A WRAD-i-cal Week: Day One

We're celebrating World Read Aloud Day all week long. Yesterday also happened to be our Read Across America celebration.  Here is the awesomeness of our #WRAD #RAAD day one:

Thing One:

We connected with Peter H. Reynolds, author and illustrator of The Dot and Ish, who read the third book in the creatrilogy, Sky Color to us. Hearing an author read his or her work is always a special experience. We were also connecting with my friend Andy Plemmons' students in Georgia.  These students will be engaging in a Sky Color-related project and reconnecting with Peter at a later date. (Woo Hoo!) 

Peter took time to speak with the children about reading, writing and art. We also got a sneak peak of some new books that haven't yet been published. #coolbeans. 

Talking with students about finding their North Star

Reading from Sky Color.

Sneak Peak of the back cover of a new book.

"Raise both your hands if you love to read and love to write stories"

Thing Two:

We connected with Ame Dyckman, author of Boy + Bot and Tea Party Rules.  

Ame shared some of her favorite books from her childhood as well as some of her favorite new books.  She read Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  The students loved taking on the role of the terrible beasts! For her second visit, the students wanted to hear Tea Party Rules.  As I said above, hearing an author read his or her work is always a special experience. #luckyducks

Showing her collection of robots:

Talking favorite childhood books:

Reading Tea Party Rules

Who likes reading?

Thing Three:

We read aloud with students in Maine, Massachusetts, Georgia, and Texas, thanks to my wonderful Twitter friends: Shawna Ford, Cathy Potter, Andy Plemmons, Meghan Nels. We read aloud these books: Messing Around on the Monkey Bars by Betsy Franco, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds,  Let's Go for a Drive! by Mo Willems, and There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss.

World Read Aloud Day is off to a GREAT start!