I’ll be reading at San Carlos Library Saturday 4/29/2017. Storytime is from 10:30am to 11:00am. My book ‘Spring’ is one of the three featured books.
Armadillos Amble by Jeannine Gerkman
My upcoming book has twenty-six two-word sentences from A to Z in the form of a rhyming poem. Each sentence is an animal doing an action matching its letter. At the bottom of each page is a description of the action (verb) and a fun fact about the animal.
I’m doing the illustrations myself using Book Creator on my I-Pad.
For example, under “Armadillos amble’, the page reads: “To walk slowly. Armadillos don’t see very well. They wander around and when an armadillo finds food (like ants in an anthill), he uses his long sticky tongue to chow down.”
Armadillos amble. Bears browse. Camels cuddle. Donkeys drowse.
Elephants eat. Foxes flop. Giraffes glide. Horseflies hop.
Ibex itches. Jaguars jump. Kangaroo kicks. Lemurs lump.
Monkeys mimic. Nenes nod. Owls ogle. Puppies plod.
Quails quiver. Rhinos relax. Snails slither. Tiger tracks.
Uriel ungulates. Viper vexes. Whale whooshes. Exmoor exits.
Yaks yawn. Zebras zag.
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman and Henning Koch
This isn’t a picture book, but it was SO delightful, I just had to share. The heroine of the story is an 7 year old whose fiercest friend is her crazy grandmother who has created an entire world with her bedtime stories. It made me laugh so hard, my sides hurt. There is a similar feel as “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee – young children trying to make sense of a difficult world. It completely drew me in, I didn’t stop reading until I reached the end. It is a very satisfying book.
An Egg is Quiet
This beautifully crafted book (written by Dianna Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long) educates about all kinds of eggs with gorgeous pictures and fascinating facts. The education is done so artfully, you don’t even know you’re being taught.
“An Egg is Quiet” captures the hushed awe of these exquisite vessels of life. Young and old alike will pore over the illustrations with delight!
Love Monster
Love Monster by Rachel Bright is a delight to read aloud. It tells the story of a decidedly uncute, unfluffy monster who just wants someone to love him as he is (googly-eyed and all). His search takes him ‘high, low, and middle-ish’ as we go along the journey with him.
At some point, everyone feels left out and insecure. This story gives hope that somehow, somewhere we will find someone who will love us just the way we are. The illustrations are delightfully colorful with just the right amount of detail. Pre-schoolers will love pointing out the colors of the cute fluffy animals, and sighing “poor monster” along with the reader.
ROAR – REACH OUT AND READ
Last year, I signed up to volunteer to read to small children through Reach Out and Read . To qualify to become a volunteer in the hospital system has required quite a number of steps; i.e., application, interview, TB tests, immunization updates and proof, flu shot, background check, orientation, and badge.
It took some time, but I now have my volunteer badge and am official! My first day reading to the kids at Eastmont Children’s Clinic (part of the Alameda Health System) is today, January 9, 2017.
Something about ROAR (from their website):
‘Reach Out and Read is a nonprofit organization that gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.
The Reach Out and Read evidence-based program builds on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers to develop critical early reading skills in children, beginning in infancy. As recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Reach Out and Read incorporates early literacy into pediatric practice, equipping parents with tools and knowledge to ensure that their children are prepared to learn when they start school.
Reach Out and Read serves nearly 4.5 million children and their families annually. Reach Out and Read families read together more often, and their children enter kindergarten with larger vocabularies and stronger language skills. During the preschool years, children served by Reach Out and Read score three to six months ahead of their non-Reach Out and Read peers on vocabulary tests. These early foundational language skills help start children on a path of success when they enter school.’
What a wonderful way to help children get a good start in life! I’m delighted to add my small part.
How I Became a Poet & Author
Many of you have been writing since you were youngsters, but I never thought that would be my destiny, and didn’t realize I had such a fire burning inside me until about five years ago. As some of you know, I took care of my mother-in-law in our home. She suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, vertigo, osteoporosis, and could not leave her bed. She required 24-hour care and cried out “Help Me” continually unless asleep or actively engaged. She shook constantly, didn’t know who we were, didn’t know she’d been married or had had children; she couldn’t even answer a question. It frustrated her when the words she wanted to say were ever so elusive. My heart went out to her, and I tried to figure out a way to help her communicate and to bring her comfort.
Through trial and error, I found that reading rhyming children’s picture books aloud was the ticket. When I read these books to her, she would be calm, laugh at the same places, and feel joy and comfort. So I made up silly rhymes to talk to her. Amazingly, when prompted, she could come up with the word that rhymed. That delighted both of us and unlocked a secret part in my brain that allowed me to write in verse. It was through poetry that I came to join the San Francisco/Peninsula California Writer’s Club.
I look forward to a wonderful 2017 and wish the same for you and your dear ones!
–Jeannine Gerkman, Author, Poet, Realtor
Newsletter Editor, SF/Peninsula Newsletter January 2017
Corduroy
This is such a beautiful book, it makes me tear up every time I read it. Named one of the School Library Journal’s “Top 100 Picture Books” of all time; it definitely lives up to that accolade. There is a deftly subtle underlying theme that resonates with all of us – we don’t have to be perfect to be loved. In fact, our imperfections sometimes are what makes us most endearing. A book to treasure and read over and over.
California Writer’s Club collaborates with Barnes & Noble on a Book Fair
So exciting to be a part of CWC SF/Peninsula’s first Book Fair at Barnes & Noble. This is me with my fellow authors ready to sign our books and promote literacy here in San Mateo County. Our Book Fair continues through December 8, 2016. You can go to ANY Barnes & Noble (and online at bn.com) and purchase ANY book, DVD, or CD; enter Bookfair ID 12030052, from now until 12/8/16 and our branch of CWC will receive 10% of the proceeds! It’s a WIN, WIN! No cost to you and that warm fuzzy feeling of doing good for the community.
Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is a classic on every sense of the word. Can you believe it was written over 50 years ago! It was re-released by Harper Collins Publishers as a Fiftieth Anniversary Edition in 2014. Such a wonderful book! My favorite part is when Max’s bedroom turns into a forest. Right then and there, I knew I was in for a treat. This is a fun one to read out loud too. No library should be without it. Delicious.
jeanninegerkman 
