Lola M. Schaefer is one prolific author. She has written over 260 books for children amd twelve resources for teachers! I am thrilled to interview Lola about her new picture book, Just One Bite.
What inspired you to write this story?
I've always been fascinated with animals and have spent a lot of time observing them in nature and at zoos. It's amazing to me how much any animal can eat in one bite.
When and how did you start writing for children?
As a classroom teacher, I saw the impact of good literature on my students. Not only did I read to them every day, but I spent hours in the bookstores reviewing books that would enhance our classroom library and help me teach social studies, science and math. About that same time along came our two sons and my husband and I were reading to them constantly. Again, I watched which books grabbed their interest. The more I read, the more I knew that I wanted to write a children's book. Like any other eager writer I attended several writing conferences. Meanwhile, I kept working on my craft. Some of what I wrote was pretty good. Most wasn't. But I kept reading, listening to editors and authors and writing. That was twenty-five years ago. I began publishing regularly in 1999 and it's been a lively journey ever since.
What are some of your favorite children’s books that you'd like to recommend?
It feels sinful to only reference a few since I have so many favorites, but here goes. I think Lois Ehlert has contributed so much to children's literature and I especially like WAITING FOR WINGS. I'm a big fan of Eve Bunting and I adore her book RUDI'S POND. Laura Vaccaro Seeger's voice is fresh and her writing is spot-on for that youngest reader/listener. I think her DOG AND BEAR is the new FROG AND TOAD for this next generation. And right now, I'm head-over-heels for THE DUNDERHEADS by Paul Fleischman. Clever humor!
What are you working on now?
This month and next I need to complete a book for teachers of grades 2-4 on how to teach informational writing. Of course, I'm never working on just one project at a time, so I'm also crafting another unusual animal concept for Chronicle Books, the publisher of JUST ONE BITE. And, I have to admit that a new picture book idea just popped into my head this past week. It's simmering in the background, and that's always good.
What is your favorite dessert and why?
Butterscotch cream pie. It's heaven in just one bite!
Bio: As a classroom teacher for eighteen years, Lola shared the best of children’s
literature with her students. She saw the power of language and began writing with her students on a daily basis. Today, Lola provides workshops for students and teachers on the writing process, writers’ workshop, genre and the craft of writing. She believes that “Authentic writing offers children opportunities for self-expression and purposeful communication.”
In addition to her work in classrooms, Lola writes for teachers and children. She has published twelve professional resources with Scholastic and more than 260 books for children including Frankie Stein (Marshall Cavendish) which received the 2008 Children’s Choice Book Award, as well as the HarperCollins I Can Read series about Mittens and An Island Grows (Charlotte Zolotow honor book) published by Greenwillow Press.
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