<\/p>\n
Author\/illustrator resources for teachers and librarians<\/strong><\/h2>\nA guest post by Charlotte Barkla<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
From teachers\u2019 notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there’s no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors\/illustrators and their work.<\/p>\n
The best part? Many of them are free*!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Teachers Notes<\/strong><\/h5>\nTeachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They\u2019re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.<\/p>\n
For my early-middle-grade series, Edie\u2019s Experiments<\/a>, for instance, I helped write the teachers\u2019 notes<\/a> and also drafted a series of science activities<\/a>.<\/p>\nPublishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Author Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.<\/p>\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.<\/p>\n
So far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Videos<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Book Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?<\/p>\n
What about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?<\/p>\n
Whatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)<\/p>\n
Megan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Newsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?<\/p>\n
Newsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.<\/p>\n
![\"Charlotte](\"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Behind-the-Books-150x150.png\")
<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.<\/p>\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.<\/p>\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.<\/p>\n
Illustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.<\/p>\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Writing Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.<\/p>\n
A. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Author\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.<\/p>\n
Better yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
![\"Charlotte](\"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/charlotte-barkla-headshot-highres-7777-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong><\/p>\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"Allison](\"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Allison-Tait-head-shot-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy. But authors and illustrators are here to help. Australian author Charlotte Barkla has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34046,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy.\r\n\r\nBut authors and illustrators are here to help.\r\n\r\nAustralian author Charlotte Barkla<\/a> has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. As a teacher herself, she understands the value of an expert helping hand (particularly when most of these resources are free)!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/illustrator resources for teachers and librarians<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA guest post by Charlotte Barkla<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFrom teachers\u2019 notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there's no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors\/illustrators and their work.\r\n\r\nThe best part? Many of them are free*!\r\n\r\n \r\nTeachers Notes<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nTeachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They\u2019re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.\r\n\r\nFor my early-middle-grade series, Edie\u2019s Experiments<\/a>, for instance, I helped write the teachers\u2019 notes<\/a> and also drafted a series of science activities<\/a>.\r\n\r\nPublishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.\r\n\r\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.\r\n\r\nSo far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!\r\n\r\n \r\nVideos<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOne of my personal favourites is Oliver Phommavanh\u2019s YouTube channel, Virtual Oliver P<\/a>. If you wade through the plethora of sneaker-based videos, you\u2019ll find a bunch of great book reviews<\/a> and a series of 5-7 minute Mini Writing Lessons<\/a>, perfect for getting kids\u2019 creative juices flowing.\r\n\r\n(There are also plenty of sneaker reviews, if that\u2019s your thing.)\r\n\r\n \r\nBook Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?\r\n\r\nWhat about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?\r\n\r\nWhatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)\r\n\r\nMegan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.\r\n\r\n \r\nNewsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?\r\n\r\nNewsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.\r\n\r\n<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.\r\n\r\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.\r\n\r\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!\r\n\r\n \r\nArts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.\r\n\r\nIllustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.\r\n\r\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.\r\n\r\n \r\nWriting Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.\r\n\r\nA. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers' Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.\r\n\r\nBetter yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong>\r\n\r\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong>","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,734],"tags":[741,736,720],"class_list":["post-34043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reading","category-your-kids-next-read","tag-guest-post","tag-writing-tips-for-kids","tag-your-kids-next-read"],"yoast_head":"\nResources by authors and illustrators for teachers and librarians - Allison Tait Author<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help teachers and librarians connect their work in classrooms. And many are free!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/2023\/06\/resources-by-authors-and-illustrators-for-teachers-and-librarians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Resources by authors and illustrators for teachers and librarians - Allison Tait Author\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help teachers and librarians connect their work in classrooms. 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<\/p>\n
From teachers\u2019 notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there’s no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors\/illustrators and their work.<\/p>\n
The best part? Many of them are free*!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Teachers Notes<\/strong><\/h5>\nTeachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They\u2019re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.<\/p>\n
For my early-middle-grade series, Edie\u2019s Experiments<\/a>, for instance, I helped write the teachers\u2019 notes<\/a> and also drafted a series of science activities<\/a>.<\/p>\nPublishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Author Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.<\/p>\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.<\/p>\n
So far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Videos<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Book Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?<\/p>\n
What about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?<\/p>\n
Whatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)<\/p>\n
Megan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Newsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?<\/p>\n
Newsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.<\/p>\n
<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.<\/p>\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.<\/p>\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.<\/p>\n
Illustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.<\/p>\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Writing Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.<\/p>\n
A. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Author\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.<\/p>\n
Better yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong><\/p>\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy. But authors and illustrators are here to help. Australian author Charlotte Barkla has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34046,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy.\r\n\r\nBut authors and illustrators are here to help.\r\n\r\nAustralian author Charlotte Barkla<\/a> has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. As a teacher herself, she understands the value of an expert helping hand (particularly when most of these resources are free)!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/illustrator resources for teachers and librarians<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA guest post by Charlotte Barkla<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFrom teachers\u2019 notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there's no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors\/illustrators and their work.\r\n\r\nThe best part? Many of them are free*!\r\n\r\n \r\nTeachers Notes<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nTeachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They\u2019re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.\r\n\r\nFor my early-middle-grade series, Edie\u2019s Experiments<\/a>, for instance, I helped write the teachers\u2019 notes<\/a> and also drafted a series of science activities<\/a>.\r\n\r\nPublishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.\r\n\r\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.\r\n\r\nSo far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!\r\n\r\n \r\nVideos<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOne of my personal favourites is Oliver Phommavanh\u2019s YouTube channel, Virtual Oliver P<\/a>. If you wade through the plethora of sneaker-based videos, you\u2019ll find a bunch of great book reviews<\/a> and a series of 5-7 minute Mini Writing Lessons<\/a>, perfect for getting kids\u2019 creative juices flowing.\r\n\r\n(There are also plenty of sneaker reviews, if that\u2019s your thing.)\r\n\r\n \r\nBook Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?\r\n\r\nWhat about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?\r\n\r\nWhatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)\r\n\r\nMegan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.\r\n\r\n \r\nNewsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?\r\n\r\nNewsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.\r\n\r\n<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.\r\n\r\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.\r\n\r\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!\r\n\r\n \r\nArts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.\r\n\r\nIllustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.\r\n\r\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.\r\n\r\n \r\nWriting Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.\r\n\r\nA. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers' Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.\r\n\r\nBetter yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong>\r\n\r\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong>","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,734],"tags":[741,736,720],"class_list":["post-34043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reading","category-your-kids-next-read","tag-guest-post","tag-writing-tips-for-kids","tag-your-kids-next-read"],"yoast_head":"\nResources by authors and illustrators for teachers and librarians - Allison Tait Author<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help teachers and librarians connect their work in classrooms. 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Publishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Author Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.<\/p>\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.<\/p>\n
So far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Videos<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Book Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?<\/p>\n
What about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?<\/p>\n
Whatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)<\/p>\n
Megan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Newsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?<\/p>\n
Newsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.<\/p>\n
<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.<\/p>\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.<\/p>\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.<\/p>\n
Illustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.<\/p>\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Writing Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.<\/p>\n
A. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Author\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.<\/p>\n
Better yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong><\/p>\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy. But authors and illustrators are here to help. Australian author Charlotte Barkla has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34046,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy.\r\n\r\nBut authors and illustrators are here to help.\r\n\r\nAustralian author Charlotte Barkla<\/a> has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. As a teacher herself, she understands the value of an expert helping hand (particularly when most of these resources are free)!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/illustrator resources for teachers and librarians<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA guest post by Charlotte Barkla<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFrom teachers\u2019 notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there's no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors\/illustrators and their work.\r\n\r\nThe best part? Many of them are free*!\r\n\r\n \r\nTeachers Notes<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nTeachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They\u2019re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.\r\n\r\nFor my early-middle-grade series, Edie\u2019s Experiments<\/a>, for instance, I helped write the teachers\u2019 notes<\/a> and also drafted a series of science activities<\/a>.\r\n\r\nPublishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.\r\n\r\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.\r\n\r\nSo far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!\r\n\r\n \r\nVideos<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOne of my personal favourites is Oliver Phommavanh\u2019s YouTube channel, Virtual Oliver P<\/a>. If you wade through the plethora of sneaker-based videos, you\u2019ll find a bunch of great book reviews<\/a> and a series of 5-7 minute Mini Writing Lessons<\/a>, perfect for getting kids\u2019 creative juices flowing.\r\n\r\n(There are also plenty of sneaker reviews, if that\u2019s your thing.)\r\n\r\n \r\nBook Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?\r\n\r\nWhat about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?\r\n\r\nWhatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)\r\n\r\nMegan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.\r\n\r\n \r\nNewsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?\r\n\r\nNewsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.\r\n\r\n<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.\r\n\r\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.\r\n\r\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!\r\n\r\n \r\nArts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.\r\n\r\nIllustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.\r\n\r\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.\r\n\r\n \r\nWriting Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.\r\n\r\nA. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers' Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.\r\n\r\nBetter yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong>\r\n\r\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong>","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,734],"tags":[741,736,720],"class_list":["post-34043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reading","category-your-kids-next-read","tag-guest-post","tag-writing-tips-for-kids","tag-your-kids-next-read"],"yoast_head":"\nResources by authors and illustrators for teachers and librarians - Allison Tait Author<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help teachers and librarians connect their work in classrooms. 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The program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.<\/p>\n
So far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Videos<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Book Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?<\/p>\n
What about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?<\/p>\n
Whatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)<\/p>\n
Megan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Newsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?<\/p>\n
Newsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.<\/p>\n
<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.<\/p>\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.<\/p>\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.<\/p>\n
Illustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.<\/p>\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Writing Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.<\/p>\n
A. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Author\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.<\/p>\n
Better yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong><\/p>\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy. But authors and illustrators are here to help. Australian author Charlotte Barkla has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34046,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy.\r\n\r\nBut authors and illustrators are here to help.\r\n\r\nAustralian author Charlotte Barkla<\/a> has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. As a teacher herself, she understands the value of an expert helping hand (particularly when most of these resources are free)!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/illustrator resources for teachers and librarians<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA guest post by Charlotte Barkla<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFrom teachers\u2019 notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there's no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors\/illustrators and their work.\r\n\r\nThe best part? Many of them are free*!\r\n\r\n \r\nTeachers Notes<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nTeachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They\u2019re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.\r\n\r\nFor my early-middle-grade series, Edie\u2019s Experiments<\/a>, for instance, I helped write the teachers\u2019 notes<\/a> and also drafted a series of science activities<\/a>.\r\n\r\nPublishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.\r\n\r\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.\r\n\r\nSo far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!\r\n\r\n \r\nVideos<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOne of my personal favourites is Oliver Phommavanh\u2019s YouTube channel, Virtual Oliver P<\/a>. If you wade through the plethora of sneaker-based videos, you\u2019ll find a bunch of great book reviews<\/a> and a series of 5-7 minute Mini Writing Lessons<\/a>, perfect for getting kids\u2019 creative juices flowing.\r\n\r\n(There are also plenty of sneaker reviews, if that\u2019s your thing.)\r\n\r\n \r\nBook Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?\r\n\r\nWhat about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?\r\n\r\nWhatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)\r\n\r\nMegan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.\r\n\r\n \r\nNewsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?\r\n\r\nNewsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.\r\n\r\n<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.\r\n\r\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.\r\n\r\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!\r\n\r\n \r\nArts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.\r\n\r\nIllustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.\r\n\r\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.\r\n\r\n \r\nWriting Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.\r\n\r\nA. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers' Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.\r\n\r\nBetter yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong>\r\n\r\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong>","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,734],"tags":[741,736,720],"class_list":["post-34043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reading","category-your-kids-next-read","tag-guest-post","tag-writing-tips-for-kids","tag-your-kids-next-read"],"yoast_head":"\nResources by authors and illustrators for teachers and librarians - Allison Tait Author<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help teachers and librarians connect their work in classrooms. And many are free!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/2023\/06\/resources-by-authors-and-illustrators-for-teachers-and-librarians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Resources by authors and illustrators for teachers and librarians - Allison Tait Author\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help teachers and librarians connect their work in classrooms. 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<\/p>\n
Book Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?<\/p>\n
What about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?<\/p>\n
Whatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)<\/p>\n
Megan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Newsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?<\/p>\n
Newsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.<\/p>\n
<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.<\/p>\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.<\/p>\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.<\/p>\n
Illustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.<\/p>\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Writing Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.<\/p>\n
A. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Author\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.<\/p>\n
Better yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong><\/p>\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy. But authors and illustrators are here to help. Australian author Charlotte Barkla has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34046,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy.\r\n\r\nBut authors and illustrators are here to help.\r\n\r\nAustralian author Charlotte Barkla<\/a> has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. As a teacher herself, she understands the value of an expert helping hand (particularly when most of these resources are free)!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/illustrator resources for teachers and librarians<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA guest post by Charlotte Barkla<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFrom teachers\u2019 notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there's no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors\/illustrators and their work.\r\n\r\nThe best part? Many of them are free*!\r\n\r\n \r\nTeachers Notes<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nTeachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They\u2019re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.\r\n\r\nFor my early-middle-grade series, Edie\u2019s Experiments<\/a>, for instance, I helped write the teachers\u2019 notes<\/a> and also drafted a series of science activities<\/a>.\r\n\r\nPublishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.\r\n\r\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.\r\n\r\nSo far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!\r\n\r\n \r\nVideos<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOne of my personal favourites is Oliver Phommavanh\u2019s YouTube channel, Virtual Oliver P<\/a>. If you wade through the plethora of sneaker-based videos, you\u2019ll find a bunch of great book reviews<\/a> and a series of 5-7 minute Mini Writing Lessons<\/a>, perfect for getting kids\u2019 creative juices flowing.\r\n\r\n(There are also plenty of sneaker reviews, if that\u2019s your thing.)\r\n\r\n \r\nBook Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?\r\n\r\nWhat about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?\r\n\r\nWhatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)\r\n\r\nMegan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.\r\n\r\n \r\nNewsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?\r\n\r\nNewsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.\r\n\r\n<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.\r\n\r\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.\r\n\r\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!\r\n\r\n \r\nArts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.\r\n\r\nIllustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.\r\n\r\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.\r\n\r\n \r\nWriting Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.\r\n\r\nA. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers' Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!\r\n\r\n \r\nAuthor\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.\r\n\r\nBetter yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong>\r\n\r\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong>","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,734],"tags":[741,736,720],"class_list":["post-34043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reading","category-your-kids-next-read","tag-guest-post","tag-writing-tips-for-kids","tag-your-kids-next-read"],"yoast_head":"\nResources by authors and illustrators for teachers and librarians - Allison Tait Author<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help teachers and librarians connect their work in classrooms. 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About to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?<\/p>\n
What about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?<\/p>\n
Whatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)<\/p>\n
Megan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?<\/p>\n Newsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.<\/p>\n My first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.<\/p>\n The newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.<\/p>\n Illustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.<\/p>\n Author-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.<\/p>\n A. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Last but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.<\/p>\n Better yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n *Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Teachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy. But authors and illustrators are here to help. Australian author Charlotte Barkla has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34046,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy.\r\n\r\nBut authors and illustrators are here to help.\r\n\r\nAustralian author Charlotte Barkla<\/a> has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. As a teacher herself, she understands the value of an expert helping hand (particularly when most of these resources are free)!\r\n\r\n \r\nNewsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\n
<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.<\/p>\nArts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Writing Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Author\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\n
<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nAuthor\/illustrator resources for teachers and librarians<\/strong><\/h2>\r\nA guest post by Charlotte Barkla<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFrom teachers\u2019 notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there's no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors\/illustrators and their work.\r\n\r\nThe best part? Many of them are free*!\r\n\r\n \r\n
Teachers Notes<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nTeachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They\u2019re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.\r\n\r\nFor my early-middle-grade series, Edie\u2019s Experiments<\/a>, for instance, I helped write the teachers\u2019 notes<\/a> and also drafted a series of science activities<\/a>.\r\n\r\nPublishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers\u2019 notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author\u2019s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on \u2018book title + teachers notes\u2019 will point you in the right direction.\r\n\r\n \r\n
Author Penpals<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nInspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals<\/a> connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.\r\n\r\nThe program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing\/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.\r\n\r\nSo far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!\r\n\r\n \r\n
Videos<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there\u2019s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You\u2019ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait<\/a>, book-inspired Book\u2019N\u2019Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore<\/a>, \u2018how to draw\u2019 videos by Matt Stanton<\/a> and nature journaling with Trace Balla<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOne of my personal favourites is Oliver Phommavanh\u2019s YouTube channel, Virtual Oliver P<\/a>. If you wade through the plethora of sneaker-based videos, you\u2019ll find a bunch of great book reviews<\/a> and a series of 5-7 minute Mini Writing Lessons<\/a>, perfect for getting kids\u2019 creative juices flowing.\r\n\r\n(There are also plenty of sneaker reviews, if that\u2019s your thing.)\r\n\r\n \r\n
Book Recommendations<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for a book recommendation, you can\u2019t go past the Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook group<\/a>.\r\n\r\nAbout to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?\r\n\r\nWhat about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?\r\n\r\nWhatever your question, type it in and you\u2019ll have five to ten answers before you even press \u2018post\u2019. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)\r\n\r\nMegan Daley\u2019s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful \u2018Top 20 Book Lists<\/a>\u2019 covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews<\/a> that can be filtered by age group and genre.\r\n\r\n \r\n
Newsletters<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author\u2019s newsletter?\r\n\r\nNewsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.\r\n\r\n
<\/a>In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla<\/a>, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.\r\n\r\nMy first issue covered coming up with ideas<\/a>, while my second delved into the drafting process.<\/a> By the end of the year, I\u2019ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.\r\n\r\nThe newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers\/librarians\/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You\u2019re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I\u2019d love you to join me!\r\n\r\n \r\nArts and Crafts<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nNot forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.\r\n\r\nIllustrators Matt Cosgrove<\/a> and Anil Tortop<\/a> offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit<\/a> designed for nature-loving kids.\r\n\r\nAuthor-illustrator Judith Rossell<\/a> has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.\r\n\r\n \r\n
Writing Courses \/ workshops<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nIf you\u2019re looking for something meatier for your kids\/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.\r\n\r\nA. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids<\/a> at the Australian Writers' Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School<\/a>, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool<\/a> and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova<\/a>. Lots of great courses to choose from \u2013 and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers<\/a> too!\r\n\r\n \r\n
Author\/Illustrator Websites<\/strong><\/h5>\r\nLast but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers\u2019 notes, activities or other resources.\r\n\r\nBetter yet, drop them a message to say you\/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It\u2019s guaranteed to make their day!\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n*Many of these resources are free, but if you\u2019d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author \/ illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n
<\/a>Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children\u2019s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie\u2019s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic. <\/strong>\r\n\r\nTeachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website<\/a> and you can sign up to her newsletter here<\/a>.<\/strong>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n<\/a>Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I\u2019m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I\u2019m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out <\/em><\/strong>more about me here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and <\/em><\/strong>more about my books here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\n\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read Facebook community<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, and tune in to the <\/em><\/strong>Your Kid\u2019s Next Read podcast<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/strong>","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,734],"tags":[741,736,720],"class_list":["post-34043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reading","category-your-kids-next-read","tag-guest-post","tag-writing-tips-for-kids","tag-your-kids-next-read"],"yoast_head":"\n