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| Diane Frankenstein gives a "book talk" to ES parents. |
Over 270 parents, teachers and friends of the WAB community and other International Schools attended this week's ES Library workshops with Diane Frankenstein, ES Children's Literature expert. One parent admitted, "I'd forgotten how much fun it is being read to!" Another inspired parent beamed, "My husband came home from one workshop with four biographies of famous scientists. I picked up loads of other books for the boys the next day, including '100 Dresses.' After hearing the way Diane described the friendships of the female characters in the book, I thought it was a perfect story for helping my boys understand the ways girls interact with one another."
Diane's "booktalks" were very popular with parents, who found her vivid descriptions of children's books to be inspiring.
"I've read that book at least twenty times with my child," said one Grade 4 parent, "but Diane's list of questions for this book really challenged me to think about the story differently. The next time I read the book wtih my daughter, I'll hopefully have a new conversation with her about it afterwards!"
Diane also suggested a basic set of questions which make for great conversation starters about any book. These included:
- Which character would you invite to dinner? What would you talk about?
- Which characters are you most curious about?
- Who changes the most?
- What if the ending happened this way...how would that change your perspective on the characters?
- Which character would you seek out for friendship?
- Why do you think that character is a bully? How does one become a bully? Why would anyone want to be a bully?
Throughout the workshops, Diane referred to several reading lists,
which were made available to all participants. If you'd like a copy of
the lists, and didn't attend the workshops, please contact John Byrne,
ES Teacher Librarian, at jbyrne@wab.edu.
Many, many thanks to the PTA for their support of the Visiting Author Series. Thanks as well to Austen Morris Associates, sponsor of WAB's 2007/2008 Distinguished Speaker Series.
Thanks as well to Sandra Christiansen, WAB parent and PTA volunteer, and John Byrne, ES Teacher Librarian and WS Library Coordinator.