The title of author is very often interchangeable with storyteller. It’s a title that seems to be automatically bestowed on authors and one that I find myself quietly afraid of. While one doesn’t have to be a professional storyteller to tell stories there is a certain something that we expect from people who arestorytellers—depth, humor, […]
Author Archives: CBethM
February
24
The Power of Persistence by Caitlin DeLems
posted by CBethM
When I received an email invitation to write a blog for the Nerdy Book Club, I didn’t hesitate. “YES!” I said to myself, and pressed “send”—and almost immediately self-doubt knocked on my door. Not only had I never written a blog post, but as a debut author, what could I contribute as meaningful content to […]
February
21
The Physics of Writing by Lisa Westberg Peters
posted by CBethM
All of us – writers as well – are obliged to obey the laws of physics. In a whimsical or metaphorical sense, even our writing projects follow these laws. I discovered this as I worked on my children’s poetry book, PUSH-PULL MORNING: Dog-powered poems about matter and energy. Let me explain: Force is an influence […]
February
10
FINDING INSPIRATION IN EVERYDAY MOMENTS by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
posted by CBethM
I was having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad morning when the spark for A Good Day Can Grow came to me. It was a wake-up-with-a-headache, step-in-cat-puke, discover-we-were-out-of-coffee kind of morning. I drove to the local Starbucks drive-thru to get more coffee and was rudely cut off by another driver on my way there. A […]
February
09
An Illustrious Collaboration: Sharing A TAKE-CHARGE GIRL BLAZES A TRAIL TO CONGRESS with Rebecca Gibbon by Gretchen Woelfle
posted by CBethM
In my next life, I’d like to be an author/illustrator. In this life I haven’t a clue. I’m a word person all the way down. That said, I’m in awe of what artists have done with my words. Case in point: Rebecca Gibbon, Illustrator of my latest book, A Take-Charge Girl Blazes A Trail to […]
February
07
FINDING THE PERSON BEHIND THE ACHIEVEMENT: THE ‘WOW’ OF RESEARCH by Jan Lower
posted by CBethM
One of the best parts of researching and writing my new picture book, The Brilliant Calculator: How Mathematician Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America (illustrated by Susan Reagan and coming in March from Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers), is that I knew virtually nothing about Edith Clarke. Even though she was the first female electrical […]
February
06
Writing About Old People for Young People by Elana K. Arnold
posted by CBethM
Last year, I had the great joy of introducing Harriet Wermer to the world. In the opening chapters of Just Harriet, with her mother on bedrest and her father busy with work travel, Harriet was sent to spend the summer with her grandmother on Marble Island. Harriet is not a kid who likes things to be decided for […]
February
04
There Is No Planet B: Ten Books about Global Warming for Young Readers by Keila V. Dawson
posted by CBethM
As children witness and or experience catastrophic weather events, they may become anxious and overwhelmed by emotions. Being sad, stressed, concerned, and fearful about the future because of environmental disasters is called eco-anxiety. Lindsay, Jeanette, and I collaborated on another poetry anthology, NO WORLD TOO BIG, for kids with big feelings and questions. We wanted […]
January
31
The Remarkable and Stunning Thing About Compassion by Molly B. Burnham
posted by CBethM
When I taught third grade, one of my many struggles was staying on schedule. My students were constantly reminding me it was time for something or that we were late for something or that we were supposed to be doing something that we were not. This caused a certain amount of distress for them and […]
January
27
Supporting Ukraine and Ukrainian Children in Our Classrooms by Diane Baima
posted by CBethM
I have been following the Nerdy Book club since 2014 when I first read Donalyn Miller’s The Book Whisperer. That book helped me define my philosophy of teaching reading, and has brought so many wonderful books to me and my students. I am an American and teach at an international school in Ukraine. I did […]
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