Hi Educators,
Zap! Clap! Boom! published yesterday, February 28! We were supposed to be hosting a pizza party to celebrate our son-in-law's birthday. Unfortunately, my husband has been sick and we spent Publication Eve (aka Monday) in urgent care and the emergency room (well, mostly in waiting rooms). Turns out it was not a repeat of a prior medical emergency--thank goodness! Instead, he just was sick. But plans for Tuesday were canceled, and we "celebrated" with hot soup. Whee? So grateful for insurance and health workers, though!
My other two books publish the next two Tuesdays. How shall I celebrate them? Maybe a tax audit and a flat tire? Ha! I shouldn't tempt fate!
Last month, I told you I’d share the behind-the-scenes process of how Zap! Clap! Boom! came to be a book. But, for reasons explained below, I’m going to do that in April instead.
Mark Your Calendars!
In the Twin Cities? On April 1, at Red Balloon in St. Paul, I’m having an in-person book launch storytime! If you’re in the Twin Cities, please come help me celebrate the splashdown of Puddle Song, Zap! Clap! Boom!, and Finding Family! I hope you can come!
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Here's something for nature book fans, no matter where you live. On Tuesday evening, April 25, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, a group of 7 authors and illustrators are having a virtual launch party! It’ll be hosted by Red Balloon Bookshop on Zoom. We’ll be celebrating 9 beautiful new books with trivia, brief book talks, Q&A, and book giveaways! Details in next month’s Small Reads, but I hope you’ll join us!
As I write this, our taxes are done (whee!), and we’re hunkering down for a big winter storm. It’ll be gorgeous, but no doubt inconvenient. Beautiful things often are. :>)
Wherever you are, stay safe, look for the beauty, and happy almost spring!
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Ready for National Poetry Month? |
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It’s just possible that I might sometimes decide on my National Poetry Month plans very, very close to April 1. But not this year! This year, I decided on a little poetry game I want to play, and I thought of it early enough to invite you to join in. Yay, me! For once :>)
Here’s a short video to explain.
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Basically, I’m going to write a very short poem each day, based on two things:
1) a handful of magnetic poetry words
2) a topic chosen from 5 words on a game board card
For instance, when I looked at these words
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and chose a topic from the 5 answers on this card, |
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I wrote this poem sketch. |
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Each day on my blog, I’ll share items 1 and 2 for you. And I’ll also share the poem I wrote based on the previous day’s items 1 and 2.
These won’t be polished poems, of course. That's why I call them poem sketches. They might just be a phrase on some days, in fact. This is a game, an exercise, a way to twist your brain up in a way that you don’t do every day.
I hope you and your students might play along occasionally or every day! Please feel free to leave poems in the comments. I always think it’s utterly amazing to see what different people write, even when given the same word pool and same topic.
Be sure to subscribe to my blog (by visiting and finding the subscribe link in the right sidebar) if you don’t want to miss a day.
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And please tell your friends about this newsletter if you know anyone who might like to try out this poetry experiment in April! |
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3 Books I Read & Loved Last Month |
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Here are 3 awesome picture books I loved last month! |
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My Picture Books and Board Books! |
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Here are some of my books--just click a title to learn more or to see auxiliary materials like downloadables, reviews, and teaching guides! Or to order signed, personalized copies from Red Balloon Bookshop. Visit my books page to see more of my titles. |
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Where's Laura Speaking & Signing? |
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Mar. 17: Young Authors Conference, Bethel University, MN.
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Mar. 20: A Streamable Learning live virtual visit for Snowman-Cold=Puddle at 11:10 am. This is a paid/subscription event.
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Apr. 1: A storytime launch party for all 3 of my spring books! 10:30 a.m. at Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, MN. All are welcome!
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Apr. 25: Virtual Celebrate Earth Picture Book Launch Party: 7 creators, 9 nature and science books, Red Balloon, Zoom, and you! 6:30 p.m. Central Time.
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July 12: Literacy Conference,,,an Angelo, TX 2 sessions: poetry and nonfiction mentor texts
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Ongoing: I am always happy to sign books. If you order from Red Balloon Bookshop and request a signed copy, I will stop by and sign it! Make sure to note who you would like it signed to. Thanks for supporting both me and independent booksellers!
(All times listed in CST)
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