Tuesday, May 26, 2009

How Can A Picturebook Be Used To Teach Reading?

My friend & colleague, Ann Fiala, keeps telling me much she likes The Angry Thunderstorm. Well, of course I liked hearing that.

Lately, she's also been telling me how much she appreciates The Angry Thunderstorm as an instructional tool. My first response (as a non-educator) was, Say that again. I'm glad you like it. I'm glad you are telling others about it. BUT, explain to me how it can be an instructional tool!
How can a picturebook be used to teach reading?

You may recall that Ann is the founder of Reading Instruction Co. She works with schools, districts, and state education departments all over the country to improve reading instruction. She seems to really know her stuff, so I waited patiently for her answer. Knowing how excited Ann gets when she starts talking about teaching reading, I expected a fairly verbose response. Here's what I learned...

A picturebook can be effectively used to teach reading to students of all ages. Paula Parkinson, a high school teacher, used The Angry Thunderstorm to review the literary elements before the final exam with her English I students recently. Some of the 9th graders who had been struggling with the entire concept of personification finally got it after they connected the text with the illustrations.The brevity of a picturebook works well in a 50 minute class period!

Fifth graders read the book to increase their fluency skills. First, they read it silently (checking with a partner or the teacher about pronunciation and/or meaning when they encountered unknown words). Then the teacher assigned Book Buddies and each pair of students read it aloud, taking turns with each page. They switched pages and read it to each other again. Then, they timed each student orally read the entire story. Wow, it was fun to read. There are lots of different ways to "say" those words (like R-r-r-r-o-a-r-r-r-r).

Kindergarten students loved listening to the text and carefully looking at each of the illustrations.
Three times, they begged, Please read it again? The teacher decided to record the book and let the students "read" the book while they listen to it at the Listening Center.

Well, Ann could have kept on telling me more ways a picturebook, especially this picturebook, can be used as an instructional tool; but, I finally said, I get it, I get it. The Angry Thunderstorm is a great story with wonderful illustrations, but when it helps kids become better readers, it is an instructional tool.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Lessons From Petey and Ralph

Life for me is like life for most people. During the week, there's a lot going on. I spend weekdays tackling deadlines in an advertising firm. Since we launched The Angry Thunderstorm, I spend time a lot of time talking to people about the book and promoting it through different channels. In the evenings, I have family activities which include my husband, two children and two dogs. Up until a few weeks ago, it also included two hamsters, Petey and Ralph. Sadly, Petey and Ralph left us for that great hamster ball in the sky.

Petey and Ralph were not your typical hamsters. They were mischievous. There were several times we had to form a search party because they had learned to pick the lock on their hamster ball and had become quite the escape artists. We began taping the ball at the end so they couldn't perform their Houdini act. Come to think of it, I think that may have been what did poor Petey in. Sidenote to self: Every now and then, you just need a good escape.

In their hamster ball, these comrades were fearless. At first our dogs chased them. It only took one wrong turn and they soon learned that the dogs would duck tail and run when that ball came rolling at them. Sidenote to self: Every now and then, it doesn't hurt to change your focus and direction, if only for a little while.

On a bright and sunny Saturday, Petey collapsed in the hamster ball. I assured my son that this is how Petey would have wanted it. Still, we were sad. But I think poor Ralph felt his loss the most. Two days later, I walked past my son's room to find Ralph running at warp speed around the cage. I stepped in to check on him just in time to see him keel over. Sidenote to self - Slow down and stop running in circles. The outcome can't be good.

So there you have it - the reason why my blog has sat silently for over a week. I have been practicing the lessons of Petey and Ralph. Did I mention that they were smart little hamsters?

Monday, May 11, 2009

Meet The Illustrator - Rachel Henson




Cramming for final exams is not the only thing on Rachel Henson's mind these days. Rachel, 17, is seeing her talents come to life in a new book, The Angry Thunderstorm, released April 1, 2009.

“Drawing has always been a pastime and a passion for me,” says Henson. “When my aunt told me that she had written a children’s book, I jumped at the opportunity to be her illustrator.” ‘So, last summer, while friends were spending time at the mall or at the pool, I was drawing,” says Henson.

The author (Henson’s Aunt, Carol Henson Keesee) readily acknowledges that the story would be nothing without her niece’s talent. “In order to bring the story to life, we had to bring the Thunderstorm to life,” says Keesee. ”How do you take something so inanimate and give it emotion and personality?” “It was not just a matter of drawing a picture; she had to conceptualize this character and translate him to paper in a way that children could identify with his change in character and mood.” How did she do? “She nailed it.”

The Angry Thunderstorm published by AuthorHouse®, is one of the few books addressing a child’s fear of storms. It is a comforting story that teaches children that great gifts come with all the racket that a thunderstorm brings; and helps them move beyond what is happening to understand why it is happening. The imagery is vibrant and dramatic and lends itself to a storyline that takes the reader on a journey from uncertainty to understanding—transforming the dreaded thunderstorm from foe to friend.

Recently asked what she hopes the book will accomplish, Henson responded, “I hope the book will help calm children’s fears of storms.” “I hope it will help parents explain why Thunderstorms are important.” More importantly – “I hope it will help me on my path to a rewarding career that I am passionate about.”

Friday, May 8, 2009

Recently I presented Top Ten Ways to Motivate Parents to Encourage Children to Read More! at the Tennessee Reading Summit in Murfreesboro, TN. During that session, I read The Angry Thunderstorm and talked about how parents and teachers can use this new children's book in a variety of ways.

It obviously calms children's fears and deepens their understanding about thunderstorms. The clever illustrations show the thunderstorm's true nature...and the text explains ways that thunderstorms help our world.

Writers (of all ages) are often able to more quickly refine their writing skills after seeing how an author personifies a subject in an amusing story. Both the text and illustrations of this book provide multiple examples of personification. One of the great things about picture books are the way snippets can be effectively used as springboards for further discussion.

It wasn't too long ago that a nasty tornado devestated parts of Murfreesboro, TN. Many of the conference participants talked about how timely this book will be to share with their children.

Consider making the opportunity to share this book with someone you love, or use it during writing instruction...even with Middle School students! It's the kind of book that many will find valuable...and for different reasons!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Ever Played Telephone?

Have you ever played Telephone? You know, the game where one would whisper a word or a phrase into their friend’s ear, “Sarah’s sister wears a red bow?” Then, the friend would whisper the same phrase into the next person’s ear – and so on… At the end, the last person to receive the secret would blurt out what they thought they had heard, “Sarah’s sister has a red nose.” More often than not, what was blurted was nothing like what had been whispered in the beginning; and, that’s what made the game fun!

There is a game played in marketing today that is similar to Telephone . The game is called Word of Mouth. Unlike Telephone, we want the message to stay intact as it spreads from one person to another. And we want it to spread as far as it can reach. Played well, Word of Mouth can generate a sea change of events for a product or a brand – or a book. Measuring Word of Mouth is a little tricky. Truthfully, I am not sure that anyone has cracked this code – not even those of us in market research.

That said, when we launched our word of mouth campaign for The Angry Thunderstorm, we decided that the best mechanism to measure the return was through book reviews. We have received several reviews; but, until this week, all of them were from our friends. [Friend Disclaimer: This statement is in no way intended to diminish the appreciation we have for our friends, their acts of unselfish kindness, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, or suitability of the reviews they have provided.]

Truth is, we hoped our friends would be as helpful and encouraging as they have been; and, we appreciate them. However, the true valuation would come in the form of unbiased responses received from those we do not know who have purchased the book in good faith based upon what they have heard. For three weeks, we waited. This week, our answer came in the form of three reviews from people we did not know.

“The Angry Thunderstorm is a book that will lead a child towards understanding a part of nature. A great way to dispel fears about thunderstorms. Writing in the poem format is especially suited for this book. A novel idea for a children’s book. I hope this author continues with this idea and produces more books about nature's happenings.” – C. Oldham

“This was a great book - my 2 year old was entranced by the story and pictures. Some of the vocabulary was too advanced for her, but this is definitely a book that can grow with her.” – M. DiGiovanni

”This book was very enjoyable - kids loved it! The excellent vocabulary and pleasing rhymes along with the delightful, detailed illustrations captivated everyone! It also gave us a chance for some discussions about Mother Nature and helped calm some nervousness about thunderstorms.” – L.V. Patrick

Whew! We can now rest easy and assured that our efforts are paying off. To: C. Oldham, M. DiGiovanni and L.V. Patrick (whoever and where ever you are), Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions about The Angry Thunderstorm!

Friday, May 1, 2009

For Gabriella



A nice letter from Manuel G. read:

My daughter, Gabriella, will be five years old this month. She is afraid of storms. This is a GREAT book for her and will be a birthday present. Thank you for writing this book. The illustrations are really cool!


Dear Manuel,

The Angry Thunderstorm was written with children like Gabriella in mind. Fear of storms is a common anxiety in children that sometimes follows them into adulthood. The purpose of this book is to help guide children beyond what is happening to focus on why it is happening in hopes of helping them understand why storms, while unpleasant, are necessary – and important!

When writing the story, it was important that the information be delivered in an honest and truthful manner, and told in an encouraging way. In the midst of all the racket, the misunderstood storm works very hard to give us many things we need to live and be sustained. This is reinforced through the illustrations. I will pass your compliment on to my neice, Rachel. She is a wonderfully talented young lady; and, without her talent, The Angry Thunderstorm would be just a story.

I hope Gabriella enjoys the book and that it helps her see this phenomenon in a different light.

Thank you so much for the kind note!

Carol