Although I'd written for years (my first published piece was in Jack And Jill at the age of 10) it was school libraries which provided the inspiration to resurrect that former avocation. Besides educational materials and articles on all sorts of subjects, I have six published books. I also review adult books for our local newspaper, The Roseburg News Review, and have an occasional column of books by Oregon authors in the Oregon Association of School Librarians Interchange. Some puzzles and poems were published in Hopscotch, Boy’s Quest, and Lollipops. I’ve taught library classes through Western Oregon University, computer classes through UCC, and given presentations and workshops to many educational groups. I am a member of the Oregon School Library Association, the Authors Guild, the Willamette Writers, and both the national and Oregon chapters of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Currently I am researching and writing a biography about Berta and Elmer Hader, Caldecott winning author/illustrators of the 20th century. Their work is represented in the major children book collections. Mary Margaret McBride, the Oprah of the 1930s, once said, “When I tell people about the Haders, they think they’re a figment of my imagination.” Their humor and creativity led to lifelong friendships with their editors and other luminaries: Imogen Cunningham, Bessie Beatty, Rose Wilder Lane, and Katherine Anne Porter. Their everyday lives exemplify the timeless themes of love, respect, hard work, passion for art and nature, and active conservation. Click on the Drawn Together tab for more about these wonderful people.
WORKS:
Walking Portland
Portland is one of America's most walkable cities, and this book describes 22
walks that can be taken by the casual visitor. You can explore varied city and county parks, shop in interesting neighborhoods, visit many of the settings in Beverly Cleary's Ramona and Henry Huggins books, enjoy the mountain views from the famous Rose Garden, and stroll along the beautiful Willamette River. All walks start and finish at or near a convention hotel."If you're looking for an adventure that will be good for your body as well as your mind, invest in this wonderfully detailed, descriptive, complete guide to Portland's [Oregon] urban and natural settings."
To purchase this book: Click Here
COMING SOON in 2013! A new, updated version of Walking Portland.
Elementary Battle of the Books
This book is a companion book to Battle of the Books and More: reading activities for Middle School students. It tells how to set up a Battle of the Books program in individual schools or libraries. It also contains many ideas for reading activities including story elements, reading enhancements, and helpful suggestions about involving kids in reading fun. Together the two books contain questions and information for nearly a thousand individual children's books.
To purchase this book: Click Here
Battle of the Books and More
Motivate children to read a variety of books using this complete guide
to planning and implementing fun, successful reading competitions. Provides forms and promotional materials and a complete set of questions/answers related to both current popular titles and classics. Useful websites offer supplementary information about the books and authors, techniques for increasing participation and suggestions on how to correlate the contests with music and art. Offers advice on recognition, cooperative programming between school and public libraries, publicizing the contests, effective use of volunteers and parents, and more. For use with grades 5-8, or approximately ages 9-12.
To purchase this book: Click Here
MORE? Visit my blog at: http://sybillacook.blogspot.com/
