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You’re an author/illustrator and create a new book that kids are ready to dive into.  Or let’s say you’re a teacher/librarian who found a new book that your kids are eating up. How can you make the story even more engaging? More educational? More fun?  The answer: a teaching guide that gives the tools needed to use that book in a particular content area, to teach a specific skill, or to help kids plunge deeper into the themes and take-aways of the story.  Says who?  Says Deb Gonzales, the queen of the teaching guide.

An author herself, and a 35-year veteran of the classroom, she ought to know.  Check out her website to see her 300+ guides with standards aligned, ready-to-use synopses, questions, activities, and materials for any educator to be able to pull out and use at a moment’s notice.  The guides not only can be found individually on her site, but can also be found grouped in themes for teachers to look at collectively.

As that former teacher and current author, Deb knows that authors/illustrators need to make their work easily accessible to teachers as a time saving tool, and students need engaging books and extensions that give them choice and creative power.  The guides give you the power to connect and collect whatever is needed to make books the ultimate teaching tool in your classroom or library.

And what Booking Biz authors and illustrators have teaching guides for their books written by Deb?  Check out this special collection of guides for books created by Booking Biz authors and illustrators!

What does it mean to be an Audie Award finalist!?  It means your book has been interpreted by some fantastic actors who’s storytelling abilities are going to grab kids’ attention and pull them even closer into your book!  So congrats to Lesa Cline-Ransome for her book The Overground Railroad, narrated by Shayna Small and Dion Graham, published by Live Oak Media.  AND to Bethany Hegedus for Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou narrated by Cherise Boothe, published by Live Oak Media.  AND to Kelly Starling Lyons for  Going Down Home with Daddy, narrated by Daxton Edwards, published by Dreamscape Media LLC.  All three are Audie Award finalists in the young listeners category!

Kudos continue to the following authors for books that were added to the Dogwood Titles grades 3-5 list, a designation of the best of the best titles as determined by the Missouri Association of School Librarians:

Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People by Bethany Hegedus

William Still and His Freedom Stories by Don Tate

Let’er Buck: George Fletcher, the People’s Champion  by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by Gordon C. James

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

The Golden Kite Awards, presented by Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), are the only accolades presented by writers and illustrators honoring their own.  Author/illustrator Don Tate should be super stoked to have just received the award in the Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers category for his picture book William Still and His Freedom Stories: The Father of the Underground Railroad.  Author Tami Charles received the award for Picture Book Text for Younger Readers with her picture book All Because You Matter. Check out the awards video featuring all the winners and find out what his programs can offer kids!

Cynthia Leitich Smith’s new anthology of short stories for middle grade readers Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids has received 4 starred reviews: Kirkus, Booklist, PW, and Shelf Awareness.  This collection of interrelated stories, published by Heartdrum in partnership with We Need Diverse Books, was credited by Booklist “with exceptionally strong writing throughout, mak[ing this] an appealing choice for those just learning about contemporary Indigenous life as well as readers well versed with the powwow circuit.” Woot-woot!

Monday morning, January 25^th, saw the first virtual announcements of the Youth Media Awards, and some Booking Biz authors made their presence known!

Carole Boston Weatherford claimed a Newbery Honor Award for BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, illustrated by Michele Wood.  Plus the illustrator of her picture book biography, R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, Frank Morrison, is the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Book winner!  Congratulations to Carole and her illustrators Michele and Frank!

Kelly Starling Lyon’s book Ty’s Travels: Zip, Zoom!, illustrated by Nina Mata, garnered a Geisel Honor Award.  New readers will be reveling in this title!  Fantasic job Kelly and illustrator Nina!

And last but certainly not least, Kwame Alexander’s imprint, Versify, through Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, was represented by 2 award winning titles:  Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack earned a Sydney Taylor Book Award silver medal in the middle grade category, and

¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat, illustrated and written by Raúl Gonzalez, took home the Pura Belpré Illustrator Award!  Way to go Kwame, keep publishing those authentic titles!

Ever since her mother took her to the tiny red brick library in their village, Christina Dorr has been fascinated with reading, books, and providing them to others.  Writing became an important part of her life in high school, and then she was first published in college.  Now many years later, she writes and presents on children’s and teen literature to librarians and teachers, and has three books to her credit, with a fourth due out summer of 2021.

We wanted to know where her inspiration, passion and creativity came from. Here’s what she told us…

Booking Biz: What does your average day look like?

Christina: Days start early, even on the weekend.  They begin with whatever the next project is due.  Right now I have a hard January 15^th deadline for my next book, tentatively titled From Poverty to Possibility: Understanding Children/Teens from Generational Poverty and Connecting Them with Literature through the American Library Association.  From there, I work on other projects: teaching for Kent State University, speaking for the Bureau for Research and Education, and more.  Morning is definitely my best work time; then the rest of the day is duties around home that doesn’t tax my brain.

Booking Biz: When you’re not writing, what do you like to do best?

Christina: Reading and playing drums (I’m in 2 bands) are my most favorite hobbies, but I also love to care for the log house, and the many plants surrounding, that my husband and I share.  Of course, spending time with my husband, and our 2 adult daughters and their guys are at the top of my list.

Booking Biz: Where do you get the inspiration for your books?

Christina: From the thousands of students, preschool to grad school, that I’ve taught and provided library services to over the last 30+ years.  And from the other professionals I’ve worked with: librarians, classroom teachers, authors, illustrators, and more.  It’s all about meeting each of their needs and connecting on a personal level.

Booking Biz: Did you always want to write books, or was there another career you wished for as a child?

Christina: As a child I played teacher or librarian, and when I grew up I put the two together and became a school librarian.  What a perfect fit!  I was also privileged enough to have teachers that encouraged my writing, was first published in my early 20s, and have seen my opportunities to write and publish grow ever since.

Booking Biz: If you ruled the world, what would it look like?

Christina: I’d put all I have into creating a world where every individual was afforded basic human rights and respect, and was provided with everything that individual needed – both equality and equity.  From there, I’d give each person an opportunity to share their story, in whatever format they chose.  The world needs to hear everyone’s story.

Booking Biz: Equality, equity, and more stories… what a wonderful world that would be!

Click to learn more about Christina Dorr and her presentations.

Our clients don’t let “much grass grow underneath their feet,” even in these challenging times. Awards, appearances, and more! Enjoy our good news to share!

AWARDS

Huzzah! Cynthia Leitich Smith is the winner of the NSK 2021 Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature acknowledging all of her work. In addition, she has been named the first Katherine Patterson Chair in VCFA’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Also, check out her just published interview with Horn Book’s Roger Sutton!

Breaking news!  Gordon C. James, illustrator of Derrick Barnes’ picture book I AM EVERY GOOD THING have won the 2020 Kirkus Prize!   In addition, James was mentioned in the NPR article titled “A New Picture Book Reminds Black Sons: You Are ‘Every Good Thing.'”  Congratulations!

                                SEMINARS

Christina Dorr is offering through the Bureau of Education and Research a new seminar on using award winning books in your classroom & libraries.  Check out this Q&A interview!  Some Booking Biz authors & illustrators she’ll be featuring are: Kwame Alexander, Carole Boston Weatherford, Lesa Cline Ransome, Donna Gephart, Bethany Hegedus, Gordon C. James,Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, James E. Ransome, Kelly Starling Lyons, and Javaka Steptoe.

APPEARANCES

Kwame Alexander will be “criss-crossing the country” in the next 2 weeks, with three virtual appearances about his book LIGHT FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.

Nov. 17^th 7:00 pm ET in conversation with Charlane Oliver of the Equity Alliance in Nashville live on Parnassus Books‘ Facebook page.

Nov. 18th 7:00 pm ET in conversation with Ramunda Lark Young in Washington DC live on Mahogany Books Crowdcast page.

Nov. 21st 4:00 pm ET in conversation with Sheryl Davis of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (SFHRC) and Mrs. Dalloway’s live on SFHRC Facebook page.

Nov. 20th Calling all Educators! We invite you & your students to virtually join award-winning illustrator Gordon C. James, as he reads his inspirational book I AM EVERY GOOD THING. Register HERE. Thank you to the wonderful NBA team The Charlotte Hornets for supporting literacy through your Pick & Read program!

Nov. 21st FREE community virtual event at The North Carolina Museum of History’s 25th Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration. Join award-winning author Cynthia Leitich Smith as she answers questions about her legacy of books for young readers. Register here. 

UPCOMING BOOKS

Look for these new book releases from our clients!

Don Tate has two in November with WILLIAM STILL AND HIS FREEDOM STORIES & SWISH: THE SLAM-DUNKING, ALLEY-OOPING, HIGH-FLYING HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS

Kwame Alexander, with James Patterson, released BECOMING MUHAMMAD ALI on October 5^th and coming on  November 17th, LIGHT FOR THE WORLD TO SEE. Congrats!

Dianne White picture book author, poetry lover, and teacher released SOMETIMES A WALL on October 23^rd. Bravo, Dianne!

Carole Boston Weatherford released BEAUTY MARK: A VERSE NOVEL OF MARILYN MONROE, and R-E-S-P-E-C-T: ARETHA FRANKLIN THE QUEEN OF SOUL a month apart. Way to go, Carole!

Tami Charles recently released ALL BECAUSE YOU MATTER , a new picture book!  This one will pull at your heart strings! Thank you, Tami!

Lamar Giles Lamar Giles is one of the founding members of We Need Diverse books and writes middle grade and teen books.  Everyone has been waiting for THE LAST MIRROR ON THE LEFT This is his latest middle grade book, #2 in his series The Legendary Alston Boys of Logan County.

Now pre-ordering Kimberley Willis Holt’s highly anticipated  THE AMBASSADOR TO NOWHERE TEXAS, the stunning post 9/11 companion novel to the National Book Award-winner WHEN ZACAHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN.

My favorite time of the school year, hands down, was an author/illustrator visit. Getting my kids excited about the visiting author, learning about their life, sharing books, getting them reading, playing games with book give-aways, and the all-important, securing funding. Making all the arrangements for location, sound checks, choosing kids to introduce the guest, alerting media.

Then the actual event day came with the welcome banners, kids stopping in awe, or running up to the author with a burning question, listening to them speak with riveted looks on their faces, and those long autograph lines. And the follow up after the visit! Discussing what they learned, recaps for the school news, buying extra copies of the speaker’s books (because the students who didn’t want to read one before the visit, sure do now!), kids writing letters to the author/illustrator, and continuing the conversation into the classrooms for the rest of the school year and beyond!

Those of you who have done this know that it’s valuable work beyond words and leaves a lasting impact on your kids, both readers and non-readers. In this time of virtual and hybrid classes, author visits are more important than ever in staying connected with students, motivating reading and writing, providing differing voices and perspectives, and creating communities of learners.

Here are a few things to consider as you navigate this “new normal” and provide a meaningful virtual experience.

Pre Virtual Author Checklist:

1. On average cost is less, but budgets have also been cut. So your hunt for funds is still a critical piece. Start early, and cover many bases. Submit paperwork early for the approval process and also to ensure the speaker receives payment in a timely manner.
2. It’s more crucial than ever to prepare your students well.
   • Make eBooks available, either through purchase or access through a public library card.
   • Continue to provide paper books, both to borrow and give away.
   • Include author books in read-alouds, classroom/library activities.
   • Find a student or two willing to write and deliver an introduction.
   • Brainstorm questions with kids to ask the author/illustrator. Who will ask the questions during the presentation? Determine the best set-up and if you can designate children to ask the questions, make them part of the process.
3. Your venue is now a computer screen using Internet connectivity. Be sure you have a stable connection, platform, and enough bandwidth. Practice ahead of time with the guest.
4. Be absolutely certain all students have the means to connect and can hear and see. Test this out in advance.
5. Be sure your platform is secure for the authors and the children. Webinars offer the most security versus a meeting-type setting. Consider pre-registering attendees before the event, it makes “zoom-bombing” and hacking less likely. Be sure to work closely with your tech experts. There’s nothing more startling or inappropriate than a hacker appearing or receiving alarming comments in the chat box.
6. Review “virtual author event protocol” with kids and how it’s even more important that they keep themselves present.
7. Ask the author in advance to sign enough book plates (that you have provided) for kids to stick in their books.

After Virtual Author Checklist:

1. Gather comments, questions, and thank you’s from kids and email them to the speaker.
2. Keep books available, both paper and eBooks.
3. Provide media sources with screen shots for an article.
4. Keep the author and book discussions going through the learning management systems that deliver classes.
5. Ensure speaker received payment for the visit.
6. Consider booking author for a return visit.

It’s all joyful work that will guarantee a lasting impact for your students. Got questions? Feel free to email Carmen or Christina via the contact form on our website and we’d be happy to assist you in booking your favorite author or illustrator for your next event.

Christina Dorr, The Booking Biz!