On the Go with Children’s Author Mayra Calvani

Mayra Calvani

Mayra it is so good of you to stop by my blog today. I'm excited about your new book and I'll bet the schools just love having you come to visit.

 

I love doing school visits. Last month I had the honor of being re-invited to BEPS International School in Brussels to read two of my books and do a story workshop with the 3rd-year classes. We had a blast!

I brought with me my picture books, Humberto, the Bookworm Hamster (http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/humberto.htm) and The Doll Violinist (http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/doll-violinist.htm).

First, they gathered cross-legged on the carpet and I read them Humberto, the Bookworm Hamster. Afterwards—and this is the part they truly loved—they acted out the story! I had them play out the story twice so everybody could have a go at being an actor/actress. When they got stuck, the class or I helped them along. I was like the director. They didn’t read the lines from the book but improvised them in their own way as they remembered them. There were plenty of laughs and giggles.

After acting out the story, they sat down on the carpet again and I proceeded to do a story workshop. In this verbal workshop, they got to create and improvise a story as a group. For example, one kid thought of a character, another of a setting, another of a problem, etc., etc., until we had all the basic elements of a story. Finally we all tried to come up with the perfect title. The result was amazing! Kids are so original, inventive and imaginative; it just takes my breath away.

To finish off and calm them down, I read them The Doll Violinist before leaving. Altogether, it took about an hour. The teacher was always present to make sure the children behaved. I would never try this on my own! LOL. 

This must have been a wonderful and engaging experience they will remember for a good long time. I applaud your creative genius.  Tell us about this new book The Water Cycle -  certainly an adventure worth learning about.

About the book:

The Water Cycle: Water Play Series Book 1, for ages 4-8, follows the water droplets in their journey from the clouds to the earth and back to the clouds again. Written in a lyrical style, the book takes a new angle on the water cycle by showing the feelings it evokes in people. It also has fun learning activities at the end.

What reviewers are saying…

 “Written in Calvani’s delightful prose, “Huddle inside the CLOUD high up in the sky, the water droplets are excited,” While also complemented by the imaginative artwork of Alexander Morris’ fun illustrations, makes this book both easy to read and informative. The author also includes for her young readers a word search and glossary learning activity—a great addition to every teacher and homeschool parents’ teaching library.” –Carol Fraser Hagen, reading specialist and special education teacher.

You can read the complete review at http://www.carolfraserhagen.com/2012/04/30/reading-about-science-book-recommendation

Purchase The Water Cycle: Water Play Series Book 1 from Guardian Angel Publishing: http://guardianangelpublishing.com/water-cycle.htm

Purchase from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1616332379/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

About the author: Mayra Calvani writes fiction and nonfiction for children and adults.  and has authored over a dozen books, some of which have won awards. Her stories, reviews, interviews and articles have appeared on numerous publications such as The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Multicultural Review, and Bloomsbury Review, among many others. Visit her website at www.MayrasSecretBookcase.com and get the first two lessons of her popular Walking on a Rainbow Picture Book Workshop free! 

Book information:

Title: The Water Cycle: Water Play Series Book 1
Author: Mayra Calvani
Illustrations: Alexander Morris
Genre: Children 4-8
Print ISBN: 9781616332372; 1616332379
eBook ISBN: 9781616332389; 1616332387 
Published: March 15, 2012
Pages: 20
Price: $10.95 print; $5.00 e-Book
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/water-cycle.htm

Thanks Mayra, this was a most interesting and enjoyable experience. I wish you much success with your books and certainly you will be a must have speaker for many classrooms from here on out.
  

On The Go With Children's Author Nancy Sanders

Hi Nancy,
I'm so glad you could join us today on the last day of your tour for D is for Drinking Gourd. A good week's worth of getting to know you. So far we have your website and your blog so our readers might visit you and learn more.

On the Go with Children’s Author Nancy I. Sanders

Website: www.nancyisanders.com

Blog: www.nancyisanders.wordpress.com

 Now, let's find out a bit more about getting your to come visit with readers who want to see you live and in person. First the information about this book again.

Featured Book:

 D is For Drinking Gourd

D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet

Author: Nancy I. Sanders

Illustrator: E. B. Lewis

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Book’s Website: www.DrinkingGourdAlphabet.wordpress.com

And now Some questions about you and what you do....

Q. Do you visit schools for author events?

A. One of the joys of writing for kids is to visit kids at schools for author events. I’ve gone to various local schools over the years for in-person visits. In February of this year, I attended a Career Day for a local junior high of over 400 students and talked with kids about how they can become an author, too! I’ve also done Skype visits with classrooms or e-mail visits where the teachers invite the students to ask me questions. It’s not only a great way to promote my books, it’s also a great way to promote the joy and love of reading!

Q. Do you teach writing classes?

A. Yes, I also teach classes on how-to-write. I’ve taught at various writing conferences on writing for children. I base my teaching sessions on my groundbreaking book for children’s writers, Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Children’s Books, Get Them Published, and Build a Successful Writing Career. Members of my class are so encouraged and so many of them start experiencing success based on the strategies I teach, even if they’ve been trying to get published for years.

I also teach writing classes and host online chats for writers at sites such as the Working Writers Club at www.workingwritersclub.com. My classes are based on tried and true methods I use as a bestselling and award-winning author of over 80 books.

Q. How can writers connect with you so they can implement your winning strategies into their own writing life?

A. The first thing every children’s writer should do is purchase and read my book, Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Children’s Books, Get Them Published, and Build a Successful Writing Career. There simply isn’t another book like this available on the market today. I share about the inside world of publishing with practical tips on how to make my success your success, too. But don’t just take my word for it! Read the testimonials of other writers who have contacted me and let me know about their success. Visit my site at: www.yesyoucanlearn.wordpress.com/testimonies/

I also love to do virtual classes with small or large groups of writers. My virtual workshops can be tailored to fit the needs of any writing group whether it’s comprised of children’s writers or writers for adults. I can teach you how to jumpstart your writing career to the next level whether it’s through creating winning first pages in your manuscripts or building a website for your upcoming book. For more information about scheduling a virtual workshop for your group of writing friends or for your writers’ group, please visit my site: www.yesyoucanlearnvirtualvisit.wordpress.com/

Thank you again Nancy I'm looking forward to enjoying all your books and joining your classes for children's writers.