new friends who were avoiding my class washroom at all cost. Raj did not let me down! Kids found the story relatable and helpful. It even made an overnight trip in a backpack to a child's home so his parents could read the story at bedtime. And the child told me, with a stone cold stare, "You know he almost peed his pants. But then he did it! He used it! The bathroom at school." And I am pleased to report that the child then marched into the bathroom and soon triumphantly returned. You know, as a children's author, starred reviews are a great thing, but nothing is better than knowing that your story has helped a child.
Raj's Rule
