Jean Craighead George ~ Author Study - Eva Varga

Earlier this week, the kiddos and I cuddled up in bed and read numerous books by one of my favorite authors, Jean Craighead George. Before we began, I reminded them of the chapter book I read aloud to them during the summer, My Side of the Mountain. I asked them to tell me a few things they could remember. I was pleased with how much they could recall. It was certainly a book that we all enjoyed.

I then showed them the stack of books that I had checked out from the library, “All of these books were written by the same author. Would you be interested in listening to me read these books right now?” They replied with an exhuberant, “Yeah!”

• To Climb a Waterfall
• Firestorm
• Nutik, the Wolf Pup
• Snow Bear
• Morning, Noon and Night

Before we began each new title, I asked each of them, “What do you think this book is going to be about? Use the picture on the cover and the title to help you.” This really helped to set the tone and build anticipation for the book. We also read more about the author on her website. When we finished we took a vote and we all agreed that Fire Storm was our favorite. I believe this is partly due to the fact that the kids have had experience white water rafting AND we live in Central Oregon and have seen the damage of recent forest fires. The first year we moved here, in fact, the area we live in now was on alert for evacuation.

The author study has been a great way to diverge from our current studies. We will definitely continue to do this regularly. My plan is to alternate with author and illustrator studies. I’m very excited about the possibilities that this opens up. In fact, I have also created a Squidoo Lens in an effort to encourage other families to do the same.