Last Monday, author and illustrator Mike Wohnoutka spent the morning teaching, entertaining, and inspiring our youngest students. He is probably best known at NDA as the illustrator of the Star of the North winning book, Moo!, but he has illustrated many more books and has recently written and illustrated a couple of equally charming books, Little Puppy and the Big Green Monster and Dad's First Day. Mr. Wohnoutka first presented to the preschoolers, kindergarteners, and first graders and then to the second and third graders. We learned about his childhood (both a troublemaker and a good student), education (inspired by author/illustrator David Shannon at Savannah College of Art and Design), and his writing process (including lots of editing, of course!). Mr. Wohnoutka also taught the students a bit about illustrating as he pulled their creative ideas into some amusing drawings for us to keep. If you'd like to learn more about Mike Wohnoutka and his wonderful picture books, check out his website at http://www.mikewohnoutka.com/.
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Yes, this very rare creature was spotted at NDA last Friday, thanks to the creativity of our students and visiting author/illustrator Jake Parker. Mr. Parker spent time with grades 1-3, grades 4-6, and with the preschoolers and kindergarteners. Each group had a chance to imagine some pretty fantastic hybrid creatures and to have books signed by our guest. Students also learned about the process of making picture books and graphic novels and about the essential elements of a story. Mr. Parker emphasized that the creative process is fun but that it also requires significant effort to produce high-quality creative work. According to Mrs. Dysart, the fifth graders were inspired: "When we got back to the classroom, they all just started to draw." Thank you Mr. Parker, for entertaining, educating, and inspiring our students!
Okay, we didn't have real chickens in the school, but we did have the lovely Lisa Bullard visit us in the Middle School Library on Monday. She is the author of the recently published Turn Left at the Cow, which features a rousing scene of real chicken poop bingo. This comic mystery is set in Minnesota and is filled with endearing, witty, and memorable characters. The students had plenty of questions for Ms. Bullard and she answered them with entertaining anecdotes and chances to play a simulated version of the "fowl" game. Because many students were enthusiastic about this book, I created a display with other novels featuring similar story elements. Some of the books on display were even recommendations from Ms. Bullard herself. Thank you Ms. Bullard and thank you to Mrs. Horn for planning the visit! Yesterday, Notre Dame Academy had the pleasure of a visit from author-illustrator David LaRochelle. He helped the students in grades 2, 3, and 4 flex their creative muscles in writer's workshop sessions and he read to the preschoolers. Each of these classes also enjoyed watching Mr. LaRochelle draw a picture for them with his signature style. In addition, the library now has three new beautifully signed picture books! Check out Mr. LaRochelle's website to learn more about this talented Minnesotan. Thank you Mr. LaRochelle for teaching and entertaining us and thank you to Mrs. Horn for making the visit possible!
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