It has been quite a long time since I Iast posted on my blog! The past several months have been jam-packed with adventures and life events, including my wedding, a spinal fusion, multiple trips (big and small), and of course, teaching. While all of those events were certainly exciting and monumental, I'm enjoying having more time to focus on writing new books and improving my marketing skills. I'm excited to announce that I'll be participating in the Rocktown Author Festival at Massanutten Regional Library in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The festival will be held on the afternoon of March 28, 2020. The event will have lectures about a range of topics related to writing and publishing. There will also be ample time for people to visit with various local authors. To learn more about the event, and to RSVP, click here. I will be selling and autographing both Messages From Maryam and Otto the Otter Takes a Bath. Stop by and say hello! I would love to meet you. Wow! Spring break is finally here, and so is my new book- Otto the Otter Takes a Bath. This book has felt like such a long time coming! It feels so good to have my second book available on Amazon. I'm so proud of all the work that my illustrator, Noah Ray, our graphic designer, Sam Carrier, and I did to get this book to its published state. These past few weeks have been very exciting on the author front! I spent my birthday in Charlottesville, Virginia, presenting for the first time at the Virginia Festival of the Book. I feel so blessed to have been able to participate in this event! I got to visit three incredible elementary schools around Albemarle County and meet at least a hundred very enthusiastic kids. It was so exciting to meet kids who had read Messages From Maryam before. They made me feel famous by giving me hugs, telling me how much they loved my story, and asking for autographs. The Virginia Festival of the Book was a great way to share my love of writing AND experience the culture of Charlottesville. I loved seeing how invested the city was in the Festival of the Book. There were posters and signs all over the city, and I enjoyed checking out some local used book shops (where I spent way too much money) and drinking coffee while the rain came down. Before I get out of town for spring break, I want to say thank you to all of you for supporting my work on Messages From Maryam and Otto the Otter Takes a Bath. Please shoot me a message or leave a review on Amazon to let me know how you like Otto the Otter! I can't wait to hear from you!
Hi friends! There's a winter storm warning here in Virginia and I spent a good part of the day in Barnes and Noble. There are few things I like more than being surrounded by books while watching a beautiful snowfall and drinking mochas with my fiance! I also got to working on my next book- a memoir about my year teaching second grade. All that aside, here are two exciting bits of news that I wanted to share with you on this snowy evening! Early next month, my illustrator, Noah Ray, and I will be putting the finishing touches on our new book, Otto the Otter Takes a Bath. I am super excited to release this book. I can't wait for you all to see Noah's beautiful illustrations! Though this book is vastly different from Messages From Maryam, it is still a children's book, it still teaches a moral lesson, and there is still a character based on me. The story is about eight-year-old Emma Jane, who takes it upon herself to rescue a sea otter behind her parents' backs. When she decides to take Otto the otter to school one day, hilarity ensues, and Emma Jane learns a very important lesson about telling the truth. Keep your eyes open for Otto the Otter Takes a Bath! I am hesitant to tell you a specific release date because, if there's one thing I learned from writing Messages From Maryam, it's that you have to expect the unexpected! Things inevitably go wrong with layout and formatting, and sometimes the print version looks totally different than the digital version, which in turn calls for revisions. My goal is to have my new book released by early to mid March, just in time for the Virginia Festival of the Book. That leads me to my second announcement. I am thrilled to announce that I will be participating in the 25th Annual Virginia Festival of the Book this year! When I released Messages From Maryam, I never would have guessed that I would have the opportunity to participate in an event like this one. Some of my personal favorite authors will be at the Festival, and for helping me join them, I have to say: THANK YOU! I never would have made it to this point without your support and appreciation for my work. The Virginia Festival of the Book will take place in Charlottesville, Virginia from March 20-24, 2019. As part of the Festival, I will be visiting three different elementary schools in the Charlottesville area to share about my books and my writing process. You can explore the Festival website and my author profile page by visiting: www.vabook.org/participant/lauren-pichon/. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and visit my website! I am looking forward to having much more to share with you all in the near future! Spring is almost upon us! It seems like this spring has been an especially long time coming, although I am still hoping for at least one big snowfall! Before I launch into all that is ahead for Maryam and I in the month of March, I must first fill you in on all of the February happenings. During the month of February, my school celebrated Genres Around the World Week. To kick off the week, we had an assembly to discuss education around the world. We talked about the Maasai girls' school in Kenya, Nasaruni Academy, and how the girls had a very small library compared to ours. As part of our week-long celebration, each day, we read a different genre book aloud to our class. The students also had the opportunity to donate their spare change to buy books for Nasaruni's library. At the end of Genres Around the World Week, we had the students vote on their favorite genre. We then counted all of the spare change that had been donated. It totaled over $800! The kids selected realistic fiction as their favorite genre, so we will be sending realistic fiction stories to Nasaruni Academy. Later this month, I will be participating in another event to benefit Nasaruni Academy. Each year, Harrisonburg High School hosts a fundraiser called the Empty Bowls Fundraiser. People get to select a handmade ceramic bowl and they receive a meal of soup and bread. The profits from this event all benefit Nasaruni Academy. This year, the event will be on March 16 from 5:30-8:30pm. In addition to the meal, there will be children's activities and a silent auction. I will be doing a read aloud of Messages From Maryam in the children's area. I'll also be donating a set of books to the silent auction, and sending a copy of Messages From Maryam to the girls at Nasaruni. Please consider coming out to the Empty Bowls Fundraiser to support Nasaruni Academy, and check out their website here: www.nasaruniacademy.org/. Winter is here! Thankfully, winter means one thing for teachers: SNOW DAYS! I'm currently enjoying a not-so-hot cup of coffee, writing this blog post , and watching the snow slowly melt outside my door. The surprise day off is just what this teacher to relax and get writing again!
This year, teaching has taken up the majority of my time and energy. Teaching is a work of heart, and unfortunately, that often leaves little time for many other activities. There sure have been some exciting times in second grade lately! We made Oobleck and ice cream on the same day (which I don't recommend) to learn about states of matter, performed a reader's theater about Inuit Native Americans (www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Inuit-Tribe-Readers-Theater-3570043), and got a class pet! Although the beginning of the school year presented some very challenging behaviors, my class has really improved over time, and I wanted to reward them for their hard work. I decided to surprise them with a hermit crab. The kids decided to name the hermit crab Mr. Claws. It was probably the most exciting day of second grade so far! You're probably thinking: "Surely teaching doesn't take up ALL your time! What else have you been up to?"
As the year progresses, I hope to be more diligent about updating this blog. It is my hope that in the next few weeks I will have a sample illustration to show you for my newest story! Another one of my goals for 2018 is to book at least two speaking engagements at local schools or libraries! I would love to have the opportunity to read aloud to different groups of children and talk about the writing process. Please contact me via the "Contact" tab if you're interested in coordinating an event. Happy New Year, friends! May 2018 be filled with good memories, good books, and sweet friendship like Maryam and Aila's. A lot has happened since the last blog! Here are a few highlights: In August, I uploaded a Messages From Maryam Unit Study to Teachers Pay Teachers, a website where teachers can buy and sell classroom resources from each other. I wrote the Unit Study for the upper elementary grades, and it can be used in all subjects. Some of the resources include lessons on writing letters, graphing, and climate. You can purchase the Unit Study by visiting: www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Messages-From-Maryam-Unit-Study-3300889. Last weekend, I signed and sold books at the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale. I am so grateful to Harvey Yoder and Dave Rush for offering me the opportunity! The Relief Sale was raising money for Mennonite Central Committee, specifically for their refugee fund, which goes to help people in crisis all over the world. The Relief Sale brought in over $35,000! I really enjoyed meeting people and sharing Messages From Maryam with them! Perhaps most exciting is that another book is in the works! It is being illustrated now! I'm not ready to release more specifics, but I will post them as they become available! It seems like just yesterday when I last updated this blog! It's hard to believe I let over two months slip by without an update. The end of school came and went with all the usual stresses, celebrations, and everything in between. Messages From Maryam definitely granted Kendra and I some celebrations at the end of the school year! Kendra was featured in two different publications, Crossroads, a publication of Eastern Mennonite University, and Today Magazine, a publication of Hesston College, for her illustrations of Messages From Maryam. You can check out the Today Magazine article by clicking here: www.hesston.edu/hesstoncollegetoday/article/sharing-timely-message/, and the Crossroads article by clicking here to view pages 37 and 41: issuu.com/easternmennoniteuniversity/docs/crossroads_spring-summer_2017_issuu. I am so excited to see Kendra receiving some much-deserved spotlight for all of her hard work. A few days ago, I got back from the home of the Giant Tortoises- the Galapagos Islands! I feel so fortunate to have seen this delicate ecosystem in person. Where else in the world can you visit the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, hike to a volcano, go on a speed boat ride, and get the worst sunburn of your life all in one day? The flora and fauna were unbeatable, but sharing the experience with my fellow educators made it all the more unique. If any educators who are reading this blog are looking for an affordable way to travel the world, check out all the trips that GEEO has to offer( www.geeo.org). You can be sure that there will be some island influence in future books! Since returning home, I have been continuing to work on the Messages From Maryam unit study. I am planning on releasing this in mid August in preparation for the school year. Kendra and I have also been working with Harvey Yoder (harvyoder.blogspot.com/2017/06/childrens-book-highlights-hardships-of.html) to plan for the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale in September (vareliefsale.com). We are looking forward to being a part of this event by running a children's activity, selling, and signing our book! We will be donating the profits of our book sales from this event to Mennonite Central Committee for their work with refugees Kendra describes her illustration process for interviewers and photographers. PC: http://emu.edu/now/news/2017/06/art-teacher-illustrates-book-young-refugees-friendship-adaptation-new-life/
Hello, friends! It has been far too long since I updated the blog! Life has been busy and hectic, but Maryam is still making waves, and we are so grateful! For now, I am enjoying spring break and having some free time to enjoy a visit from a dear friend, catch up on some much-needed sleep, and update you all. Since the last time I posted, I have done a read aloud at my school's annual Multicultural Night, spoken at James Madison University's Symposium on Refugees, and excitedly watched the map on my Amazon Author Central account light up, displaying all the places in the U.S. that Maryam has arrived in already. I feel like a bit of a stalker, but I love tracking her movements and imagining where she might go next! If you've read Messages From Maryam, you're well aware that Maryam and her best friend, Aila, speak Arabic and learn English upon arrival to the United States. Since Messages From Maryam is based on my students, I always found it frustrating that I couldn't communicate with them in their first language in the same way that I can with my Spanish-speaking students. When my school began offering Arabic for Educators classes, I was quick to sign up. Needless to say, I haven't been so frustrated in a long time! Trying to learn the pronunciation, grammar, and script was really challenging. It gave me a lot more sympathy for my students. Many of my students work hard all day to learn a language extremely different than their own, but just looking at this chart for an hour was enough to make my head spin! While learning to read from right to left, practicing writing letters in a different way, and butchering the pronunciation of words was really frustrating, I'm glad I had this experience so I can better understand what it feels like to be a language learner. It can be frustrating, embarrassing, and tiring.
Enough about me! What's next for Maryam? Over the next several weeks, my illustrator, Kendra Yoder, will be featured in publications from both of her Alma Maters, Hesston College and Eastern Mennonite University. I can't wait to see her work spotlighted in this way! I'll post links both here and on Facebook as soon as they become available. I'm also hoping to begin working on a kit of resources for teachers to use in their classrooms. The kit would include activities, worksheets, and handouts for all subjects, which could be differentiated for different ages and ability levels. There are many things to look forward to over the next several weeks. Thank you for going on this journey with us! Last week, a reporter from the local newspaper, The Daily News Record, visited me at school to interview me about Messages From Maryam. Kendra was able to join us and share about her illustration process as well.
We're so excited by the way this article turned out! Subscribers to The Daily News Record can read the article here: www.dnronline.com/features/drawing-from-experience/article_0b9ab1aa-d8e7-11e6-9610-bf49d72628ce.html. Others may read the article by visiting harrisonburg.k12.va.us/HarrisonburgCitySchools/media/images/Documents/Community/DNRonline_Pichon.pdf. Multicultural Literature Recommendations: When I started teaching ESL last year, I began a hunt for books that featured main characters who resembled my students. I also looked for books that told stories that my students may have been familiar with from their home countries. Both of these kinds of books were difficult to come by, but below I’ve included a few of my favorites. I hope you'll find something valuable to share with an important kid in your life! Happy reading! Elementary-Level Books: Big Red Lollipop, by Rukhsana Khan Big Red Lollipop features a Middle Eastern family with a daughter named Rubina, who has just been invited to her first birthday party. Rubina’s mother insists that Rubina take her sister along to the party. This book explores family dynamics and the true meaning of sisterhood. My students absolutely adored this book! I highly recommend it as a read aloud, or even as a book for guided reading groups. Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors, by Hena Khan This is an absolutely beautiful children’s book with a simple rhyming scheme. The vivid colors paint a beautiful picture of the Muslim faith, pointing out some important elements of the Muslim faith. My students really enjoy looking at this book, especially because the text is simple and relatable. It also has a nice glossary of unfamiliar terms mentioned throughout the book. The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story, by Rebecca Hickox The Golden Sandal is the Iraqi version of the classic Cinderella story. Since so many cultures have their own variation of Cinderella, I had a good time sharing this version and other versions with my students. We compared and contrasted different Cinderella stories, and the students had fun discussing the stories and versions their parents had shared with them. Messages From Maryam, by Lauren Pichon I would be remiss if I posted a blog about multicultural literature and did not promote my own book! When I started my search for children’s books with characters who either looked like my students, or had had similar experiences, I had a hard time finding appropriate resources. I feel blessed to have been able to write a book featuring characters that look like my students. My Name is Yoon, by Helen Recorvits My Name is Yoon tells the story of a small Korean girl named Yoon who has just moved to the United States. At first, Yoon is very resistant to learning English and she is self-conscious about her Korean name. She tries out various English words as a new name, even trying out “Cupcake” as a name! Eventually, Yoon becomes comfortable in her own skin, humanizing her teacher and the other students, and owning her identity as a Korean-American. My Newcomer students were all smiles when they heard this story for the first time! Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa, by Niki Daly What a fun story! My students were laughing out loud as I read this book. Pretty Salma is a west African variation of Little Red Riding Hood with some interesting twists and turns. Sam and the Lucky Money, by Karen Chinn I initially bought this book because the cover reminded me of one of my good friends, Sam, who also happens to be Chinese! Sam and the Lucky Money tells the story of a little boy during Chinese New Year who is disappointed by the fact that the money his grandparents gave him is not enough to get exactly what he wants. In the end, he decides to use the money to help someone in need. This is a sweet story with a great moral. It would tie in well with a unit about China, or it could be used to facilitate a dialogue about Chinese New Year. Middle School/Young Adult Books: Colibri, by Ann Cameron I first read Colibri while I was in Costa Rica, and I got so sucked in that I finished it in just a couple of days! The book tells the story of a little girl who was kidnapped from Guatemala City, Guatemala by a man pretending to be her uncle. The man changes her name to Rosa, and Rosa grows up experiencing a series of unfortunate mishaps, all the while dreaming of her loving parents, whom she has little memory of. As Rosa struggles to find her identity, she makes her own way in the world, grows into herself and becomes who she was always meant to be. I was very engrossed in this novel. With its strong heroine and beautiful imagery, I would recommend it to any child or adult looking for an engrossing story set in Central America. Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai Inside Out and Back Again tells the story of Ha, a young girl who immigrates to the United States during the Vietnam War. The book is written entirely in free verse, and it details the family’s immigration experience and Ha’s experience in school upon arrival to Alabama. This book would be a great read for older children, or as a read aloud for younger students. La Linea, by Ann Jaramillo This book offers an honest look into what it would be like to be a child trying to get into America to reunite with parents. The book is emotionally charged and poignant, offering a play by play of Miguel and his friend, Elena’s, journey across la linea, the border. |
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February 2020
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