July 2018
The Literary Resource for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents
Lauren
Child is Right Where She Belongs Danica McKellar Talks Numbers Behind the Pages:
Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White Kate Biberdorf
Adds a Spark to Chemistry Class
Ones to Watch So Hard:
Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley
One to Read:
Amy Welborn Irene Applebaum Buchine
Pens a Story of Hope for Children with Depression Slide into
Summer! Teaching Toolbox:
Stories that Stick Q&A with
Sue Fliess
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Cover photo courtesy of Candlewick Press Story Monsters Ink magazine and www.StoryMonsters.com are trademarks of Story Monsters, LLC. Copyright ©2018 Story Monsters Press, ISSN 2374-4413, ISBN: 9781338199932: All rights reserved. Contents may not be published in whole or in part without the express written consent of the bylined author and publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual writers and are not necessarily those of Story Monsters Ink or its advertisers. Story Monsters Ink is published by Story Monsters Press Postal mail may be sent to Story Monsters Ink 4696 W. Tyson St., Chandler, AZ 85226 Phone: 480-940-8182
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Honor Roll Gold Award Recipient, Mom’s Choice Awards. Named among the “great magazines for kids and teens” by School Library Journal. 2016 Irwin Award winner for “Best Publisher of a Literary Magazine” and “Best Editorial Director.”
July 2018
In this issue 04 56
Lauren Child is Right Where She Belongs
Q&A with Sue Fliess
08 Danica McKellar Talks Numbers
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12 My L ibrar y Car Stor d yM
Teaching Toolbox: Stories that Stick
onste
r
Behind the Pages: Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White
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Slide into Summer!
Kate Biberdorf Adds a Spark to Chemistry Class
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Irene Applebaum Buchine Pens a Story of Hope for Children with Depression
Ones to Watch So Hard: Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley
26 One to Read: Amy Welborn
30 Liv on Life 40 How Does Your Garden Grow? 42 Summer Reading List
46 Monsters at the Movies 48 My Favorite Teacher
50 Book Reviews 59 Kids Corner
Tell us what you think of this issue! Email your comments to cristy@storymonsters.com. StoryMonsters.com | July 2018 | Story Monsters Ink
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Lauren Child is Right Where She Belongs by Melissa Fales photos courtesy of Candlewick Press
Long before Lauren Child was named the UK Children’s Laureate and before she became an illustrator and author of children’s books, she attempted a number of other occupational endeavors, including starting a lampshade business.
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“It didn’t quite work out,” she says. When Child mentioned to a friend that she wanted to write a film script, the friend suggested she try writing a picture book instead. The result was Clarice Bean, That’s Me, published in 1999, and Child hasn’t stopped since. “I always knew I wanted to do something with drawing,” says Child. “Growing up, it was one of the few things that I felt truly confident about.”
there when she first envisioned Clarice. “It’s the way you go into a deli in New York and people are just talking,” says Child. “You can have a really interesting conversation and then you’ll never see the people again, but you can have lovely exchanges. And that’s what made me think of Clarice. I always thought that either her mum or her dad came from America.”
Child grew up in the countryside of Wiltshire, the middle daughter of three girls. “My parents were both teachers and our home was always full of people, so my sisters and I often played together and made up stories,” she says. She also loved to read, especially The Eighteenth Emergency by Betsy Byars, illustrated by Quentin Blake. “It taught me about comedy and tragedy and how close they can be, that you might be having the worst day of your life while someone sitting right beside you on the bus can be having the best, completely unaware of your misery,” she says. “It’s about a boy who’s scared of being beaten up by the school bully and it’s quite dark, but also very funny.”
Child is perhaps best known for her books (and the subsequent TV show) featuring siblings Charlie and Lola. Child has a theory as to why this brother and sister have been so popular. “I think they’re quite nostalgic characters in a way,” she says. “When I came up with them, I was thinking about the very best moments of childhood and the most reassuring times, particularly being with my older sister Rachel, who was one of those very responsible children, rather like Charlie. Also, having a child myself now, I realize what parents meant when they said, ‘It’s so nice to see children getting along rather than bickering.’ There is something very sweet and soothing about seeing them figuring out their problems in a kinder way.”
When Child sat down to write a picture book as her friend had suggested, she realized she didn’t have to start from scratch. She already had a great image of a character. “The idea for Clarice Bean came from a very early sketch that I did of her, long before I even thought of putting her in a story,” says Child. She was in New York and inspired by her surroundings
Child’s most recent Charlie and Lola book is A Dog with Nice Ears (Candlewick Press). “I wrote the story many years ago even before the TV series came out, but didn’t do anything with it,” she says. “I often write ideas or partial stories and don’t get round to illustrating them.” The inspiration for the book came from Child’s daughter, Tuesday, and from her own
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“I’m interested in championing children’s creativity and want to encourage them to spend a little of their time looking, listening, and making things because they’re driven to create.”
girlhood. “When my daughter arrived on the scene, she had exactly the same feeling about wanting a dog as I had and we talked a lot about what kind of dog we would get and would suit us,” says Child. “My sister and I desperately wanted a cat when we were young, but my father was allergic. So I decided that Lola would have an imaginary dog and she makes it happen in her head. When she gets a rabbit, she tells everyone it’s a dog and that’s that.” Recently, Child released the final book in her popular Ruby Redfort series, Blink and You Die. It’s a bittersweet occasion for Child to see the saga of the young 6
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detective come to an end. “I’m sad and pleased at the same time that it’s the last in the series,” she says. “I’m glad that I managed to tie up the loose ends with plot as plotting isn’t something that I find very easy.” Child says she’ll be working on some new picture books and transitioning her picture book character, Hubert Horatio, into a new series of chapter books. According to Child, she doesn’t approach writing picture books any differently than chapter books. “I don’t have a particular reader or age group in mind when I write and illustrate,” she says. “I try not to think about the age group that I’m writing for too much because
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everybody’s taste and reading age is different. I always feel that a book is for anybody.” In 2017, Child was named the UK Children’s Laureate, a position awarded to a writer or illustrator of children’s books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. “It’s a great honor but it’s also a big responsibility,” she says. “It’s slightly strange, too, for me partly because my career began almost 20 years ago—exactly the time Quentin Blake was the first Children’s Laureate.” Child’s platform as Laureate will be to promote the idea of carving time out of today’s children’s overscheduled lives in order for them to have the opportunity to think and imagine. “I’m interested in championing children’s creativity and want to encourage them to spend a little of their time looking, listening, and making things because they’re driven to create,” Child says. “I’m about to launch a website called Staring into Space, which I hope will
be a bit of a starting point for people.” Also, this fall, Child will release two new books; her illustrated version of Mary Poppins and the first installment in her new Hubert Horatio chapter books. Looking back on her life and career to this point, Child concedes that it’s a good thing the lampshade business didn’t pan out. “Writing and illustrating is a bit like working something out in your system,” she says. “It’s the best and the hardest thing at the same time. You are sort of in charge of your own working life so you can work when you like, but you also have to motivate yourself and generate ideas. The hardest thing can be fitting it all into the time schedule you’ve got. That can feel like pressure. But coming up with ideas can be a really lovely job as well.” For more information about Lauren Child or her books, visit milkmonitor.com.
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Danica McKellar Talks Numbers by Melissa Fales photos by Cathryn Farnsworth
Parents can count on Danica McKellar’s new book, Do Not Open This Math Book (Crown Books for Young Readers), to serve as a guide to basic Common Core concepts around addition and subtraction, both for their children and themselves.
McKellar may be best known for her portrayal of Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years, but she’s also a mathematics superstar who graduated from UCLA summa cum laude with a degree in mathematics and was part of a team that discovered the math theorem that now bears her name. McKellar’s New York Times bestselling books help children establish basic math skills—from board books that teach basic addition to chapter books that show teen girls how cool it is to be smart. Do Not Open This Math Book is aimed at first and second grade students, but it will also be useful for parents who are left scratching their heads when it comes to “new math” practices. “Today, math gets confusing earlier,” says McKellar. “A lot of parents of first and second grade students don’t understand their kids’ math homework. All of those prickly back-of-theneck fears of incompetence are coming back, but at a grade level where it shouldn’t be happening. I love that I can do something about that.”
McKellar has three books coming out this year, including Ten Magic Butterflies, which released in February. A vibrant tale of 10 flowers that turn into butterflies with the help of a magical fairy, the book teaches children different ways to make groups of 10, without even realizing that they’re learning. “First there are 10 flowers, then nine flowers and one butterfly,” says McKellar. “Then there are eight flowers and two butterflies. But there are always 10 of them in a group.” As the story progresses, the fluttering butterflies decide they StoryMonsters.com | July 2018 | Story Monsters Ink
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“I want kids and parents to have a guide that is fun and friendly so when they have that homework assignment they don’t quite understand, they have a place they’re comfortable to go and learn more about it.” want to go back to being flowers. So, the magical fairy changes them back, one at a time, providing readers another opportunity to make groups of 10. “Once the flowers become butterflies, they miss getting kisses
from the birds and the bees and getting blown around by the wind,” says McKellar. “So it’s a math book, but it’s really math snuck into a story that’s about embracing yourself and who you are.” In McKellar’s new book, Bathtime Mathtime, she demonstrates how the daily ritual of bathing can be used as an opportunity to teach even the youngest children basic math skills. “It’s a board book about how adding one is counting on to the next number,” says McKellar. “It’s an introduction to addition.” McKellar even includes a tip about hair washing, which can become an ordeal for some families. “I know it was a challenge for my son every single time I washed his hair,” says McKellar. “When he held a wash cloth over his face as I rinsed, it made it so much easier for everyone. I think it gives a child more control over the situation. It worked for me, so I hope it works for other parents.” Do Not Open This Math Book addresses the basic concepts of addition and subtraction using the tenframe method utilized by Common Core. It starts off
McKellar with her son, Draco. 10
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by reinforcing that there are many different ways of making 10 with two numbers. By the end of the book, readers are working with more complex, three-digit numbers that require carrying and borrowing. “But now, those terms are called grouping and ungrouping,” says McKellar. “I make sure to present the material the same way Common Core does. I want kids and parents to have a guide that is fun and friendly so when they have that homework assignment they don’t quite understand, they have a place they’re comfortable to go and learn more about it.” The book also introduces the cartoon characters of Mr. Mouse and a comic strip version of McKellar herself. Interspersed throughout the lessons, these amusing characters help to make math more approachable. “Mr. Mouse is totally afraid of math,” says McKellar. “He wants nothing to do with it, but the Danica character walks him through each step. It’s funny. You can tell just by the title that it’s going to be a fun book.” The book even contains a “new math” translation guide for grown-ups. “The Common Core standards use new words,” says McKellar. “Things have different names. I know that it’s frustrating for so many adults when they can’t understand their child’s elementary school math homework. This should help.” If parents find the book reminiscent of the 1971 classic, The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone, it’s no accident. “It’s my little homage to Grover,” says McKellar, referencing the book that features the loveable, blue muppet from Sesame Street imploring readers not to turn the pages, as each turn will bring them one step closer to a monster. McKellar says it’s an extremely effective tactic to keep kids reading. “I’ve got a 7-year-old,” she says. “If you tell him not to do something, it becomes irresistible.” Fans can receive free McKellar Math swag by preordering Do Not Order This Math Book by June 25, including an autographed nameplate, a Do Not Open This Math Book notebook, and a McKellar Math pencil you can’t get anywhere else. Those who preorder three or more copies of the book will receive a signed 8" x 10" photo of McKellar. For those who want the
autographed photo but don’t need three copies of the book, McKellar suggests donating one to the local public or school library. Other books by McKellar include Math Doesn’t Suck, Kiss My Math, Hot X: Algebra Exposed, and Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape. When McKellar isn’t writing math books, she is often filming movies for the Hallmark Channel. She recently spent time in Canada shooting her latest. “People should be looking for it in August,” she says. McKellar says many parents have reached out to thank her for helping to get their children interested in, and even more importantly, confident about math. “I’m providing a rather unique service, which is entertaining math books,” says McKellar. “I know from first-hand experience how foreign and scary math can feel, but it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m so glad I have the opportunity to take my love of math and help others understand it.” For more information about Danica McKellar and her books, visit mckellarmath.com. The website features a handy slider tool to help determine which of McKellar’s math books is right for a child’s age level.
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