1st November Authors Day

Do you have a favourite author? If so today is a day day to revisit them and their works. I am constantly asking the children I teach to take more notice of the author's name on books they read so they can tell me whose books they like. Unfortunately, they are much more likely to remember the colour, size, picture on the cover, characters and plot details. I am hoping it is because they are still young, under eight and preoccupied with the joy or information that comes from reading. 

When I do ask, 'who is your favourite author?', of course I get answers such as Dr Seuss, Ahn Do, Aaron Blabey or Dav Pilkey. This tells you where they're at. Often they turn the question back to me, and I explain that I have many favourites and it depends on the day they ask...Bob Graham, Jess Keating, Kate DiCamillo, Steve Jenkins...the list goes on.

Authors Day is an annual observance that encourages people to recognise and celebrate the contributions of authors to literature and culture. It’s a day to express gratitude to authors for their creativity and dedication to storytelling. It's a day to thank authors for what they do. Go on, write a letter to an author! tell them how much pleasure (or angst) they have brought you.

With children, it is also a day to celebrate them as authors, and encourage them to write or make a book. Schools use all sorts of commercial programs to teach writing, but there are also picture books that highlight writing and stories and how they work. 

Recently I purchased, Little Red and the Big Bad Editor by Rebecca Kraft Rector . It made me laugh, but it also gives a great insight into writing and what it requires. To celebrate Authors Day we will have a display of all the books that promote writing, books such as

• The Best Story  by Eileen Spinelli    

• It's a Story, Rory!  by Frances Watts

• Look I Wrote a Book!  by Sally Lloyd Jones

• How this Book Was Made by Mac Barnett

• One-Stop Story Shop by Michelle Robinson

• Little Red Writing  by Joan Holub    

• Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon

• Any Questions  by Marie-Louise Gay

• A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell    

• This is the Path the Wolf Took  by Laura Farina

• Amy the Red Panda is Writing the Best Story  by Colleen A F Venable

• Idea Jar by Adam Lehrhaupt and Deb Pilutti

• This Book has Alpacas and Bears  by Emma Perry

• Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills

• I Want to be in a Scary Story by Sean Taylor 

• Dreams of a Pencil  by Xiaonan Zhang  

• Written and Drawn by Henrietta  by Liniers

• The Whisper by Pamela Zagrenski

• Violet and Victor Write the Most Fabulous Fairy Tale by Alice Kuipers

• Bearnard Writes a Book by Deborah Underwood

• A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larson

• Another Squiggly Story  by Andrew Larson

• The Plot Chickens by Mary Jane Auch

• I am a  Story by Dan Yaccarino

• Dragons Eat Noodles on Tuesdays  by Jon Stahl

• How to Write a Story  by Kate Messner

• Untitled  by Timothy Young