By Kourtney LaFavre
As a teacher, one of my top priorities is to help children retain their innate sense of wonder and develop their thinking skills. I want students to leave my classroom with the abilities to notice the things around them, ask questions, make predictions and observations so that they can think for themselves. So in my early elementary classrooms, you will hear me asking students many questions:

• How did this come to be?
• Why is the water flowing that way?
• How do you think that was built?
• Why is this happening?
• How do you think this works?

I want to point my students in the right direction, but ultimately let their brains do the work and spark those connections in their brains. As a writer, I want to encourage my readers to use their brains too! So when writing IF SUN COULD SPEAK, I had two goals. The first was for Sun to share facts, history, and myths about it's existence. Here's an example of how Saki Tanaka, the illustrator, incorporated that info into a spread.

And the second goal was to invite and encourage readers to wonder about the world around them, ask questions, and make discoveries. In the next two spreads, you can see how Saki did an incredible job of incorporating great visuals to represent curiosity and wonder. And the text is inviting readers to start thinking like a scientist.

These types of STEM picture books are wonderful tools in the classroom and at home, to spark discussions about the key pieces to scientific thinking: observation, making predictions, forming ideas, and finding possible solutions. And there are so many wonderful books that demonstrate and encourage scientific thinking. Main characters that ask a lot of questions and complete their own science experiments, like ADA TWIST SCIENTIST (and all the other characters from THE QUESTIONEERS SERIES by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts) celebrate their characters for their thinking abilities.

I hope these examples are helpful for you in writing and creating STEM books that encourage and celebrate scientific thinking. Here's some further reading and more suggestions: https://kidminds.org/books-to-inspire-kids-to-think-like-scientists/
Thank you for stopping by! Happy reading and writing!

by Bryan Patrick Avery

It’s summertime! That means different things to different people but, for me, it means I’m setting out on the road. My summers, in addition to being filled with travel, are generally spent on deadline. This summer is no exception. So, how do I make sure I can keep up my writing schedule when I travel? Simple: I use basic, easy to carry tools that get the job done. This month, I’ll open up my backpack and share my travel must have.

Blackwing Pencils
​Every published story or book I’ve written started life in a Blackwing pencil. I still write longhand before typing a word into my computer. The way my hand and brain are connected helps me tap into my creativity. Blackwing pencils have a stories history and have been used by Chuck Jones (of Looney Tunes fame), John Steinbeck, and Shamus Culhane (Walt Disney Co.) among others. These are the highest quality pencils I’ve ever used and they feel amazing. Be warned, if you start writing with a Blackwing pencil, you might not ever want to use anything else.

Moleskine Cahier Notebooks
What started as an impulse buy at Costco has become a necessity for me. These softcover notebooks are perfect for writing. The paper is smooth and provides the perfect surface for my Blackwing pencils. Everything manuscript I’ve written over the past several years was written, first, in a Cahier notebook. They have different sizes (from pocket size to XL) which allow you to choose the best size for your style and needs. I use the XL size (which is still very easy to travel with. If you’re looking for a sturdy but portable notebook, try the Moleskine Cahier.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II
If, like me, you like to shut out the world around you while you’re writing, you’ve probably tried noise cancelling headphones or earbuds. I absolutely love my QuietComfort Earbuds II from Bose. The noise cancelling feature works really well. Plus, you can adjust the level of cancellation if you need to hear at least a little bit of what is happening around you. In addition to that, if you have trouble finding earbuds that fit you (as I do), these come with multiple customizing attachments to help you get the perfect fit. I love them, and I think you will too.

Microsoft Surface Pro with Pen
At some point in my travels, I’ll need to review a contract, answer an email, or type up a manuscript. That’s where my Surface Pro comes in. On my second Surface Pro over the past decade and I wouldn’t use anything else. It has all the power of a top of the line laptop but takes up half the space (and weight). With the detachable keyboard and Surface Pen, I can do anything I need to do to keep my writing career moving forward. In just the past few months, I reviewed and signed a contract, submitted two different outlines to one of my editors, hosted a webinar, and reviewed and commented on galleys for an upcoming release. I don’t know where I’d be without it. If you’re looking for a versatile computer to meet all your writing needs, I highly recommend the Microsoft Surface Pro.

​Well, that’s all for this month. Happy writing (and traveling) and have a magical month.

​By Melissa Stoller
 
Where I live, June is the start of summer. School is finished for many students, teachers, and librarians, and long, light-filled summer days stretch out, ready for vacations and other adventures. Summer can be a wonderful time to gather inspiration for story ideas.
 

 Image from CANVA



​Here are a few prompts to help you get started:
 

1. Remember how you felt when school ended for the season. Do any end-of-school rituals pop into your mind? Jot down some thoughts that could turn into a manuscript title, a beginning, or an ending. For example, imagine a last day of school picnic with puppies. 
2. Think about some of the vacations you enjoyed during your summer season. Write a list of summer vacation destinations from your past, or vacations you would like to plan for the future. Then list some characters who could be part of those vacations. For example, imagine a mountain retreat and a bear. Do any ideas jump into your consciousness?
3. What type of adventures do you like to engage in during the summer season? Write a list of settings, adventures, and a main character. Could these adventures inspire a story or fill out a plot point? For example, imagine a ghost getting lost at the beach. 

 
Now it’s your turn! Happy JUNE! Let me know in the comments how you find ideas this summer.
 

​MELISSA’S BIO:
 
Melissa Stoller writes to bring connection, joy, and a bit of magic to her readers. She is the author of the chapter book series The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island, and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush; Ready, Set, GOrilla!; Sadie’s Shabbat Stories; Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom; and Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-written with Callie Lovvorn and Shirin Rahman). Melissa is a Blogger and Course Assistant for the Children’s Book Academy, a Rate Your Story Judge, a volunteer with SCBWI/MetroNY, a Book Meshuggenahs member, a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Advisory Council member, and a past school and synagogue Trustee. She also interviews authors and offers resources on her blog. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer/editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and Central Park walks. Melissa is represented by Jonathan Rosen at The Seymour Agency.
 
 
CONNECT WITH MELISSA:
 
https://www.MelissaStoller.com
https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog 
http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller
www.twitter.com/melissastoller
www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller
www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller
 
 
 

By Shirin Shamsi

Sometimes a smell, a taste, or even an old song can bring alive a memory that has lain dormant in the deepest recesses of my mind. Moments like this stop me in my tracks. They’re a powerful reminder that we have treasures within us, treasures of memories that can be repackaged and used in our writing. In fact, I believe everything we experience can be used as writing material.

I’m not saying we should all be writing memoirs. What I mean is simply that all the rich material, that is stored in our memory banks, can be recycled and used in many ways. An example of this can be found in my current work-in-progress, a middle grade novel (happily I have just finished a rough draft!) I was stuck on a scene. It didn’t quite resonate, and wasn’t working for me. It wasn’t authentic enough, in fact it left me feeling emotionally distant. I figured I wasn’t able to put myself fully into the protagonist’s shoes. After struggling for a while, I dug into my memory banks for the emotional and sensory details of something parallel to what I wanted my protagonist to feel. And Voila! It added layers of emotion to the scene, and brought it to life (I hope the editor feels the same way about it)! I must say, it was a gratifying moment. 

By using sensory details and emotions from memories of long ago, I was able to bring the character’s experience to life on the page. What gold nuggets will you find in your memory banks?