Send your young readers across the Web to these great kid lit sites!
By Francine Cabreja
Magic Tree House
www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/
Need an interesting way to tie in science or social studies
to reading? This Web site lists all the books in the fantastic
Magic Tree House series and includes an entire section
just for teachers. There are free activities, as well
as research and teacher guides so you can bring the adventures
of Jack and Annie into your classroom during a study of
the Civil War or dinosaurs. For kids, there are Reader's
and Writer's Clubs to help children work on their reading
and writing skills.
Lemony Snicket
www.lemonysnicket.com
This site warns from the beginning, "ATTENTION: Please
run for your life!" The sometimes sarcastic, perplexing,
often depressing, but endlessly popular A Series of Unfortunate
Events author's Web site begins just as the books do—with
a disclaimer that nothing positive will come of your visit.
This well-organized site takes you through a synopsis
of the series, an interview with the author, a reader's
guide, and some strange games (we were also amused by
a wanted poster of Count Olaf). With all his wit and charm,
Lemony Snicket reminds us that life doesn't always have
a happy ending. This site can help to tie the books to
a lesson on the importance of family or overcoming difficult
situations.
Roald Dahl
www.roalddahl.com
The whimsical, wacky world of Roald Dahl is perfectly
captured on this site — complete with flying chickens
and creeping spiders. You will find an author biography,
teacher tools, lesson ideas for favorites such as The
Twits and Matilda, trivia, and special treats
for kids including games. In Tips for Teachers, you can
download and print ideas and lessons for free. There is
also a complete list of his works and an interview. What
was Roald Dahl's first book? Try the Roald Dahl Challenge!
Children's Literature
Web Guide
www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/authors.html
With the ease and finesse of a research expert, you can
find links to dozens of authors and illustrators through
this site. Some of the links are official sites while
others were created by fans. Authors and illustrators
are listed alphabetically by last name, together with
best-known titles. Links to other resources are available,
with brief descriptions of what to expect on each site.
Robert Munsch
www.robertmunsch.com
Delve into the mind of the author of Stephanie's Ponytail
and countless other books. There is a biography, book
list, and sound bytes of Mr. Munsch reading his stories.
One endearing feature is Something Special, which includes
classroom trips, visits with families, and zany photos
of students and teachers. For a perfect poetry unit, go
to Poetry and read some of Robert Munsch's poems, written
in response to fans' letters or dedicated to children
he has met on his many travels. If your class has some
fans, send their letters and pictures—he encourages
it!
Beverly Cleary
www.beverlycleary.com
Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins are two of the many delightful
characters from Beverly Cleary. See how her ideas for
Henry and Ribsy came to be, and find interesting facts
about Mrs. Cleary. Go to Teaching Resources to download
a free classroom guide, or click on the book characters
for facts and a list of the titles in which they appear.
The neighborhood map is excellent for helping kids understand
the world in which Henry, Beezus, and Ramona live. There
is also a link to trivia quizzes in Fun & Games that will
test even the most knowledgeable Cleary fan.
Looking for more? Check out these notable sites:
Kevin Henkes
http://www.kevinhenkes.com/
Avi
www.avi-writer.com/
Eric Carle
www.eric-carle.com/
Bruce Coville
www.brucecoville.com/
Narnia Chronicles
www.narnia.com/
Little House Books
www.littlehousebooks.com/
Chris Van Allsburg
/www.eduplace.com/author/vanallsburg/
Francine Cabreja is the publishing coordinator of Instructor Magazine.
