David Elliott

we were so lucky to have New Hampshire author David Elliott visit Danbury Elementary during Read Across America week! I liked how he visited with each class and helped children make animal poems. He had some interesting stories and facts about what it means to be a writer. It sounds like hard work - but I bet it's lots of fun!

If you want to read some of David Elliott's books, here are the ones we have in the library:
The Cool Crazy Crickets Club
The Cool Crazy Crickets to the Rescue
In The Wild
On The Farm
Knitty Kitty
Finn Throws a Fit
And Here's to You

In fourth grade, David Elliott read from a chapter book called Evangeline Mudd and the Golden-Haired Apes of the Ikkinasti Jungle. This book is out of print - but I found one online to order! It should arrive soon. We also ordered his new picture book - In The Sea.  I can't wait until it comes so I can see those woodcut illustrations of sea creatures up close!

If you want to read the poems classes wrote with David Elliott, click on Mrs. Hattan's Literacy page And here's David Elliott's webpage if you want to take a look!

Happy Anniversary, Mulberry Street!

On my drive to school this morning, I heard on the radio that it's the 75th anniversary of the first book ever written by Dr. Seuss. He named the book And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street because there was a street by that name in the town he grew up in. He liked the way the word Mulberry sounded! Do you have words like that, words that just sound good to you? I do - serendipity!

After Dr. Seuss wrote the story, he tried and tried but couldn't find any company that liked his book well enough to publish it. At times, Dr. Seuss became so frustrated, he almost destroyed his story and the illustrations! He was turned down 27 different times before he finally found a publisher! Twenty-seven times!

Dr. Seuss sure was persistent! What would his life have been like if he hadn't been? Would your life be different if he hadn't been so persistent?

Author's Visit

Wasn't author and poet Marie Harris a wonderful guest speaker? She visited each classroom, even kindergarten, and talked with all of us about some of the processes she went through to write and publish books like G is for Granite and Primary Numbers. It was fun to figure out the rhyme and meter for the poems in her books. She even asked some of us for opinions on the story she's working on now, the one about synesthesia. I never heard of synesthesia before but, like Marie Harris, I was curious about it. And I found some interesting information about it here! 


Before she left, I asked Mrs. Harris to sign the library's copy of G is for Granite. And look!  She did!!  Be sure to thank Mrs. Goodnough for and Miss Holloran for bringing Marie Harris to DES!

Summer Stinks!

Marty Kelley in his ROCKS hat!

Do you remember Marty Kelley, the author who came to DES last year? The one who wrote The Messiest Desk and Twelve Terrible Things and drew the picture of Autumn not drinking out of the dog's dish? He's a musician as well as an author and he's made a new "Super Cool Punk Rock Version" of his book, Summer Stinks! You can see the music video by clicking here. Now Marty Kelley ROCKS in more ways than one!! And if Summer really does stink, maybe it's good that it's over now?