Yesterday, Elly Swartz celebrated the book release of her newest book, Smart Cookie, with my fourth and fifth graders.
Happy Book Birthday, Elly!
Elly had my students at "hello." Her warm and approachable personality combined with her energy created an atmosphere that was like a calm buzzing.
The students listened attentively as she shared her writing journey, imparting advice along the way. There's a line from Smart Cookie that she shared that really resonated, "move my brave up to the surface." It's something many students connected to because it's something they do every day. Elly answered a question about ideas for her books and she explained that for her, "sometimes you find ideas and sometimes they scoop you up." It was a magical morning.
You know an author or illustrator has made an impact, when: one, the students continue to talk about what they heard and learned during art, math, science, etc; and, two, the teachers email and call you to share what they heard and experiences.
Here's a peak into her visit:
Elly came bearing gifts, along with bookmarks to post-it notes, she brought along supplies for making Smart Cookie Jars. The Smart Cookie Jar Activity that Elly created reinforces the central messages within the book - accepting yourself and recognizing those who love and support you.
The students create a cookie jar and fill it with cookies that recognize and celebrate their idiosyncrasies (the things that make you you) as well as cookies that acknowledge the people in their lives who are in their herd (people who love you and all your idiosyncrasies unconditionally).
As you can see, it was an incredible visit. THANK YOU, Elly.
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