Mrs. P's Reading is Cool Blog

Reaching Classrooms with Skype to Encourage Children to Use Their Imaginations

Technology has really changed the way I am able to bring the magic of reading to children. When I first started my website back in 2008, so many technologies were not nearly as ubiquitous as they are today.  Now I connect with teachers daily on Twitter and I have been Skyping with schools talking to classrooms about reading and writing.  

September is always an active month for me, as I launch the theme for my annual Be-a-Famous Writer Contest.  This month alone I have had request from 20 different states to Skype with their students.  What amazes me, is that through technology I am able to meet new schools and teachers every year to share my passion for storytelling. Over the years the number of Skype requests continues to grow and grow. 

Technology is a powerful tool to bring resources to students and create a global classroom.  I am loving my experience finding new ways to inspire students to use their imaginations.  If you can tell a story, you can write a story is the message I try and leave behind with every classroom.   Now if every school could have technology in their classroom or library, that would really be something wouldn't it?  Imagine the possibilites for our young learners.

 

Author, Melissa Northway, Shares Message of New Book, Perfect for Back to School.

With back to school activities in full swing, we all know that many children have a lot of fears around going to school for the first time, being in a new classroom, or a new school. I recently was fortunate enough to catch up with award winning children’s author, Melissa Northway, and find out all about her new book “Clarence and the Traveling Circus”. This book has a good message for kids that it’s o.k to work through your fears.  In addition to writing children’s stories, Melissa also has her own publishing company, Polka Dots Publishing and is a busy mom with her own lifestyle website Dandelion Moms and author site.  

What inspired you to write Clarence?  This story idea came about while watching Is Anybody There featuring Michael Caine as a traveling magician.  My husband was away on a golf trip and my daughter was staying at her grandparents and I decided to try out this rather interesting movie.  I was intrigued with the idea of a traveling circus and loved the name Clarence (Michael Caines character).  By the end of the movie, I had an outline of a children’s story featuring Clarence and the Traveling Circus.  It is funny where you can find inspiration and ideas for stories!  

What message do you hope children will take away from the story?  That it is okay to be afraid but to move forward and through your fears anyway!  Clarence is afraid of going up on stage in front of the whole town for the Barney’s Traveling Circus Juggling Contest but he goes out on stage in spite of his fears.

  The Illustrations in Clarence are amazing, how do you find your illustrators?  I met Carolyn Le at my very first Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators event!  We spoke about our dreams of writing and illustrating children’s books and I mentioned to her about a pirate story I was working on.  Flash forward a few years, and after the release and success with my first storybook app and book, Penelope the Purple Pirate (illustrated by the talented Paul Johnson whom I met through my father-in-law), Carolyn and I spoke about the possibility of working together on Clarence and the Traveling Circus.  I thought Carolyn’s style would fit perfectly with this story of a young boy who is rather clumsy but all this goes away when he juggles.   

It has taken us about three years – from idea to conception to finalize Clarence but it is so worth the wait!  Carolyn is such an amazing illustrator and we just found out Clarence and the Traveling Circus received an Illustrators Award from the Reader’s Favorite Contest and is one of only four stories selected in the Children’s Book category to receive this award!  

                                                                  
Jennifer Mercede is the illustrator for Gerry the Giraffe, that is also available as a storybook app on iTunes and as a book through Barnes & Noble and Amazon, Her work is sold at upper scale boutiques, galleries and online boutiques such as Oopsy Daisy and Land of Nod. I saw her work in a Land of Nod catalogue and felt that was how Gerry the Giraffe would look. Her work with giraffes are quite amazing.  I contacted her about the possibility of working together and after about two years of working on the story and illustrations, Gerry was released last August.  

And as I mentioned, I met Paul Johnson through my father-in-law who worked with his wife in Los Angeles.  Paul had recently moved to the U.S. from England and was looking to establish himself here as a graphic artist and illustrator.  We spoke about working together on Penelope the Purple Pirate and he and I went back and forth to get Penelope just the way I had envisioned.  Eventually, after sending him a picture of my then 3 year old daughter in pig tails – we had our Penelope!  Our success with Penelope (several awards and over 30,000 downloads) has been so wonderful – especially as my little one was the inspiration to create a feisty female character who loves to go on adventures.  
          
All of the illustrators I have worked with are amazing in their own right and I am so fortunate to have met and worked with all of them!    

Do you have any other books you are working on currently?  I am currently finishing my fourth story, The Mystery of the Barking Spider, and looking to collaborate with an illustrator on this rather fun story about two brothers on a hunt for a mysterious barking spider their dad keeps talking about.

Where can people hear you read Clarence? Any upcoming performances? I read Clarence at my daughter’s school last spring and that was wonderful to read it to a group of first graders and get such a great response from the kids. I will be one of the featured Storytellers at the upcoming OC Children’s Book Festival on September 28th at Orange Coast College and will be in Booth 20 alongside Jody and Jonathan Murphy of Geek Club Books. Stop by if you are around as I will be   reading Clarence and the Traveling Circus around 10 am on the PBS Kids Storyteller’s Stage.  Just look for the ringmaster outfit

Do you have a favorite children's story that has inspired your work?   Some of my favorite stories as a kid were Nancy Drew, Hans Christian Andersen and my all-time favorite was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell.  One of my favorite things to do with my daughter when she was younger was to go to our local bookstore and read the children’s picture books together.  She has moved on to chapter books and has mentioned that it was time for me to write some middle school books!   

You have been a sponsor of the Mrs. P Be-a-Famous Writer Contest, why is it important for kids to tell their stories? I love working with Mrs. P and helping to promote a love of reading and writing.  I can still remember the first book (Hans Christian Andersen Stories) I started reading on my own and it transformed my world.  Reading stories is so magical and can open one’s eyes to new sights, sounds and worlds!  I mean aren’t we all changed a bit after reading a really great novel?  My company, Polka Dots Publishing, is happy to help support Mrs. P Be-A-Famous Writer Contest.

Anything else you would like to add?  Thank you for your support of Clarence and the Traveling Circus!  The book and eBook will be available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble this month. You can find me at www.melissanorthway.com and www.dandelionmoms.com @melissanorthway @dandelionmoms