Colby Sharp

Colby Sharp invited more than forty authors and illustrators to provide story starters for each other; photos, drawings, poems, prose, or anything they could dream up. When they received their prompts, they responded by transforming these seeds into any form of creative work they wanted to share. The result is a stunning collection of words, art, poetry and stories by some of our most celebrated children book creators. A section of extra story starters by every contributor provides fresh inspiration for readers to create works of their own. Here is an innovative book that offers something for every kind of reader and creator! With contributions by beloved writers and artist such as Tracey Baptiste, Sophie Blackall, Peter Brown, Lauren Castillo, Kate DiCamillo, Margarita Engle, Adam Gidwitz, Chris Grabenstein, Jennifer L. Holm, Victoria Jamieson, Grace Lin, R. J. Palacio, Linda Sue Park, Dav Pilkey, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Dan Santat, John Schu, Laurel Snyder, Javaka Steptoe and more!

Literacy advocates with a deep passion for books bestselling author Donalyn Miller and 5th grade teacher Colby Sharp showcase the power of children s access to books, providing teachers and administrators with the tools and information they need to increase children s meaningful interaction with books and to launch or sustain book access initiatives in their communities. Through research and testimonials from voices in the field and their own classroom experiences, Miller and Sharp provide practical and resourceful information on a range of topics and areas, (including successful school and classroom libraries, the power of book ownership, the importance of cultural and social access to books, and meaningful family-community reading engagement) designed to help dramatically increase children s access to and life-changing engagement with books.

"What does this poem mean?" "How should I read it?" "How do we talk about it?" "What do I DO with it?" "What's the best way to assess it?" "How do I meet standards?" "When can I possibly fit it into my already over-packed day?" Have you ever asked these questions about poetry? The 30 Painless Classroom Poems series makes it easy for you, the elementary school teacher, media specialist, or reading specialist, to share poetry with your students. Whether you already love poetry or you fear or even actively dislike it, these books are for you. The poems, Notes from the Poet, extension activities written by experienced classroom teachers, and tips for using poetry in your classroom will have you sharing poems in no time. In Fairy Tale Garage Sale, award-winning poet Laura Purdie Salas (author of BookSpeak , Water Can Be..., and more) shares 30 poems from the citizens of Fairy Tale Land, who are having a neighborhood garage sale. Finally, they can get rid of clutter from their earlier adventures These 30 poems focus on seven fairy tales: Cinderella; Goldilocks and the Three Bears; Snow White and the Seven Dwarves; Rapunzel; Jack and the Beanstalk; The Emperor's New Clothes; and Thumbelina. For each fairy tale, an introductory poem summarizes the key events of the tale for those students not familiar with it. Then three poems from three characters' points-of-view offer up items for sale. What does the Evil Queen need with a mirror that tells the truth, after all? And why doesn't Rapunzel need barrettes anymore? These humorous poems offer behind-the-scenes looks and sometimes different opinions about why things happened as they did. Great for comparing versions of the same event when paired with prose or multimedia versions of the fairy tales. Mostly rhyming poems, but some other forms, too (cinquain, diamante, acrostic...) Extension activities by Colby Sharp share ideas for springboarding from these poems into deeper learning across many content areas. Sample: From Rapunzel: Item for sale: Castle For sale by: The Witch Charming Tower - Perfect for One One room One window Not one single door No rugs No curtains No tacky d cor I'm old Can't climb up These walls made of stone So make me An offer And make this your home Note from the Poet: Repetition (and I know I've already talked about this in another Note, so I'm repeating myself a little bit ) is really key to lots of poetry. I repeat two words in this poem: "one" and "no." The idea for this horrible castle where Rapunzel was kept prisoner is that it's lonely. It's lacking in anything that would show comfort or luxury. I'm hoping that repeating those words helps get that idea across. See all of the 30 Painless Classroom Poems at www.30PainlessClassroomPoems.com. Disclaimer: For those of you collecting all my 30 Painless Classroom Poems books, please note that some information, such as Why Poetry Matters and Classroom Poetry Tips, is repeated from book to book. The introduction to the book, the poems, the Notes from the Poet, and the classroom activities are unique to each book.