Some of you may notice that you haven’t gotten updates on your RSS feed lately. Others may have seen updates and posts that no longer appear on my site. Well, so goes updating to the newest version of MoveableType. Everything should be fine now and you can expect the feed you get to perfectly match the site once again.
Fingers crossed…
The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli, illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf.
The Red Brick Library was having a contest for writing the best story. So the main character heads home and asks her various family members what makes a story the best. She incorporates each idea, including lots of action, humor, and romance. She ends up with a jumbled story, until her mother tells her the the best story is the one that comes from the author’s heart. She sits down and writes a completely new story about the things she loves, and no longer worries about whether she will win the contest or not because she is so proud of her story.
Spinelli has created a book that really talks to children about how books are written and how stories are created. She accomplishes this without being didactic at all, instead using humor to make her point. Wilsdorf’s cartoony illustrations also help set the tone of lightness in the book, filled with manic action and bright colors. The final point that writers must write what they know and love is powerfully done, but not too much so. The end nicely balances with the rest of the book.
Recommended for writing units in elementary school and for sharing in story times. It might also be an interesting book to pair with an author visit and lead children to ask questions about the process of writing.
You have probably all read the Telegraph article which quotes the British Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen as saying Harry Potter Books Are Boring. The piece has several quotes from Rosen that state that Rowling is really a writer for adults rather than children.
Well now there is a piece in the Guardian by Rosen himself trying to set the record straight about what he really said. Rosen says it is all a result of "a series of misquotations and extrapolations." This piece is wonderful, speaking to the power of literature for children and the role of literature in education.
Personally, I am thrilled that Rosen corrected the Telegraph’s errors, not only because we don’t need more strife over Harry Potter but also because such a strong article came out of the situation. It may not make big news the way a battle between prominent authors might, but the message here is much more powerful.
Waking Brain Cells 