Featured in Family Fiction magazine:
Fans of Naomi Kinsman’s coming-of-age series From Sadie’s Sketchbook will continue to root for their favorite tween heroine as she is thrown from one unfortunate situation to the next in the eagerly-awaited third book, WAVES OF LIGHT
Sketching A Whole New Life Won’t Be Easy
Life comes full circle for Sadie as she heads back to Menlo Park, California. But Sadie finds she no longer fits in, especially when one of her dad’s cases thrusts her into the spotlight and puts her in danger. She turns to her faith, but the youth group just isn’t the same, and Sadie has a lot to think about when she hears what some kids believe. She returns to Owl Creek for a reprieve, but everything feels different. She just wants things to go back the way they used to be. Will her faith be strong enough to get her through?
Book 1 from the “From Sadie’s Sketchbook” series
It’s Going to Be a Bear of a Year! Sadie thought she’d have a perfect fresh start when she moved to Eagle’s Nest, Michigan, but finding her place in her new school proves harder than she expected. In this divided town, Sadie’s father’s job mediating between bear hunters and researchers doesn’t help her social life. Sadie’s art instructor encourages her to explore her beliefs and express herself through her sketchbook, and things improve after Sadie befriends a kind girl from school and a researcher’s son—but she can’t stop worrying about the bears. As everything swirls around her, Sadie must learn what it means to have faith when you don’t have all the answers.
Kids aren’t the only ones who get nervous on the first day of school! It’s the first day of school and Miss Macintosh is certain about one thing: she isn’t going! As she snuggles back under the covers, the doorbell rings. In comes Mr. Bellweather, the school principal, who assures her that all kindergarten teachers have first day jitters.
Soon, other teachers arrive to help get her out the door. Mrs. Burger, the lunch lady, makes sure she has a good breakfast; Mrs. Sketcher, the art teacher, helps her pick out clothes. Still, Miss Macintosh is anxious. What if she can’t find her class? What if no one likes her?
When she finally stands at the front of her class, she can tell that the children are nervous too. That’s when she comes up with an idea to put everyone at ease—including herself.
A perfect read-aloud to children who may be anxious about school, this book will get them laughing—and reassure them—as they get ready for the big day.
Tampa, Florida-based Shannon Hitchcock grew up in rural North Carolina on her grandparents’ 100-acre farm. Her extended family, (grandparents, her mom and dad, Shannon and her sister, her five uncles, their wives, and her eleven cousins), all lived there. Luckily, not in the same house!
Shannon’s rural background, her large family and her love of the south are all integral to her stories, including Shannon’s debut middle grade novel, THE BALLAD OF JESSIE PEARL, (Namelos), which “wraps you like a quilt in the traditions, tastes, and dialect of rural North Carolina.”
AN OVERGROWN JACK, her picture book biography–nominated for the Sue Alexander New Voices Award–is about Ray Hicks, the “Giant Storyteller” famous among folklorists for telling stories that had been passed down through his family for eight generations. Thank you for telling your very own stories, Shannon!
www.ShannonHitchcock.com
www.twitter.com/shanonhitchcock
http://shannonhitchcockwriter.blogspot.com
http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/magazine/debut/
When a segregated North Carolina town gets its first black teacher, two girls–one black, one white–come face-to-face with how prejudice affects their friendship.
Everything’s changing for Sarah Beth Willis. After Robin’s tragic accident, everyone seems different somehow. Days on the farm aren’t the same, and the simple fun of riding a bike or playing outside can be scary. And there’s talk in town about the new sixth-grade teacher at Shady Creek. Word is spreading quickly–Mrs. Smyre is like no other teacher anyone has ever seen around these parts. She’s the first African American teacher. It’s 1969, and while black folks and white folks are cordial, having a black teacher at an all-white school is a strange new happening. For Sarah Beth, there are so many unanswered questions. What is all this talk about Freedom Riders and school integration? Why can’t she and Ruby become best friends? And who says school isn’t for anybody who wants to learn–or teach? In a world filled with uncertainty, one very special teacher shows her young students and the adults in their lives that change invites unexpected possibilities.
http://www.jodycasella.com/2016/01/the-ruby-lee-me-blog-tour-interview.html
http://scholastic.asia/en/catalog/spring-catalog-2016 (page 42)
http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2016/04/author-shannon-hitchcock.html
Welcome to Daniel Boone Middle School in the 1970s, where teachers and coaches must hide who they are, and girls who like girls are forced to question their own choices. Presented in the voice of a premier storyteller, One True Way sheds exquisite light on what it means to be different, while at the same time being wholly true to oneself. Through the lives and influences of two girls, readers come to see that love is love is love. Set against the backdrop of history and politics that surrounded gay rights in the 1970s South, this novel is a thoughtful, eye-opening look at tolerance, acceptance, and change, and will widen the hearts of all readers.
The author of Ruby Lee & Me presents a fresh take on Annie on my Mind and other classics of the lesbian fiction genre.
Welcome to Daniel Boone Middle School in the 1970s, where teachers and coaches must hide who they are, and girls who like girls are forced to question their own choices. Presented in the voice of a premier storyteller, One True Way sheds exquisite light on what it means to be different, while at the same time being wholly true to oneself. Through the lives and influences of two girls, readers come to see that love is love is love. Set against the backdrop of history and politics that surrounded gay rights in the 1970s South, this novel is a thoughtful, eye-opening look at tolerance, acceptance, and change, and will widen the hearts of all readers.
A beautifully told, heartening story of two girls who discover that their friendship is leading to something more. But how, among the backward thinking of their Southern town, will Sam and Allie ever be able to face what they know is true about themselves?
http://www.shannonhitchcock.com
“Hold on to the saddle, pony might prance, bucking and frisky, he’s roaming the ranch. GIDDY-UP!”
A pony inspires a child to ride high on her father’s shoulders, a sailboat stirs two others to set off to sea in a cardboard box, and an airplane invites kids to soar like a bird.
In 13 striking spreads, we see how children use the world around them as the inspiration for play. Vibrant photographs are juxtaposed with lively drawings to reveal the child’s own inventive interpretation. Short bursts of action-packed, rhythmic poetry encourage preschoolers to identify the patterning throughout the text and the sounds associated with each idea.
While developing language skills, kids can join in the fun as they create their own imaginative play from what they see around them.
Slosh from the big one into the small. Whooshing and slooshing–your own waterfall.
When young children observe the natural world, what do they see? Very often, it’s an inspiration for creative play. In this sequel of WIGGLE GIGGLE TICKLE TRAIN, 13 vibrant spreads show how children use the world around them to come up with ideas for play. Striking real-life photographs of waterfalls, worms, and wintry roads are juxtaposed with lively drawings to reveal a child’s own inventive interpretation. Short bursts of action-packed poetry encourage preschoolers to identify patterning in text and the sounds associated with ideas.
The sight of a beautiful rainbow is reflected in multihued crayons as two children create their own masterpieces. The sound of noisy geese flying south sets the stage for a concert with bugle and horn. And imitating a frog leads to a game of jumping over logs.
While developing language skills, kids can create their own imaginative play from what they see in nature.
Captain Rex and his dinosaur pirates sail the seven seas in search of buried treasure. But whenever they hit an obstacle—like a giant shark or pea-soup fog—the crew members are quick to say they can’t overcome. To this, Captain Rex always glares with teeth bared and says, “CAN’T YE?” And, somehow, the crew always comes up with a clever solution. This delightful story highlights the value of one’s creativity and determination in tough situations. It will encourage kids everywhere to think and say, “I can!”
