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Life on the Deckle Edge

Nonfiction Nature Focus for February!

Okay, this is a commercial. But I want to give you a heads-up that February around here will celebrate some wonderful nature writers for children!

I had the blessed opportunity to grow up in a place and time that afforded hours of unsupervised time in the woods at the edge of my Florida neighborhood, and hours of solo bike rides to nearby lakes and parks. For many of today's children, the natural world is, well, unnatural to them.

Read Richard Louv's LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS - Saving our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder. It was originally published in 2005 and revised/expanded in 2008.

Another book I'm crazy about is A PLACE FOR WONDER - Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades by Georgia Heard and Jennifer McDonough. The authors present creative ways teachers (and other adults) can open the doors of exploration for young students and help them to express these connections to the natural world. Read More 
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The Greater Good

A New Year is the perfect time to renew our commitments to make a difference in the world, or to start a new habit that does.

An amazingly simple, effective way to help the planet and its human and animal inhabitants is simply with a click - or a few - a day! Since 1999,the GreaterGood Network has donated more than $20 million dollars to charities across the country and around the world,with grants distributed through GreaterGood.org, an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

I have a link to The Literacy Site on the right of this website.  Read More 
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Writing workshop with Lola Schaefer - Free!

My friend and prolific, award-winning children's author Lola M. Schaefer has just the thing to jumpstart everyone's writing for 2011:

New Ideas For A New Year: A workshop for writers of children's literature is a FREE two-hour workshop next Saturday in Atlanta. Sponsored by SCBWI Southern Breeze and the Friends of the Northeast Spruill Oaks Library, the workshop will take place at the library Jan. 15th, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. There is no cost, but seating is limited and you MUST register by Friday, Jan. 14. Contact Stephanie Moody, Southern Breeze Local Liaison: Moodyviews@Bellsouth.net. You can also register by calling the library (770-360-8820) or visiting the Adult Reference Services desk at the library, 9560 Spruill Road, Johns Creek GA 30022.
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Here's to 2011!

Happy New Year!

I'm looking forward to a year of hard work, encouraged and noursihed by time with others who love children's books.

Between regular stretches of writing, and waiting on word from editors about a couple of projects, I look forward to meeting young readers and writers in schools as well as "older" readers and writers at professional gatherings.

I'm particularly looking forward to participaing on an Authors Panel at the Georgia Reading Association conference in Atlanta this month. I love meeting teachers and other reading enthusiasts, and it will be a treat to catch up with Georgia children's authors Donny Bailey Seagraves, Elizabeth Dulemba, and Margo Calendaria on the panel. Read More 
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