A FUN-tastic Author Event

I attended the Pennypack Woods Home Ownership Association's Bazaar and Flea Market this Saturday as a way to sell some books and get the word out about them. 

 While I was there I did some shopping of my own. I saw and fell in love with this statue of Santa kneeling at the manger of Jesus. I only had about $1.50 in spending money left and although the Pennypack group Friendly Neighbors were asking $3.00, they gave it to me for the $1.50. 

The Friendly Neighbors is a group which sponsors many events that contribute to the community of Pennypack's neighborhood. When I heard how they were counting on the sales and the Bazaar to further their work for the community, I decided to give back to them a little bit. I went to the leader of Friendly Neighbors and donated an autographed copy of A Star in the Night for them to sell as they wished. 

Toward the end of the event, the group auctioned off the book and earned $21.00 ! I was thrilled and honored to help in such a way. 

In addition to this great experience, and selling more of the books, my daughters were there with me and my oldest ran into two of her best friends she had since preschool. When my daughter went into first grade, we went to a different school. The "Three Musketeers", as I call them, haven't been able to see each other much. The girls were thrilled to see each other. They spent the day hanging out and catching up. 

This was a great day and a exciting experience for everyone. Can't wait to visit again!

Literacy Opens Minds

I just returned from an amazing conference at Holy Family University in Philadelphia, PA. It was titled Literacy Opens Minds. What a great concept. The keynote speaker was the renowned author of countless books, Sneed Collard III. I thoroughly enjoyed his keynote presentation as an author and a teacher. So much of what he said hit home about writing. It is always interesting to learn how a fellow author spent time writing in journals as a child, much in the same way I did. He is an entertaining presenter and children are sure to love him.

With author Sneed Collard III 

I was also a presenter at this conference and I titled my presentation Exploring the World through Reading. We discussed many fascinating things about reading such as how books can take you to far away places without even leaving your back yard. We talked about how important it is to use books to support your material in your classroom. Getting just one side (and usually the textbook side ) of nonfiction can sometimes drain the children. But when you add a fun book to reinforce the concepts, now their world is expanding.
I had a great time with the lovely people at Holy Family and am excited about the kind of teachers Holy Family is preparing for our children.

My book display at Holy Family University Library

During my presentation we discussed ways to make reading interesting for the resistant reader. I promised a link to one of my favorite authors who creatively writes for these readers in mind. Check out the facebook page of Max Elliot Anderson.

After the presentations, I was able to sell and sign my books. The whole day was a bunch of fun. I would help out Holy Family University anytime.

Me and Dr. Quinn at Holy Family University