‘If you only remember one thing I say today, remember it for a lifetime: she said I should carry a little notebook in my pocket every day,? Suzy Kline, children’s author, said to a group of captivated students at North Sashabaw Elementary School.
Kline was just one of four authors and one illustrator who visited Clarkston elementary and middle schools April 5-8 as part of the culmination to the district’s ‘March is Reading Month? celebration.
‘The second and third graders had really thoughtful questions,? Kline said. ‘You could tell they do a lot of writing.?
In addition to Kline, authors Barbara McGrath, Gordon Korman and Betsy and Guilio Maestro, an illustrator, spoke to Clarkston students about their popular books and how they became writers today.
‘I used to be a teacher,? McGrath said. ‘I got ideas from my lesson plans.?
The authors and illustrator were met with a wide variety of questions from the students as they each gave individual presentations geared toward each age group.
‘I got them really high and then sent them back to their classrooms like grandparents,? McGrath said.
Korman met with students at Clarkston Middle School and Sashabaw Middle School. He wrote his first book in seventh grade as part of a language arts assignment and sent it to different publishers all on his own.
‘The kids were great,? Korman, who writes books for middle school students. ‘They were really into it, a great group. It was a lot of fun.?
Students had been preparing for the visits all month long as part of the national reading month.
‘They’ve been looking forward to it. We’ve been planning for so long,? Joan Swartout, NSE second grade teacher, said as her students listened to Kline speak. ‘We’ve read several books.?
Part of the focus of the visit was to show students that authors are real people that go through lots of ideas before an entire book is finished.
‘The little ones need to know you’re a normal person,? McGrath, who writes books for younger audiences, said. ‘You have to be bored before you can have a creative idea.?
With a society concerned about the saturation media has made on young children, the authors didn’t seem concerned with students losing interest in reading, especially after meeting Clarkston students.
‘Kids read now as much as they ever did,? Korman said. ‘Kids are over-scheduled.?
‘I have four grandchildren and we read all the time,? Kline said. ‘More and more younger children are being read to.?
Another aspect of the visit to Clarkston for the group was being featured at a fund-raiser for the Spring into Reading Committee. The committee set and coordinated a benefit dinner on April 6 at Liberty Golf and Banquet to raise funds for next year’s visiting authors and a chance to chat with the group one-on-one.
The dinner was the first ever for the committee, and more than 70 people attended.
‘This was our first benefit and we’re real pleased,? Lori Kokones, NSE media specialist and committee co-chair, said.
Not only did the authors and illustrator speak and sign books at the benefit dinner, some also appeared the following evening at the Springfield Township public library to sign more books and meet with fans.
‘Author visits assign some glamour,? Korman said.
The Spring into Reading Committee is already hard at work selecting next year’s authors to follow up this year’s exciting presentation.
‘This is the best part, coming and talking,? Kline said.