Carolee Dean's Blog, page 7

Exploring Authentic Writing Experiences at ASHA

I will travel to Boston, MA, in one week for the American Speech-Language and Hearing 2023 Conference (#ASHA2023).  If you are going, check out Booth 1254 for Word Travel Press along with my presentation on Saturday afternoon from 4-5 p.m. entitled "Story Frames for Teaching Literacy: Using Narratives as a Bridge to Informational Text." The presentation is largely based on Chapter 7 of my Story Frames book - "From Story Writing to Expository Writing: Bridging the Gap with Narrative Nonfiction," but the strategies I discuss may be used with any program. 

I gave a similar presentation twice this year already in author/educator panels with Jolene Gutierrez and Beth Anderson. See my interview with Beth, where she talks about The Resilience of English Language Learners. Then check out my blog post with Jolene on The Resilience of Bionic Beasts. I'm excited to announce that CCIRA has asked us to present this same author panel on February 8-10, 2024 in Westminster, CO. The specific day will be determined later. All the attention on this topic confirms my belief that students need help making the leap from stories to informational text in both reading and writing. In addition to discussing ways that narrative strategies may be used to enhance understanding of informational text and vice versa, I will also discuss ideas for exploring authentic writing opportunities, including crafting a "Letter to the Author" that follows a format similar to a short essay. One of the most successful writing activities I ever conducted for struggling learners was in a tenth-grade special education Language Arts class. It was a Letter to Author Cynthia Leitich Smith that arose organically after we read the graphic novel based on her book, Tantalize. Because they knew their letters were going to a real person, the author of a book they enjoyed, everyone participated in a way I hadn't seen with any other writing activity. Students were eager to edit because they wanted their letters to be perfect. Some even brought in special stationery.
I always get excited when I learn about opportunities for students to explore authentic writing experiences. Jill Lauren, creator of the Whole Phonics series of decodable texts, is a member of the Decodable Book Alliance that I joined recently when I started writing decodable books. Jill is holding a contest through November 30th where students can win a puzzle by illustrating a scene from one of her books and writing a one-sentence description. Find out more HERE. If you don't have any of Jill's books, don't worry. You can get a free copy of A Pig and His Wig by visiting her website at  https://whole-phonics.com/ and joining her mailing list. You will want more of her books, but you can start now with this one. Writing contests provide simple but compelling opportunities for authentic writing. If you are wondering what decodable books are, check out the article on my website at https://www.wordtravelpress.com/. Go to the tab at the top for Resources>Decodable Books.
I was already working on a December Poetry Giveaway to encourage reading and writing over winter break when I read about Jill's contest,  I decided to turn my Poetry Freebie into a contest starting on December 1 after Jill's contest ends. If you want to be sure to get the latest information about that contest, as well as other freebies, articles, and book news, join my Author Newsletter list. You will automatically receive a PDF of my first decodable book, No Gift for Man. You may unsubscribe at any time.
The Decodable Book Alliance works in conjunction with Teach My Kid to Read which is a 501c3 dedicated to educating librarians about the importance of decodable text. My next post will be about their experiences at the recent New York Library Association Conference, so stay tuned.
HINT: The December poem is called, A Long Winter's Nap and was inspired by a mother bear hibernating in a most unusual location.

DyslexiaCon 2023 Conference Highlights

Last week the International Dyslexia Association held their 74th Annual DyslexiaCon Conference in Columbus, Ohio. For me and members of the Branch Council, festivities began on Wednesday night with a special reception for the presidents and board members of the 44 branches of IDA.

Thursday morning I co-presented a 2-hour session with Kelly Cartwright Ph.D. called Hercules Vs. Heracles, the Importance of Cognitive Flexibility.  To my surprise and delight, close to 500 people attended our session. Many of them stopped by my booth for Word Travel Press later that day to continue the conversation. Kelly and I are currently working on a study to determine the effects of cognitive flexibility games on decoding. To find out more, check out my website page on Cognitive Flexibility.  Kelly's publisher is offering a special discount on her book. Use code AF2E at Guilford Press.

Debut Author & Illustrator Krista Weltner Talks About Growing Up with Dyslexia

This week, I'm interviewing debut author/illustrator Krista Weltner who is talking about her new series, Everyday Adventures with Molly and DysLEXia. The series is based on Krista's personal experiences growing up with dyslexia. 
Q. Krista, your debut picture book series, Everyday Adventures with Molly and DysLEXIa, is coming out in January. You have based the series on your personal experiences. What is one thing that you hope that children take away from the book? What about teachers and parents?
I hope children will grow in their understanding of dyslexia and themselves. I want them to feel proud of who they are and the unique strengths they bring to the table. For parents and teachers, I hope they can use my books as conversation starters. These books are great for aiding in discussions about self-advocacy, self-esteem, and personal strengths. 
Q. You are both the author and illustrator of the book. You have also created a short film called Partially Compensated which beautifully “illustrates” how you used art as a struggling learner to compensate for your challenges with reading and writing. Tell us more about how art helped you form a bridge between images and words.  The title, "Partially Compensated" refers to the teacher and main character, Violet. I recognize that environments that children must learn will not always match what they need. Violet partially compensates the teacher by participating as best she can. Instead of drawing on her essay she also tries to spell out some words. The teacher partially compensates for Violet by altering his expectations and a class assignment to acknowledge that Violet is different from his other students. He allows her to draw on one section of the paper but also indicates a space in which she should try to write things. 
I think prior to sharing my film, I felt misunderstood. Dyslexia is a complex topic. I think something that can be overlooked is the emotional impact it can have on a person.  After sharing my short film I started hearing the reactions to the story from both dyslexic and neurotypical people and suddenly I felt understood. I was able to explain what dyslexia was like through story-telling. I think when we create art we invite the viewer to become a part of the story and relate what they are seeing to themselves. 

                                      Click HERE to watch Partially Compensated
Q: How is Everyday Adventures with Molly and Lexi different than other books about dyslexia?
There are some wonderful books out there about dyslexia. I'm so grateful that my publisher, Free Spirit Publishing wanted to do a series. Most picture books on this topic are stand-alone. Because we had the freedom and space to explore Molly and Lexi's story in three books we were able to highlight things that are not often talked about. My favorite book in the series is Molly Tells the World. It's the second book. In it, Molly's class is getting a new student, Leeann. Leeann is very open and excited to tell the class about her own dyslexia and Molly is grappling with the idea of whether or not to share with the class that she is dyslexic too. In Molly's world, her dyslexia is an imaginary friend with a face resembling her own but filled with mixed-up letters. As she deals with internal conflicts she has Dylsexia "Lexi" to talk with.
Q: How do you see yourself as a dyslexia advocate in the past and in the future?
In the past, I have been an advocate for children with dyslexia by sharing my film and talking about my story. I've done this in a variety of settings, school events, charity fundraisers, etc. Something I ask myself a lot is: what does being an advocate mean to me? I don't work in education and I'm not a parent fighting for their child to receive appropriate services (These are the real heroes) But as a dyslexic artist who made it to the other side, what I can offer is insight and perspective on the experience through my work.  I am looking forward to continuing to advocate for dyslexic kids and sharing my books with the world. 
Creating my film was such a rewarding experience and the people I think it benefits most are adults like myself. But my books are for the dyslexic people who need it most, children just starting the journey. I'm looking forward to giving them something made just for them. 
Q: You are currently offering free online classroom visits to promote your new series. Tell us a little bit about what those visits entail and how teachers or administrators can contact you.
Yes! I am offering a limited number of free virtual presentations starting in November. These will be a workshop I call How a Picture Book Gets Made, and they provide a behind-the-scenes look at my book. The goal is to share the projects and hopefully inspire some young writers. These will be worked out on a case-by-case basis. teachers and administrators can contact me via email, kweltner206@gmail.com
If you would like to follow my work you can join my mailing list here: Mailing listor follow me on Instagram: InstagramSee my short film here: Partially Compensated

In celebration of Dyslexia Awareness month, Krista is offering the FREE dyslexia poster above for the month of October. Follow the LINK to download and print an 8x11 or 11x17.
Krista's series will be available in January. You can pre-order it below.

Bookshop

Amazon

Free Spirit Publishing

Thank you, Krista, for sharing your talents with us. 

Sign up HERE for the Carolee Dean, Author newsletter and receive a FREE digital copy of my book, No Gift for Man. You will also receive monthly updates, book news, and FREEBIES. 

Interview with Author Polly Holyoke About Dyslexia and Her New Fantasy Novel

In celebration of Dyslexia Awareness Month, I'm featuring authors who have main characters with reading challenges. This week I'm interviewing Polly Holyoke, former teacher and creator of the epic fantasy, Skyriders.
Q: In your new book, the main character, Kiesandra, struggles to read. It's not the main focus of the book, but it is an important subplot. What inspired you to write about a thirteen-year-old with reading challenges?
A: My daughter had severe dysgraphia when she was young, so severe that we ended up placing her in a school for students with learning differences. There, Jessie met several friends with dyslexia, children who had to struggle to read a single word, much less decode an entire sentence. My heart went out to those students because reading had always been such a joy to me, and it was, in a very real sense, such a difficult battle for them. I knew that someday I wanted to show students with dyslexia that they were incredibly bright and that they were incredibly capable. 

So, when I started writing Skyriders, I decided to make my heroine Kiesandra Torsun dyslexic even though there are relatively few characters with learning differences in books set in fantasy worlds. Although Kie is only thirteen, she has a demanding and respected job as a junior sky courier, and she does it well. Occasionally her dyslexia makes her job harder, but she has found effective ways to cope with her learning differences. Finding and using those effective strategies is so important for my daughter, and for all students with learning differences.

Q: Considering that Kie struggles to read, it's intriguing that her uncle gave her a book that contains the secrets of how to defeat the evil chimerae. Her mission is to convince the officials in charge of training skyriders to use her uncle's book as a guide when she is actually unable to read it herself. Tell us a little bit about that choice. 

A: Kie has a particularly difficult time reading cursive writing, and the journal her uncle makes her promise to take to the capital is written in very old-fashioned script. Kie hasn’t read much of the journal herself, but she has great respect for it, and she knows its contents well because her uncle has read it to her so many times. Like many kids with dyslexia, Kie is a terrific oral learner, and she has an excellent memory. She takes good care of that journal, and she works hard to get adults at the capital to pay attention to the vital information it contains about fighting chimerae before those terrible monsters can overwhelm Prekalt.
Q: Kiesandra and her skysteed, N'Rah, share a very special bond. They are able to communicate telepathically, yet Kie has quite a bit of difficulty communicating with other humans. She often has trouble finding the right words. Many people find it easier to communicate with animals than with humans. Tell us more about that special bond between Kie and her skysteed.
A: My daughter is so gentle and quiet that animals of all sorts seem to love her. In turn, I made sure we always had cats and dogs in our home, because animals clearly brought her comfort when she was feeling anxious. Sadly, so many kids with learning differences, particularly if those differences haven’t been properly diagnosed, often feel isolated and anxious. In Skyriders, I wanted to show what a great help animals can be to kids who suffer from anxiety, for whatever reason, in their lives.
In Skyriders, young people choose to bond with their skysteeds, and once that bond is established, the skyriders can actually hear the thoughts of their flying horses, and those animals become loyal and trusting friends. One of the themes of my book is that friendships do need care and nurturing. So, some of the cadets at the Skyfighting Academy can’t understand their skysteeds well because they spend so little time with them. Once Kie urges those students to start caring for their own skysteeds and spending more hours with them, the cadets’ and their skysteeds’ ability to understand one another quickly improves.
Throughout the book, Kie’s skysteed N’Rah has great faith in her, and his confidence in her abilities gives Kie more self-assurance. That support is crucial during those times she faces particularly difficult challenges, like finding the right words to persuade powerful adults to listen to her.
Q: All the skysteeds have names that start with N' which makes it easier to remember which characters are humans and which ones are horses. As a speech-language pathologist and dyslexia interventionist, I have to ask about the pronunciation of that first syllable. Is it /n/ or /en/?
A: It's "en." Originally, I planned to create skysteed names that actually sound like the whickers, nickers, and snorts that horses make. So, I pronounce “N’Rah” with emphasis on the “N” and with quite a bit of air in the “Rah.” I quickly realized, however, that if all my skysteeds had names with lots of “h,” “m,” and “r” sounds in them, I might confuse young readers. I had to drop the notion of only using consonants that sounded horse-like. Therefore, there are skysteeds in Skyriders with names like N’Seella, even though I’ve never heard a horse make an “s” sound!  
It was, by the way, great fun recording all the names and words I had made up in the book and pronouncing them properly for the talented voice actor who performed the audio edition of Skyriders. Emily Woo Zeller did an incredible job of narrating Skyriders and creating voices for both my skysteeds and their humans. If you have a child who enjoys audio books, ask your public library to order the audible edition of Skyriders, and Kie and N’Rah will carry you all off on a thrilling adventure.
Q: Thanks so much for talking with us about Skyriders. I can't wait to read the next installment in the series. Hoe many books total are you planning?
A: The second book in this series, The Sky King, will be released on May 7. It explains the origins of the skysteed breed, and in many ways, I think it is an even deeper and richer book than Skyriders. I have a third book all plotted, but PRH is waiting to see how the sales go for the first two before they offer me a contract. Of course, because I love job security, I have imagined a prequel series set in my skysteed world, and I have some ideas for a trilogy that would take place after the time of Kie’s and N’Rah’s adventures.
Thank you so very much for hosting me on your blog during Dyslexia Awareness Month. As a former history teacher and a mother of a young woman with learning differences, I think we should all be doing our best to help people understand that children learn in different ways, and they will be successful in life, no matter the challenges they face in school.
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and insights with us.
Find out more about Polly, her other novels, and where to find her books on her website at https://pollyholyoke.com/
Read about other books that either feature main characters with dyslexia or are written by authors with dyslexia: A Walk in the Words -  October 2022 Just Ask!, The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, Fish in a Tree, Percy Jackson, Tad Lincoln's Restless Wriggle, Take Me There, and Thank You, Mr. Falker - October 2021Henry Winkler and the Hank Zipzer Series - October 2020Laurie Halse Anderson - October 2020Dav Pilkey and the Captain Underpants Series - August 2019

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Sound Tracker - A Free Phonemic Awareness Activity

HANK THE TANK
FREE DIGITAL SOUND TRACKER FOR PHONEMIC AWARENESS PRACTICE

Check out my FREE Sound Tracker on Boom Cards. It's a phonemic awareness activity from my Hank the Tank Activity Book just released. In celebration of the book release, I will offer a free activity each month for the rest of 2023 in my newsletter (Sign Up HERE) and a special discount on the Activity Book from October 6 - November 30 during the IDA and ASHA conferences. I will be speaking at both events! See details for IDA below coming up next week. During the sale, the Activity Book will be available for $18.99 (regular price $22.99) on Amazon.
 The Activity Book is 163 pages packed full of activities for decoding, phonological awareness, morphology, sentence structure, cognitive flexibility, written language, and more. A special code inside the paperback Activity Book allows access to 50+ easy-to-print downloadable PDF activity pages.

The Activity Book is based on Hank the Tank, a decodable chapter book, available now in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You may also order the chapter book from your favorite local bookstore. 


The Sound Tracks activity pictured at the top of this blog post is an example of one of the activities from the Activity Book. It includes 4 word lists. The first list may be found below. It can be used with letter tiles or cards or you may use it with the digital sound tracker above which is available for FREE on Boom Cards HERE.

Directions:
1. The teacher says the first word.
2. The student repeats the word and uses letters to construct the word while saying each sound.
3. The student then reads the entire word they have constructed.
4. The teacher then says another word with one sound changed.
5. The student says the new word, makes the sound change saying each sound, then reads the entire word.

LIST 1
ash
rash
trash
track
tack
stack
stuck
struck
truck
trick
tick
chick
lick
lit
it
 

This chapter book was designed for older students (grades 4 and up) and adults who would benefit from controlled reading practice. Specific modifications are provided for grades 2-6+. Books in the series may be used to complement any reading program but were specifically designed for teachers implementing the Science of Reading in their instruction. There are also tips for parents on how to use a strategy called Pair and Share reading. The adult reads the Background Information, and the student reads the story, which is the portion written as a controlled text. Because of the focus on specific sound patterns, this book also allows children with articulation disorders to work on words in a story context with a speech-language pathologist. The higher-level vocabulary used in the background information section also makes this book appropriate for students in general education. Lists are provided for target sound words as well as two different levels of vocabulary.

For more information about the series and to find the Scope and Sequence, visit www.wordtravelpress.com.    

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Highlights of the Letters and Lines Conference for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

Earlier this month I attended my first Letters and Lines Conference for Children's Writers and Illustrators. It is put on every year in Colorado by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I have attended many similar conferences while living in New Mexico, but this was my first Colorado conference. It was held at the Denver West Marriott in Golden.

One of the best perks of being a member of SCBWI is getting to know so many talented children's authors and illustrators. It is a pure delight when I already love a book and then get to meet the author or illustrator behind that book at an SCBWI event. That happened a few years ago when I ran into Dow Phumirik at Second Star to the Right Bookstore. I already loved her masterfully illustrated Counting on Katherine: How: Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo Thirteen written by Helaine Becker. I was in the process of highlighting it as one of the titles I explored in my book, Story Frames for Teaching Literacy: Enhancing Student Learning Through the Power of Storytelling, so it was great fun to meet the illustrator. Since then I have become a big fan of anything illustrated by Dow, so I was thrilled to see another book of hers that I already loved at the Letters and Lines Conference Bookstore - Hello, Tree. Even more special, the author, Ana Crespo, was a conference presenter. She is an agent as well as an author and had wonderful insights to share during a pitch panel and a picture book critique seminar. In the photo below, Dow is pictured on the right and Ana is on the left.

Hello, Tree fits perfectly with my blog theme for the year on stories about resilience. Although it is a work of fiction, it was inspired by the 2013 Black Forest fire in Colorado. Watch a video of Ana talking about the book HERE. What I love most about this book is that it is written from the perspective of the tree which makes it a wonderful selection to use with any age group to explore point of view. I suggest comparing it to Almost to Freedom written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson (a friend from SCBWI New Mexico) and illustrated by Colin Bootman. Vaunda's book is a story about the Underground Railroad written from the perspective of a doll. Because they are short, using picture books for POV discussions provides the opportunity to discuss two or more complete works in a limited time frame.

I also got to catch up with Beth Anderson and Jolene Gutierrez. We presented an author/educator panel on "Using Narratives as a Bridge to Informational Text" at Reading in the City in Denver last April and will be presenting the same panel in Copper Mountain at Reading in the Rockies on September 30. Please attend if you happen to be at that conference sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. 

Last but surely not least, Andrea Wang, author of Watercress, was the keynote speaker. We all loved Andrea and her work before her book won the Caldecott, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and a Newbery Honor, so it has been especially exciting to watch her popularity as an author grow and expand. See the author panel below on promoting storytelling that Beth, Dow, and I did with Andrea before she and Watercress were so famous. 

Check out these blog posts:

Interview with Beth Anderson on The Resilience of English Language Learners.

Interview with Jolene Gutierrez on The Resilience of Bionic Beasts

Children's Author Panel on Promoting Storytelling with Dow, Beth, and Andrea.

Watch for upcoming blog posts where I will share more book titles from Letters and Lines.

Sign up for my newsletter to keep up with upcoming author interviews and book news. Visit the Sign Up Page on my website at www.wordtravelpress.com for details and discover free offers. 

TOO MUCH! An Overwhelming Day - Book Launch

Too Much! An Overwhelming Day is a picture book by author/educator Jolene Gutierrez about what it feels like to be a child with sensory processing challenges. Too Much! fits well this year's blog theme of "Books About Resilience" because it provides so many practical suggestions for helping kids build skills and gain confidence in their ability to self-regulate. 

Jolene has experience as both a teacher and a librarian working with kids with autism and sensory processing issues. Most important, she has sensory processing difficulties of her own which she discussed at her book launch on Saturday, August 5 at Second Star to the Right bookstore in Denver, CO.  

Jolene's "Note to Caregivers and Educators" at the end of Too Much! provides useful tips about going from TOO MUCH! to JUST RIGHT. There are practical suggestions for what to do when a child is overwhelmed by specific types of stimuli like sound, textures, touch, and sight. The author's note provides definitions for the different types of sensory systems and ideas for helping adults to help children with identifying their sensory likes and dislikes. There is even a section on creating a sensory diet. 

Jolene invited two delightful occupational therapists from the STAR Institute to talk about sensory processing. They provided a checklist of "Red Flags of Disordered Sensory Processing" for infancy through adulthood.  I appreciated the perspective that their job is NOT to change a person's sensory integration profile but simply to give that person tools to be their best self and to find ways to self-regulate in difficult situations. 

One of the booksellers asked the OTs what Second Star could do to make their bookstore more accessible to kids with sensory integration issues.  Children's bookstores can be colorful and exciting places, but they can also be overstimulating. I think the suggestions made by the OTs are helpful for libraries as well:

SENSORY TIPS FOR BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES

1. Create calming corners with fewer stimuli where kids can snuggle up with a book or just take a few minutes to relax.

2. Provide an outdoor space if possible. Kids sometimes become overstimulated and benefit from going outside to center themselves. Outdoor spaces can be very calming to people experiencing dysregulation. 

3. When offering events for children, make sure there are a variety of options for viewing (i.e. sitting in chairs, sitting on the ground, standing up, moving). Be sensitive to the fact that some kids may need to get up and move around. Creative spaces near the event but on the fringe can provide opportunities for kids to engage to the extent that they are comfortable. 

4. Clapping at large events can be very loud and distressing. Before the event, encourage quieter ways of showing appreciation such as snapping fingers or waving hands. 

Learn more about the work of the STAR Institute at https://sensoryhealth.org/. Check out their pages for:

Understanding Sensory ProcessingSymptoms ChecklistContinued Education for Professionals.

Jolene and I will be presenting an author/educator panel with Beth Anderson on Saturday, September 30 at the Reading in the Rockies Conference at the Copper Mountain Resort in Copper Mountain Colorado. The subject is "Using Narratives as a Bridge to Informational Text." Find out more about the conference and my other 2023 presentations (including ASHA and IDA) on my EVENTS Page.

Sign up for my newsletter HERE to keep up with articles, free activities, and news about my decodable book series HOT RODs (Higher Order Thinking through the Reading of Decodables). 

Great Minds in Your Neighborhood - Reflections on a Writer's Retreat

We know the names of the Great Minds around the world, but it is just as important to discover the Great Minds in our own neighborhoods. They may not get the same recognition as scientists like Albert Einstein or Stephen Hawking. Their work may not be as easily recognized as that of Steven Spielberg or J.K. Rowling, but they are special to us in different ways. They are much more accessible, and they teach us that genius is all around us. I have been reflecting on this idea since attending a writer's retreat earlier this summer in New Mexico at the Norbertine Abbey. Twelve of us got together to write by day and talk about writing by night.

I left New Mexico in 2017 after spending nearly 30 years there. Every June I return for an informal writer's retreat loosely organized by one of our previous SCBWI regional representatives. The group includes both published authors (see some of our book covers below) as well as pre-published authors. One of our greatest joys this June was celebrating Susan Wider and her book It's My Whole Life: Charlotte Salomon: An Artist in Hiding During World War II. Her book won the 2023 Jewish Book Award for Juvenile Fiction. A few years ago,  Susan was one of our pre-published writers, wondering if she would ever find an agent and an editor. Now she is an award-winning author with worldwide recognition. Check out her book at Norton Books for Young Readers. 

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson has been a celebrity in our little circle for many years. She has a knack for finding little-known heroes and telling their stories. Let 'er Buck! George Fletcher, The People's Champion illustrated by Gordon C. James tells the true story of an African American black rodeo champion. Vaunda won the Coretta Scott King Award for Bad New for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. I love sharing this book with my struggling readers. Bass was a former slave and had to memorize the arrest warrants because he could not read. Unrelated to Vaunda's book, I recently found out that the creators of the Yellowstone series are creating a TV series based on Bass Reeves.  Vaunda has a wonderful blog called the Book Itch. It was inspired by her book,  The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore, also illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Check out The Book Itch and scroll to the bottom of Vaunda's blog to sign up for email updates.

Sharon Sivinski, a retired middle school science teacher, has decided to tell her non-fiction STEM stories via a fun YouTube channel called STEM with COG.  I just watched a 9-minute video on How Crude Oil and Transportation Produce Carbon Dioxide. Her style has a definite Bill Nye the Science Guy feel to it. She explains complicated concepts in engaging and visual ways. 

Kimberley Griffiths Little has published multiple children's book series and is now publishing sweet romance and romantic suspense under the pen name of Kimberley Monpetit. She has a YouTube channel where her many book trailers may be found.  

Chris Eboch, who has published several children's books has recently created two different romance series under the pen name of Kris Bock - The Accidental Detective and The Accidental Billionaire. Check out her page at Tule Publishing. 

Molly Blaisdell started joining us a few years ago from Texas. My husband and I split our time between Denver and Texas these days, so Molly and I are almost neighbors (except for the fact that Texas is a VERY large state). She has more titles than I can count, many of them with a science emphasis. Check out her books at https://www.mollyblaisdell.com/

Cynthia Grady, poet and picture book author has a website at https://cynthiagrady.com/books/. Her most recent book Write to Me: Letters from Japanese American Children to the Librarian They Left Behind includes excerpts of correspondences between one caring librarian and her students who were interred during World War 2.

Last of all, check out the titles from my new project, The HOT ROD series of Decodable Books, on my website at https://www.wordtravelpress.com/. Scroll to the bottom of the home page to see my list of titles, and then explore the rest of the website. There are pages full of strategies and free activities for working with struggling readers. Read Hank the Tank for free if you are a member of Kindle Unlimited.

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter to receive updates about my new decodable book series.

The members of our little retreat are just a few of the many talented authors I have met through the local New Mexico Chapter of SCBWI.  When my husband and I moved to Colorado and I joined the Rocky Mountain SCBWI, I met dozens more. Whether you are an illustrator, an author, or a teacher wanting to connect with authors, checking out your local SCBWI chapter is a great place to start. You may just meet some great minds in your own backyard.

FREE Activity Guide for HANK THE TANK

I am excited to announce that my decodable reader, Hank the Tank, is available now in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats. The e-book version is FREE if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited. The Activity Book is coming on August 1, 2023. Watch this blog or sign up for my newsletter for updates. This is a great book to share with kids who may be traveling to bear country this summer!

For a preview of the first chapter of the book, Download the FREE Hank Activity Guide. It includes a Scavenger Word Hunt based on Part 1 of the book (included in the Activity Guide.) The purpose of the Word Hunt is to encourage rereading in a fun and engaging way. Other activities cover phonological awareness, rhyme, and alliteration. There is also a fun Snack Attack Word Mash Up where kids get to invent their own words from food combinations. 

FREE Hank Activity Guide

The story is based on real events. In February of 2022, a black bear by the name of Hank the Tank made international news after he reportedly broke into dozens of homes in South Lake Tahoe. Concerned citizens made over 100 calls to the local authorities about a bear scavenging for food and destroying property. Authorities feared they would have to euthanize Hank.
 
Fortunately, Hank’s life was saved by science. Wildlife biologists made a very interesting discovery in the DNA left behind at the break-ins. Read the story to find out what happened. It is written in verse and is a fictional account, but it was inspired by real events. Then read the background information in the book to learn about the Real Hank, interesting facts about black bears, and tips for coexisting with wildlife. 
 
The story portion of the book was written to align with Level 2 of the HOT ROD Series (Higher Order Thinking Through the Reading of Decodables). It focuses on closed vowel sounds, digraphs (ck, ch, sh, th, ng), combinations (wh, qu), and nk. The Background Information section was written at approximately a 6th-grade reading level for independent reading (5th-grade for instructional level).
 
This book was specially designed for older students (grades 4 and up) and even adults who would benefit from controlled reading practice. Specific modifications are provided for grades 2-6+. Books in the series may be used to complement any reading program but were specifically designed for teachers who are implementing the Science of Reading in their instruction. There are also tips for parents on how to use a strategy called Pair and Share reading. The adult reads the Background Information, and the student reads the story, which is the portion written as a controlled text. Because of the focus on specific sound patterns, this book also provides an opportunity for children with articulation disorders to work on words in a story context with a speech-language pathologist. The higher-level vocabulary used in the background information section makes this book appropriate for students in general education as well. Lists are provided for target sound words as well as two different levels of vocabulary.
Books may be ordered through your local bookstore, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.

For more information about the series and to find the Scope and Sequence, visit www.wordtravelpress.com.  

Children's Books Explore The History Behind Juneteenth

Juneteenth became a national holiday in 2021, but many people don't know its background or why June 19th has historical significance. Fortunately, there are several wonderful children's books that explore the history behind Juneteenth.

My first knowledge of Emancipation Day, celebrated across the nation before it ever became a federally recognized holiday, was through a book by my friend, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson co-wrote with her husband, Drew. The book is entitled Juneteenth and was published by Millbrook Press, an imprint of Lerner Books (2006). Read more about the book on Vaunda's website. You can also sign up for her blog while you are there. It is called, The Book Itch. As a retired librarian, she has many insights about books and the writing process. 

Lerner Books, has a website called the Lerner Blog. They just posted What is Juneteenth? They have also published several books for a variety of ages on the topic, including Vaunda's, which may all be found HERE. 

The Emancipation Proclamation which promised freedom to slaves was made on January 1 of 1863. It was a huge success for abolitionists, but most slaves were not actually freed until much later. The Proclamation only gave freedom to slaves in states that had seceded from the Union. Those states no longer recognized Lincoln's authority, so the South did not honor the Proclamation until they were forced to do so at the end of the Civil War. Ironically, the Proclamation did not free the slaves in the southern states that had remained loyal to the Union, though those states did finally have to acquiesce. The slaves in the District of Columbia had already been freed by a law passed in April of 1862. Slaves in US Territories were freed by a law signed by Lincoln in June of 1962.  
Nonetheless, the Proclamation was an important document. As Henry Ward Beecher stated, "The Proclamation may not free a single slave, but it gives liberty a moral recognition." It gave the Union a focused motivation for the war and opened up the admittance of black soldiers. By the end of the war, 200,000 black men had enlisted. 
What does June 19th, 1865 have to do with all of this? It is significant because it was the date when Union troops led by General Gordon Granger marched on Galveston, TX, and read the order announcing that the slaves had been freed. The war had ended two months earlier, but no one had told the slaves they were free. Finally, the vision of the  Emancipation Proclamation was fulfilled. The 13th Amendment to the Constitution that abolished slavery was ratified on December 18 of 1865.
The first official celebration of June 19th came one year later in Galveston in 1866 and spread through Texas. As people moved to other parts of the country, they took the tradition with them. Texas was the first state to make Juneteenth an official holiday in 1980. It became a federal holiday in 2021.  
Juneteenth has become a day celebrated by people of all colors. It symbolizes the end of slavery, but more than that, it has also become a symbol of hope, resilience, and freedom for all people. Be sure to check out books on Juneteenth by Lerner.
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