Highlights of the Week
I’m reading Erin Entrada Kelly’s latest middle grade, The First State of Being*. It’s a time travel book which is my favorite genre to read/watch/and maybe even write one day. I’m loving it so far! It’s dedicated to “The Laughing Man”. Who else knows what that’s referring to? (one of my favorite books).
I visited an elementary school and one of the older students had an amazing question: Do you ever feel like you’ve failed at writing? I loved this question so much! I told him that no, I feel like everything I’ve ever written has helped make me a stronger writer. And that even if it was rejected, didn’t sell, or even never left my google drive, I might come back to it in the future and rework it, combine it with another idea, or it might inspire something else. No writing is ever wasted.
“ I feel like everything I’ve ever written has helped make me a stronger writer.”
I watched Damsel with my oldest this weekend which we both thoroughly enjoyed. I also loved reading this post on The Author Stack about how
came to write the novel based on the screenplay:Last week on Kidlit Survival Guide Vicky covered Book Swag. Her paid post today is worth subscribing for alone: Path to Illustration. You can see what else we have planned the next few months here.
For Writers
To get into the minds of our kid readers, spend some time with this collection of art by kids. The International Collection of Child Art spans many ages, decades, and countries. Maybe a piece will inspire you and spark a story.
who also shared this article about the Rhoda Kellogg child art collection.)
(found via Mark Larson who I found via3 Things I Learned from Margaret Wise Brown by
is such a great read. Like many parents I read Goodnight Moon on repeat for several years so these insights are fascinating.
For Educators
Check out my wide range of activities that accompany Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist, perfect for Women’s History month or any day.
Also, I loved this post from Donna Janell Bowman about how to prepare for an author to visit your school from securing funding to getting kids excited for the visit.
Happy writing and reading,
Christine
Oh my goodness, love the newsletter today -- and thank you so much for sharing my post! It means a lot!
What a great question from a student! I do love your answer too – I feel the same way. No words are wasted :)