Reading Rockets Interview
Not long ago, the folks at Reading Rockets interviewed me and edited our discussion into fourteen short videos that you can watch yourself or share with students. Topics include keeping a nature journal, research, text structure, nonfiction read alouds, the 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, and more. I hope you’ll take a look.
The Lowdown on the Smackdown by Renae Nichols
For the last couple of years, I’ve invited educators to share reflections of their students’ experiences during the Sibert Smackdown. After all, teachers and librarians loved hearing directly from their colleagues. Today’s post comes from school librarian Renae Nichols. Thanks so much for sharing Renae! I first heard about the Sibert Smackdown 2 years ago, […]
Text Scaffolding in Student Nonfiction Writing
Marlene Correia and I included a section about how text scaffolding can help young readers in Chapter 5 of 5 Kind of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children’s Books. But last summer, I had a conversation with literacy educator Xenia Hadjioannou that has led me to think more deeply about it in terms of […]
Narrative & Expository: Two Nonfiction Writing Styles
Over the holiday break, I spent some time thinking about what I’d share on this blog over the next few months and decided to take a look at my most popular post of all time. The answer surprised me, so I’m sharing it again for folks who might have missed it. Should I write about […]
15 Favorite STEM Books of 2023
Today I’m finishing up my posts for 2023 with my annual list of favorite STEM books. I usually try to limit it to 10 titles, but this year’s list includes an astonishing 15 books because I just couldn’t narrow it down. It was a stellar year for nonfiction, and for STEM titles in particular. Six of […]
How Young Writers Can Avoid Plagiarism, Part 2
On Tuesday, I shared a video in which I discuss how two personal experiences helped me develop the lens of gratitude that makes my new book Thank You, Moon: Celebrating Nature’s Nightlight so much more than just a matter-of-fact book about how moonlight affects animals. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to view it and […]
How Young Writers Can Avoid Plagiarism, Part 1
Yesterday was the Full Beaver Moon, so it seems like the perfect time to share the video that accompanies my new book, Thank You, Moon: Celebrating Nature’s Nightlight. On October 24, I wrote a blog post discussing how two personal experiences helped me make Thank You, Moon a unique book that only I could write. The […]
Moon Book Parade: An Interview with Jessica Lanan
Welcome back to the Moon Book Parade, highlighting some fantastic 2023 picture books that feature the Moon. You can scroll down to see earlier posts in this series. Here’s a list of all the books: Full Moon Pups by Liz Garton Scanlon and Chuck Groenink Night Owl Night by Susan Edwards Richmond and Maribel Lechuga A […]
Thank You, Moon: Choosing a Text Structure
Last week, I described how I decided to look at the role of the Moon in animals’ lives through the lens of gratitude. That was an important first step in creating Thank You, Moon, but I still needed a text structure, and that’s often the biggest challenge for me. Nearly all narrative nonfiction has a sequence […]
Thank You, Moon: Finding a Hook
Today is the official release date for Thank You, Moon: Celebrating Nature’s Night Light, and I couldn’t be more excited. The story behind this book traces back to February 2020. Editor Katherine Harrison tagged me on Twitter, alerting me to a conversation about how animals respond to the Moon’s cycle, and asked “Is this something you’d potentially be […]