Fall Events

It’s going to be a busy fall with the release of my new book FINDING TREASURE: A COLLECTION OF COLLECTIONS. I’ll be doing story times, school visits, and conference speaking. Here’s were you can find me:

September 17: Andersons Bookstore, Downers Grove IL, 6pm: BOOK LAUNCH!

September 21: 57th Street Books, Chicago, 10:30am: STORY TIME and CRAFT!

October 8 and 9: An Open Book, DC: SCHOOL VISITS!

October 12: AISLE & IATE Conference, Springfield IL: PRESENTATION: POETRY, LITERACY’S SUPERFOOD!

October 21: Clarendon Hills Library, Clarendon Hills IL, 4pm: STORY TIME and CRAFT!

October 26: The Book Stall, Winnetka IL, 10:30am: STORY TIME and CRAFT!

Poem in Your Pocket Day!

The students at Olive-Mary Stitt School in Arlington Heights were gracious enough to share their Poem in Your Pocket Day with me. What a thrill to sign their Author Wall in the LCR. (Look who I signed beneath. WOW!)

National Ag in the Classroom Day 2019

Yesterday was National Ag in the Classroom Day, and I was lucky enjoy to share FRESH-PICKED POETRY, the Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom Book of the Year, with readers around Wisconsin. A special thank you Sheila Everhart, the Janesville Area Coordinator, and Darlene Arneson, the State Coordinator, for the opportunity. The students at Madison Elementary, Washington Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, and Milton Intermediate School were fabulous audiences, as were the young patrons of the Milton Public Library. Another thank you to Mid-State Equipment for allowing me to sit in the cab of the massive John Deere tractor for the live-stream reading of my book. And of course, the biggest thank you to farmers for feeding the world.

WORLD READ ALOUD DAY 2019

February 1st is World Read Aloud Day, and I am excited to celebrate by sharing my books and writing tips with students. If you are a teacher or librarian and you and your students (grades K-5) would like to Skype with me for WRAD, you can reserve a 20-minute time slot HERE.

NCTE #BuildYourStack

Thank you, NCTE for inviting me to be a guest blogger on #BuildYourStack, where I discuss how teachers can using poetry to reinforce grammar concepts.

Association of Illinois School Library Educators (AISLE) Conference 2018

Connecting Illinois Authors and Illustrators with Illinois Librarians at AISLE 2018 along with fellow authors Alice McGinty, Alexandria LaFaye, and Fern Schumer.

Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom Book of the Year

Fresh-Picked Poetry has been selected as the Wisconsin Agriculture in the Classroom Book of the Year for 2018. I can’t wait to share the excitement of farmers’ markets and poetry with students throughout Wisconsin. Find great lesson plans and other resources on the Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom website.

Fresh-Picked awarded Growing Good Kids Award

Thank you to the American Horticultural Society and Junior Master Gardeners League for bestowing the 2018 Growing Good Kids Award upon Fresh-Picked Poetry! 

http://jmgkids.us/bookawards/

A Harvest of Riddle Poems from Lincoln School

Thanks for sharing the results of our poetry workshop, young poets of Lincoln school. These riddle poems are delicious! 

Red Carpet Welcome at Lincoln School

What a warm welcome from the students at Lincoln School in River Forest. These two talented artists designed a welcome sign complete with bins of farmers' market vegetables. Thanks for sharing your day reading and writing poetry with me, Lincoln School learners!  

Fun at District 58 Authors Fest

I had a fabulous time reading and writing farmers' market poetry with the students from Pierce Downer, Hillcrest, Henry Puffer, Highland, and Belle Aire Schools.  What a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month. 

Illinois Reads Book Festival 2018

I want to thank Du Quoin Middle School Word Squad and 5th Grade teacher Leslie Small for their deliciously warm welcome at the Illinois Reads Book Festival in Du Quoin, Illinois this past Saturday, March 10th. This enthusiastic batch of readers shared a bounty of alliterative words and adorable balloon apples at their booth, FRESH-PICKED ALLITERATION.  How poetic! 

Highlights Foundation Unworkshop

Pictured in back: Julie Segal Walters, Hannah Barnaby, Jessica Petersen, Katey Howes, Gretchen McLellan, Jannie Ho, and Anna Forrester. Pictured in front: Kerri Kokias, Andrea J. Loney, Ariel Gordon Bernstein, Michelle Schaub, Marcie Colleen, Alison Goldberg, and Patricia Toht. 

What do you get when you combine cozy cabins in the woods, gourmet food, and a slew of debut picture book authors?  An unforgettable weekend! After cheering one another along for the past year through Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, our Picture the Books 2017 debut author's group decided to meet in person at a Highlights Un-Workshop in Honesdale, PA.  It was fun to finally meet these amazingly talented women in person.  Check out these authors' debut books at PICTURE THE BOOKS.

Anderson's Bookshop Annual Children's Literature Breakfast

I'll be one of a host of authors at the 16th annual Anderson's Children's Literature Breakfast on Saturday, February 24th.  I've put together some swag for the teachers and librarian's I meet, so hope to see you there.  For more information click here. 

Ahoy, Mateys!

My poem "The Jolly Rhymer," about a pirate who aspires to write poetry, is featured in the Winter 2018 SCBWI Bulletin.

Fresh-Picked makes 2017 CYBILS finalist list

I'm thrilled to be in such esteemed company for the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary 2017 Awards in the poetry category.  Fresh-Picked Poetry and other finalists were chosen from 1,426 nominations.

Fresh-Picked chosen as ILLINOIS READS 2018 title

I am excited to take place in the Illinois Reading Council's 2018 Illinois Reads Program with Fresh-Picked Poetry as a selection in the grades 3-5 category.  Stay tuned for news regarding related events and signings.