| Hello friends, Here we are in the last month of the year! I’m trying to be as simple as I can which still isn’t all that simple, but I’m trying :) My girls are 13 and 9 and I am very aware that my littlest won’t be a “kid” much longer, but for now… |
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| (This comic was inspired by a moment with my 9-year-old. She even asked for a new Barbie Dream House this year!) We visited my husband’s family in Colorado for Thanksgiving and exchanged Christmas gifts while we were there. My sister-in-law gave me a book called, “Unwrapping the Names of Jesus”. It’s an Advent devotional that is moving me to linger in the awe and wonder of Jesus in a way I haven’t in a long while. It’s very simple, and that’s just what my heart needs right now. |
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| Also while visiting, this happened (between my 9-year-old and her grandma) but my daughter says that what reeeeally happened was that her grandma didn’t hear correctly. At any rate, it’s funnier this way! … |
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| We also got to see some snow while we were there! And a little snow is a BIG snow if you’re a Georgia kid (or a worm)! And yes, we obviously do not know how to dress for such weather. |
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| When we got home, it was time to send out those holiday cards (since we happened to have survived getting family pics taken in early November). |
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| Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, y’all! It’s such a gift to me that YOU are here! |
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| Need a bookish gift idea? Here are 6… |
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| If you’d like a SIGNED (by me) book, order here. They’re on sale FOR $12 each! I ship quick too :) |
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| If you enjoyed one of my books, I hope you’ll write a review on Amazon. Reviews truly help the discoverability and sales of books like mine. |
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| Write a letter to Santa! |
| It’s a great time to practice writing letters (to Santa!) and Little Red and the Big Bad Editor can help make it extra fun to review things like using finger spaces, capital letters, and a greeting/closing. Here’s a free printable to color and write a letter on! |
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| See ya next year! |
| Your Friend, Shanda |
At a local school, I collaborated with the Technology and Science teachers, and the students built their own robot figure out of “spare parts” and then made it talk (with Makey-Makey and Scratch), just like Charlotte did in DOLL-E 1.0. (Here’s the lesson guide if you want to do this project with your own students!)
I had a blast working with some fun third graders making CHEESY COMICS together! Then, we compiled them into a hardcover book for their library. They look SO good, and I couldn’t be more excited to mail these off for the students to see their work published!
If you are interested in having me come do a CHEESY COMICS WORKSHOP with your students, get in touch! I like to spend about 2-2.5 hours with the same students spread over 1, 2, or 3 days. I am happy to work with group sizes of 10-60 as long as each student has a desk or plenty of table space to create.
In the workshop, we talk about character creation, story, the unique medium of comics (art+text, panels, and word balloons), and the comics creation process (sketches, pencils, inks, and color). By the end of our workshop, the students each have a zinger of a cheesy comic to go in an anthology hardcover book for the library or classroom that will “melt” you into a goo of joy :)
Just a quick note to get the word out about a program that I’m excited to be a part of here in the southern region where I live. It’s called the “Read Local Challenge” for elementary age kids and classrooms!
My book, DOLL-E 1.0, is on the list, and I’m offering up 2 free virtual visits as well as 2 sets of my STEM books, Doll-E 1.0 & T-Bone the Drone, as prizes!
Take a look at the info below, and I hope to see you in the challenge!
What is it?
The Read Local Challenge is a new program that promotes literacy by encouraging children to read books created by local authors and illustrators in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.
In this pilot year, elementary school students who participate in this reading challenge will have the chance to win prizes like books and virtual visits from authors and illustrators. The more you read, the more entries you’ll get into our prize drawings.
There is no cost to schools or students to participate. Each participating group must have an adult facilitator, who may be a school employee or a parent.
How it works…
- Request a participation pack. Schools, classrooms, groups, or families may request a class pack, which contains a full-color poster, reading trackers, and stickers. Packs will be mailed out while supplies last. If you prefer, you can print your own pack. Or you can participate without printing anything at all.
- Get everyone excited! Hang your Read Local Challenge poster in a visible spot and talk to your students about the challenge. Tell them that the creators of these books live close by.
- Get books from the challenge list. You can find books at your library or bookstore. All the books in the challenge are currently available to schools and libraries. We’ve put together a list of the books, complete with their ISBN numbers, to make it easy.
- Set a goal. You can create a group goal (for example, “Our class will read five books together,”) or set individual goals for the students. You can post your goal on social media and tag us at @SCBWI_SoBreeze (Twitter/X and Instagram) if you like. (You don’t have to declare a goal to join the challenge, but it sure is fun to see if you can reach it!)
- Read. You can read as few as one book from the list, or all 21 if you’re ambitious. Remember, students can read individually, or you can read the books together as a class. Keep track of your reading on your poster or on the individual trackers. The more books you read, the more entries you’ll have in our prize drawing.
- Submit your counts. To be eligible for prizes, log your results here by 12/31/23. Don’t worry – we’ve made the submission form really simple. You should be able to complete the whole process in under 5 minutes.
- Celebrate! Congratulate your readers (with stickers, certificates, anything you like!) and wait to see if you’ve won one of our grand prizes. We’ll announce the winners and deliver the prizes by 2/15/2024.
