About

Alyson Beecher is an educator, writing mentor, book geek, and blogger. I say that I have to read children's and YA literature because of my job but really I just love Picture Books, MG and YA books. During the day, I work with elementary students. My passion is getting my students excited about books, reading, and writing.  I also believe that it is critical to partner with teachers, librarians, authors, illustrators, booksellers, and publishers to support efforts to connect children and teens to books.  With that in mind, I have also co-founded the grassroots organization Bridge to Books with Alethea (@frootjoos, Read Now, Sleep Later). 

When I don't have my nose in a book, I enjoy hanging with friends, cooking, listening to music, or seeing a live performance.

Books are nearly always better than their movie version, and I am more likely to become a complete babbling fool in the presence of my favorite authors than some famous movie star.


Rethinking the Role of Research - Guest Post by Sandy Brehl

The often-repeated advice to writers is “write what you know”. That’s at the heart of every “small moments” workshop, every “what I did last summer” assignment, and even elaborate memoir projects. Much of fiction has its origins in this approach: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (Judy Blume), Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (Beverly Cleary), and Paperboy (Vince Vawter) are good examples. Quality writing makes them standouts, but the stories themselves have a ring of recognition in readers’ hearts.


The flip side of that is narrative non-fiction. The current emphasis on informational text has increased the presence of biography, autobiography, history, science, and technology texts in classrooms, libraries, and publishers’ catalogs. Extensive research, documentation, specific terminology, and authentication are the foundation of these. In most cases the facts are well-vetted so readers can trust that every detail is true, at least as true as we can know “so far”.

Nonfiction writing typically follows a neat process:

          topic>research>write> bibliography.

Personal narrative often follows a prescribed path, too:

          experience>significance>draft>revise>publish.


One very solid and entertaining bridge between these two genre is historical fiction. Think Hattie Big Sky (Kirby Larson) , May B. (Caroline Rose), and Number the Stars (Lois Lowry) , or Ann Turner’s picture books: Nettie’s Trip South, Katie’s Trunk, and Abe Lincoln Remembers. In each case the authors weave fact and fiction seamlessly throughout compelling stories with rich characters true to their times and places in history.

The blending of fact and fiction in this genre is not unlike a mobius strip. The two sides are not only inseparable, but interchange themselves while traveling along the path of the story. Similarly, it is nearly impossible to detect start- or end- points for the research and storytelling.

Historical fiction defies neat packaging. At its best, that ring of recognition resounds within the fictional lives of its characters, yet their journeys reveal specifics and complexities that can only be found through diligent research. Sorting out fact from fiction allows readers to explore a new purpose for research.


My debut middle grade novel, Odin’s Promise, is the end product of many years of just such a dance between fact and fiction. On a trip to Norway many years ago I heard personal stories of resistance from the war years. Memories of the German occupation were strong. From that time on I worked at writing one particular story, including extensive research about Norway’s war years.

Over time and countless revisions the story changed, the research continued, characters stepped into and abandoned center stage. Only when the right combination of research, revision, and advice came together did the story find its footing and take off. By then the facts were as familiar to me as the fictional elements so they arose naturally within the events of the story. After the book was complete and under contract I read two other recent historical fiction middle grade books set in Norway during World War II: The Klipfish Code by Mary Casanova, and Shadow on the Mountain by Margi Preus. In both cases I recognized quirky details of the occupation years that I had included in my book. A quick check of their resources indicated our stories had been influenced by some of the same titles Despite that, our books are distinctly different.

Historical fiction provides an excellent balance of reading fiction and non-fiction text: complexity, engagement, character development, detail, sequence and consequences. More often than not there will be author notes and other back matter to help describe which elements are based on history and which are not. Online and traditional research can clarify that further, as well as offer answers to questions raised by the stories. Maps, timelines, and biographies become essential tools for both the reader and the writer.

I hope readers will enjoy Odin’s Promise for the fiction it is. I also hope the factual threads throughout the story will make them eager to learn more about Germany’s invasion and occupation of Norway under the false claim of friendship. It’s a story far less familiar than those of concentration camps and battles, but no less compelling. It even has parallels in current events of the world.

Who knows where their research could lead?


About Sandy Brehl: Retired teacher in elementary public schools for almost 40 years. A voracious reader since childhood. Writing for decades. Active in SCBWI-Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) since retiring, which led to major improvements in my writing.

Debut Middle Grade Historical Fiction:
Odin’s Promise, available April 20, 2014, official publication date- May 17.

Odin’s Promise is historical fiction for middle-grade readers, a novel depicting the first year of German occupation of Norway as seen through the eyes of a young girl.

Eleven-year-old Mari grew up tucked safely under the wings of her parents, grandma, and her older siblings. When Hitler’s troops invaded Norway under the guise of “occupying a friendly country,” she is forced to grow beyond her “little girl” nickname and comfortable patterns to deal with harsh new realities.

At her side for support and protection is Odin, her faithful elkhound.

After she witnesses a terrifying event on the mountainside, truths are revealed: the involvement of her family and friends in the resistance; the value of humor in surviving hard times; the hidden radio in her grandma’s cottage.
Odin, not one for quiet resistance, makes an enemy of soldiers who patrol the area.

The year will bring many challenges, as Mari confronts danger, develops her inner strength and voice, and finds she is able to endure hardship and heartache.

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Marine Pollution & Environmental Protection For Our Oceans

Have you ever thought about what happens to the plastic that is thrown into the ocean? Two of my books this week, shared stories about how plastic has a significant impact on our oceans.  I am sharing a couple of resources about the impact that trash has on marine life and oceans and more.  Both of these books are extremely informational and I know I learned a lot.  

Check out the books, videos, and links for more resources that you can use with students in grades 4 to 8.

Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion

by Loree Griffin Burns

HMH Books for Young Readers (March 26, 2007)

IndieBound

*

WorldCat

Description from GoodReads

:

Aided by an army of beachcombers, oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news; it is important scientific data. And with careful analysis, Curt, along with a community of scientists, friends, and beachcombers alike, is using his data to understand and protect our ocean.

In engaging text and unforgettable images, readers meet the woman who started it all (Curt’s mother!), the computer program that makes sense of his data (nicknamed OSCURS), and several scientists, both on land and on the sea, who are using Curt’s discoveries to preserve delicate marine habitats and protect the creatures who live in them. A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book for Nonfiction.

For resources connected with

Tracking Trash

:

Discussion and Activity Guide

| 

Author Notes

Tracking Trash Multi-Touch Edition

  is another resource which includes videos, interactive photo gallery, and web-search enabled text can be purchased

here

.

Scientist in the Field Adventure Notes:

Message in the Bottle

|

Tracking Trash and the Common Core

|

Tracking Trash and Making Art

Loree Griffin Burns:

Website

|

Twitter

|

Facebook

Video: Gyre: Creating Art from a Plastic Ocean

Plastic Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

by Patricia Newman; Photographs by Annie Crawley

Millbrook Press (April 1, 2014)

Amazon

*

WorldCat

Description from GoodRead

s:

These scientists are on a mission. As part of a research expedition known as SEAPLEX, theyre studying the massive accumulation of plastic in the Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. As they use the scientific method to conduct their investigation, their adventures will introduce readers to the basics of ocean science and the hazards of plastics.

Patricia Newman:

Website

|

Blog

|

Twitter

|

Facebook

|

Pinterest

Other resources:

10 Ways to Reduce Ocean Plastic

|

Video Research Project

|

Activity & Discussion Guide

|

Algalita's Ship-2-Shore Program

|

Five Gyres

Watch the Book Trailer for Plastic Ahoy!

Additional Books to begin exploring the topic of "tracking trash" with Younger Audiences

:

10 Little Rubber Ducks

by Eric Carle (HarperCollins, 2005) -

In this poignant and funny story, illustrated with strikingly designed collages, Eric Carle also takes readers on an exciting voyage of discovery. Following the little ducks as they float to all parts of the globe, young explorers can see for themselves the meanings of directional words, and learn simple math concepts such as counting and the use of cardinal and ordinal numbers. Each creature the ducks meet is seen in its own habitat and behaves in a true-to-life manner, offering a very simple first view of biology and geography. (description from goodreads)

Ducky

by Eve Bunting; Illustrated by David Wisniewski (HMH Books for Young Children, 1997) -

A yellow plastic duck makes a long perilous journey when he is washed overboard with a crate full of bathtub toys during a storm. (description from goodreads)

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews

:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Some Musings



Thank you everyone for all of the great posts each week for the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2014.

Several years before the Common Core State Standards decided to try mandating the amount of nonfiction or informational text students should be reading, I realized that I had a serious book gap.  Though I went through phases when I did read nonfiction related to things I was interested in as an adult, I realized that I focused on very little nonfiction for children. Frankly, I saw it as boring and not particularly worth my time. Yes, I needed an attitude adjustment.

However, I can tell you when my attitude changed and by which book.  It was January 18, 2010, and I was listening to the ALA Youth Media Awards curled up in bed at 5 a.m.  The awards were in Boston that year and in order to hear them live, I had to get up early.  As they announced the awards, I was intrigued by several of the Sibert Medal Winners, particularly, The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton.  Shortly, after the announcements were made I tracked down a copy of the book and from that moment on I have been on the search for creative, informative, and interesting nonfiction picture books for children.


My interest in nonfiction picture books has lead me to starting this challenge and to getting to know all of you.  I have felt good about the amount of nonfiction that I have been able to feature on my blog, especially through this weekly challenge.  However, I have been playing with some ideas, and will probably be adjusting my posts.

Once a month, usually the first Wednesday of the month, I feature new nonfiction picture book releases.  From the feedback, I have received readers really seem to enjoy this post. So, I am going to keep doing it.  I am going to try and find ways to keep improving it but overall, it seems to be working.

Next, I might start doing a What are you reading? type post to share all of the great nonfiction I find.  Often, I don't have time to review everything I read, but I would like to give more attention to books that I have enjoyed and want to share with others.  I will share these separate from my Monday What are you reading? posts, especially when I have a lot of titles to talk about.

Finally, I want to do more posts that feature a collection of books around a similar topic and include links to various resources or ideas of how to use them in the classroom.  I tried it recently with the post for The Sea Turtle Scientist.  It seemed to work.  So I am trying it again.  Let me know with these new posts what is helpful and what you would love to see more of as a teacher or librarian or parent.

If you are looking for the link to the Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday Widget please go here, and check out my post about Tracking Trash, and Plastic Ahoy!