Author Study Toolkit

Author studies help students develop their reading, writing, research, and critical thinking skills as well as establish a stronger community of readers. Author studies can expose kids to different literary voices and styles and are easily integrated across the curriculum. And they’re fun! Get started planning a classroom project using our step-by-step guide. We’ve also included a sample author study featuring author and illustrator Patricia Polacco.

Girl Wonder: Our Interview with Deborah Hopkinson

Hopkinson's vivid picture books about history shine a light on the role of women and girls. In our interview Hopkinson discusses her mission to make history come alive for students, her meticulous attention to historical details, and her love of sharing good books with her own children.

Celebrating Heroines in Children’s Books

What makes a character strong or heroic? Join authors Jeannine Atkins, Heather Lang, Katherine Paterson, and Rita Williams-Garcia along with artist Ekua Holmes (winner of the 2018 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award for Out of Wonder) for an insightful, spirited conversation! You’ll also find resource guides for books by each author as well as links to picture books and nonfiction about amazing girls and women.

12 Books for Women’s History Month

A dozen wonderful picture books where you’ll meet early activists who fought for women’s right to vote, four African American women who helped NASA launch astronauts into space, the First Lady of Jazz, a 19th century botanist who published the first photography book, the first bilingual storyteller/librarian, and other real-life heroes!

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7 Great Ways to Encourage Your Child’s Writing

Children learn when they make connections between what they hear and what they know. One way parents can help make these connections is called a think aloud, where you talk through your thoughts as you read. Here are three ways to use think alouds, with examples from some of our favorite kids' books. [In English and Spanish]

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Music and Musicians: Books and Activities

Attention all singers, rappers, horn blowers, pipers, pickers, percussionists, and piano players! March is Music in Our Schools Month – and we’ve got a joyful collection of picture books (fiction and nonfiction), hands-on activities, and apps to help kids celebrate and learn all about music.

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Transition to Kindergarten for Children at Risk for Learning Disabilities

Heading off to kindergarten is a big event for all kids and parents. For young children who have struggled socially or academically during preschool, it is a transition that needs careful planning and attention. Here are some tips on how to help your child make a successful move to kindergarten. [Tips in English and Spanish]

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Information Literacy: Identifying Facts and Reliable Sources

Explore two ways you can help your child begin to develop information literacy: learning to tell the difference between fact and opinion, and figuring out if a source of information is reliable. [Tips in English and Spanish]

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Dyslexia in the Schools: Assessment and Identification

Schools and teachers play an essential role in identifying students with reading difficulties, including dyslexia. This article offers a 5-step framework for identifying reading difficulties and determining if a student is eligible for special education services under IDEA — including the role of RTI, cognitive processing tests, and other statewide assessments and curriculum-based measures.

How Writing Helps Kids Become Better Readers

Research has identified three important ways reading and writing are connected — and all three deserve a place in the curriculum. Too many principals think that ignoring and even discouraging writing frees up time better devoted to higher reading scores. Too many teachers are anxious about writing because of the limited preparation they receive in this area. But having kids writing every day — in any and all of the ways described in this blog post — is a good idea. Not doing so leaves reading achievement points on the table.

Magazines in the Classroom

Children's magazines offer loads of high-interest content to supplement instruction – across all subject areas. Students can sample different genres, from informational to poetry, in visually rich and engaging formats. Find out how you can use magazines in whole-class literacy instruction and as a springboard for writing. You’ll also find tips on building a great classroom magazine library that kids will visit again and again.

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