World Read Aloud Day Video Chats with Special Guests
Thank you to all who signed up for a World Read Aloud Day video chat! Stay tuned for next steps as we connect readers and classrooms around the globe.
Special Guest Readers:
Alan Sitomer is California's 2007 Teacher of the Year. In addition to his work as an inner-city high school English teacher and professor in the Graduate School of Education at Loyola Marymount University, Mr. Sitomer has authored 14 books for esteemed publishers such as Disney, Scholastic, Penguin/Putnam, and Triumph Learning. These include six young adult novels, three children’s picture books, two teacher methodology books, and a classroom curriculum series for secondary English Language Arts instruction called "The Alan Sitomer BookJam." A nationally renowned speaker specializing in engaging reluctant readers, Alan is currently working to reshape literacy education across the United States today.
Website: alansitomer.com Twitter: @alansitomer Facebook: Alan Sitomer
Ann Whitford Paul became inspired to write after years of bedtime reading to her four children. Now she enjoys reading to her grandchildren and getting story ideas from them. She has published many award winning picture books—both fiction and non-fiction—poetry and early readers for children, including Tortuga in Trouble, Word Builder, If Animals Kissed Good Night and recently a book for adults titled Writing Picture Books: A Hands-on Guide from Story Creation to Publication. When not writing, she can be found watching spiders spin their webs, snails paint their trails and cats play with yarn.
Website: annwhitfordpaul.net Facebook: Ann Whitford Paul
Alyssa Satin Capucilli is the award winning author of over 100 books including "Biscuit." With over seventeen million books in print, "Biscuit" has been deemed a modern classic and has been translated into numerous languages worldwide. Once a professional dancer, Alyssa’s love of dance is embodied in her newest series, "Katy Duck!" She is the recipient of numerous awards including the Washington Irving Award, Garden State Award, Bank Street College Best Book Award, Oppenheim Portfolio Gold Award, and American Library Association Award. She is a frequent lecturer and currently teaches at Sarah Lawrence College.
Website: alyssacapucilli.com Facebook: Biscuit the Little Yellow Puppy
Audrey Nonemaker is from New Jersey, but moved to China upon graduating college to learn Chinese and teach English. Right now she lives in Shanghai and teaches kindergarten. She loves traveling, baking, and playing sports, especially soccer.
Facebook: Audrey Nonemaker
Beatrice Bowles is a professional storyteller and writer who performs live and records award-winning CDs of world myths and wonder tales. She designs programs to children to connect diverse cultures through common themes from nature and human nature.
Website: harmonyhill.com Twitter: @spideri Facebook: Beatrice V. Bowles
Join our special readers from Booksource for a video chat! Booksource has been a family-owned company since their founding in 1974, consistently cultivating a corporate culture that places a strong emphasis on caring and respect for their extended family, employees, customers and partners. Booksource provides the education market with the largest selection of new and classic titles and classroom collections. They currently have over 30,000 titles in their catalog representing more than 150 publishers, and their staff has the expertise to ensure that their customers get the right books based on their needs. Booksource has the books students want to read, and the books educators want their students to read. Learn more at booksource.com.
Brynne Barnes knows a secret - that the whole world is a giant coloring book and the most beautifully potent crayons are words, laughter, and song. Since earning her B.S. from the University of Michigan and M.A. from Eastern Michigan University, she has been coloring the world with her pen from Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she writes stories, poetry and music. She also teaches writing at Adrian College and The University of Phoenix. "Colors of Me" is her first picture book, an Award-Winning Finalist in the Hardcover Fiction Category of The USA "Best Books 2011" Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.
Website: brynnebarnes.com Twitter: @BrynneBarnes Facebook: Brynne Barnes
C. Alexander London is an author of books for children and adults, including One Day The Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in War (HarperPerennial), and Far From Zion: In Search of a Global Jewish Community (Wm. Morrow). As C. Alexander London he writes the Accidental Adventures series for middle grade readers (Philomel), and the forthcoming Dog Tags series (Scholastic). With Pam Allyn and LitWorld, he helped create New Day, New Friends, a story to foster resilience and community. When he is not wandering through ancient ruins or trekking through distant jungles, he can be found in Brooklyn, NY, taking dictation from his dog, the real brains of the operation.
Website: calexanderlondon.com Twitter: @ca_london Facebook: C. Alexander London
Carole Marsh has distinguished herself over the past 30-plus years as an author of quality educational materials, including more that 80 children's mysteries. Her best-known series is called Real Kids! Real Places!. Marsh is also the creator and author of two complete social studies curriculum series: the Georgia Experience and the Virginia Experience, both used widely in their respective states. Marsh’s books have received the Teachers’ Choice Award from Learning Magazine, the Georgia Author of the Year Award, the iParenting Media Award, and the NSSEA Excellence in Education Award. Her publishing company Gallopade has grown considerably, earning the distinction of a spot on Publisher’s Weekly list of Fastest Growing Small Presses.
Website: gallopade.com Twitter: @carolemarsh Facebook: Carole Marsh
Cheri L. Hallwood is the award-winning author of the delightfully charming picture books, Winter's First Snowflake, The Curious Polka~Dot Present, and One Wish for Winifred Witch. But first and foremost, she will tell you she is the proud mother of three talented daughters and grandmother to six very imaginative granddaughters. Cheri's books have not only delighted children of all ages, but have received the highest of accolades by being presented with the prestigious Mom's Choice Award Seal and the Dove Foundation Family Seal. She enjoys sharing her passion for reading and writing by speaking to children, teachers, and community organizations throughout the Midwest. Cheri resides in Niles, Michigan with her husband, Ray.
Website: foreveryoungpublishers.com Facebook: Forever Young Publishers
Debra Van Duinen is an Assistant Professor of Education at Hope College in Holland, MI. Her teaching and research areas focus on adolescent literacy and English education. In the Content Area Literacy class that she teaches, Debra and her students discuss various instructional strategies for middle and high school content areas. Reading aloud to students is one of these instructional strategies. They are delighted to participate in World Read Aloud Day!
Dee Garretson is the author of two outdoor adventure fiction books for ages 9-12 from HarperCollins Children's Books. Wildfire Run is the story of a U.S. President's son trapped at Camp David with two of his friends after a disaster strikes. Wolf Storm is the story of young teen actors filming a movie on location when a blizzard leaves them isolated and alone in the Carpathian mountains of Eastern Europe.
Twitter: @deegarretson Facebook: Dee Garretson Writer
Debra McArthur is a former high school teacher who grew up to write books for young readers. She has previous written eight books on subjects of history and biography. A Voice for Kanzas is her first novel. Besides writing, Debra enjoys teaching college classes, reading, Irish step dancing, and marathon running.
Website: debramcarthur.com Facebook: Debra McArthur Author
Denise Jaden is, or has been, everything from a professional Polynesian dancer and fitness competitor to a mushroom farmer and church secretary. Her first novel for teens, Losing Faith, was released from Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster in September 2010, with her next one, Never Enough, expected out in summer 2012. The first draft of her debut novel, Losing Faith, was written in 21 days during National Novel Writing Month. She lives just outside Vancouver, Canada with her husband and eight year old son.
Twitter: @denisejaden Facebook: Denise Jaden
D. Dina Friedman, originally from New York City, now lives in western Massachusetts next door to 350 cows. The state park behind her house, where she hikes daily, gave her the inspiration for Escaping Into the Night, the story of teenagers living in the woods during the Holocaust. Dina's love for music and her ties to Brooklyn led her to write Playing Dad's Song, the story of a boy whose father died on 9/11 and healed from his grief through music. Dina has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She teaches at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst.
Twitter: @ddinafriedman Facebook: D. Dina Friedman
Donalisa Helsley is an award winning children's author. Donalisa lives in Oklahoma with her husband, David, her daughters, Jadyn and Genesis and their miniature schnauzer, Shadow. She is Wild About Reading. Donalisa has written many stories since she was a child. She is a social worker and has worked with children for over 12 years. Donalisa is finishing her Masters in Social Work so that she can be a therapist for children and adolescents.
Twitter: @donalisahelsley Facebook: Wild About Reading
Dori Hillestad Butler is owned by a big black dog named Mouse. He’s a registered therapy dog who enjoys reading with children in Coralville, Iowa, where he lives with Dori and her family. To learn more about Dori, her dog, and her other books for children, visit her website: kidswriter.com.
Twitter: @Dorihbutler Facebook: Dori Hillestad Butler
Ellen Booraem quit her day job to write The Unnameables (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2008), a fantasy for ages 9-14, after 20 years of writing and editing weekly newspapers in Hancock County. Her second middle-grade novel, Small Persons With Wings (Dial Books for Young Readers 2011), made “best of the year” lists for Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and The Washington Post. Both are not out in paperbackd, and a third fantasy is scheduled for Spring 2013. Ellen lives in Brooklin, Maine with her partner, painter Robert Shillady, a stubborn dog, and an even more stubborn cat.
Twitter: @ellenbooraem Facebook: Ellen Booraem
George William Kelly is an author of children's picture books. One is about the wife of Santa Claus. Its title is Santa Christina and her Sled. Another is What Does the Tooth Fairy Do With All Those Teeth? I also have stories about (1) the Angel of Halloween. (2) a Pesky Housefly, and (3) a turtle with a high IQ that "went to his head." I was born 84 years ago in Alabama. Now I live in New York City. When I was young, I was a journalist. Now I am retired. I have a long gray beard like Santa Claus.
Website: santachristina.wordpress.com Facebook: Santa Christina and Her Sled Dogs
Jean Reidy is the author of 6 children's books: Too Purpley!, Too Pickley!, Too Princessy!, All Through My Town (all from Bloomsbury) as well as Light Up the Night, and Time (Out) for Monsters (from Disney Hyperion). She's been told that a naughty kid lurks somewhere inside her and she takes that as a high compliment.
Website: jeanreidy.com Twitter: @jeanreidy Facebook: Jean Reidy
Jennifer Castle received her degree in Creative Writing from Brown University. Her debut Young Adult novel, The Beginning of After (HarperTeen 2011), was selected to the ABC New Voices list, a 2012 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults selection, and named to the Chicago Public Library's "Best of the Best" Books for teens. She is currently at work on her second novel, to be published by HarperTeen in 2013. Her passion is writing realistic fiction for young people that helps readers understand our world and feel less alone in it.
Website: jennifercastle.com Twitter: @Jennifer_Castle Facebook: Jennifer Castle
Jo Zumbrunnen’s newest book Introducing Hairetta Hairison is all about triumphing over a bald head. Hairetta is just to busy to worry about hair, even when she has it. The author has been writing stories for over thirty years. Her specialty is how to enjoy an ordinary day and make it extraordinary. The message of this book is for all ages boy’s and girls seven or forty one hundred and one. The author would like to furnish a book to the classroom that wants to go on an adventure with her and Hairietta, just contact her on her website and she will send one out your way.
Website: jozybooks.com Twitter: @jozybooks Facebook: Jozy Books
Kate Feiffer's humorous and award winning books for children include "Double Pink," "Henry the Dog with No Tail," "My Side of the Car," and "My Mom Is Trying to Ruin My Life," which is currently being adapted as a musical for the stage. Her newest books, to be published this spring, are "No Go Sleep," illustrated by her father Jules Feiffer, and "Signed By Zelda," a chapter book featuring a girl who believes you can learn someone’s secrets by looking at their handwriting. Kate lives on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
Website: katefeiffer.com Twitter: @katefeiffer Facebook: Kate Feiffer
Kate Hayes is the author of "All About Poop," an informative (yet hilarious) book that answers all the questions young kids are constantly asking. She know this because her two kids were alwasys asking the same questions! Kate is an established writer, recently recognized as one of the BlogHer 2011 Voices of the Year for her blog. She is a full-time marketing professional and a former award-winning TV news journalist. But Kate has always wanted to write children's books more than anything else.
Website: adventuresinparenting.me and (coming soon) authorkatehayes.com Twitter: @bostonblogmom Facebook: Adventures in Parenting
Kate Messner is an award-winning author whose titles include E.B. White Read Aloud Award winner "The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z" and the forthcoming futuristic thriller "Eye of the Storm" (Walker/Bloomsbury), the "Marty McGuire" chapter book series with Scholastic, and picture books Sea Monster's First Day and "Over and Under the Snow" with Chronicle Books. A former middle school English teacher and TED2012 speaker, Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her husband and two kids.
Website: katemessner.com Twitter: @katemessner Facebook: Kate Messner
Katie Davis has published nine books for children and one for adults. She's all about kidlit: from her podcast Brain Burps About Books, a blog and newsletter to her monthly appearances on Good Morning Connecticut, recommending great kid’s books. Her book trailers have been finalists in both the Moby and SLJ Trailee awards and her trailer for "Little Chicken's Big Day" just won a Trailee. Katie presents at schools and conferences internationally and has judged the Cybils, Golden Kite, smartwriters.com, and Frontiers in Writing awards. Katie's on the advisory board for the Brooke Jackman Foundation, a literacy-based charity.
Website: katiedavis.com Twitter: @KatieDavisBurps Facebook: Katie Davis Burps
Kwame Alexander has written 14 books, owned several publishing companies, written for the stage and television, recorded a CD, performed around the world, produced jazz and book festivals, hosted a weekly radio show, worked for the U.S. Government, and taught in a high school...But, what he loves to do most, is watch his two daughters become a smart and beautiful women, listen to his brilliant and wonderful wife laugh, and sit in his library reading and writing poems about both of them. He is the founding Director of Book-in-a-Day. His most recent book is "Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band."
Website: bookinaday.org Twitter: @kwamealexander
I am Lesley Koyi by name and a Librarian by profession. I come from Kenya where I was born in a little village in a town called Kakamega some years ago. I was raised up in a happy family of 5, three sisters and one brother. As a growing little boy, I cannot forget the feeling I had when I learnt how to read, as this carried my little mind to far lands and experiences through the stories I read. I know many children will be motivated through World Read Aloud Day to embrace the reading culture.
Twitter: @McoyRich Facebook: Lesley Koyi
Leslie Bulion teams a life-long love of poetry and her oceanography background in humorous children's science poetry collections including At the Sea Floor Café, Hey There, Stink Bug! and the upcoming Random Body Parts: Gross Anatomy Riddles in Verse. Her other books include the middle-grade novels Uncharted Waters, The Trouble With Rules, and The Universe of Fair, and her picture book, Fatuma's New Cloth. A former school social worker, Leslie has written and edited books in the education market and has written nationally for parents and educators. She gives writing workshops and presentations to students, educators and writers throughout the US.
Website: lesliebulion.com Twitter: @LeslieBulion Facebook: Leslie Bulion, Children's Author
Lyz Lenz is a writer, blogger, mom and lover of chicken nuggets. Her writing has been published on Babble, Mommyish, YourTango and syndicated on MSNBC and The Today Show website.
Website: LyzLenz.com Twitter: @lyzl
Mary Tavener Holmes received her PhD in art history from the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU, with a specialty in 17th- and 18th-century art. She is the author of numerous publications in that field, and has been a curator and teacher. She is the author of three children's books, "My Travels with Clara," "A Giraffe goes to Paris" (with John Harris), and the forthcoming "An Elephant from Baghdad" (with John Harris), all three illustrated by Jon Cannell. She lives in New York city, has 3 kids and two cats!
Michael Scotto is the author of the Tales of Midlandia picture book series, as well as the middle grade novels Latasha and the Little Red Tornado and the forthcoming Postcards from Pismo (May 2012). In 2011, he was selected by Pittsburgh Magazine and Pump to be one of the 'Pittsburgh 40 Under 40,' in recognition for his roles as an author and youth reading advocate. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Mr. Scotto has visited schools, held signings, and addressed parent groups throughout the United States. He lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his lovely wife and their crafty dog.
Website: michaelascotto.com Twitter: @michaelascotto Facebook: Michael Scotto
Michelle Nelson-Schmidt began her professional artistic career 10 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia when she began painting pet portraits. To date, there are over 800 pet portraits she’s done that hang in homes all over the US! After several years, she decided to move into writing and illustrating children’s picture books. Last summer, her first two books were published - Dogs, Dogs! and Cats, Cats!
Website: michellepaints.com Twitter: @michelleleens Facebook: Michelle Nelson-Schmidt
Mina Javaherbin was born and raised in Iran and immigrated to the USA. She attended architecture school and became an architect. But she’s always been telling stories. When she was five, instead of taking her afternoon naps she rode her red tricycle around the flower pad of her garden, sang songs and made up stories for lady bugs, roses, and the garden walls. As a child she wrote poems, and directed the neighborhood kids in her plays. Although her first two published books happen to be children's books, she writes in many formats. To be published well and noticed by prestigious awards is an opportunity which allows her to use her voice in spreading her favorite subjects: peace, tolerance and literacy.
Website: minajavaherbin.com Twitter: @minajuna Facebook: Mina Javaherbin
Monica Haule is a rising social activist who uses her experience as a former AmeriCorps member, former teacher, and now counselor, to mentor and inspire children. As the current Miss Tanzania USA, Monica continues to promote her platform "Read-writing over illiteracy." Haule’s commitment to social justice is indicated through her work with homeless youth as a counselor at the Chloe House and as a graduate therapist at the DC Rape Crisis Center. In addition, Haule is a member of the non-profit organization, Soldier’s Angels, and is currently a MSW Candidate at Howard University.
Website: misstanzaniausa.blogspot.com
Nathalie Jendly is project director of La Suisse Raconte, an intercultural storytelling association based in Vevey, Switzerland. She studied theatre arts, practice of philosophy for children, and cultural mediation in Europe and Canada, and has worked extensively in the cultural sector, namely as a singer, actress, assistant of dramaturgy, voice coach, puppeteer, storyteller and speaker. Since 2003, she has developed storytelling programmes for festivals, theatres, schools, museums and libraries concerned with promoting active participation of children as authors and actors of their discoveries, and access to cultural heritage as a cultural right for sustainable development and lasting peace.
Website: lasuisseraconte.ch Facebook: Nathalie Jendly
Navjot Kaur, born and raised in England and of Sikh-Panjabi heritage, is fascinated and inspired by diverse environments and culture. Her first children's book, "A Lion's Mane," won the 2010 Skipping Stones Honor Award for Multicultural and International Awareness. She believes that our children can become advocates for social change and uses her writing as a way to inspire them to become responsible, global citizens. She currently lives in picturesque Vancouver, Canada with her little lion cub and wonderful husband.
Sandi Hershenson lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and 4 daughters. She has recently published her first picture book, Annie and Me, on uTales. She maintains a blog, The Write Stuff, that discusses a wide variety of subjects about the world of children's literature. Prior to motherhood, she earned a BS in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and taught elementary school in Los Angeles.
Facebook: Sandi Hershenson
Sherryl Clark's first children’s book, The Too-Tight Tutu, was published in 1997, and she now has more than 46 published books. Her other titles include a number of Aussie Bites, Nibbles and Chomps, and novels. Her YA novels are Bone Song, published in the UK in 2009, and Dying to Tell Me (Kane Miller US 2011). Sherryl’s verse novel Farm Kid won the 2005 NSW Premier’s Literary Award for children’s books, and her second verse novel, Sixth Grade Style Queen (Not!) was an Honour Book in the 2008 CBCA Awards. Other recent titles include a picture book of poems, Now I Am Bigger, Pirate X and the Rose series (Our Australian Girl). Her books have been published in Australia and overseas. Sherryl teaches creative writing at Victoria University TAFE.
Websites: sherrylclark.com, poetry4kids.net
Siobhan Parkinson was born in Dublin, Ireland and has lived there all her adult life. She studied English Literature and German at Trinity College Dublin and did her PhD also at that College on the poetry of Dylan Thomas. She has worked all her life as an editor, and has been writing books for teenagers and children since the early 1990s. She writes mostly for readers in the 10-14 age group.
Website: siobhanparkinson.com
Steve Ince is a Writer-Designer with 19 years of game development experience. Starting as an artist, he moved into production before settling into writing and design. He was nominated for Excellence in Writing at the Game Developers Choice Awards 2004 for Broken Sword - The Sleeping Dragon, which was awarded Game of the Year by the UK national newspaper, The Independent. Steve turned freelance in 2004 and has worked with developers and publishers in various countries. In 2008 he received a nomination from the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain in the category of Best Video Game Script for So Blonde.
Website: steve-ince.co.uk Twitter: @Steve_Ince
Tamora Pierce is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of twenty-eight fantasy novels for teenagers. “Mastiff,” her most recent book, was published in 2011. She lives in upstate New York with her husband Tim Liebe and their numerous cats, two parakeets, and various freeloading wildlife residing in their back yard.
Website: tamora-pierce.com Facebook: Tamora Pierce, Fantasy Author
Terry Farish is a writer for children and young adults. Her latest book is a novel, The Good Braider, about a girl from South Sudan who makes a new home in Portland, Maine. She promotes literacy with newcomers to the U.S. who are resettling their families here from other countries. The families have also brought her into folk stories from around the world. My picture book, The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup, is a folk story set in Texas.
Website: terryfarish.wordpress.com
Tiffany Trent is the author of the YA steampunk The Unnaturalists, coming in August 2012 from Simon & Schuster. Her first novel In the Separate Coils was an IndieNext 2007 Children's Pick and a New York Public Library Book of the Teen Age. Her short stories have appeared in "Magic and the Mirrorstone," "Corsets & Clockwork," and "Subterranean." She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, where she keeps bees and chickens.
Website: tiffanytrent.com Twitter: @tiffanytrent Facebook: Tiffany Trent
Tracey Baptiste was born on the island of Trinidad, where folktale creatures are still talked about at bedtime, and possibly still roam the streets. Her teachers used to say, “Tracey always has a story” and it's true. She does! Tracey's debut novel, Angel's Grace, was named one of the 100 best books for reading and sharing by New York City librarians. Since then, she has also written several books for middle grade readers, including a biography of one of her writing heroes, Madeleine L'Engle. She also helps other writers at fairygodauthor.com.
Twitter: @traceybaptiste Facebook: Tracey Baptiste's Author Page
Ty Allan Jackson is changing the face of children's literature with his universally fun and upbeat books. This winner of the Dr. Martin Luther King - Content of Character Award recognizes the need for contemporary literature featuring diverse and exciting characters in today's world. His works include the hilarious "Danny Dollar Millionaire Extraordinaire - The Lemonade Escapade," which teaches middle grade readers about finance and entrepreneurship, while his picture book titled "When I Close My Eyes" shows younger children the power of using their imagination.
Website: bigheadbooks.com Twitter: @BiG_HeAd_BoOkS Facebook: Big Head Books; When I Close My Eyes; Danny Dollar
Yuyi Morales, having immigrated to the USA in 1994, has created some of the most celebrated Latino works for children’s books. She is a multiple winner of the Pura Belpre Medal for Illustration, given to a Latino illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children. Some of her other recognitions include the Americas Award, the Golden Kite Medal, the Christopher Award, the Jane Adams Award, and the Tomas Rivera Award won in 2004 and 2008.
Website: yuyimorales.com Twitter: @yuyimorales Facebook: Yuyi Morales