SHEEP IN A BOOKSHOP

 

Cover reproduced with permission of Black Dog & Leventhal.    All rights reserved.

The sheep discover customer service in their new adventure, "Sheep Phone It In," part of my essay in My Bookstore. The book is an anthology of over eighty authors paying tribute to their favorite places to shop, each a unique locally-owned bookstore.

To find an independent bookstore near you, use the locator feature of IndieBound.

RACCOON ENCORE

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra commissioned Joshua Penman to write a concert piece based on my book Raccoon Tune. The piece has been performed for the second time in a family concert, with Josh as the raccoon.

Hear a sample from Josh's work!
Raccoon Tune music ©2007 by Joshua Penman. 
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Click here for Raccoon Tune activities from the Library of Michigan's Michigan Reads! program.


Cover reproduced with permission of Sleeping Bear Press. All rights reserved.

I am happy to announce Elena's Story, a new book from Sleeping Bear Press.   It is illustrated by Kristina Rodanas.

My book is part of the Tales of the World
series. For more about the series, see discovertheworldbooks.com.

To print off activities that go with the book, see ElenasStory.pdf. 

"Useful for students learning about life in other countries, and an entertaining story in its own right."                                --Kirkus Reviews

The International Reading Association's Teacher to Teacher blog asks 5 Questions about Elena's Story.

Shutta Crum's interview of Sept. 28 covers the writing of the new book, and its relation to my rhymed writing.

Nancy I. Sanders interviews me on how the story came together and my journey as a writer.

 


ELENA'S STORY

Elena lives near a small town in western Guatemala. She lives with her mother, her younger brother, Luis, and her baby sister, Ana. Her father is far away, working on a plantation.

 Elena struggles to keep up in school. Her teacher says she needs to practice her reading. Elena can get books from the local library but it’s hard to find time to read. She must help her mother with the cooking and housework, as well as the hard work of planting and weeding their garden.

 As the big sister Elena is also in charge of watching over Luis to keep him out of mischief. It isn’t always easy and she gets impatient with her little brother.

 But at the end of the day, when Elena shares a book with Luis, carefully sounding out the words, she comes to better understand and appreciate her role in the family.


To learn more about this story, and this part of Guatemala, see my Elena's Story page.