There is nothing like the visit from a REAL author to bring to life the point that authors are real people, writing about their experiences or imaginings. We are thrilled to welcome Deborah Hodge to speak to the Vancouver School Board. Deborah Hodge will be joining administrators, librarians and two students from 55 Vancouver elementary schools at Shaughnessy Elementary School on Wednesday, May 11, 2016.
Each year the Vancouver Elementary Principals and Vice Principals host an author to celebrated reading and writing with elementary students and educators. Phyllis Simon of Vancouver Kidsbooks, is one of our keen supporters. She selects a collection of some of the most wonderful picture books that have been recently published for the selection committee to peruse. Of course, I love this committee and always manage to find birthday picks for my friends, family and my own collection. It is also a source of inspiration for possibilities in the school. From our shortlist of books, we then contact the authors to determine their availability during Canadian Children’s Book Week: May 7 – May 14th, 2016 to share their book .
For 2016, we have selected a new publication by Deborah Hodge. This author was born in Saskatchewan but lucky for us, she lives in Vancouver. Deborah Hodge has written over 25 books for children, many of which provide a plethora of information about nature and history. Her picture book , West Coast Wild – A Nature Alphabet, has been purchased for all of the elementary libraries in the district by the administrator’s association. Several schools in the Vancouver School District participated in Wild About Vancouver Festival this year and interest in learning in the outdoor classroom is growing. The First People’s Principles of Learning have also been highlighted in the Redesigned Curriculum in British Columbia and have opened our eyes to the experiential and reflective learning of Indigenous People who have lived and learned in British Columbia for thousands of years. Both of these factors, along with the engaging text and illustrations make this book a perfect choice.
Students throughout the district are excited about the chance to meet Deborah Hodge and have their questions answered. Grade 3 students at Tecumseh have been writing alphabet books about topics they have been researching. Maria got new glasses this year and has taken off with her writing. She is wondering if Deborah Hodge saw all of the animals she wrote about in her book or if she did an internet search to find the animal that matched the letter she needed. Victoria is writing an ABC book about the aquarium and is wondering how the author got so many good ideas for her book. Hopefully they will find their answers on Wednesday.
Special Thanks to Vancouver Administrators for funding this project, committee members – Maureen McDonnell and Maria Donovan, as well as staff at Shaughnessy Elementary School for hosting this event.
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