Hi everyone,
I’m happy that our proposal to present at NCTE has been accepted. MARY JO FRESCH, TIM RASINSKI, and I submitted the proposal, with an abstract title of “Building Students’ Literacy and Language Strengths with Collaborative, Engaging, and Empowering Experiences.”
As much as I look forward to attending the conference and seeing old friends, Boston in late November? Really? Temperature highs may be in the 40s and lows in the 30s. Really?
Hi everyone,
I’m happy to say that both of the presentations I was in at NCTE were well received. On Friday morning, MARY JO FRESCH and I spoke to a room filled to capacity with people sitting on the floor along the walls. We spoke about topics covered in our NCTE book, Empowering Students’ Knowledge of Vocabulary, Learning How Language Works, Grades 3-5.
On Saturday, Mary Jo, TIM RASINSKI, and I spoke about our Scholastic books, Partner Poems and Word Ladders for Building Foundational Literacy Skills, Grades K-2 and Grades 1-3. We had a good turnout but not a full house because the keynote speaker, TOM HANKS, was still speaking in the general assembly auditorium to an enormous crowd, including some who might otherwise have attended other sessions. Still, we had a good crowd and the stars of the show were HANK and Mary Jo Fresch’s five grandchildren who read some of the poems from the book. They were wonderful. Attendees adored them and so did we.
Also on Saturday, Tim, Mary Jo, and I signed books at the Scholastic booth. While sitting there, greeting teachers and listening to their requests for other books, we had an idea for a new one we might do. On the plane ride home I began sketching out some thoughts, and since then we’ve resumed the conversation. We might be making a proposal fairly soon.
During the Children’s Awards Banquet, the eight people at each sponsored table stood up and yelled a chant they’d made up on the spot about their host author and or his/her book. When it came time for my table, my gang stood, held up their free copy of The Dirt Book, and yelled, “Read dirty books! Ready dirty books! Read dirty books!” I may be biased, but I thought it was the best chant in the auditorium! My thanks to Holiday House for sponsoring me. And my thanks to SANDY for being there with me to make the conference experience complete.
Went to several parties, visited with some old friends, waved at others. All in all, a very good conference. My thanks to Holiday House, Shell Publishing, and Scholastic for helping get me there.
Hi everyone,
I had a delightful visit yesterday with kids at Eugene Field Elementary School. We talked about ways to make writing more interesting for the reader and they had a lot of good questions. My thanks to KELSI THOMAS for inviting me back.
I heard from editors on three books currently in the works. Their requests took the rest of my work day.
Today I’m going over notes for the two presentations I’m in this weekend at NCTE in Columbus, Ohio, one with MARY JO FRESH and the other with Mary Jo and TIM RASINSKI. If you’re going to be at the conference, come listen in!
Hi everyone,
In November I’ll be co-presenting twice at NCTE in Columbus, Ohio, once with MARY JO FRESCH, and once with Mary Jo and TIM RASINSKI. I’m currently putting my schedule together for the conference and making arrangements for other activities while SANDY and I are there. Yesterday NCTE published a poster of four books being featured, and one is a title that Mary Jo and I wrote. The presentation that we’ll make will have a lot of material based on the book in it. Here’s the NCTE blurb about it.
Empowering Students’ Knowledge of Vocabulary: Learning How Language Works, Grades 3–5 Mary Jo Fresch and David Harrison This fun and practical book combines research with practical activities to help students deepen their understanding of how the English language works and enrich their vocabularies. Access useful definitions and playful examples in poetry and prose to teach antonyms, synonyms, acronyms, similes, metaphors, idioms, shades of meaning, and word origins. Sample a chapter>> Members: $23.96 | Nonmembers: $29.99
Hi everyone,
I have known for some time about the good news regarding The Dirt Book, and have told you about it here, but the conference made it official. The book has won recognition for KATE COSGROVE’S outstanding art and was recently named to the Texas Bluebonnet Master Reading List for 2023-34. Our astute editor was GRACE MACCARONE at Holiday House. I’m proud to see the title listed as one of the 2022 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels Selected by the NCTE Award for Excellence in Children’s Poetry Committee.
I’m in the company of many wonderful, gifted friends. In poetry books, JOYCE SIDMAN won for Dear Treefrog, JANET WONG won for Good Luck Gold & More, NIKKI GRIMES won for Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance, GEORGIA HEARD won for My Thoughts Are Clouds: Poems for Mindfulness, KALLI DAKOS won for They Only See the Outside, and in verse novels CLAUDIA MILLS won for The Lost Language. And there are more. Copy the list and you have a handy reference list of “must read” books when you’re in the mood for poetry.
The selection committee for 2022 needs to be recognized for the hard work they put into the process. I’d hate to guess how many books they each had to read! Thank you, committee!
2022 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children Committee Members:
Ted Kesler, Chair, Queens College, CUNY, Flushing, NY
Ryan Colwell, Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
Deanna Day, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA
Rebecca Kai Dotlich, author, New York, NY
Gabrielle Atwood Halko, West Chester University, West Chester, PA
Heidi Mordhorst, Rockview Elementary School, North Kensington, MD
Mary-Kate Sableski, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH
The big news is that Georgia Heard was named recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Hooray for Georgia! She is a worthy recipient and will represent children’s poets and their poetry during the coming year. Thanks to Janet Wong, the past years recipient for all the great work she has done. It’ a great tradition.
Children's Author David L. Harrison's Blog 