Figurative or literal? Good exercise in that when you are presenting to Grade one students.Yesterday while I was doing an author visit at Morna Heights Elementary I asked the teacher accompanying me to jot down the questions as the students asked them. I always get home and try to remember the wonderful questions kids ask me and finally thought to have someone record them for me.I had talked about the covers of my books , the lake and river aspect of each story and how I had put the Walton Lake in two of them and the Saint John River in one book.This led to the curious question of a little boy in the back. How did I put a river in the book?I realized he was taking what I had said very literally.Priceless! I explained it as best I could and hopefully he doesn’t expect that when the book is opened water will come gushing out.Some other great questions asked yesterday were; Did you just start writing or did you ask someone who was already a writer what to do? (Grade 3)When you write books do you use a marker or a pencil?(Grade 2)What would you like to do except write?(Grade 4)The answer to that right now. Nothing. I spent the afternoon with Grade 5.They had recently finished reading The Year Mrs. Montague Cried. I walked in to see every student with the book on their desks or in their hands. They were anxious to meet the author and have their books signed. The principal had very generously bought a book for each Grade 5 student.What a great afternoon we had. I talked ,I read , they talked,they asked questions, they wrote a bit.We laughed and almost cried. (teared up for sure)I am including a picture with this entry, of the book The Year Mrs. Montague Cried on a desk.The desk is an antique one that is in my den not a desk at Morna Heights Elementary School but the photograph reminds me just how privileged I am to have been given again the opportunity to see it in another classroom and in the hands of young readers.
Thankyou to Mrs. Keilty and her students.
How Did You Put the River in the Book?
