Debbie Alvarez (AKA the Styling Librarian) is a teacher-librarian in Hong Kong. She's an avid reader, a thoughtful and inspiring blogger, and an important member of my online learning network.
I invited Debbie on Watch. Connect. Read. to chat with me about the time Lenore Look visited her school library. I wrote the words in red, and she wrote the words in black. Thank you, Debbie!
We prepared for Lenore Look’s author visit by jumping up and down and cheering that Lenore was actually already coming our way! Then… reading all the books we could by her plus … made promotional movie, created large posters and popped them up in all the stairwells along with around the library, promoted the visit through newsletters and on the library blog page, read aloud numerous Lenore Look books to classes, played book trailers on the library television screens, read Lenore Look’s blog and interview to classes, prepared schedule and lunch and presentation space… Teachers additionally shared books and rotated them around the school and had special author intent discussions as well…
My students think Lenore Look’s books are special, humorous, entertaining, appealing, difficult to get their hands on, have long waiting lists… months later, and books they can personally connect with. Also, they are treasures that students find on the shelf and run up and recount the author visit and read aloud memories.
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| Photo Credit: Debbie |
Lenore emphasized journaling, finding a hook for the reader when you’re writing, and placing emphasis on finding a character people can immediately connect with vs. worrying about the plot first.
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| Photo credit: Debbie |
The best thing about Lenore’s messages was that she’s impacted numerous students’ writing around the building. I’ve seen students carrying around little writing books and jotting down ideas during the day. Also, I just love how highly Lenore’s books are coveted in the library. Seeing a student do a little dance when the book is available for them is quite a beautiful treat!
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| Photo credit: Debbie |
Eight weeks later, my students are still talking about Lenore Look’s writing in comparison to other authors. Finding similar authors and continuing their writing journals. I’ve heard from a few students who created PDK, personal disaster kits, at home… Also reading her blog to see what she was doing around China was a wonderful treat, can’t wait to see how the next Alvin Ho is inspired by her adventures.
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| Photo credit: Debbie |
I connect my students with authors by showing book trailers, connecting students to authors that match their interests, book talking different authors and genres who might fit various interests. Also, when a student is borrowing more than one book by an author, I tell them about an author’s blog, book trailers, and other author connection resources there are…
Mr. Schu, you should have asked me about Lenore’s new books! There is a NEW Alvin Ho book coming out this spring in addition to a new picture book which will be released this fall, quite exciting! Lenore’s next Alvin book, ALLERGIC TO BABIES, BURGLARS AND OTHER BUMPS IN THE NIGHT, and a new picture book, THE BRUSH OF THE GODS, which is about the T’ang Dynasty painter Wu Daozi, who was considered the greatest Chinese painter in history.
Also, did you know how Lenore and I celebrated the author visit? We agreed to post our reflections on the visit simultaneously so that our blog readers could see a visit from a teacher librarian point of view and an author’s point of view.
Rules for the Giveaway
1. It will run from 2/1 to 11:59 P.M. on 2/3.
2. You must be at least 13.
3. Please pay it forward.
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Google Drive is not cooperating. I will try embedding the form in the morning. For now, please click here to enter the Giveaway.
