Although the exchange took approximately 30 seconds, I walked away from meeting my writing idol, Kwame Alexander, filled with equal parts elation and embarrassment.
I took a children's literature class in college. It was a bit of a departure from my typical Shakespeare and Russian literature type subject matter. I chose it as a relief from some of those heavier texts and deep down I probably thought it would be easy.
I went to the monthly book club meeting of the Nightlighters last night. This month we read Where Do They Go? by Julia Alvarez (Author) and Sabra Field (Illustrator). Yes, your eyes aren't deceiving you. It's a children's picture book. OK, you might be skeptical. A children's picture book for an adult book club...
A few weeks ago my family and I were in the airport, preparing for an overseas trip. In the waiting lounge, I said hello to a young girl, aged around 4 years old, who was waiting with her dad in the seating area. She was very social and immediately engaged with me. Right away, I asked her if she liked reading and what her favorite book was. She absolutely lit up! Her favorite book was Clara the Cookie Fairy and she had the book with her! We sat together for the next 15 minutes or so, reading this delightful and amazing book together. This experience reminded me of the inspiring and creative post below by Lisa Bloom from 2011. It’s an eye-opening approach to engaging a girl about her mind via books instead of what she’s wearing.
K.L. Kranes and I are in the same book club, which is now three years old. I like to think of myself as a reader, and someone who loves learning. I have been in a several different book clubs in... Continue Reading →
K.L. Kranes 