Picture Book Wednesday: Blue Chicken

If you've read our last few posts, you'll know that Amy and I attended Nerd Camp in Parma Michigan a few weeks ago. I cannot stress enough how wonderful this PD is for educators. It is superior to anything I have ever attended.  And it's FREE!

I volunteered to be a group leader for Nerd Camp Jr. I had done this two years prior when my eldest daughter came to Nerd Camp, and assumed I would be paired with Charlotte. After seeing Charlotte be Miss Independent, I was thrilled to be paired with 2nd graders. One of our authors/illustrators? Deborah Freedman. I was extremely lucky to talk with Deborah, Lauren Castillo and John Schu earlier in the afternoon. Her book, Scribble, was a favorite among my former students and I have her book by mouse and frog. A downside (for your bank account) of attending Nerd Camp is buying/ordering books. I ordered Blue Chicken, The Story of Fish and Snail and her two forthcoming books, Shy and This House, Once.

In her session with the children, Ms. Freedman first read aloud Blue Chicken.  In this meta-fiction book, a picture is almost complete. A chicken tries to help, but she ruins the whole picture by spilling blue paint everywhere. Freedman does a great job of expressing the anger of the animals in this illustration. This book is funny upon the first read and one of those books that I know I will find new things within the illustrations as I read it again and again.

What could be more awesome than hearing a story, having the author demonstrate their process and then trying it yourself? Nothing.

Thank you to Deborah Freedman and all the other authors and illustrators who have come to NErDCamp over the years for free to work with educators and children.

Shy will be released on September 27, 2016.

This House, Once will be released on February 28, 2017.