Blog Tour Lost and Found by Marsha Diane Arnold

When I first read the picture book Lost and Found by Marsha Diane Arnold, I fell in love. With so few words a beautiful story is crafted. My fifth graders loved seeing what came next as we moved through the story together. I'm delighted to welcome Marsha to my blog today to tell you a bit more about this story and what she is working on next. 

I love Lost and Found because the story is not only in the text, but in the illustrations. How did you and Matthew work together to tell this story?   

I wrote the Lost. Found. manuscript, which consisted of just two words repeated over and over, along with art notes. The art notes for Lost. Found. were a bit like directions in a script. Matthew took my art notes and, through brilliance and imagination, brought my characters to life. We really didn’t talk about the book while he was working on the illustrations. 

I’m so impressed with how Matthew kept my story intact, but added things that heightened the meaning and the fun. He added onomatopoeia to highlight the animals’ actions. For example, “Zoing, toing, doing” is the sound made when the mice use the scarf as a trampoline. He also made some of the animals more mischievous in his illustrations than I had them in my notes. In my original art note I wrote, “Raccoons begin playful snowball fight.” Matthew escalated that play, making the raccoons more rascally than I’d imagined them. This heightens the fun and increases the tension. Thank you, Matthew!

What does your writing life look like? 

My writing life has been quite messy this past year as my husband and I moved from California to Florida. We actually changed living places eight times over the year as we waited for our new home to be completed!

My Florida writing room is currently filled with boxes from our recent move, but once all the books and notebooks are put away, I’ll enjoy writing in a wonderful space. My books in California were spread throughout two rooms and a hallway. Here in Florida, I have shelves along one entire wall, so all my books will be with me in my writing room. I love being surrounded by books when I write.

Although I think it’s an excellent practice, I don’t usually work on my stories every day. But when I’m excited about a story, I’ll write several hours each day because I’m so happy to be with my characters. The more we write, the more we learn about writing. Even 10 minutes a day will keep us on track with our writing projects.

Do you get ideas from every day life? How do you capture them? 

Absolutely, I get ideas from every day life! Ideas are all around us. But capturing them to weave into stories is always a challenge. I might see or hear something, then scribble a few words in my notebook. I might carry that idea in my head for days or months until another thought comes to me and another. Eventually, all the ideas tell me to sit down and start writing. So I do!

Writing books requires lots of research, even if it’s a short picture book or board book. Research is one way to help “capture” our ideas and it’s part of the fun. We get to learn so much! I have two board books coming out in 2017, one about napping animals and one about bathing animals. I probably did over 100 hours of research to verify the napping and bathing habits of baby animals, but what I learned was fascinating.

The hardest part about writing for me is to believe in myself. I often stop writing because I have doubts about my being able to write the story the way I want it to be. If any writer has similar doubts, I say, “Don’t listen to your doubts!” We just need to take our ideas and enjoy the process of writing our story.

What are you working on next?

I have four more books coming out between now and 2017. Very exciting! These require attention along with my writing of new stories.

For my new stories, these characters are wandering around in my mind: a wombat who loves words, an out-of-control letter Z, and a firefly who can’t find the dark. After I finish unpacking boxes, I look forward to getting back in touch with these characters and learning more about them.

Thank you so much for inviting me to be part of READ. WRITE. REFLECT. It’s been a delight.

Thank you, Marsha! It was great getting to know more about you. 

If you would like to learn more about Marsha and Lost and Found, please check out the other stops on the Blog Tour. 

Blog Tour Schedule

November 3: SharpRead and Nerdy Book Club

November 4: KidLitFrenzy

November 5: Read. Write. Reflect. 

November 6: Librarian in Cute Shoes

November 7: Watch. Connect. Read

  

It's Monday! (A Day Late) What Are You Reading?

Sorry to post my weekly reading late, my internet at our house has been just complete crap of late. Coincidentally, my students are posting their weekly reading to our Padlet a day late too. At any rate, I read some fabulous books last week and wanted to share. 

As I am running late for school, I can't break down what I thought of every book this week. They were amazing! What I do want to mention are the three professional development (PD) books I read this week. Three! Sunday night's #titletalk Twitter Chat talked about reading plans and gaps. PD books are ones I love to read, and love to buy, but I don't always get around to reading them as fast as I purchase. 

My advice to you is this. Tell your students to hold you accountable to a reading plan (or this would work with any plan, really.) I told them I wanted to read ten PD books by the time I head to NCTE mid-November. They ask me every day (and nightly on Instagram) where I am in my reading plan. Absolutely helping to keep me accountable! 

Have a fabulous reading week! 

Celebrate This Week

What a difference a week makes. While life is still crazy and over scheduled, I feel like we have made great strides in the classroom. Thanks for reminding us to take a moment each week and reflect, Ruth. Check out Ruth's blog for more weekly celebrations. 

Endings and Beginnings
We wrapped up our narrative unit in reading and writing and are moving on to NaNoWriMo and a Mock Caldecott unit for November. I was so proud of the students' writing. They were honest and wrote it all out for the world to see. I cannot wait to see their growth by May. 

Author in Residence

I'm blessed that my school along with my district and the PTO came together and funded a "author in residence" for the fifth grade this year. Author Marianne Malone visited our fifth graders twice this past week and will come once next week to teach the students writing lessons. I have all three classes in my room while she teaches. She gave them a great compliment yesterday that she couldn't believe there were sixty-eight kids in the room, they were focused and writing. It has been a wonderful experience. (Side note - if you haven't read her Sixty-Eight Rooms series, remedy immediately.) 

Sharing our Story
I've been preaching to my students of late - share your story. If you don't, who will? That's one of the reasons I began this blog - to share my story. I think educators need to take back the narrative of education in this country. The folks currently telling the story of teaching in America are painting it with the wrong strokes. I'm grateful to get to share mine here and, by chance, on two podcasts of late. 

One is with the new podcast Stories from School. I love this series already. The episode with my story isn't out yet, but it is shared at the end of a bonus episode of one of my favorite podcasts ever - The Yarn. You can listen HERE while I tell the story of the impact of my first grade teacher, Jan Tuck, had on my life. 

The other podcast is another favorite. Kevin Carlson has a podcast called Re: Teaching. Conversations with Educators. With Kevin I got to talk about one of my favorite topics of late - the importance of story in reading and writing.You can listen to that HERE. 

Looking Forward
I think reflection is critical, but when I'm stressed, it helps me also to think positively and look ahead to what is coming up that will bring me joy. When I look ahead, I see so much. I have a new student beginning Monday. I met he and his mom yesterday and he is wonderful. I cannot wait for him to join our classroom.

Luke starts basketball season with a bang - six games from Tuesday-Friday this week. Yowza. If I can get out early enough on Friday, there is a cool fundraiser our local education foundation is doing that I cannot wait to attend.

Liam will be joining a park district basketball team towards the end of November. He's excited to begin basketball as well. 

I have a presentation to give to interested folks in my district in a few weeks and then it's on to NCTE. I cannot wait to see friends in Minneapolis and get the chance to talk books, kids, and teaching. 

Life is good, my friends. Life is good. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm thrilled to link up with Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers each Monday and share our reading lives. Check out their sites for more information. 

Each week when I look back over the Goodreads list for the past seven days I am in awe of all of the great books I read. Because I am connected through Twitter, Voxer, and more to so many wonderful readers, it is rare that I read a book that doesn't work for me. This year I seem to have an overabundance of great books. There are so many books I still want to read, yet so little time. As a matter of fact, when I looked at my Goodreads account this morning I had read 321 books so far this year, which is the same amount I read by December 31st for the past two years. Fascinating. I have some friends who will far out read me this year, some that will read less. As I tell my students, that doesn't matter. What does matter is the stories I've read and experienced. This week didn't disappoint, there are some great books below:

The Odds of Getting Even is another story with Mo and Dale. This series began with Three Times Lucky and then moved on to Ghosts of Tupelo Landing. My students love it, and I loved this book.

Nimona is a graphic novel from one of the same authors of Lumberjanes. This one is on the National Book Award shortlist. While it is too old for my classroom, I love the book. One of my favorite graphic novels of the year for sure.

The two picture books I read this week were both brilliant. Thank You and Goodnight has several nods to classic bedtime stories. My students loved picking them out. Finding Winnie has joined Fine Dessert in my favorite picture books of the year camp. I absolutely loved this one.

The Hired Girl I had put off reading forever. I'm not sure why, but I didn't think I would love it. I fortunately have a friend who apparently knows me better than I know myself. She read it recently and told me to get moving. This book brought me back to classics my mom had me read growing up - Anne of Green Gables, Daddy Long Legs, and more. I LOVED it! 

Finally, Kate Messner has a new one coming out next year called The Seventh Wish. Brilliant. One of my new favorites from Kate. This deals with friendship, family dynamics, and addiction in a way I haven't seen done before. I loved it. I don't have enough words to express how much I loved it. I will write a review post closer to the publishing date, but please put this one on the list to purchase this spring. 

This week I'm making a goal of reading three professional books. I have several I want to buy at NCTE, but I'm requiring myself to read the huge stack I currently own first. Beginning with Lester Laminack's new book seems like a great way to start. I cannot wait. 

Celebrate This Week

Man alive, if ever I needed Ruth Ayres' weekly celebration, it is this week. I listen to podcasts early each morning while I walk Rosie. Last week I heard someone mention the "October Blues" that teachers go through. That really resonated with me. You go, go, go all through August and September, just trying to get the year started. Then, October hits. I feel like it is never "enough." I cannot teach enough, find enough time, be present enough, etc. It is a struggle.

Last year was my first year I had reading and writing to teach to all three of my classes. Previously I had taught reading only to all three, writing to my homeroom. I lamented all year long that I didn't have enough time. This year? Ten minutes less each day. It is not enough. And yet, it is what it is. I'm trying hard not to stress. To know that what I do matters. But then I look at what I haven't covered yet instead of what I have and I worry. Ugh. 

This morning, however, I am choosing to find time for celebration. I am celebrating what has mattered this week. Celebrating what good can come from the bad. That is what matters. That is where I will find room to grow. 

So I choose to celebrate...

Failure
My son, Liam, didn't make his fifth grade travel team. He was crushed. I was crushed for him. But today I'm celebrating the fact that he will find new ways to grow, new teams to be on. That he has learned that failure does not define who we are. He (and I) will grow from this and be stronger. I celebrate Liam becoming who he is meant to be. 

Loss
I have many students who have experienced tremendous loss in the past year. The loss of a parent or loved one is the greatest fear of most children (and adults). I hate that they have had to experience this as children. However, I am so proud of these kids. We are in the middle of our personal narrative unit. Many of them have chosen to write about this. While this has been the hardest and most gut-wrenching writing conference of my teaching career, I am so proud to sit beside them and try and help them write through this. I celebrate their bravery.

Growth
I am not near as far along this year as I have wanted to be. It is easy to see the holes, the items not crossed off on my "to do" list. Tuesday was the National Day on Writing. Many people were sharing on social media the importance of writing under the hashtag #WhyIWrite. I opened it up to my students on Padlet, asking them to share their thoughts. When I sat down to read them at lunch that day, I cried a bit in my car. They got it. They truly did. That is all the growth I need at this point in October. We may not be where I wanted to be at this point, but we will get there. Of this, I am certain. So, to wrap up, I celebrate these brave voices below - my fifth graders. 

Created with Padlet

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

I'm thrilled to link up with Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers each Monday and share our reading lives. Check out their sites for more information. 

I read a lot this weekend. I needed to read three books: The Doldrums, Another Kind of Hurricane, and The Hired Girl. But I also knew what my schedule looked like. (Insane as ever.) So my sure way to make sure I accomplished that reading? I told my homeroom class that they had permission to give me tons of grief if I didn't finish. They were glad to take on that challenge.

And it was in that conversation I realized how far we've come this year. Several kids asked what books I needed to read. In sharing them one asked if the illustrator for the cover of Another Kind of Hurricane was the same as the cover illustrator of May B. I didn't know, so we checked May B. and I promised to check the other book when I got home. (They are the same.) This led to a conversation about illustrators and authors, a conversation about why I had put off reading The Hired Girl, and reassurances from my students that they knew I'd find the time this weekend. 

"Steal minutes, Mrs. S. I beg you can find time while waiting in line," one child told me.

They've been listening. 

Thank goodness.

Recently while listening to a podcast I heard an educator refer to October and say it is when teachers get "the October Blues." That made sense to me. The year is finally settling into a routine. The craziness of August and September have past. However, now I can see where I wanted to be by now, and know that I am no where close. It's easy to think you've failed.

The kids have settled in too. The honeymoon period has passed and they are absolutely willing to show you their true selves. My heart is heavy with burdens of theirs that I am trying to carry for them, to lighten their load, but there is only so much I can do.

Only so much.

I have such an issue with that. I want to "fix" everything. I want each student to go home to a happy house, with an entire family, with enough food, with enough love, with, with, with. Life is hard for kids today. Life is hard for me. I need to remember that.

Today I vow to put aside my October blues, remember how far we've come, and grin as I tell my homeroom kids this afternoon that I read them all. And I will try and remember, I've got this.

So, what did I read this week? A lot. And I cannot wait to share these titles with my beautiful students. We've come so far already. 

Fable Comics Blog Tour: Roger Langridge

Graphic novels are HUGE in my classroom, which is just one reason I was excited to enjoy the Fable Comics blog tour. Some of my students are familiar with fables, many are not. Having them in the graphic novel format makes them so much more accessible to my students and gives them a desire to learn more about other fables. 

Today I'm excited to interview the author of one of the fables inside of Fable Comics, Roger Langridge. My questions are in purple, his answers follow. Enjoy! 

What brought you to creating comics? Were you a comic reader as a child?

I essentially learned to read from the Disney Duck comics of Carl Barks, which my mother used to give to my brother and me when we would go on long car journeys in order to keep us quiet. I started reading comics then and I’ve never really stopped. When I was around six or seven years old, a teacher gave my class an art assignment to draw a comic strip. Most of my classmates drew a three- or four-panel strip, but I took the strip of paper we’d been given and covered it with 16 or 20 tiny panels on each side. I’d found my thing! From then on I never seriously considered doing anything else with my life.

What advice would you have for my students regarding writing and drawing? 

Do a lot of it! Just be as productive as you can, because the best way to learn is by doing. And try to find the part of the process that is the most fun for you and build outwards from that, so that writing and drawing becomes the thing you most want to spend your time doing.

Are there any fables you remember as a kid? What did you make of them? 

I’m sure I was exposed to them as a kid - I vaguely remember the one about the fox wanting a bunch of grapes - but I’m not sure they made a huge impression on me. Lots of interesting stories that I didn’t necessarily feel a great connection to, but which are useful to have rattling around in your noggin, because they’ve seeped into the wider culture so much. One of the wonderful things about the Fable Comics project is its mission to make these stories feel accessible!

How was working on an anthology different than working on your own project? 

Obviously, it’s much shorter! I like working in anthologies, and on shorter pieces generally, because it gives me a chance to try things out (for example, new inking tools or coloring techniques) and see what happens in a way that would be much more risky in a longer project of my own, because if it all goes wrong in a longer project you’ve committed yourself to months of frustration and struggle. With a nice little two-pager like this, you’re in and out again. It’s like a refreshing dip!

Regarding your fable in Fable Comics, Demades and his Fable, how did you make the decision to tackle it? Was this a fable you were familiar with before this project? 

The fable was assigned to me by editor Chris Duffy. I think, because I came on quite late in the day, it wasn’t so much that I chose this fable than that it was chosen for me; it might have been the only one that was left! I hadn’t heard of it before it was offered to me. I hope I understood the gist of it well enough and didn’t mangle it too badly. Chris didn’t write me an angry e-mail after I turned it in or anything, so I might have gotten away with it!

From the publisher:

From classics like “The Tortoise and the Hare” and “The Grasshopper and the Ants” to obscure gems like “The Frogs Who Desired a King,” Fable Comics has something to offer every reader. Twenty-eight fables from different cultures and traditions are wonderfully adapted and illustrated in comics format by twenty-six different cartoonists. Edited by New York Times bestselling Fairy Tale Comics’ Chris Duffy, this jacketed hardcover is a beautiful gift and an instant classic.

Fable Comics is:

James Kochalka and ‘The Fox and the Grapes’
Tom Gauld and ‘The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse’
George O’Connor and the ‘Hermes’ fables
Sophie Goldstein and ‘Leopard Drums Up Dinner’
Charise Harper and ‘The Belly and the Body Members’
R. Sikoryak and ‘Lion + Mouse’
Jennifer L. Meyer and ‘Fox and Crow’
Eleanor Davis and ‘The Old Man and Death’
Jaime Hernandez and ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf’
Simone Lia and ‘The Crow and the Pitcher’
Graham Chaffee and ‘The Dog and His Reflection’
Maris Wicks and ‘The Dolphins, The Whales, and The Sprat’
Vera Brosgol and ‘The Hare and the Pig’
Kenny Widjaja and ‘The Demon, The Thief, and the Hermit’
Corinne Mucha and ‘The Elephant in Favor’
Liniers and ‘The Mouse Council’
Mark Newgarten and ‘Man and Wart’
Israel Sanchez and ‘The Milkmaid and Her Pail’
Ulises Farinas and ‘The Great Weasel War’
R.O. Blechman and ‘The Sun and the Wind’
Graham Annable and ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’
John Kerschbaum and ‘The Grasshopper and the Ants’
Braden Lamb and Shelli Paroline and ‘The Thief and the Watchdog’
Gregory Benton and ‘The Hen and the Mountain Turtle’
Roger Langridge and ‘Demades and His Fable’

Today is the last stop on the Fable Comics Blog Tour. Here is the complete tour schedule in case you'd like to go check out a post you missed: 

SLJ Good Comics for Kids features Fable Comics editor Chris Duffy, 9/21http://blogs.slj.com/goodcomicsforkids/

Charlotte’s Library features James Kochalka and ‘The Fox and the Grapes,’ 9/22http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com/

Musings of a Librarian features Tom Gauld and ‘The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse,’ 9/23 http://musingsoflibrarian.blogspot.com/

Sharp Reads features George O’Connor and the ‘Hermes’ fables, 9/24https://sharpread.wordpress.com/

Fly to Fiction features Sophie Goldstein an ‘Leopard Drums Up Dinner,’ 9/25http://flytofiction.blogspot.com/

Supernatural Snark features Charise Harper and ‘The Belly and the Body Members,’ 9/26 http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/

It’s All Comic to Me features R. Sikoryak and ‘Lion + Mouse,’ 9/27 http://itsallcomictome.blogspot.com/

Ex Libris Kate features Jennifer L. Meyer and ‘Fox and Crow,’ 9/28http://exlibriskate.com/

The Roarbots features Eleanor Davis and ‘The Old Man and Death,’ 9/29http://theroarbots.com/

Fleen features Jaime Hernandez and ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf,’ 9/30 http://fleen.com/

The Book Monsters features Simone Lia and ‘The Crow and the Pitcher,’ 10/1http://thebookmonsters.com/

The Brain Lair features Graham Chaffee and ‘The Dog and His Reflection,’ 10/2http://www.thebrainlair.com/

Librarian in Cute Shoes features Maris Wicks and ‘The Dolphins, The Whales, and The Sprat,’ 10/3 http://librarianincuteshoes.blogspot.com/

Women Write About Comics features Vera Brosgol and ‘The Hare and the Pig,’ 10/4http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/

The Busy Librarian features Kenny Widjaja and ‘The Demon, The Thief, and the Hermit,’ 10/5 http://www.busylibrarian.com/

The Book Rat features Corinne Mucha and ‘The Elephant in Favor,’ 10/6http://www.thebookrat.com/

Read. Watch. Connect features Liniers and ‘The Mouse Council,’ 10/7http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/

Cherry Blossoms and Maple Syrup features Mark Newgarten and ‘Man and Wart,’ 10/8https://innocencewalker.wordpress.com/

Jenuine Cupcakes features Israel Sanchez and ‘The Milkmaid and Her Pail,’ 10/9http://jenuinecupcakes.blogspot.com/

Bumbles & Fairy Tales features Ulises Farinas and ‘The Great Weasel War,’ 10/10http://bumblesandfairytales.blogspot.com/

Graphic Policy features R.O. Blechman and ‘The Sun and the Wind,’ 10/11http://graphicpolicy.com/

The Book Wars features Graham Annable and ‘The Hare and the Tortoise,’ 10/12https://thebookwars.wordpress.com/

Sturdy for Common Things features John Kerschbaum and ‘The Grasshopper and the Ants,’ 10/13 http://www.sturdyforcommonthings.com/

Kid Lit Frenzy features Braden Lamb and Shelli Paroline and ‘The Thief and the Watchdog,’ 10/14 http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com/

Maria’s Melange features Gregory Benton and ‘The Hen and the Mountain Turtle,’ 10/15http://www.mariaselke.com/

Read Write Reflect features Roger Langridge and ‘Demades and His Fable,’ 10/16http://readwriteandreflect.blogspot.com/