PS 154 Meet the Author/Illustrator Program

Graphic novel depicts Colonial America like never before!

2010-11-19T19:39:00.000-08:00

Intrigued by the insider information Alexander Lagos provided, the fifth grade students were especially excited to learn that there is a potential feature film in the works around his graphic novel The Sons of Liberty.

Thank you for your inspiration, Jacqueline Woodson!

2010-11-15T21:42:00.000-08:00

Woodson covers provocative topics and creates interesting characters, often on the margins - our fourth graders were enthralled.

First graders enjoy a ride on The Magic School Bus with author Anne Capeci!

2010-03-11T12:52:00.000-08:00

Monsters 101

2010-03-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

Neil Numberman captivated students at PS 154 with his monster drawing workshop! He walked them through a process that he has mastered as evidenced in his book Do NOT Build A Frankenstein!

2010-03-03T16:36:00.000-08:00

2010-03-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

2010-03-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

Purring like cats, and swaying like seaweed...

2010-01-20T17:16:00.000-08:00

William Lach had the full attention of every child the moment he began. His book and CD, Can You Hear It? is a magnificent compilation of well know artwork that is to be looked at while listening to the corresponding tracks on the CD.

2010-01-20T17:11:00.000-08:00

With each picture he held up for the class he drew comments from the children and then guided them to act-out various ideas from the paintings as he played the corresponding track of music. He had the pre-k class purring like cats, and swaying like seaweed, jousting like knights and prancing like fairies.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

2009-12-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

Beloved children's author Lauren Thomspon mesmerized the children with her reading of Mouse's First Snow.

2009-12-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

Her visit sparked a flurry of activity in our pre-k classes.

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Everyone created their own snow collage...

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even Ms. Thompson.

2009-12-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful way to welcome winter.

2009-12-02T17:26:00.000-08:00

Now, we just need to wait for some real snow!

Más, Más, Más, Said the Second Graders

2009-11-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

Vera B. Williams walked into class and announced she was 82-years-old. Her dynamic personality filled the room. One student immediately noticed that the pattern in her shirt matched the pattern of the beautiful overstuffed chair that appears in A Chair for My Mother and the subsequent books in that series.

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She drew with ease, giving life to the characters from her award-winning books.

2009-11-16T18:04:00.000-08:00

Vera B. Williams achieved rock star status with our students, and dare I say the teachers are members of her fan club too!

Thank you for your inspiration, Jacqueline Woodson!

2009-11-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

Author Jacqueline Woodson had an instant, relaxed rapport with each class. The children marveled at the way she could recite pages and pages of her books from memory, which allowed her to have uninterrupted eye contact with her audience.

2009-11-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

During her visit the atmosphere in the classrooms was light and warm, and her interaction with the students had the feel of a comfortable, informal chat with a good friend. Ms. Woodson told the fourth graders that she likes to speak to young people all over the world and hear what they are thinking about the books she writes.

2009-11-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Responding to a student's question about how she began writing and loving it, Jacqueline Woodson replied, matter-of-factly: "I liked to lie a lot. One day my teacher told me that instead of telling the lies I should write them down; then they wouldn't be lies anymore -- they would be fiction." Thus began Ms. Woodson's discovery of her great passion for the written word...

Visit The Wonders Of the World In Just 45 Minutes!

2009-11-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth Mann took the fifth graders on a whirlwind tour during her "truth as exciting as fiction" workshop. Children explored the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and the Great Pyramid without ever leaving the classroom. Principal Ortiz and Assistant Principal Havlik even joined the tour!

2009-11-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

A former teacher, Mann writes award winning nonfiction books that engage even the most reluctant reader. When one student asked Mann how she began her writing career, she said "I wanted to write something for my class to help them learn about the Brooklyn Bridge." Her desire to inspire her students rekindled her childhood dream of becoming a writer. Mann went on to write her first children's book The Brooklyn Bridge. Finding a publisher for her book was more difficult than she anticipated. After a series of rejections she decided to self-publish. With help from her husband, she founded Mikaya Press. "All of the students were enamored by her determination," noted parent volunteer Rennick Despeignes.

2009-11-05T16:37:00.000-08:00

Creativity and tenacity have served Mann well. Mikaya Press now publishes her books as well as the books of other authors bringing the worlds of architecture, history, and geography to young readers.

Author Features Book Covers Designed By PS 154 Students!

2009-09-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Not only did our students receive a sneak preview of Lisa Yee’s novel Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally), she showcased their book covers on her blog. To view more fabulous book covers go to: http://lisayee.livejournal.com/

One blog follower wrote, “That is the coolest process EVER! I love to see kids participate in activities like this.” Another fan stated, “That is just fantastic and I love the covers the kids came up with. They must have had so much fun.”

This amazing learning experience was brought to you by Scholastic Art Director Elizabeth B. Parisi (and of course Lisa Yee!).

Diving Into Non-Fiction!

2009-05-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Windsor Terrace author Shana Corey shared insight into the writing process with Ms. Sheehan’s class, as well as the second graders. Her recently released book Mermaid Queen tells the story of a small girl that confronted a crippling illness – and countless naysayers – to become an internationally known record-setting athlete who revolutionized the sport of swimming for women, a movie star who invented water ballet, and a fashion revolutionary who modernized the swimsuit.

Ms. Corey explained that she draws her inspiration from these types of real-life stories where regular people can make great changes. "…Every child knows how strong a force peer pressure is, and so to go against your peers, your society, in order to fight for something you believe in – I think that's incredibly brave and also very inspiring,” reflected Ms. Corey. During the visit she also mentioned how much research goes into writing non-fiction. “The children were amazed that the Mermaid Queen actually took seven years to write,” noted parent volunteer Debby Wattenbarger.

Luckily this was our last author visit for the school year, as Shana Corey is a hard act to follow. She inspired the children and reinforced their love of reading!

Can You Reach Your Right Hand Up And Over Your Head To Touch Your Left Ear?

2009-04-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

Lisa Graff never thought of being an author. In elementary school she was a shy child who would rather listen and observe (and sometimes spy!). She liked science and wanted to be a doctor. Studying abroad in Italy as a college student, she wrote stories because she missed the English language. It was then that she discovered she wanted to write books rather than become a doctor. She moved to New York to go to graduate school and join the publishing world.

2009-04-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Ms. Graff helped the fifth graders relate to the main character in her first published book The Thing About Georgie by having them reach their hand up and over their head to touch their left ear, something a dwarf, or little person, cannot do. She told the students she had wanted to write a book about a boy who was very, very different from everyone else, even his parents, and so she chose a boy who is a little person.

2009-04-29T16:09:00.000-07:00

Ms. Graff even worked in a lesson on similes. She unveiled a power point screen with incomplete similes and asked the children to pick one to finish. Instead of groans, the class responded with a few moments of silence, intent on their writing, and then eagerly shared their similes (which included “the man was as big as the Sears Tower in Chicago” and “her room was as dirty as a swamp with garbage dumped in it”).

Parent volunteer Jeanne Williams summarized the experience by stating, “The students responded positively to Ms. Graff’s good humor and she responded enthusiastically to their input, making this a vibrant visit with a talented author!”

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The session ended with autographed postcards for her newest book Umbrella Summer.

Australian Illustrator Takes Third Graders On A Journey Through China!

2009-04-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Sophie Blackall is the illustrator of several award-winning picture books. A native of Australia, she has lived in Brooklyn for many years. Her visit was a huge success!

2009-04-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Ruby's Wish and Red Butterfly: How A Princess Smuggled The Secret Of Silk Out Of China captivated the students. Both books were the perfect complement to the third grade unit of study on China. Ms. Blackall read from the books and then demonstrated some illustration techniques, such as painting the sleeves of the Chinese outfits.

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Ms. Blackall also brought in an original painting and compared it to the published book version of the same painting. She took all questions and the kids were fascinated! “We hope Ms. Blackall can return to 154 very soon,” stated parent volunteer Stephanie Brueckel.

How Do You Design A Book Cover?

2009-04-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand, Scholastic Art Director Elizabeth B. Parisi (and PS 154 mom) asked fourth graders to design the book cover for Lisa Yee’s novel Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally). The students were provided with a sneak peak of Yee’s manuscript. After reading the manuscript, the fourth graders illustrated their own book covers.

Ms. Chiu’s class display their cover designs

2009-04-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Milledge’s class display their cover designs

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Mrs. Blumberg - Greller's class display their cover designs

2009-04-21T18:47:00.000-07:00

During the visit, Ms. Parisi critiqued the covers and discussed her job as an art director at Scholastic. Parent volunteer Cathy Kelly stated, “The cover design workshop was extremely popular with the students. Ms. Parisi showed the class the first group of covers. The class shared what they liked about the poses (of children) and colors….pictures were modeled after old boxing posters or election posters. Then she presented the second group of covers which looked more modern with more color and characters. Finally, the actual cover designed by Scholastic was revealed!” Lisa Yee’s novel is scheduled to come out in hardcover this fall.

Kindergarten Children Inspired by Brooklyn Author & Illustrator Nina Crews!

2008-11-17T07:59:00.000-08:00

“Nina shared with us her love for photograph and how she uses it in all her books. She also incorporates her family, friends, pets and familiar neighborhoods in all of her stories,” said Malikah Province, parent volunteer responsible for coordinating the visit. For example, Below was inspired by an experience her five-year-old nephew had at home.

Nina Crews and Myles Province.

2008-11-17T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ms. Crews brought the action-figure toy Guy, featured in Below, with her to PS 154. The children were delighted to meet Guy and were surprised to see his head pop off!

2008-11-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Graham, K-207 teacher, noted that Nina Crews is one of her favorite children’s authors and she was delighted to share Nina’s book The Neighborhood Mother Goose with her kindergarten class. “When I opened the book, to my surprise, was an illustration of my house on Ninth Street. It's a small world!” said Mrs. Graham.

Both Below and The Neighborhood Mother Goose were selected as ALA Notable Books.

Three-time Recipient of Coretta Scott King Honor Award in Illustration Visits Second Graders!

2008-10-28T04:51:00.000-07:00

World renowned illustrator R. Gregory Christie, back from Stockholm, provided an in-depth description on the process of illustrating a book. “The children really enjoyed watching him create. He had each class come up with a story line and then they became the editors of his work. They made sure he had every detail they wanted,” noted Debby Wattenbarger parent volunteer. Story lines included:

Giant Apple and a Tiny Banana in the Rain Cooling Off
*Ms. Colacino’s class

A Dolphin and a Spider on the Moon, Swimming
*Ms. Rice’s class

1000 People Watching a Dog Chase a Cat up a Tree
*Ms. Shapiro’s class

Curious second graders asked Mr. Christie countless questions. He provided budding artists with a realistic sense of how often he must revise his work before he has a finished product.

How did you get to school today?

2008-10-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

“Jennifer and Paul had prepared a thoughtful and engaging presentation, starting with asking the children to tell them how they traveled to school that morning, showing them photos of different modes of transportation - including a rocket ship!,” noted Susanne Shulman, one of the parent volunteers that coordinated the visit.

Throughout the years, veteran authors Jennifer Swender and Paul DuBois Jacobs have developed a large fan club at PS 154. Although they no longer live in Brooklyn, the wife and husband team continue to visit the school and inspire our children. Their popularity is not a mystery, especially when you hear Shulman describe the visit, “They involved the children in the reading of My Subway Ride by having them tap a beat on their legs to bring to life the rhythm of the story.”

Shulman added, “After reading the story they described their writing process, showing the scraps of paper that were the seeds of the story, describing how they refined the story…They also helped the children realize that their ideas, stories and writing are exactly how authors create a book.”

Nina Rao, another parent volunteer instrumental in coordinating the author visit, remarked “The children were very focused and the presentation seemed to greatly enhance the work they are already doing with their teachers in writing their own stories and journal entries.”

Pre-k classes enthralled by New York Times best-selling author Lauren Thompson!

2008-10-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn author and parent of PS 154 graduate, Lauren Thompson read from her Mouse’s First series, Mouse’s First Day of School. “The children enjoyed learning about writing the book and how the book was made. She made them feel that they could definitely write books too,” said Debby Wattenbarger, parent volunteer responsible for coordinating the visit.

Budding pre-k authors came up with their own Mouse stories. Students in Ms. Bowen’s class will be creating Mouse’s First Music Class by drawing different instruments and compiling them to send to Thompson.