The first author I ever met was David L. Harrison, the author of “Wake Up, Sun.”
I was mesmerized with the idea of meeting an author and was instantly starstruck. I couldn’t believe that I actually met someone who wrote a book that my mom read to me regularly.
Over the years, I have met a number of authors which has helped to shape me as a reader. Knowing how much this experience has inspired my own reading choices, I jumped at the chance to take my students to the Children’s Literature Festival of the Ozarks at Missouri State University, where they would have the opportunity to hear authors speak about their books and maybe even meet them personally.
I felt that if the festival broadened their reading experiences and inspired new reading selections that taking them would be a successful endeavor.
My students were introduced to the fun world of nonfiction through the eyes of author, Stephanie Bearce. She encouraged them to be curious, explore and research the questions that they have about the world around them.
They were even challenged to become inventors and built a structure out of straws that could withstand a windstorm, courtesy of her hair dryer. Encouraging students to read nonfiction is important to me as a librarian because much of what they read in school is nonfiction.
Then, my students met Antony John, a Brit turned American, which fascinated them. Even though the subject matter and plots of his novels vary greatly, he explained to students that he gains inspiration by the cities he has lived in and his life experiences.
