River Read Update--with Pictures!

What a great day to be a Pirate!

River Read was a huge success, thanks to the hard work of Shannon Cuff, her staff, and the Park students who ushered everyone around and made sure all the technology worked.

And thanks to the kids and teachers. You were great! Wish I'd gotten a picture or two of us.

Here are a few of the authors who participated in today's event (photo credit: Natasha Hanova).

(l to r, Susan Schank, Ann Ingalls, me, Lisa McCormick, Mary Schulte, Debra McArthur)

(l to r, Susan Schank, Natasha Hanova, me, Lisa McCormick, Mary Schulte, Debra McArthur)

Park University's River Read is Coming!

Hey Everyone,

Park University's River Read is just around the corner--October 13, 2015--and I'm excited! River Read is a day-long event for 4th graders in the area to gather at Park University and interact with authors of children's literature. Students will learn about writing fiction, nonfiction, the difference among genres, and more.

I'll be participating for the fourth year, and I can't wait to see the kids, their teachers, and parents! My session is called Creating Great Characters. We're going to talk about how writers develop characters their readers care about. What makes fictional characters memorable? How they look? How they speak? How can you tell Henry from Mudge in the text?

I'll try to post a picture or two afterwards. See you soon!

Jody