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11/26/2023 0 Comments On School #28 Lily – A Blooming Flower Lily – A Blooming Flower (reposted from Donna O'Donnell Figurski's Blog) Lily was one of my first blooming flowers. I’ve had many flowers since my teaching career began in the early 1980s, but Lily was my first. She didn’t bloom right away, and I admit I was worried about her. I was lucky to teach Lily in both 1st and 3rd grades. She had a quiet way about herself, and her studies did not come easily to her. But what I loved most about Lily was that she never stopped trying. She never gave up. Each day she would sit at her desk and focus on her work. She worked hard, even though it didn’t seem as if she were getting very far. Lily moved into 2nd grade; and I kept a wary eye on her, until she landed in my 3rd grade class. Her work pattern continued. She plugged away at math and reading, science and social studies, English …, and a handful of other classes. It wasn’t until near the end of 3rd grade that she began to bloom. And bloom she did! In April! As a little bud opens slowly to form a beautiful flower, so did Lily. For years, until she left for high school, Lily proudly shared her report card with me each term. “Look! Another ‘A’!” she’d say. I’m so proud of you, Lily.  In Be Real: Educate from the Heart by Tara Martin, Tara asked, "When you think of determination, what child comes to your mind? You guessed it. That would be Lily! (Clipart compliments of Bing.com.)
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 So You Want to Be a Writer (Reposted and revised from my website, donnaodonnellfigurski.com February 2010) (Reposted from Donna O'Donnell Figurski's Blog) Many hopeful children’s book writers believe that after they finish the text of their story, they need to find an illustrator. That is a myth and probably the biggest misconception of beginning writers. Below I offer insight that I found along the way. I hope that these suggestions will be helpful to new writers for children. And … yes, I was one of those beginner writers (many years ago) who thought I had to find an illustrator. You do NOT need to find an illustrator. Once you have completed the book in its most finished form, you may begin the search for a publisher or an agent. This is a daunting experience because publishers and agents receive hundreds, sometimes thousands of manuscripts daily, depending on the company and their size and popularity. Unfortunately they only publish a very few of those. The larger, more popular companies, may publish about thirty titles a year; while the smaller companies may publish between two and three titles. This is where your hardest work begins. Here are several suggestions below: #1 You need to do your research to find out which company would be the best fit for your story. To do that, you should go to the library or bookstore to find other books that are similar to yours. Then target those companies. Since publishers and agents usually take between three or more months to respond, if they respond at all, be sure to make good choices. #2 Since the business of publishing a children’s book has so many facets, you really need to do your homework. One of the best resources is the Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market – the current version. Sometimes you can find this in the library, but I recommend purchasing your own copy so you can mark it up. Another trusted book that may help you to find y the perfect agent is Jeff Herman’s Guide to Book Publishers, Editors and Literary Agents: Who They Are, What They Want, How to Win Them Over (29th edition 2023). Unfortunately, finding an agent can be just as daunting as finding a publisher, so you have to decide which route to take. An agent usually requires between 10% to 15% of your book earnings. A good agent is worth every penny. #3 You can also tap into Agent Query to find what agents are looking for. #4 This is probably the best suggestion of all. Go to writer’s conferences and join the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators. (SCBWI) You can join for about $95.00 a year and they provide an immense amount of information. There are also local chapters. For example: scbwi – Arizona or New Jersey SCBWI, I think all of the states have a chapter. There are even international chapters in Australia East/New Zealand, Indonesia, Mongolia, and Japan to name a few. #5 Joining a local children’s book writer’s group can also be helpful to get feedback on your writing. You can even join online writing groups that meet in Zoom or other social media platforms. I belong to two writing groups––both online. #6 You can check out my website for a list of very helpful books about how to publish your children’s book. My Writing Life. Probably the best advice I can give to you is – if you believe in your book and this a dream you really want to happen, then be PERSISTENT and be PATIENT. It is just about the hardest field to break into. It can be done. Many have done it. I've even done it with my book, Prisoners Without Bars: A Caregiver's Tale. You can check out my book at my website, donna o'donnell figurski - Author I hope that this information will help you. Wishing you the best of luck. Donna (Clip Art compliments of Bing.) If you have some time, check out my Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury blog. 11/23/2023 0 Comments Living in 3rd Grade #6 Guess My Food Guess My Food
by Figurski KIDDLES (Reposted from Figurski Wiki February 4, 2011) (The children chose their own pseudonyms to protect the infamous.) In English, my 3rd graders learned to write paragraphs. They learned that when they use good, descriptive words, it makes their writing come alive. Their words jump off the page. They want their audiences to be able to see their words … like a movie. They want their readers to be able to make vivid pictures in their minds. It’s more fun reading that way. They tried this skill out with some riddles about a “Surprise Food.” They chose any food they wanted. Then they described the food using adjectives. They wrote what it looked like, what it smelled like, and what it tasted like. They told how it was cooked or where it grew. They provided as much description as they wanted, but their goal was to make me think. They did a good job, and I was even stumped on a few. Go ahead and try it. See if you can figure out the riddles. (NO answers provided. You are on your own.) ******* Bon Apetit! It is long and thin. It can be yellow or white. People like it with meat. It is smooth. When you make it, you start with hot water in a pot. It can be a foot long. It is yummy. What am I? by Silver This food is brown and sometimes you eat it with pasta and chicken. Most children don’t like it. I found it in the grass this summer and it’s poisonous sometimes. by Penguin The food is white. It smells good. It’s soft. You can make it with sugar and milk. It tastes good. by Gold It’s light green. It’s very crunchy. You can dip it in sauce. You can put peanut butter on it and raisins, too. It can be put in salads. It can be soft and mushy. It can be fresh and with salt. It’s a very healthy and yummy treat. by Stingray This food lives under the sea when it’s alive. Like an octopus, it has suction cups. It also is a character in Sponge Bob. It can be any color. by Shark This food is sweet. Nobody is allowed to eat it until after lunch or dinner. The color of it is brown. It may have peanut or almonds in it. It is a kind of candy. Kit Kat and Twix are made out of it. It starts with the letter C. by Tiger It’s green outside. It’s greenish-whitish on the inside. It’s crunchy! It has white seeds in it. If you don’t like the skin, you can always peel it. by Rabbit This food can be sold in a truck. Children love it. It comes in different flavors. Eat this food quickly, but not too fast. You might get a brain-freeze. This food melts. by Violet This food tastes good. It looks green. It looks like an oval. When you bite it, it tastes juicy. It can be small. by Lion The food I’m thinking about is orange. If you squeeze it, you will get juice. It is round and small. You have to peel the skin. What is my food. by Coyote For dessert I ate a very good food. My food tasted sweet. It felt cold and smooth. It smelled like chocolate. My food was very yummy. by Cheetah It’s usually pink or blue. It’s soft and it’s on a cone. It’s pretty big, but not large. If it gets wet, it will not taste as good. It’s yummy. Yummy! by Dolphin It’s from a tree. Its color is brown. Its shape is an oval. You can find it in Hawaii. by Wolf It is brown and looks like a sphere. It feels squishy. You can put ketchup on it. It is made out of meat. What is it? by Monkey ******* Please leave a Comment by simply clicking the blue words “Leave a Comment” below this post. Feel free to LIKE my post. If you enjoy my blog, please pass it on to all your friends and they to theirs. If you hate my blog, go ahead and send it to your enemies. I won’t mind. (Clip Art compliments of Bing. ) 11/17/2023 0 Comments Teacher’s Pets #4 The Sundae Scoop THE SUNDAE SCOOP by Stuart J. Murphy, illustrated by HarperCollins Publishers 0-06-028925-2 $16.89 Ages 6 and Up Reposted from Donna O'Donnell Figurski's Blog. My Review Most kids love ice cream. They love as it drips down their fingers and smears their noses and they love to swirl their tongues around its creamy flavor. So what could be more fun than making ice cream sundaes for the school picnic? In The Sundae Scoop written by Stuart J. Murphy, Emily, Lauren, and James decide to do just that. They take chocolate and vanilla ice cream, add caramel and hot fudge sauces and two toppings to make a variety of different sundae combinations But when Emily wonders exactly how many combinations they can make, Winnie, the cafeteria lady, pulls out her chalkboard to demonstrate. The use of the chalkboard, as a graphic organizer, makes this difficult math concept easy for youngsters to understand. What a clever technique by Murphy to combine reading fun with math skills. Cynthia Jabar’s bright, perky illustrations combined with Murphy’s yummy story make this a very inviting book. (This review was originally published to SmartWriters, which is now defunct.) ******* Kid's Review FROM the MOUTHS of KIDDLE CRITers: a critique group (Disclaimer: Names of child reviewers have been changed for privacy.) “I liked the book because it was using math and numbers,“ said Pritka. “It was kind of like math,” agreed Annie. “When they were spilling stuff, they were subtracting. And they were always spilling stuff.” she giggled. “I think they were a little clumsy.” “It would be fun to have something like that at our school,” said Lucy. “Everyone would come.” Juan’s eyes lit up. “That’s a super duper idea,” he said. “Yeah, we could make ice cream sundaes . . . just like they did in the book,” said Zach. Lucy thought for a moment. “But, it would be hard to decide which flavors to have,” she said. “How about Toenail-Fingernail Twist?” said Zach with an impish grin. “Ewww.” groaned Meg and bopped him on the head with her paper. “We could make the largest ice cream sundae ever,” said Annie. “And . . . I want a banana and two cherries on mine.” “This book is making me hungry,” said Zach. “Me too,” agreed Keisha. Then Juan stated it very simply, “I like this book because I like ice cream. ******* TEACHER TALK - Lessons LANGUAGE ARTS FUN Brainstorm a list of ice cream flavor words. Record on chart paper. strawberry peach vanilla chocolate mint banana Brainstorm a list of ice cream words. Record on chart paper. swirl twirl cluster crunch ripple chip Now be inventive. Mix and match the words on the two charts to make some new combinations. For added fun have children work in small groups. strawberry . . . . swirl peach . . . . . . . crunch Go a step farther. Brainstorm a list of weird words. Record on chart paper. liver garbage pickles squirrel mustard Now be even more inventive. Mix and match the three charts to make some very unusual combinations. chocolate . . . . . liver . . . . .dip . . . . chocolate liver dip strawberry . . . . squirrel . . .swirl . . . strawberry squirrel swirl banana . . . . . . garbage . . crunch . .banana garbage crunch orange . . . . . . .mustard . . cluster . .orange mustard cluster mint . . . . . . . . .pickle . . . .ripple . . .mint pickle ripple What a delicious way to increase vocabulary. SUNDAE VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT Make a set of flash cards using the words in the LANGUAGE ARTS FUN lesson. Write ice cream words on each card. Use these cards as flash cards. Children take turns flashing the card to other children who read the word. This is a great example of kiddles teaching kiddles. SUGGESTED BOOKS If you like The Sundae Scoop, you may also like the following books. Ice Cream by Elisha Cooper (find out how ice cream is made) Wemberly’s Ice Cream Star by Kevin Henkes (for the board book crowd) SUGGESTED WEBSITES For a list of wild ice cream flavors visit these sites: Goodrich Ice Cream Menu Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream – Our Flavors Hotlicks Ice Cream Flavors ******* As I say after each post: I hope you will visit often. There’s something here for every reader. Enjoy. And DON'T forget to subscribe. If you enjoy Bookity Blog, please pass it on to all your friends and they to theirs. (I’d like to drive up the readership. Sometimes it feels like I am writing in a vacuum. So go ahead. Send it to 10 of your friends.) If you hate my blog, go ahead and send it to your enemies. (10 enemies would be good.) I won’t mind. (Clip Art compliments of Bing.)  Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows by Katy S. Duffield illustrated by Steve Gray Rising Moon ISBN 0-87358-825-8 $15.95 Ages 4-8 Reposted from Donna O'Donnell Figurski's Blog. My Review The milk cows on Farmer McPeepers’ farm are simply up to NO good. I mean, have you ever seen milk cows fishing from a row boat, jumping double Dutch rope, skateboarding, or flying kites? “Outrageous!” you say. “Ridiculous! Impossible!” Well then, would you believe milk cows playing a fiddle, do-si-do-ing, or waiting in line at the local movie house? Yep! Down by Farmer McPeepers’ farm you’ll see all this and more. So go on. Open Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows. But try not to laugh. I dare you! This review can also be seen on: SmartWriters Katy S. Duffield’s story about Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows coupled with Steve Gray’s quirky illustrations make this new picture book a delightful addition to any young reader’s library. (This review was originally published to SmartWriters, which is now defunct.) ******* Kid's Review FROM the MOUTHS of KIDDLE CRITers: a critique group (Disclaimer: Names of child reviewers have been changed for privacy.) “Cows can’t really do all that stuff,” says seven year old Hannah. Jake nods in agreement. “It’s just not true. Cows can’t walk on their legs. They can’t swim and they surely can’t skateboard!” Then he starts laughing. “But that’s why the story’s so funny.” Meg squints just like Farmer McPeepers. She’s thinking. Meg’s always thinking. Then she says, “Farmer McPeepers is silly. He should have put on his glasses. Then he would have seen his missing milk cows.” “It’s only make believe,” says Lucy. “The author was using her imagination.” “The illustrator’s mind must have been going crazy,” added Roberto. “The pictures are wacky.” ******* SUGGESTED BOOKS If you like Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows, you may also like the following books. The Cow Who Wouldn’t Come Down by Paul Brett Johnson. Back at the Ranch by Trinka Hakes Noble, illustrated by Tony Ross. Farmer John Shears His Sheep by Teri Sloat, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin. ******* As I say after each post: I hope you will visit often. There’s something here for every reader. Enjoy. And DON'T forget to subscribe. If you enjoy Bookity Blog, please pass it on to all your friends and they to theirs. (I’d like to drive up the readership. Sometimes it feels like I am writing in a vacuum. So go ahead. Send it to 10 of your friends.) If you hate my blog, go ahead and send it to your enemies. (10 enemies would be good.) I won’t mind. (Clip Art compliments of Bing.) 11/10/2023 0 Comments Teacher's Pets #1 A Mud Pie for Mother A Mud Pie for Mother by Scott Beck Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers 0525470409 $14.99 Ages 3 to 6 Reposted from Donna O'Donnell Figurski's Blog My Review Shop! Shop! Shop ‘til you drop! Race from store to store. Search for the “perfect” gift. Sound familiar? We all do it. In A Mud Pie for Mother, written and illustrated by Scott Beck, Little Pig searches the farm for the perfect birthday present for his mother. When I was Little Pig’s age, I searched for the perfect gift, too. I dashed through the dime store aisles, two quarters, (my whole allowance) clutched in my hand, hunting for the best gift for Mother’s Day. I found it . . . an orange paisley accordion-pleated apron. It was beautiful! Little Pig found beautiful presents too, a little flower, a bit of hay, a few seeds, even a clump of dirt . . . all perfect gifts! His mother would love them. But when Little Pig realized that they belonged to his farm friends, he wouldn’t take them. It just wouldn’t be right. Imagine Little Pig’s sadness as he headed home empty-handed. But to his surprise Little Pig’s friends each gave him a special gift for his mother. Children will delight in this story as Little Pig is rewarded for his kindness. They will see that although doing the right thing is not always easy, it is best. Scott Beck’s simple illustrations nearly “pop” off the page. Then they draw you right back onto the farm. Beck presents a sweet and gentle story with which children will easily identify. I mean . . . what child has not searched for the perfect present? Remember macaroni-studded picture frames and yarn-covered, frozen-orange-juice pencil holders . . . made and presented with love. PERFECT! (This review was originally published to SmartWriters, which is now defunct.) ******* Kid's Review FROM the MOUTHS of KIDDLE CRITers: a critique group (Disclaimer: Names of child reviewers have been changed for privacy.) “The pig wanted to give something to his mother for her birthday,” said Philippe. “Yeah, Little Pig wanted to give things to his mom just like in real life,” said Kiley. “He went to the bee and the cow and the hen and the old grandma.” “Because they all had something special,” interrupted Greg. “But even though Little Pig wanted to take them, (flower, hay, seeds, dirt) he didn’t.” “Right!” said Emma. “He was nice enough to not take them. So when he came back everyone gave him something.” “He got rewarded,” said Pritka with a smile. “Yeah,” said Greg. “Little Pig listened to the farmer’s wife and she rewarded him.” “And every time the pig passed by the animals, they gave Little Pig some things, too,” said Philippe. “I think the girl farmer and the animals respected the pig,” said Emma. “Emma ‘s right,” said Greg. “But even if the pig couldn’t get a present,” said Emma. “His mother would still love him.” Roberto nodded. “Yeah, what really matters is loving,” he said. “This book shows how to be kind,” said Annie. “And the pig was very kind,” said Pritka. “I think Little Pig was generous, too,” said Annie. “Yeah,” said Treska. “The moral of the story is don’t take. They’ll give it to you.” Then she grinned. “Then you don’t get in trouble and you feel better too.” “I liked this book,” said Emma. “I think that Little Pig’s mother wouldn’t really care if he didn’t give her anything because love is the biggest present of all.” ******* TEACHER TALK - Lessons IS THERE AN ECHO IN HERE? Discuss echoic words . . . words that make their own sounds. Start with the words from the book. List them on chart paper. Buzz, Moo, Grunt, Cluck, Squawk Have children act out each animal sound. As you read other books to the children, alert them to be on the lookout for additional echoic words and add these words to the list. A great book to start with is Too Much Noise by Ann McGovern. This book includes many additional animal sounds, as well as fun words like swish and hiss. Make a list of the farm animals in the story. Pig, Bee, Cow, Hen Continue the list by adding as many farm animals as the children can think of. ******* VOCAB/FLASH Make flash cards of the animal names and animal sounds. Cow – Moo, Sheep – Baa, Pig – Oink, Children flash the cards to each other for reading/vocabulary practice. When a child successfully reads a card, he/she keeps the card and scores a point. The child with the most cards wins. ******* MAKE-A-MATCH GAME Use the same set of cards as for VOCAB/FLASH. (Actually, I prefer to make a separate set, which allows me to have two groups working on an activity at the same time.) Shuffle all cards and place them face down on playing surface. Children play in teams or individually against each other. They take turns turning over two cards to make a match. Ex. Sheep – Baa (yes) Sheep – Oink (no) The child or team with the most matching cards wins. ******* DISCUSSION Have children talk about what they would have done if they were in Little Pig’s hooves? Have children discuss how they think Little Pig was feeling. worried, annoyed, angry, sad, frustrated SUGGESTED WEBSITES (Although I examined this website and found it to be very helpful, please use it at your own discretion.) Pig - National Geographic Kids 17 Facts About Pigs for Kids in 2023 (Surprising & Fun Facts) ******* SUGGESTED BOOKS If you like A Mud Pie for Mother or books about pigs, you may also like the following books. If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond Pigs by Robert N. Munsch, illustrated by Michael Martchenko The True Story of the Three Pigs by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith ******* As I say after each post: I hope you will visit often. There’s something here for every reader. Enjoy. And DON'T forget to subscribe. If you enjoy Bookity Blog, please pass it on to all your friends and they to theirs. (I’d like to drive up the readership. Sometimes it feels like I am writing in a vacuum. So go ahead. Send it to 10 of your friends.) If you hate my blog, go ahead and send it to your enemies. (10 enemies would be good.) I won’t mind. (Clip Art compliments of Bing.) 11/10/2023 0 Comments Teacher - Writer Ahhh . . . THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
AS A TEACHER: I read tons of books to my class. We loved to discuss them. As soon as I finished reading a book and the clapping had ceased, I’d ask. “Well, what did you notice?” Marc Brown hid his children’s names, Tolen, Tucker, and Elisa in the illustrations of his “ARTHUR” books. Tomie DePaola usually placed a little pink heart or a small white dove on every page of his books, example STREGA NONA. In THE NAPPING HOUSE by Audrey & Don Wood, it’s always fun to watch the circular movement of the mouse as each character naps, then awakes. But without an observing eye, these nuances would be left unnoticed. It was my job as a teacher for nearly thirty years to spark my student’s interest to look between the lines and … between the pictures. AS A WRITER: I wrote every day with my students, and they wrote too. It was fun to watch them grow as writers. Many began only able to write a few letters, perhaps their names or the words mom or dad, or maybe a brother or sister’s name. But within a few months, they could string several sentences together to make short paragraphs. They were becoming expert writers. AS A TEACHER/WRITER: Well … that was the best! As I say after each post: I hope you will visit often. There’s something here for every reader. Enjoy. And DON'T forget to subscribe. If you enjoy Bookity Blog, please pass it on to all your friends and they to theirs. (I’d like to drive up the readership. Sometimes it feels like I am writing in a vacuum. So go ahead. Send it to 10 of your friends.) If you hate my blog, go ahead and send it to your enemies. (10 enemies would be good.) I won’t mind. (Clip Art compliments of Bing.com.) 11/9/2023 0 Comments It's the Little Things! LOVE is the little things. It's my husband meeting me at the door when I come home, his doing the dishes, his words, looks, & hugs and kisses. It's 3 hand squeezes! It's our secret, which means I love you. Keep the flowers, chocolates, or diamonds. Just give me the LITTLE things! And, I'll be happy. I hope you will visit often. There’s something here for every reader. Enjoy. And DON'T forget to subscribe. As I say after each post: If you enjoy Bookity Blog, please pass it on to all your friends and they to theirs. (I’d like to drive up the readership. Sometimes it feels like I am writing in a vacuum. So go ahead. Send it to 10 of your friends.) If you hate my blog, go ahead and send it to your enemies. (10 enemies would be good.) I won’t mind. (Clip Art compliments of Bing.) |
AuthorI am the author of Prisoners without Bars: A Caregiver's Tale. It's the true story of how my husband almost left me--three times. Archives
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