Author Jane Baskwill Visit
Student Review

I liked her visit.  It really inspired me.  I learned a lot of information about her and writing books.  Did you know that it takes  years to publish a book?  She published her first book when she was 35  years old.  My favorite book of hers is Somewhere.  Somewhere was  turned into a song.  It was beautiful, and it also made me sleepy.  It  sounded like a lullaby.  I think that she is a wonderful writer, and  everybody should have a little inspiration from her.  I think every  school should have an author visit. 

Thank you Jane Baskwill.

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Here is Jane through the eyes of a child...

jane.baskwill@ns.sympatico.ca

hile looking through a bunch of old family photos my father had given me, I came across this one of my grandfather and me. Although my family lived in the city, we always went on vacation to the country. I loved walking with my grandpa on the dirt paths that wound their way through the woods.

y grandpa was a typesetter for a newspaper, but I thought he must have been in charge of the whole business - that was because he looked like he was someone important! He always wore a tie and starched shirt and dress pants. His shoes were always shined and he ALWAYS wore a fancy hat – even in the woods!

s we walked, Grandpa would tell stories of growing up in Italy where he was born, of coming to America on a big boat with lots of other people, and of how he befriended people who needed help. He told lots of funny stories, too, like the time Nonnie (my grandmother) moved to another apartment in their building while Grandpa was at work. When he arrived home he found a note on the door that said a bigger apartment had become available and she had moved their things into it. The only problem was she didn’t tell Grandpa the number of the new apartment! No matter how many times he told that story, it was like hearing it for the first time. That’s what made him such a good storyteller.

f I am having trouble thinking of something to write about in my writer’s notebook (writer’s sometimes call this “writer’s block”), I sometimes choose a photo, like this one of my grandpa and me, to get me started. Usually, it’s all I need to get my writer’s imagination going. A photo can spark a memory to write about or can give you a whole new idea with which to begin a story or a poem. Hmmm, I wonder what we collected on our walk that day?

hen I was a little girl growing up in Queens, New York, all I wanted to do was to have a horse. Whenever my family would drive anywhere in the car I used to imagine what would happen, if instead of riding in the car, I was riding on my horse. I could feel the wind in my face as she would stretch herself out, lengthening her strides to keep up with the car. Then, when I was about eight, I discovered the Walter Farley Black Stallion books. I just couldn’t get enough of them. I read and reread them. I dreamt of being like Alec Ramsey and one day having my own horse. That day wasn’t to come until many years later so, in the meantime, I satisfied that desire by reading and writing about horses.

y first “novel”, written when I was nine, was in a composition notebook. I don’t remember much of the story, but it was about a girl and her horse. The girl’s name was Jane and she was able to jump on her horse’s back and ride off any time she wanted. I filled page after page of my adventures with that horse and any number of other pets, especially dogs. I eventually moved on to writing about other things, but I never did lose the habit (though sometimes annoying) of asking: “I wonder what would happen if...?”

Visit the Children's Literature Blog my grad students and I have been working on http://thishousehasmanybooks.wordpress.com/

NEW!
Books as Bridges

Using text to connect home and school literacy and learning

Books as Bridges explores the many advantages of using books as bridges between home and school. It offers teachers strategies for using “touchstone” books to link school and home literacy routines.

Books as Bridges

Mount Saint Vincent University

NS Writers Federation
 

Resources for Parents and Teachers on children's writing and making books with children.
Three powerpoint presentations.
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Conference Handouts

WLU 2010
Publish It!