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
http://www.twitter.com/shanonhitchcock
http://shannonhitchcockwriter.blogspot.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!”
Astro is a stellar Steller sea lion! Only a few days old when found orphaned, he is cared for and raised at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. When big enough to be released to the wild where he needs to be, he has other plans! Just like a lost dog finding his way home, Astro keeps swimming back towards the Center, crossing miles of open ocean water to do so. After several attempts, people realize that Astro is too accustomed to humans and will just keep coming back. Based on real events, readers follow Astro through some of the travels that have taken him across the U.S. to his current home at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. The “For Creative Minds” educational section includes: Steller Sea Lions, Steller Sea Lions Threatened and Endangered, Where in the World? (A Map Activity), Steller Sea Lion Life Cycle, Sea Lion or Seal? (Whats the Same? Whats Different?).
As a young boy growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, Romare Bearden listened to his great-grandmother’s Cherokee stories and the whistles of trains steaming through town. When Romare’s family, faced with unjust Jim Crow laws, decided to head north, tears stung Romare’s eyes but he watched out the train window as the world whizzed by. Later he captured his childhood memories in a famous painting, Watching the Good Trains Go By. Using that painting as inspiration and creating a text influenced by the blues and jazz that Bearden loved, Jeanne Walker Harvey has created a story of Bearden’s childhood. She describes the patchwork of daily Southern life that he saw from the train’s window and the story of his arrival in shimmering New York City. Artists and critics today praise the collages for which Bearden became famous, collages filled with visual metaphors honoring his past, African American culture, and the human experience.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC sees over 4 million visitors every year. Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2017, the wall’s stark design provoked controversy and almost did not get built. The monument’s visionary designer is profiled in Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk (Christy Ottaviano/Holt; May 2, 2017).
As a child, Maya Lin loved to study the spaces around her. She explored the forest in her backyard, observing woodland creatures, and used her house a model to build tiny towns out of paper and scraps. The daughter of a clay artist and a poet, Maya grew up with art and learned to think with her hands as well as her mind. From her first experiments with light and lines to the height of her success nationwide, this is the story of an inspiring American: the visionary artist-architect who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
