Favorite Authors for Elementary Aged Children Tina Lee EDU 7208 July 2006

Sandra Boynton Sandra Boynton was born on April 3, 1953 in New Jersey. Boynton went to Yale and majored in English. Boynton created greeting cards as a form of income in college. Sandra’s first children’s book was entitled Hippos Go Berserk, written in 1979.

Sandra Boynton Favorites This book has adorable illustrations to entice any little one before bedtime. The silly illustrations add to the humor of these animals as children learn different animal sounds. The little hippo in this story is fascinated by his belly button. His nickname for it is “Bee Bo”. Barnyard Dance compliments Moo, Baa, La La La as a sing song book. The illustrations are silly and appeal to the early elementary aged children.

My Favorite Boynton Activities Using the website, children can listen to Boynton’s songs! Teachers can use the animal books in conjunction with a unit on Noah’s Ark or the zoo. Teachers of young preschoolers can use Boynton’s books to introduce life skills (Opposites, Belly Button Book, One, Two, Three to name a few!) Teachers of young readers can use the author’s books for silent reading time. Many of the books are repetitious with simple, easy to decode words.

Tomie De Paola / Tomie was born in He grew up with his parents, a brother and two sisters. His favorite hobbies were drawing and dancing. His first book was entitled, The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin. He has received several honorary doctoral degrees and many awards for his books. He has currently written over 100 books. He has illustrated over 200 stories for children!

Strega Nona ~Tomie’s Most Famous Character~ In the originally Strega Nona story, Strega Nona has a magic pasta pot. She tells Big Anthony to leave it alone, but when she leaves, he decides to make some of the magic pasta. However, he can’t make the pot stop producing pasta!  Strega Nona is based on an old folk tale about a porridge pot – not an Italian tale.  The character’s image is loosely mirrored after a fan Tomie met at a conference. He thought she looked like a black haired diva!  Big Anthony, the not so smart servant, was originally meant to be a girl named Concetta.  Tomie took away the porridge and changed it to pasta in the first Strega Nona book.  There are several different Strega Nona and Big Anthony stories available in bookstores today.

My Favorite Irish Themed Tomie Book (and how to use it in your classroom!) Jamie O’Rouke and the Big Potato  Jamie is a lazy man who gets a potato seed from a clever leprechaun. The potato grows and everyone is invited to dine on the veggie though out the winter. Neighbors then promise to feed Jamie forever, as long as he never plants another potato again.  This is a great story to use at St. Patrick’s Day. You can discuss the concepts of Leprechauns (My students make leprechaun traps each year!). Also, a mini unit on Ireland and their cultures can be discussed as a social studies unit.  The concept of laziness and working are discussed in this story. It’s important to teach children self respect and pride in their work. I suggest that all my students do their best at all times. We compare and contrast different ways to always do our best.

Jonathan London and Frank Remiewicz London was born in Brooklyn and grew up as a “navy” brat. He worked as a dancer, laborer, and counselor When he became a father, he started writing children’s books. He currently lives in California with his wife and two sons. Remkiewicz designed over 1000 greeting cards and the cover to Barnum’s Animal Crackers. He started illustrating children’s books in the 1980’s. He has illustrated all of London’s Froggy books. He lives in Florida with his wife and youngest daughter..

Froggy! hindthefrog.html hindthefrog.html Froggy is a little “boy” who manages to get into small amounts of mischief while doing ordinary tasks. The author’s use of repetitive language entices young readers to read the story with you. There is humor in the writing that makes both the reader and the children laugh and smile. Children can relate to the issues that Froggy deals with and may have experienced them as well. The website has bibliographic information about the author and the illustrator. The site lists all the current Froggy books. The site has activity pages to enhance your Froggy experience.

Other Books by Jonathan London 1.Wiggle Waggle 2.Puddles 3.Hip Cat 4.Lion Who Had Asthma 5.A Koala for Katie 6.Crunch Munch 7.Snuggle Wuggle 8.Honey Paw and Lightfoot 9.Condor’s Egg 10.Count the Ways Little Brown Bear

Audrey Penn She is from Olney, Maryland Penn was a ballet dancer and actress. Penn coached dance instruction for US gymnasts and US figure skating teams. After being diagnosed with arthritis, Penn started writing and illustrating children’s books. Her most famous books are her bibliotherapy books, used by many teachers and counselors across the nation. Penn uses her “writing Penn” seminars to work with educators and parents to help deal with many “real life issues” for children. Penn’s books have been recognized by several groups for their positive influences. Some of the groups include Very Special Arts in Washington, D.C. and the Child Welfare League of America.

Bibliotherapy Books Bibliotherapy books are texts used to help children with the many different emotional aspects of their lives. Some famous Penn bibliotherapy books are: Sassafras: Overcoming differences; self esteem The Kissing Hand: Handling separation anxiety A Pocketful of Kisses: Welcoming a new baby into the family A.D.D not B.A.D: Explaining ADD to children.

Sassafrass by Audrey Penn A First Day of School Activity Sassafrass is a young skunk with a bad “smell”. He is convinced by his friends that his “smell” is part of what makes him special. This story is a great text to use with children to show diversity among each other. It’s important for children to realize that we all have our special talents. The children should be encouraged to draw self-portraits and display them in the room. Have the children notice that each portrait is different. Each child should then make a list of 5-10 things that make him/her special and important. What special talents do they possess? What things do they wish they could do better? How can they help others learn about their talents? Remind the children that each of us are special in our own ways. Just like Sassafrass, we must learn to like each other for who we are and what we can do. It’s important to focus on the positive parts of ourselves.

Ian Falconer Falconer lives in New York City. He has designed sets for Ballet and Opera Companies. Falconer puts “real art pieces” into his illustrations for children to see and be exposed to.

Olivia The Olivia series of books is based on Falconer’s niece and her family. He chose to use only black, white and red as a color palate in order for readers to focus on graphic situations and emotional situation. He chose a pig to represent his niece, as pigs are very intellectual animals. The original Olivia book received the Caldecott honor award.

Fun with Olivia! A mini unit on Art lessons can be used with this series. In each book the author uses a different piece of art work in his illustrations. In Olivia and the Missing Toy, her dog chews her favorite toy. The children can work on a writing sample telling about something they loved that was lost. In Olivia Saves the Circus, Olivia tells a tall tale of her Summer Vacation. This book,can be used as a starting point for a class picture book on what the children did over their summer vacation. In Olivia Counts, a math lesson on basic counting to ten can be incorporated with the reading. In Olivia’s Opposites, a language lesson on opposites can be incorporated with the reading.

Happy Reading!