"Few children learn to read books by themselves. Someone has to lure them into the
wonderful world of the written word; someone has to show them the way." Orville Prescott 
 
 
 

 
 
THANK YOU, TEACHERS!
I knew teachers worked hard, but truthfully, I never realized how hard until I did my first writer-in-residence program. I worked in the same classroom with the same kids several times a week for an entire school year. Oh my! The kids kept me on my toes with their questions and on the edge of my nerves with their energy. I'd come home exhilarated and exhausted and even more satisfied with writing for children. And very grateful for the teachers out there doing a tough job.

In this section I've tried to gather anything I could to make a teacher's job of teaching writing and literature easier. Most of all, I want to excite teachers enough to bring more books and authors into the classroom so students can get a complete literature experience. The teaching guides database is your link to over 1000 teaching and reading guides connecting your classroom curriculum with children's books. It is searchable by author, title, age, and thematic keywords. In teacher's tools you'll find help on teaching writing and some ideas on how to publish student work. And of course the author websites will take you all over the Internet to the homes of many other children's authors and illustrators. Bookmark that one to check out after you've finished exploring this site. Don't forget to visit the playground for some fun and games, especially the children's author match game - you never know who you might find reliving their childhood.