[CASL-L] Fwd: FREE broadcast with HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON author

[Melissa Thom]

Good Morning,

I wanted to share this fun opportunity with you in case you haven't seen it
yet!!

Melissa


Melissa Thom
Bristow Middle School Teacher Librarian
West Hartford Public Schools
Bristow Library Learning Commons Webpage:
blog.whps.org/bristowlibrarylearningcommons
*Follow us on Twitter: @bristowllc*

*Currently Reading:     *
*The Serpent's Secret by Sayantani Dasgupta*
*Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina*
*Reclaiming** our Calling by Brad Gustafson*

*Currently Listening:*
*Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King*

*Recently Finished:      *
*Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeymi*
*Manuelito by Elisa Amado (netgalley)*
*We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell*
*Amina's Voice by Hena Khan*
*The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine*
*Pride by Ibi Zoboi*

Check out my blog all about books and reading!
http://www.msthomsbookitis.weebly.com
Follow me on Twitter @msthombookitis  <http://twitter.com/msthombookitis>*
<http://twitter.com/msthombookitis>           *



---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Little, Brown School <lbyrgalleys at hbgusa.com>
Date: Thu, Feb 21, 2019 at 11:05 AM
Subject: FREE broadcast with HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON author
To: <melissa_thom at whps.org>


View this email in your browser
<https://mailchi.mp/a71147ddd401/free-broadcast-with-how-to-train-your-dragon-author?e=2de5d8d075>
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=0b7cec37f1&e=2de5d8d075>
A Letter from Cressida Cowell
Author & Illustrator of the “How to Train Your Dragon” Book series


Hello Dragon Trainers & Wizards of Young Minds!

My name is Cressida Cowell and I’m the author and illustrator of the How to
Train Your Dragon and Wizards of Once book series.

I have spent twenty years writing middle grade fiction, and over those
twenty years I have lost count of the times people have asked me, "Have you
ever thought of writing for adults?" as if writing for children was some
sort of second-best activity, something you do before moving on to the
higher level of writing for adults.

For me, writing for children is the greatest privilege on earth.

What a gift it is, to be lucky enough to write for children, and therefore
to be constantly reminded to look at the world through the cool clear eyes
of a child. For children are interested in the truly important things in
life. Heroism, wilderness, our relationship with the natural world, death,
love, spirituality, adventure.

I ask a lot of serious questions in these fantasy books – what are your
responsibilities to your friends, your family, your Tribe? To nature, to
the environment? All subjects that the kid emerging from childhood into
adulthood is beginning to think about.

But I deliberately try and provide emotional support and wisdom for the kid
reader, without being preach-y. I’m not a believer in taking children to a
scary place and leaving them there. So although I tackle serious issues,
and never dumb down, my books have a strong moral framework and they seek
to help children with the challenges they will face in the growing up
process.

I am always very happy if someone says to me that they have been through a
difficult time, of being bullied, or having a death in the family, and my
books have helped them through that.

Free Writing Friday to Inspire Student Creativity

Having a safe space to explore ideas is so important for children to
develop their writing – which is why I’ve started a campaign to encourage
children to have a notebook they can write in which there are NO rules, NO
grading or marking, just FUN!  It’s called Free Writing Friday and I’m
asking teachers to set aside time every Friday for their class to take
part. It gives children the freedom to write, draw and doodle without
worrying about their work being corrected. I hope that you will join me in
this weekly experience with your own students! You can also find some of my
Flipgrid writing challenges for your students here
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=350ec24572&e=2de5d8d075>
to help spark their imagination and get started with their own writing
notebooks.

On the Importance and Impact of Reading Aloud to Children

I write books to be read aloud, by adults to their kids.

Reading aloud to children is a wonderful way of getting them to enjoy
books, and associate books with pleasure.

So with reading-aloud in mind, I think about my books as a performance, and
the mouth-feel of the words, the loudness or softness, or bellow-y ness of
the characters. It’s why I gave Toothless a stammer, and Squeezjoos and the
sprites in *Wizards of Once* a bit of a his-s-sy lis-s-sp, and Sychorax a
voice as mild as the point of an icicle . . . so that they make a joyous
acting performance, particularly if you are lucky enough to have David
Tennant narrate them, as he does with both the How to Train Your Dragon and
Wizards of Once series.

I always say to parents, read with your kids, just ten minutes a day, way
beyond the age the kid can read for themselves. Books read to you in your
parents’ voice live with you all your life.

Reading a book aloud is a shared joy, and sends an important message to the
children being read to: books are important, books are powerful, magical
things, that can make your dad cry, or your mum laugh, and have the sort of
wisdom in them that can change your life.

Connecting with Students through Skype in the Classroom

I am so delighted for the opportunity to work with Skype in the Classroom
to bring an exciting broadcast and live chat experience to students on
March 6.  An author speaking directly to you in your classroom brings
reading and writing alive for a student, just as a parent or teacher
reading aloud to children, can open up a lifetime’s enjoyment of books.

Classrooms around the world will be able to tune in to this Skype in the
Classroom broadcast event as we explore together how to open imaginations
and create new worlds.  I’ll be answering as many questions as I can live
after each event.  It’s going to be a lot of fun and I hope you’ll join us
with your students on March 6!

I can’t wait!



Ok I am in! How can I join the event and prepare my classroom?


   - Register for FREE here: aka.ms/dragon
   <https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=aeebefc49f&e=2de5d8d075>
   - Download the Activity Plan
   <https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=fb086713d5&e=2de5d8d075>
   to prepare your class and save planning time!
   - Explore the available free resources
   <https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=a2cb421a62&e=2de5d8d075>
   - Check out the *How to Train Your Dragon* Flipgrid Challenges
   <https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=badadf4e7f&e=2de5d8d075>

Register now!
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=12f02f88e7&e=2de5d8d075>

<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=66af1fb0d9&e=2de5d8d075>

<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=3f8329b355&e=2de5d8d075>

<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=78324b3195&e=2de5d8d075>
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=1a3d957ffa&e=2de5d8d075>
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=8670fd02ab&e=2de5d8d075>
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=c5a3808b61&e=2de5d8d075>
*Copyright © 2019 Hachette Book Group, All rights reserved.*
You are receiving this email because you have signed up to receive email
updates from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

*Our mailing address is:*
Hachette Book Group
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104

Add us to your address book
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/vcard?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=43fa2756ba>


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/profile?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=43fa2756ba&e=2de5d8d075>
or unsubscribe from this list
<https://hachettebookgroup.us12.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=f95d2b7983a2efd671bcf5d26&id=43fa2756ba&e=2de5d8d075&c=ebd8ffd08d>.

-- 
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE:
This West Hartford Public Schools e-mail may contain 
confidential information. It is intended solely for the original designated 
recipient(s). 
Any other use is prohibited and access to this email by 
anyone else is unauthorized.Any opinions expressed are those of the author 
and are not necessarily endorsed by WHPS.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://mylist.net/archives/casl-l/attachments/20190221/a6cd0240/attachment.html>