author – Clif Mims

Talking with Children’s Author S.A. Bodeen

Talking Ed. with S.A. Boodeen

“S.A. Bodeen is the author of the acclaimed [young adult] novels The Compound, The Gardener, The Raft, and The Fallout. She is also the author of the Shipwreck Island series for middle grade readers” and she has books scheduled for publication in the next few months. “Raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania, an experience which inspired her to write Elizabeti’s Doll, her first award-winning picture book” (Source).

I enjoyed visiting with Stephanie (She said that’s what her friends call her.) and especially appreciated this advice she offered to young authors.

The following is the video from the interview. In it, she discusses her background, highlights some of her books, provides additional advice to young authors, and discusses ways that she would enjoy connecting with you and your students.

Further Investigation

S.A. Bodeen’s Official Website, Facebook, and Twitter

Complete Bibliography

Author Pages at Amazon and GoodReads

Talking with Children’s Author Jefferson Knapp

Talking Ed. with Jefferson Knapp

Episode 006 (View entire series)

I recently had the opportunity to interview Jefferson Knapp during the AAIM Conference in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

“A few weird memories that stayed with me ever since I was a kid eventually found themselves shaping the story that became The Kingdom at the End of the Driveway series. The people, animals and locations are all very real to me and will no doubt be shocking to some who weren’t aware that they or their pet had a part to play in this story” (Source).

The following is the video from the interview. In it, Jefferson introduces us to his book series, shares the inspiration for his first book, shares insights into his writing process, and discusses ways that he would enjoy connecting with you and your students.

Further Investigation

Jefferson Knapp’s Official Website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Author Pages at Amazon and GoodReads

Children’s Book Author Encourages Our Youngest

As I mentioned last week our youngest and I had a great time reading The Pout-Pout Fish. It was an evening filled with lots of silliness and laughter. We had such a great time and I liked the book so much I wrote a blog post about our fun and included a few ideas regarding educational connections that could be made with the story, rhymes, etc. Less than 3 hours after my blog entry posted I received the following message on Twitter from the book’s author, Deborah Diesen.

It would be an understatement to say that our youngest was excited to have received a message from the book’s author. The reaction was so strong that I felt compelled to tweet the following reply to Deborah.

Needless to say, we since have read The Pout-Pout Fish many more times, we have enjoyed Pout-Pout Fish-inspired videos, a full-scale search is underway to get access to Deborah’s other children’s books, and our youngest has a renewed interest in reading and writing.

Many, many thanks, Deborah!

The Pout-Pout Fish

Our youngest and I had a lot of fun reading The Pout-Pout Fish this evening. It’s a fun tale about Mr. Fish who always has a pout on his face despite many efforts by his friends to cheer him up. The artwork and surprise ending made us laugh with enjoyment.

Educational Connections

Younger readers will enjoy and benefit from the repetition of verses.
The author incorporated some clever rhymes and introduces interesting vocabulary to youngsters.
Provides great opportunities to play with rhythm, alliteration, and dramatic reading.