COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on educational systems. Now that kids are learning remotely and educators are scrambling to adjust to online platforms, I want to make it as easy as possible for my books to be useful. To that end, I have compiled some of the most helpful book-specific connections in one place. * Please… Read more »
Like most authors, my goal is to write stories that resonate with young readers and adult readers alike. In the case of Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness, I hoped that kids would be inspired when they learned about how one person (and one horse) can make a profound… Read more »
Abraham Lincoln’s Dueling Words Much has happened within the last month. The book launch trailer for Abraham Lincoln’s Dueling Words released, which makes me all kinds of giddy. Then, on April 1, the book itself hit bookstore shelves. I hope you will get your own copy from your favorite independent bookstore and share it with the young… Read more »
I am immensely honored that Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness has been named to the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list for 2018-19. Many hundreds (500-700?) of books are considered before the twenty finalists are chosen for this list. What a thrill! Thank you, Texas librarians! Thank you,… Read more »
The most difficult part of writing nonfiction is deciding what to leave out of my narrative. In Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness, it was especially painful to leave out super-cool details and anecdotes. Kids ask me about behind-the-scenes goodies at almost every school I visit, so I decided… Read more »
UPDATE: PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM NOT INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE, AND I DO NOT RECEIVE UPDATES ABOUT ITs PRODUCTION. THE MOVIE IS BASED ON THE BOOK, BEAUTIFUL JIM KEY: THE LOST HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S SMARTEST HORSE, BY MIM EICHLER RIVAS. I’m as eager as you are, but I cannot answer move-related questions. That… Read more »
Next week brings the 2017 Texas Library Association conference in San Antonio, Texas. I look forward to the event every year. If you’ll be there, please find me and say hello. Below is my schedule. Stay tuned for more information about my latest co-venture with authors Cynthia Levinson and Susan Kralovansky, NARRATIVE ARChaeology: Teaching Kids… Read more »
I had an interesting conversation recently about how I thought Beautiful Jim Key was “educated” or trained to exhibit his remarkable skills. I was asked if I believe that Jim learned the way a child would learn, or if I thought there might have been some undetected cues from Doc. Since Step Right Up: How… Read more »
When I first learned that Daniel Minter had signed on to illustrate Step Right Up, I was over the moon excited. I was already a fan of his work. As is typical, we did not have contact during the years-long process of evolving the manuscript into a book. Except that I did introduce myself to… Read more »
Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness has received such lovely attention since its October release. A list of some of those accolades and reviews can be found on the book’s dedicated page on this site. Thank you to all who have supported and embraced Doc and Jim’s story…. Read more »
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