Join me for a free 20-minute virtual classroom read-aloud followed by kids questions on Feb 5 for World Read Aloud Day! My sign up can be found here. More info on World Read Aloud Day Can be found here. Happy Reading!
Happy 4th Book Birthday to The Elephants' Guide To Hide-And-Seek!
It’s been 4 years (and a week or so) since The Elephants’ Guide to Hide-And-Seek became a book! Happy (belated) Book Birthday to to this cheerful book that’s been a joy to share with so many kids over the last few years. And Happy Spring too!
Spine Poems
A few poems I posted on Twitter lately that I made using the spines of picture books. Enjoy!
Dear diary,
I want to be the night gardener,
outside,
finding wild sidewalk flowers
stuck over and under the snow,
just because.
Wherever you go
Please bring balloons
Just in case you want to fly
Up, down, and around—In the sky
At nighttime
Like a dandelion Under the lemon moon
Imagine if you had a jetpack—
Whoosh!
Higher! Higher!
Faster! Faster!
Yes, let’s run wild reaching for the
moon,
stars,
life on mars—
The most magnificent thing.
Happy World Read Aloud Day! And where to order a signed copy of my book
Happy World Read Aloud Day! Welcome to any students, teachers, or families who are visiting my website after I visit your classrooms! I’m always grateful to chat about writing and to read with kids. If you have follow-up questions, please feel free to email me!
And for any families or teachers who want to order my book, THE ELEPHANTS’ GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK, I’ve made arrangements with my local bookstore, Village Books, to sign copies for anyone who orders through Feb 12th. You can order at this link—when you check out make a note in the comments about how you would like your book personalized or who you would like it signed to.
Thanks for visiting my website! Make sure you check out my section with fun stuff for kids. Happy reading!
Sign up for World Read-Aloud Day!
My name is Kjersten Hayes and I love talking books with kids. I look forward to sharing my picture book THE ELEPHANTS' GUIDE TO HIDE-AND-SEEK with classrooms during World Read-Aloud Day on Feb. 3, 2021. Hooray for read-alouds! Teachers or librarians interested in signing up for a free 20-minute virtual classroom visit can get more information and sign-up here. Thanks!
A Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.” —Ruth Bader Ginsburg ⠀
My life is better because of the many rights Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued for, fought for, and helped realize—this is why, a few weeks ago while mourning her passing, I made a piece of cut paper art to honor her. I based it on the beautiful lace collars she wore as a Supreme Court Justice. After I shared it on social media, things took off in a way I didn’t anticipate or expect. A few friends asked if I might be willing to sell prints, and from there it snowballed and Etsy orders poured in from all over the country. As I’m finally catching up, I thought I’d remember to post it on my blog too. Along with some resources and links as food for thought.
And, a friend who wanted to see t-shirts, library totes, and sticker versions of my RBG art made them happen—the order form is here (orders due 10/23/20). A portion of the proceeds will go to Page Ahead, a literacy organization in Seattle that gets books in the hands of kids in lower-income areas.
Links:
To buy my art: prints, cards, and paper cutouts can be found in my Etsy shop, and also a one-time order a friend arranged for t-shirts and library totes here through 10/23/20 [edited to add that we are doing a second t-shirt/tote order, orders accepted through 11/12/20].
If you are unaware of the rights RBG helped realize, this article from Refinery29 is an easy-to-read article that highlights her contributions. We take these rights for granted now but they are important.
The NYT obit for RBG covers her accomplishments more throughly but still doesn’t take long to read.
A reading list from A Mighty Girl, mostly for kids.
A fantastic Radiolab episode dedicated to one of RBG’s cases.
And, I want to keep it real by highlighting a critique that a thoughtful friend brought up about a lack of diversity in RBG’s hiring and mentoring. It’s essential that as we celebrate RBG, we also acknowledge that we have a long way to go. RBG has become a mighty icon for good reason but she was not perfect. I’m grateful for invitations to do better, while still honoring her legacy. I hope others will also be open to that same invitation.
One more thing about reading:
As an author, when I write stories, I know that once I hand them off, half the job is then up to the reader. Kids get a similar story from the same book, but the experience differs somewhat depending on readers’ experiences and what they bring to the story themselves. Reading is a sacred exchange in that way. This is also how words evolve and grow over time. This is how the Constitution lives on. Because of us. And what we bring to it. This is how language works. RBG showed the sacred way words can stay alive. She showed the Constitution’s vitality. Let’s make sure we work, fight, and vote, to keep it alive.
