About viviankirkfield

Writer for children - Reader forever - Mom of 3, educator, author of FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (PomegranateKids, PIPPA'S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House), SWEET DREAMS, SARAH (Creston Books); MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: THE INSPIRING FRIENDSHIP OF ELLA FITZGERALD AND MARILYN MONROE (Little Bee Books); FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Jan 19, 2021); PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around the World (Calkins Creek/Astra, Feb 20, 2024) picture book junkie, lover of travel, hiking, fly-fishing, cooking, and playing Monopoly with my grandson.

Picture Book Review and Activity: GRACE HOPPER: Queen of Computer Code

Posted on June 2, 2017 by viviankirkfield

Hurray! Another nonfiction picture book hot off the presses for today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday! And it is about another Mighty Girl! Woo-hoo!

But first, it’s time to award Tara Lazar’s special giveaway of a PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE.

There were over 80 comments on that post…Tara’s critique is a fabulous prize!

And the winner is…

LINDA HOFKE!

Congratulations, Linda! And thank you so very much, Tara, for providing this plum of a prize. I’ll reach out and connect you both.

Speaking of awards, today’s picture book is definitely going to win some! And tomorrow we’ll be chatting with the author, Laurie Wallmark.

GRACE HOPPER: QUEEN OF COMPUTER CODE

Written by: Laurie Wallmark

Illustrated by Katy Wu

Publisher: Sterling Books (2017)

Ages: Kindergarten and up

Themes:

Computers, science & technology, mighty girls

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

“If you’ve got a good idea, and you know it’s going to work, go ahead and do it.”

The inspiring story of Grace Hopper—the boundary-breaking woman who revolutionized computer science—is told in an engaging picture book biography.

Who was Grace Hopper? A software tester, workplace jester, cherished mentor, ace inventor, avid reader, naval leader—AND rule breaker, chance taker, and troublemaker. Acclaimed picture book author Laurie Wallmark (Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine) once again tells the riveting story of a trailblazing woman. Grace Hopper coined the term “computer bug” and taught computers to “speak English.” Throughout her life, Hopper succeeded in doing what no one had ever done before. Delighting in difficult ideas and in defying expectations, the insatiably curious Hopper truly was “Amazing Grace” . . . and a role model for science- and math-minded girls and boys.

Why I like this book:

Wonderful STEM story.
Great illustrations.
I love the way the author sprinkled in actual quotations from Grace…I felt I really got to know the amazing woman she was.
We get to see many of the moments in Grace’s childhood that show how she loved math and science and finding out how things worked.

RELATED ACTIVITIES

MAKE A COMPUTER MODEL

creatifulkids-paper-laptop-HelloRuby-3 Photo courtesy: http://www.creatifulkids.com/paper-computer/

You will need: Piece of cardboard, paper, markers or crayons, scissors, glue.

For detailed instructions: http://www.creatifulkids.com/paper-computer/

Watch a documentary about Grace Hopper here: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-queen-of-code/

And Laurie Wallmark and I will see you tomorrow for her Will Write for Cookies Q&A.

And don’t forget that one of the nicest things you can do for an author is to give them a great review on Amazon or Goodreads: Grace Hopper on Amazon

Picture Book Review and Activity PLUS CRITIQUE Giveaway: 7 ATE 9

Posted on May 26, 2017 by viviankirkfield

Is it Friday already?

Good thing, because I’m excited to share another 2017 picture book with you. The author, Tara Lazar, is a dear picture book mentor for this kid lit community. Her Storystorm Challenge (formerly PiBoIdMo) helped more than 1600 writers gather ideas this January. And she was a Will Write for Cookies guest back in 2014.

Since then, she’s had a bunch of picture books launch…and I’m thrilled to bring you her latest for Perfect Picture Book Friday.

AND GUESS WHAT TARA IS OFFERING AS A GIVEAWAY?

A PICTURE BOOK MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE! OH YES! So please, tell all your friends and even people who aren’t your friends, to come on over and leave a comment. One lucky person is going to get that fabulous prize!

But first, we have a another fabulous prize to give away! Last week, Kristen Fulton offered a copy of her debut picture book, LONG MAY SHE WAVE. And the lucky winner is…

Ali Earle Pichardo

Congratulations, Ali…let’s connect and I will put you in touch with Kristen so she can get a copy of the book out to you!

And now for our Perfect Picture Book Friday review!

7 ATE 9: The Untold Story

Written by: Tara Lazar

Illustrated by Ross MacDonald

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion (2017)

Ages: 4-7

Themes:

Mystery, numbers, humor

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

6 has a problem.

Everyone knows that 7 is always after him. Word on the street is that 7 ate 9. If that’s true, 6’s days are numbered. Lucky for him, Private I is on the case. But the facts just don’t add up.

It’s odd.

Will Private I put two and two together and solve the problem . . . or is 6 next in line to be subtracted?

Why I like this book:

It is funny. More than funny. It is one of the funniest books I’ve read. And kids LOVE funny.
Great illustrations…perfect for the text.
The story will engage kids from the first page to the last!

RELATED ACTIVITIES

Sensory Art with Numbers

Photo courtesy: http://handsonaswegrow.com/40-number-activities-for-preschoolers/

You will need: Cardboard (you can even use the side of an empty cereal box), glue, marker, your choice of sand, rice, oatmeal, Cheerios, or glitter.

Draw numbers on the cardboard.
Trace over the numbers with a glue stick.
Sprinkle with your choice of topping…sand (might be messy in the house), rice, oatmeal, Cheerios, or glitter (will definitely be messy in the house).
Let dry.
You can do this with letters also.

For many more number activities, click here: http://handsonaswegrow.com/40-number-activities-for-preschoolers/

Thank you all for stopping by today. My generous author friends have connected with the #50PreciousWordsforKids teachers and parents. Maybe we will get some feedback by next month and find out how much fun everyone had, connecting adult authors and kid writers on Skype.

And don’t forget to leave a comment today if you would like a chance to win a MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUE FROM TARA LAZAR. Please share this post on your social media…and if you have read Tara’s book, please leave a review for her on Amazon.

Happy Memorial Day, dear friends…please be safe if you are traveling…and I will see you again in JUNE! Lots more picture book reviews, giveaways, author/illustrator Q&A’s!

Will Write for Cookies: KRISTEN FULTON plus Giveaway

Posted on May 20, 2017 by viviankirkfield

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS

TODAY’S GUEST

KRISTEN FULTON

What impresses me most about this kid-lit community is the generosity of its members—especially those who have achieved success and graciously share their knowledge. I met our Will Write for Cookies guest back in 2014. I’d heard she was taking the world of nonfiction picture books by storm. And 2014 was the year I had earmarked to take classes. So, I dipped my toes into the nonfiction pool and participated in her WOW Nonficpic Week Challenge – and fell in love…with her spirit, her wealth of expertise, and writing nonfiction pbs. I registered for her June Nonfiction Archaeology class. In July, I wrote Sweet Dreams, Sarah. And received LOTS of feedback and help from Kristen and our critique group. And LOTS of agent interest (and signed with my agent) because of it. Yup, that girl knows what she is talking about.

Nonfiction picture book author Kristen Fulton is happiest wearing her favorite set of pearls and carrying a notebook into any museum or history center where she could spend hours researching. Wafting through old books or around dusty artifacts, Kristen believes that is where she will find her next story hiding. As a lifelong student, Kristen is always on an adventure to learn something new, from a foreign language to veterinary science, her love for education has given her the discipline to do the research and bring pure nonfiction stories to children with the ability to entertain.

Dear readers…this Q&A is going to knock your socks off! Please leave a comment at the end to be entered into the giveaway for a copy of LONG MAY SHE WAVE which has just launched and has already been selected as a Fall 2017 Junior Library Guild selection.

Let’s give her a big Picture Books Help Kids Soar welcome!

Kristen, thank you so much for stopping by to visit with us.

ME: Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

KRISTEN:

Believe it or not, I don’t remember any picture books from my childhood. The first book I remember my parents reading to me was The Boxcar Children. My dad had this bizarre talent, he could draw anything on an Etch a sketch. I remember him reading and then stopping to sketch out the image, such as the dog or loaf of bread. We moved up to Anne of Green Gables with etch a sketch images of carrots, slates, and lakes of shining waters. Continue reading →