Recruiting Authors/Illustrators and a Challenge!

Last year I moved schools.  With every school there are changes and new activities.  One of my FAVORITE new things is CARE day!  CARE Day you ask?  Celebrating Authors and Readers at Elliott.  It is a chance for students to create and share their own books with other students, a chance to have guest readers come in the classroom, a chance for authors and illustrators to share their love of a good book, and just a FANTASTIC day of reading!   This year I am even Co-Chairing the CARE Day committee!

We had our big meeting last week to work on logistics and we came up with the COOLEST idea! I am an avid social media user and skype classroom collaborator.  I have also started to use Google Hangout recently.  Are you an author or illustrator that would like to help us out?  Here is all that we need :)

We are looking for authors and illustrators that could spare 15 to 30 minutes of their time in early May.  We are going to set up a google hangout and invite the Author/Illustrator to be interviewed by one of our very own students.  Once the google hangout is over we will publish it to youtube!  Our CARE day is not until the end of May, but we plan to record our interviews at the first of May.  We will then be able to share our recordings with the school but also the entire world!  Please fill out this short survey at the bottom of this post (and if you are not able to participate, would you please share through your various networks) I don't know if we will be able to do every author/illustrator.... but I sure hope so!

So, I am excited about CARE day, but I am really excited about a Shelf Challenge that The Busy Librarian I follow some of the coolest people on twitter!  April is School Library Month so Matthew Winner has posed a challenge.  Super easy (and I am not a librarian, but I can't wait to go dive into a shelf!)

"Your mission, if you choose to accept it:

• Select a section of your library collection to read throughout the month of April. 

• Try to read every book in that section over the course of the month. 

• Share selected gems (and cringes) through a favorite social media outlet"

Matthew also helps host this really cool online book club.  Level Up Book Club is starting again!




How does your school promote reading?  Are you gearing up to participate in Level Up Book Club or the Shelf Challenge?