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Why did you select the author for your study?
I selected Christopher Denise for my author study because I love the short stories and illustrations. The early reader and picture books are adequate for the grade level children that are in our program. What I also like about his books is that they have simple life messages for young children.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
I found it very interesting that his initial career path was not to illustrate children's books, and that he just could not envision himself illustrating animals with clothes. He found his passion as a junior in college, through a scenery illustration assignment of a children's book.
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
Getting to know more about what drives an author to write and/or illustrate children's books allows the reader to see the passion behind the work. How the author wants to reach children through meaningful literature and images.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
Author study in the classroom has helped me add an author to my favorites and have a collection that I know children will enjoy during story time. When children are able to hear stories with a meaningful message it gives us the opportunity as educators to facilitate child driven conversations about their thoughts.

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Sheldon Allen Silverstein by Hadyn Wessel 

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Sheldon Allen Silverstein by Hadyn Wessel 

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I selected James E. Ransome as the author of my study.  I really enjoyed the first book I read and was interested in learning more about him and his other works.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
I found it especially interesting how he did not originally want to be an illustrator. He was actually looking into filmmaking when he discovered his love for illustrations.
How has learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
I learned that the author was raised by his grandmother who would have him read her the bible. Knowing that he has a religious background I viewed his stories through a bit of a different lens.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
An author study can help students to better understand the stories they read. It allows them to view the author as a person with an entire life and background that affects their works.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I chose this author because he wrote one of my favorite books as a child and I wanted to know more of the work he had worked on. I had never really heard of him before and being able to learn about what he has worked on has been very inspirational and I hope I can put more of his books in my future library.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
I found interesting or surprising about this author was he worked on creating books to help grow boys into enjoy reading. He founded an internet-based movement called Guys Read which helped encourage boys to read.
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
This author influenced my response into one's work is by making sure that all students are engaged in readings and finding books that interest them. Finding that understanding in the classroom is very important and I think that Jon Sceiszka helped show that to me more.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
The value of an author study in a classroom is very important because you want to make sure that who you are placing in your classroom is appropriate and beneficial for your students. Seeing the authors background is helpful to see how/why the work they put into the book was coming from.

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Why did you select the author for your study? I selected Caron Levis because I thought her ability to write about such real and raw events aimed towards children was a powerful presentation of her abilities to be a brilliant author. I think that Levis writes stories that children going through hard times can relate to but can also enjoy even if they aren’t.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author? What I found interesting was that she is from NY, I am also from NY. The other thing I thought that was surprising was that she is a professor at NYU
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work? Learning about her education and experience with death and bereavement shows how her books are crafted to deal with tough scenarios. Her work with children who have experienced this explains why she would write these books, as tools to help these children.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom? The value of the study is to learn a little bit about the why. Why does the author write about the topics they do? Why does the author think more stories like these are important for children and parents to have.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I selected Nikki Grimes to research because I really enjoyed reading her book One Last Word, and it was a genre of books that I had never really read before and wanted to explore more of.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
What I found most interesting was the fact that she had James Baldwin as a mentor. I think it makes a lot of sense now though because her writing is beautiful and I can see a lot of the inspiration from him in her poetry.
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
Learning about Nikki Grimes has influenced my response to one's work because I realize now that even fiction takes a lot of inspiration from reality, and the personal lived experiences of authors.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
I think the value of an author study is incredibly important because it says so much more about an author's work and their inspirations for writing it. Many of Nikki Grimes books are largely inspired by her childhood, so in a way many of her books are autobiographical. This is something I never would have known without doing this author study.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I selected this author because he always has great messages that he is portraying through his artwork and words. All of his books are great for children and creates an engaging way of reading.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
I thought it was very interesting how Robinson went to school for animation, but is now an illustrator and author. It is crazy how things can change, but it is so inspiring to know that things like that happen for the better and for a reason.
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
I think learning about Robinson just made me more interested in reading his work and utilizing it in my classroom one day. I can't wait to keep on reading his books and bring them into my classroom one day!
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
The value of an author study in the classroom is a way of creating a connection between the books, reader and author. By knowing more about the author it makes us appreciate their work more.

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Why did you select the author for your study? I really enjoyed Beth Ferry's books. They were short and sweet, but packed a punch. There was usually some meaningful message that lied within the text. In addition to the creative characters she created. I felt her stories were easy stories for any child to follow.

What did you find especially surprising or interesting about the author? I didn't find anything about the Author herself super surprising. However, I was shocked to see how many books she has written and how many more she has in the works. Beth Ferry has over a dozen books, and continues to write and publish more.

What is the value of doing an author study in the classroom? I think an author study can be really great to first off expose you to more stories you may not have previously seen. Additionally, it gives you a glimpse into whose behind the story and all the work that goes into creating a meaningful story.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
- I read one of her books earlier in the term and it really stood out to me, I wanted to learn more about her and read more of her books.

What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
- I thought it was interesting that she got a BA in theatre in college. It seems that what she does now is very different than that and I'm curious as to what made her want to change her career.

How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
- I think it makes me reflect a bit more on their work and also gives me more exposure to other things they have written which I really like.

What is the value of doing an author study in the classroom?
- I think it would make students more excited about reading since they are learning more about different aspects of it.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I selected this author because I like that she is also a great storyteller. I watched some videos of her storytelling and it was intriguing and I never got bored. She was definitely made to entertain. I also chose her because I like that she adapts folktales and brings them back to life, especially books that come from all over the world.

What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
Something I found interesting about the author was that she was would travel and retell stories from all over the world.

How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
This inspires me that reading to my students is a unique part of being a teacher. I want to make my stories come to life by storytelling in a really interesting way.

What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
Author study is importnat because it gives you a chance to explore more of the author. I liked her books and want to learn more about her.

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Kendall Taylor and Alice Caliendo: Christian Robinson

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Kendall Taylor and Alice Caliendo: Christian Robinson

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Why did you select the author for your study?

We selected this author because of the messages that his books promote. Our first exposure to this author was perviously in the semester, when reading You Matter. All of his books, including this one, are positive ways to teach kids important lessons.

What did you find especially surprising or interesting about the author?

We were surprised to learn about his history. This opened our eyes to the roots of his stories and was a good reminder that everyone starts somewhere.

How has learning about the author influenced your response to one’s work?

I think that the biggest impact this had on us was introducing us to all of the books that he has been apart of. I am so glad that we were introduced to this author and his work, because it will be great to use in our future classrooms.

What is the value of doing an author study in the classroom?

Author studies will help students become more familiar with certain authors and all of the work they have. It will also open their eyes to the author’s background and show them that they can do anything they dream of!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sysyAYORW7pSPoY2zItkhoTXYVJP53eRz3VNhds4zO4/edit?usp=sharing

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Why did you select the author for your study?
- I selected this author for my study because she seemed similar to me! Her books are intense and interesting, and definitely catch the reader's attention.

What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
- I found it surprising that my author was from France!

How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
- I have looked at her books differently knowing she is just a little old lady enjoying her passion. She has written several books, and I wouldn't doubt that they are all outstanding.

What is the value of an author's study in the classroom?
- The value of author study in a classroom is for the sole reason of seeing your author's point of view. The more you know about the person writing the book, the more you will understand it.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I chose this author for my study because I have read one of her books before and I remember being so moved by the story and the message that it presented. This book was Esperanza Rising and has been nominated for countless awards. I wanted to learn more about her history and read more of her books to see if they could be added to my personal library.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
What I found interesting about the author was that she was an educator before she was an author and had the same career path that I am currently on right now. I found her story very motivating and it showed how strong of a woman she is, which is something that I would like to accomplish, maintaining a family life and a strong career. Another thing that I found interesting was her use of her half-Mexican heritage in a lot of her books, I think that this is very encouraging and influential for young readers.
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
I think that her books are all very compelling stories and have strong storylines. All of her books range across many age groups which is great for young readers so that they can grow up reading her work. Her including her heritage is very influential for young readers and makes her books great for the classroom library.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
I think that there is a lot of value in an author study in the classroom. It allows students to reflect more on their own personal readings and discover why an author might have written one of their favorite books. Many books are written based on personal experiences or cultures; this author study allows the students to connect to the author.

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Why did you select the author for your study?

For my author I chose Christian Robinson. I really liked his book that I read during this semester called “You Matter.” I was fascinated by his writing and illustrations so I figured I would do my author research on him to find out more that I didn’t know and become more familiar.

What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?

I found a lot about him interesting but I found so many fun and interesting facts about him that I included on my slides.

How has learning about the author influenced your response to one’s work?

After learning more about the author and his books, I feel that I can now connect to his message and writing on a deeper level now that I know his writing style and how he likes to convey his message.

What is the value of an author's study in the classroom?

I feel that there is a lot of value that comes out of author study in the classroom. Being able to learn about someone in their writing will make you have a deeper connection due to the fact that then you understand why and how they write like that. A lot of authors also connect their writing to a real story or something that has happened in their life and you would learn that through doing author study.

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Why did you select the author for your study?

I selected the author for my story because I originally read the book she wrote named Watercress and really liked the message it was telling people about not letting your culture or who you are embarrass you. So I figured that some of her other books probably had messages that were pretty good as well. I looked up her books that she had done and read a little about them and they interested me. So I decided to pick her since I really liked her books when I looked at them overall.

What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?

I found it interesting how her books were very connected to her life in some kind of way. I also thought it was interesting how she was going to be a doctor at first and then took two completely different paths, one being environmental science and the other creative writing. She had a very interesting life getting her to the point she is at today.

How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?

Learning about the author influenced my response to their work, because it made me realize how many connections there were in the books to the author’s life. I did not realize before how much the author incorporated her own life into the stories she wrote. For example, Watercress is about not fitting in and she based it off of how she kind of felt off growing up in the midwest as a Chinese-American.

What is the value of an author study in the classroom?

The value of an author study in the classroom is that then students can see the background of the author and it could help them to make sense for why the author may have wrote the book the way they did. It can help students to see that sometimes the author may have wrote a fictional book but it may have been based off of experiences that the author had lived with during their life.

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Why did you select this author for your study?
-I selected James Marshall because I read his book The Three Little Pigs and thought it was really engaging for young children. I was interested in the other types of children's books he has written.
What did you find interesting about the author?
-I found it interesting how his book George and Martha became a TV show. I had never heard of the series but after researching it I came to realize how popular it was. It also provided a great message for kids about friendship.
How has learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
I think his books provide an excellent storyline for kids in a fun way. Each of his children's books has a message or theme behind it which I really enjoyed after reading his books.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
I think author study allows us as educators and encourages our students to learn why the author chose to write about what they did. It gives us a new perspective on the books we are reading.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I selected Margaret Read MacDonald because I remember reading her book, Give Up, Gecko! the other week and loved the rhyming and the rhythm in the book. I also really liked how there was a deeper message, and I know younger kids would absolutely love this book. Because of this I wanted to explore some of her other books!
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
I was shocked on how many books MacDonald has written, and how all of them are very unique. I also found interesting how she incorporated other cultures into her books through folktales and retelling. It was also very interesting to see how passionate my author was about retelling and story telling, and seeing her passion come to life in these books.
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
Learning about this author, I can see her passion and interests fully in her books. It has made her books even more interesting and unique.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
The value of doing something like this is that students can see why authors chose to write about what they did. It allows us to understand the books on a deeper level and the author more too.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I selected Cece Bell because I had read her book El Deafo and really liked it. I wanted to learn more about the other books that she has written.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
I found it interesting that El Deafo was the first graphic novel she has ever written. I also found it interesting that she wrote about her own life in the story. She said that it took her a long time to be able to write her life story.
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
I enjoy her writing even more now. I learned about how passionate she is about writing. I think that she does a great job appealing to children and making her stories fun.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
Author study is valuable in the classroom because it allows us to connect with the author. I think that it also teaches students that they can be writers too. Even the best of writers were sitting in their spot in a classroom one day just like them.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
- I selected Lily Anderson because I love how she uses her personal life and stories in her books to shine a light onto other girls who may be experiencing the same thing, all while using fantasy, drama and comedy to create good and interesting stories.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
- I found it interesting how the author writes all of her novels with the genre fantasy, they are about real things teenagers deal with but she uses fantasy themes to discuss them.
How have learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
- It made me respect Anderson a lot, how she finds her purpose and joy in being an inspiration to other girls that deal with what she dealt with as a child.
What is the value of an author study in the classroom?
- It brings arise new perspectives and different ideas on how you can discuss certain topics from books, to children.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I selected Gary Robinson for this author study because he wrote one of my favorite books that I had the opportunity to read in this class.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
One thing that I found especially interesting about this author is his purpose for writing the books that he does. He is very passionate about spreading information about Native American's and I think that having more books that are multicultural in the classrooms is really important so that each and every student is represented through literature.
How has learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
Learning about this author has influenced my response to one's work by really evaluating what is happening within the book, and what message the author is trying to portray through writing. I also will look now for more multicultural similarities through literature.
What is the value of an author's study in the classroom?
The value of learning about an author is to learn about their background and their purpose for writing. When learning the background of any person, we find out why they do what they do and believe in what they do.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I really enjoyed the book "Blood Brothers" that I read from him and wanted to research more into him as an author.  I found him to be a very interesting author and somebody who is very inspiring.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
I found my author to be very interesting in a couple of different ways. First, he is an elementary school teacher and a writer.  He has a passion for both teaching writing and writing books.  He has dedicated his life to teaching writing and using writing as a thing to inspire the next generation.  Secondly, he is an activist for the LGBTQIA+ community and he writes a lot of books about this subject.  This is very interesting because he is one of the only authors who write children's literature about this topic.
How has learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
After doing some research on my author it changes a lot of my opinions on his work. It helped me to gain a better understanding of why he is writing and what he is trying to get across in his writing.  It also helped me connect to his books more and the messages that are embedded in the book.
What is the value of an author's study in the classroom?
There is a lot of value in doing an author's study in a classroom. This activity will help students gain a deeper understanding of an author and it will help them better connect to their books. It also will help them see the messages that the author is trying to get across in their writing. Overall, author study is something that I think is very valuable in the classroom.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I chose Darren Lebeuf, because after reading his first book, My City Speaks, I found it to be super powerful and an author I would to explore.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
The main thing I found that was super interesting was that Darren was originally a wedding photographer. He traveled to amazing places around the world to pursue that before becoming an author.
How has learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
After learning more about his books, I was able to understand the connections between the three. He has only written three books but they are all super powerful and meaningful.
What is the value of an author's study in the classroom?
The value of learning about an author is to learn about their background and possibly why they write the way they do. A lot of author connect some personal stories into their book and you wouldn't know the connections unless you knew about the author.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I chose to study Christian Robinson because I really enjoyed his book that I read earlier in the semester for an assignment titled You Matter. After I began some initial research, I discovered that he is not necessarily the author to many books, but does in fact illustrate a lot of books.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
It was amazing to see that he started becoming interested in books and illustration at a very young age.
How has learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
After getting to know more about Robinson, I am really able to connect with not only the message in the books, but also the ways that his images alone tell an important story.
What is the value of an author's study in the classroom?
The value of an author's study in the classroom is to get to know the author and really dive deep into how they generated these ideas and what they might have gone through to now want to create these messages. Along with that, it is also important to make sure the author is reliable and educated.

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Why did you select the author for your study?
I chose to study Allan Wolf because I really enjoyed his book that I read earlier in the semester for an assignment. After I began some initial research, I found that his entire life revolved around literature I believed that he would be a fun and interesting author to study.
What did you find especially interesting or surprising about the author?
It was amazing to see that Wolf has nearly one thousand poems memorized! Not only that but in the South, he is known as the "Godfather of Slam Poetry".
How has learning about the author influenced your response to one's work?
After getting to know more about Wolf, I am able to truly connect with his work. His experience in the world of literature and his passion for books allows me to see the themes in his work much more clearly.
What is the value of an author's study in the classroom?
The value of an author's study in the classroom is to get to know the person who is teaching or relaying a valuable message to young readers. The author should be reliable but also educated in the field.