WRESA is excited to announce our Author of the Month Book Readings. Authors will be reading their books and discussing highlights and points of interest. Be on the lookout for our author announcements.
April/May
WRESA would like to share” Three Hens and a Peacock” by Lester Laminack with all of the educators and students of Western North Carolina. Lester Laminack is a Professor Emeritus, Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina where he received two awards for excellence in teaching. Lester is now a full-time writer and consultant working with schools throughout the United States and abroad. Lester is also the author of several other children’s books and co-author of many professional books for educators. Please share with your staff, and enjoy!
Click below to view Lester Laminack.
Writer’s Introduction
and
Three Hens and a Peacock
March
Click to view Laura Murray reading the
The Gingerbread Man & the Leprechaun Loose at School
WRESA is so excited to have Laura Murray as our March, “Author of the Month”. We will have author Laura Murray read her book “ The GingerBread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School.” This will be a taped recording so you can view at any time and will be available through March. The students will LOVE this book!
About the Author: Before becoming a children’s author, Laura Murray was an elementary teacher, specializing in Early Childhood. At the beginning of each school year, a freshly baked gingerbread man managed to escape from her class. She says, “We hung missing posters and searched the halls, discovering crumbs and dropped candies, as we asked school staff members where he might be. But somehow, he always found his way back to our classroom on his own — one smart cookie! Still I couldn’t help but wonder what adventures he’d had while he was out and about.” She is a two- time award winner of the Florida Freelance Writers Association Children’s Writing Competition and co-founder of an online forum for mother-writers. When Laura’s not writing, she loves to return to the classroom with fun, interactive, and informational school presentations.
WRESA would like to share this Adventurous picture book by Laura Murray with all of the educators and students of Western North Carolina. Please share with your staff, and enjoy!
February
Click to hear “The Rough Patch” by Brian Lies
WRESA is so excited to have returning Brian Lies as our February, “Author of the Month”. We will have author, Brian Lies read his book “ The Rough Patch”. This will be a taped recording so you can view at any time and will be available through February. The students will LOVE this book!
About the Author: Brian Lies grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. He began drawing and painting at a young age. After graduating from college, Mr. Lies moved to Boston and studied drawing and painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Since then he has had a career and has illustrated almost thirty books. “ The Rough Patch” received the 2019 Caldecott Honor Award. Brian Lies loves to visit schools and encourage young children to write and follow their dreams.
WRESA would like to share” The Rough Patch” by Brian Lies with all of the educators and students of Western North Carolina. Please share with your staff, and enjoy!
December/January
Click to hear “Cozy” by Jan Brett
WRESA is so excited for December/January’s “Author of the Month.” After corresponding with Jan Brett, she was unable to do a video specifically for WRESA. However, she has given permission for us to view her recent book, “Cozy.” You can view the video at any time and it will be available through January.
About the Author: Jan Brett lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up. During the summer, her family moves to a home in Berkshire Hills. As a child, Jan Brett decided to be an illustrator and spent many hours reading and drawing. Jan Brett visits many countries and studies the traditions and often uses the information for a starting point for her books. Jan Brett visited a Musk Ox farm in Palmer, Alaska and she was awestruck! “Cozy” is about a Musk Ox that meets some special friends in the cold snowy state of Alaska. Please enjoy free resources and activities for educators by visiting www.JanBrett.com
WRESA would like to share “Cozy” by Jan Brett with all of the educators and students of Western North Carolina. Please share with your staff, and enjoy!
November: Carla Billups Click to hear “It’s a Fungus Among Us, the Good, the Bad and the Downright Scary.”
WRESA is so excited for November’s “Author of the Month.” We will have co- author Carla Billups to read excerpts from “It’s a Fungus Among Us, the Good, the Bad and the Downright Scary.” This will be a taped recording so you can view at any time and will be available through December.
About the Author: Carla Billups taught elementary science for many years before becoming a Elementary STEM coach in Western North Carolina. This year, she has been spending a lot of time adapting STEM challenges for students who have been in virtual school. She has worked with teachers from all over the country, helping to facilitate hands-on learning in science and STEM in the elementary grades for over twenty-five years. She co-authored It’s a Fungus Among Us, the Good, the Bad and the Downright Scary and is looking forward to working on several other book projects for children in the next year. In her free time, she loves working in her gardens, tending to her bees, designing a guest house for her backyard, and cuddling with her dogs and cats.
WRESA would like to share this wonderful Science Fiction genre with all the educators and students of Western North Carolina. Please share with your staff and enjoy!
October : Brian Lies Click to hear “Bats at the Library.”
We will have author, Brian Lies to read his book” Bats at the Library.” This will be a taped recording so you can view at any time and will be available through December.
About the Author: Brian Lies grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. He began drawing and painting at a young age. After graduating from college, Mr. Lies moved to Boston and studied drawing and painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Since then he has had a career and has illustrated almost thirty books. “ The Rough Patch” received the 2019 Caldecott Honor Award. Brian Lies loves to visit schools and encourage young children to write and follow their dreams.
WRESA would like to share” Bats at the Library” by Brian Lies with all of the educators and students of Western North Carolina. Please share with your staff, and enjoy!
Be sure to check out our WRESA website each month for a new author!