My Author

The author I chose was Tom Birdseye. I really wanted to pick an author that I wasn't really familiar with. I looked at his website, http://www.tombirdseye.com/, and decided that he looked very interesting. I love the fact that he talks about how he never liked school and was a horrible writer and speller. Now he is an accomplished writer who travels to tell his story and to give writing tips. I thought his website was very informative and well laid out. I like the fact that you can read about each one of his books including his inspiration, awards the book has won, and a passage straight out of the book. I feel like Birdseye is a very interesting person who enjoys the outdoors and writes his books more toward the male population. I think this is great because boys are usually more difficult to get into reading.

I read his novel "Tarantula Shoes". This book was a typical book for any child, geared more towards boys. The boy in the book moved to a new town and is going to begin junior high. This in itself is scary enough but now he has to be at an entirely new school. The story is about him wanting a specific pair of shoes. He believes that these shoes will help him be cool at his new school. I think all children can relate to this situation in one way or another. Trying to fit in and be 'normal' seems to be the goal of the majority of children. I think that Birdseye captured real emotions for his readers in this book.

I also read his "Soap! Soap! Don't Forget the Soap!" book. This was an adorable book about a boy who is forgetful. I feel like children will find this book humorous and it enjoy it. I did of course. The poor boy gets himself into some trouble because he cannot remember what his mother sent him to the store for. The story plays out nicely and he remembers why he is there. I think children of all ages will appreciate the quirky nature of this book. The illustrations are also quirky. They provide a great image for the reader to supplement the story.

Another book I looked at was 'Under Our Skin'. This is a nonfiction book about different children and their stories. This book is very interesting and sheds good light on different races. I think that it is a very informational book and a good way to address the topic of race with children. For enjoyment purposes, maybe not so much. The book does have great photos though. I think that this topic is a good one to address and that this is a good way to do it.

The last thing I wanted to mention about Tom Birdseye was that I enjoyed reading this interview with him, http://writingforchildren.suite101.com/article.cfm/an_interview_with_childrens_author_tom_birdseye