Monday, August 25, 2008

Tune in to Book Bites for Kids!

Thank goodness for the Internet! Earlier this month I participated in a podcast interview with www.JustOneMoreBook.com. On Thursday, August 28, I will chat about Fouling Out with Suzanne Lieurance of Book Bites for Kids on Blog Talk Radio. Suzanne's show provides a terrific forum for children's authors to discuss their books. I enjoy listening in to gain insights from other authors and to feel part of a virtual community of writers. You can tune in for the live airing at 2 p.m. Central Time (3 p.m. Eastern; noon Pacific) at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bookbitesforkids or check out the site at your convenience after the half-hour show wraps up. As well, you can link to the interview through Suzanne Lieurance's website at http://suzannelieurance.com/category/author-interview/.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Virtual Power


I recently sat down for an interview at the Wild Oat Bakery in Ottawa with Mark and Andrea of Just One More Book!!, a website devoted to children's books. What a pleasure! The site regularly posts book conversations between Mark and Andrea, parents of two young girls. They take picture books (and some novels) that have been field tested in their own home. If the book is a hit with the girls, Mark and Andrea talk about the book as they sit down for a morning coffee. The background noise of other patrons at the coffeehouse only adds to the ambience. I have often said that one under-celebrated aspect of reading in schools is the social conversation that can arise. When we see a good movie or hear a great song, there is an urge to tell someone about it. The same with books. That is why book clubs have become so popular. (Okay, Oprah may have something to do with book club fever as well.)

While Fouling Out is for older readers (ages 10-14) than the books featured on justonemorebook.com I really wanted to feel the process of the making of Mark and Andrea's podcasts. We talked about my roles as teacher, principal and author and how I promote and teach reading and writing with children. Check out the site. If you want, you can go to http://www.justonemorebook.com/2008/08/page/2/, scroll down and find my interview, posted August 11, 2008. (I love the fact that I am on the same page as the podcast on Dirty Dog Boogie. Lincoln and Hoover think I'm cool.) Of course, there is so much more to explore. The site is well archived with author and illustrator interviews and book chats that can keep a browser entertained.