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.

PPBF: Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great

Posted on March 27, 2015 by viviankirkfield

No..it can’t be! Friday already? They say time flies when you are having fun…I must be having a ball!

Well, actually, I am. Still participating in ReFoReMo which means I am reading picture books EVERY DAY! And soon to be starting another month of challenge, RhyPiBoMo. Don’t you love these acronyms? The new challenge is Angie Karcher’s Rhyming Picture Book Month.

Last year was an unbelievable success – an intensive month-long workshop of lessons, writing prompts and camaraderie. Oh, and PRIZES! There’s still time to register…just click on the link above to find out all about it.

And now it’s time for a Perfect Picture Book review and activity. And if you’d like some more wonderful picture book reviews, please hop over to Susanna Hill’s blog.

I had no problem choosing today’s Perfect Picture Book. I just asked my six-year old grandson. Ever since we got this book from the library last week, he’s requested it as a bedtime story.

Title: Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great

Written and illustrated by Bob Shea Continue reading →

Laura Gehl – Will Write for Cookies

Posted on March 21, 2015 by viviankirkfield

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS

TODAY’S GUEST

LAURA GEHL

I met today’s Will Write for Cookies author because my grandson fell in love with her debut picture book, One Big Pair of Underpants. I read it to him…and I fell in love also. I knew I had to invite her to participate here – and was thrilled when she said YES!

The book is a Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title and Booklist Best Book for Youth of 2014. She has written several other picture books, and her PEEP AND EGG series, hatching spring 2016 from FSG/Macmillan, will consist of four books. A former science and reading teacher, she also writes about science for children and adults. She lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband and four children.

I’m so happy to have her here to Continue reading →

PPBF: When Stravinsky Met Nijinsky

Posted on March 20, 2015 by viviankirkfield

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s time for a Perfect Picture Book review and activity. And if you’d like some more wonderful picture book reviews, please hop over to Susanna Hill’s blog.

It was hard to decide which picture book to review for today. Since I’m following Kristen Fulton’s 52 Weeks of Charting Non-Fiction Picture Books, I’ve got a ton of amazing non-fiction to chose from. And because I’m also participating in Carrie Charley Brown’s ReFoReMo , I’ve got a huge pile of picture books that I’m reading as mentor texts.

Decisions, decisions…

Hmmm…maybe I can combine both challenges and use a book that is one of Kristen’s 52 which I will also be using as a mentor text for a picture book I am writing.

TA-DA!