Tina Woodward

Spring 2005

LS 560

The Best Author and Illustrator Sites on the Web

After browsing the author and illustrator sites listed on the de Grummond page I decided to do a mixture of authors and illustrators. Since I have not decided what age level library I would like to work in, I thought it best to do an assortment of young adult sites and children’s sites. The authors and illustrators I have chosen are: Madeleine L’Engle, Chris Crutcher, Dav Pilkey, Katherine Patterson, Marc Brown, Audrey and Don Wood, Judy Blume, Mike Artell, Tedd Arnold, and Jan Brett. The ranking system for this webliography is simple; at the end of each annotation is a number. A number 1 indicates the absolute best site, while a 10 represents my least favorite site. The sites are listed alphabetically by title.

Bonastra [Online] Available http://www.geocites.com/Athens/Acropolis/8838/. February 9, 2005.

Bonastra is the unofficial website for author Madeleine L’Engle. From the Latin "bonus" and "aster," comes the made-up name "Bonastra" Bonastra is a place stretching far beyond the depths of our imagination, a place depicted by the life and work of Madeleine L’Engle. The site includes links to book reviews, a discussion board, chat rooms, articles by L’Engle, and resources for teachers. The site offered a great discussion board and a nice search tool for finding information on L’Engle’s books. The search tools were powered by two different sources, Bibliofind.com and Advanced Book Exchange. The discussion board is actually referred to as a "discussion community" because community is more inviting. There are two types of communities: The Digest Version and the Regular Version. The Regular Version is a one-post-at-a-time system, while the Digest Version is a daily collection of the posts to the Bonastra community. These are sent out nightly at about 2:00am. The site offered a brief biography of L’Engle, links to several outside biography sketches, and a schedule of speaking events. What I disliked most about the site is the layout. I found the entire set up to be aesthetically displeasing. It displayed difficult to read font (in some areas), and it was not symmetrical. There were no activities or printouts available. It is a for-your-information only website, not extra frills whatsoever. The feature I liked best is the link to her articles. The pages loaded quickly and accurately, not error messages slowing down the searching process. #10

Chris Crutcher’s Authorized Web Site. [Online] Available http://www.aboutcrutcher.com. January 29, 2005.

This massive site contains a plethora of information. Censorship, reviews, awards and honors, plot synopsis, and foreign language translation information are just a few of the high points. Excerpts from some of his speeches, video clips of him interacting with students and a well organized question and answer link make this a top site for young adults. Crutcher has included a lengthy time line concerning the First Amendment. Crutcher lists significant historical events and court cases from 1689-2000 which have helped to shape our view of the First Amendment. I found this website to be organized in an easy to browse fashion. I was also intrigued by the highly technological aspects of the site. Viewers had the ability to watch a number of video clips and listen to excerpts from radio talk shows that Crutcher has recently done. This is a feature that was a lot of fun and I think teenagers will be attracted to the site because of it. Because of its size, it took quite a while to load, but the information was well worth the wait. This is an excellent resource to have for questions concerning censorship, or if you are trying to match a book with a student. Another point of interest on the site is the scrapbook icon. This takes you to a page of notable facts including a picture of Dr. Lesesne’s and Dr. Chance’s Book The Hit List for Young Adults 2: Frequently Challenged Books . Unfortunately, Dr. Chance must have been a little camera shy, because there was only a picture of Dr. Lesesne! An excerpt from the forward Crutcher wrote for the book is available, It is difficult to pinpoint the feature I liked best. I found the information regarding the First Amendment to be quite interesting and educational. #1

Dav Pilkey’s Extra –Crunchy Website O’Fun. [Online] Available http://www.pilkey.com/index.php. February 9, 2005.

I chose this website because so many of my 5^th grade boys are addicted to Captain Underpants. The site looked very similar to the cover of the Captain Underpants books. I think this is good because it is recognizable and immediately grabs the students’ attention. The site features biographical information on Dav Pilkey, a section of games, as well as other books by the author. It also includes an insight into the next book, which I think students will really enjoy. A spin off on Oprah’s book of the month club is available; some might enjoy the idea of reading along with fans everywhere. Pilkey describes the inspiration for the "flip-o-rama" feature in his books, a story most will find enjoyable. Particularly amusing are the titles he gives to the different sections of his web site. For example, Boring Grown-Up stuff is one icon, Duh is the title of another, and Junk, Stuff, and Thingies is my personal favorite. The Duh icon takes you to a humorous web site about a hamster attack and about the illustrator of one of Pilkey’s books. These links have virtually nothing to do with any of the Captain Underpants books, but children will get a good laugh over them. Students will enjoy the printable crossword puzzles, word finds, quizzes, and games that are all related to Pilkey’s books. Overall, the site was very silly and would appeal to upper elementary boys in particular. #9

Judy Blume. [Online] Available http://www.judyblume.com. January 29, 2005.

Judy Blume’s site would be the perfect browsing site for an early middle school student. It provides a ton of biographical information and would be an ideal resource for anyone doing a report on Blume and her work. Beyond the personal information, Blume talks about writing, a lot. The site is full of tips for students who have questions about, or are struggling with the basic writing process. Blume goes through and explains the steps she takes when she first begins to write. This will help students appreciate the number of drafts and the amount of revision necessary to produce a quality piece of writing. The site is also full of advice for serious writers who are interested in getting their work published. In addition to the advice on writing, the website contains excellent reviews and summaries of her books. An aspect that some students will enjoy is the "Did you Know" section. This page is full of incidental trivia regarding many of Blume’s books. For example, did you know that Judy had the title for Freckle Juice... then she had to think up a story to go with it? Or that The Pain and the Great One are Judy’s son and daughter when they are six and eight? There is also information regarding censorship. Many of Judy’s books have been challenged in the past, this page describes her gratitude to her publisher who took a chance on her and her writing because they too saw the benefit it could have for so many young adult readers. The site is user friendly and includes a lot of pictures of Blume and would be an excellent tool for both teachers and students. #2

Katherine Patterson. [Online] Available http://www.terabithia.com/library. January 29, 2005.

This site includes biographical information about Katherine Patterson as well as brief book summaries. The bio sketch is written by Patterson herself, which makes for an interesting read. It explains why she became a writer, at what point in her life she decided to write, and why she loves her career so much. Short abstracts on almost every book she has ever written can be located through this site. By clicking on the book title, you are taken to a page with more detailed information about the book including an excerpt, information about the setting, characters, etc. The link also provides the ISBN number for the book which would be helpful if you are in need of copyright information, or just want to find the book at a store or library. In addition to the abstracts, award information can also be found by clicking on the book’s title. A complete list of every award and honor is listed for each of her books. The links are broken down into the following categories: novels, retellings, Christmas short stories, picture story books, chapter books, non-fiction and essays. Along with these abstracts, there is a lengthy question and answer page. This is where readers can post questions for Patterson. I found this site to be easy to navigate and well organized. It would be most helpful to someone looking for brief plot summaries on a book, or someone who wants to find their next good read. I would estimate that this site would be most appealing to 10-12 year old readers. #7

Mike Artell. [Online] Available http://www.mikeartell.com. January 29, 2005.

Mike Artell is an author, illustrator and TV cartoonist. Visitors to his site will immediately enjoy his video clip advertising his willingness to do school visits. Teachers will notice an icon for a curriculum guide that relates to his many books. Furthermore, teachers will enjoy reading about his workshops designed to show you how to get reluctant writers excited about putting their words on paper. Kids will love the link for learning to draw cartoons. It is a step by step lesson that teaches simple and silly cartoons. I followed the directions for how to draw a baby and completed the process in just four steps. Other options include: how to draw a zebra, frog, cowboy, and many more. From the drawing page, there is a link that takes you to a video arcade. This arcade contains four or five interactive games for kids to play. The games include "Count Weirdly Attacks" and "Weirdly Checkers." There is a link for kids and parents that include Language Arts games such as "Adverbial Puns" and "Anguished Language." There are also links to teacher web sites such as teachnet.com. The illustrations in Petite Rouge were showcased on this site because they recently won a Young Reader’s Choice Award in Louisiana. This is a cool website with amazing graphics that will grab the attention of any visitor. Considering the fancy video clips, I thought the site loaded very quickly and I found the entire page to be easy to maneuver. #6

PBS Kids. [Online] Available http://www.pbskids.org/arthur/games/poetry/index.html. January 29, 2005.

This website would appeal to very young students who are hooked on the Arthur series. The site includes interactive games, printables, poetry to read, and a quick tutorial on writing poetry. The colorful characters will be familiar to fans and is easy for a young child to navigate. An aspect of the site that I found good was at the bottom of the homepage is a small picture of each Arthur character. Children can click on their favorite character and see that character’s own homepage. For example, Sue Ellen’s icon takes you to her personal web site that is full of information just about her. This feature is great for kids who are interested in finding out more about their favorite character. By following the link for teachers and parents, you can view a TV listing page. This page gives you viewing information as well as descriptions for every single Arthur episode on television. Teachers might enjoy reading the Lesson Plans page which incorporate one or more Arthur books with a math, reading, or writing lesson. There is an icon for books which gives a list of every Arthur book published. The list is broken down into picture books and chapter books. I found this to be nice, but would have been more useful if it had provided an abstract for each book, rather than just a list of titles. I think the interactive games are especially cool for young children who are just learning basic computer skills. This is one site parents can feel safe about letting their kids browse. #5

Tedd Arnold. [Online] Available http://www.geocites.com/~teddarnold/. January 29, 2005.

This is an extremely large website that has a lot of information to offer. The first thing to catch my eye was the great pictures. I suppose an illustrator’s web site should have fantastic pictures! The next feature is the questions page. This includes several pages of questions by child fans of Tedd Arnold. Some of his responses are quite witty; you can tell Arnold has a good sense of humor. His site features a look into current works in progress, biographical information, a link to his writing group, and information on how to schedule an author visit. There is a "Kid’s Art Gallery" which features pictures and statements from fans that were sent or given to Arnold over the years. The drawings and comments are adorable. A step-by-step look at how Arnold completes a sketch is provided, but is far too complicated for a novice to complete. It is more of a look at how Arnold himself completes a drawing. It is interesting because you can click on a step # and watch the sketch as it is completed. A look into "Works in Progress" gives a brief summary and a few pictures of Fly Guy, Arnold’s next project. The best aspect of this site is the book synopsis section. There is a brief summary for all of Arnold’s books that really make you interested in the book. This site is meticulously organized and easy to browse, it loads quickly and Arnold’s art work makes it appealing to the eye. #3

The Audrey Wood Clubhouse. [Online] Available http://www.audreywood.com/mac_site/clubhouse_page/clubhouse.htm. February 9, 2005.

This clubhouse was built for youngsters only! The site includes links to popular booklists, activities, games, and a newsletter. There is even an opportunity to "meet the artists and author" through this site. By clicking on Audrey’s link, you find a page that contains mostly biographical information. There are childhood as well as adult photos of her posted and her e-mail address is given here. There is also a link for Don Wood. By clicking this icon you are taken to a page that contains an art gallery showcasing some of his best work as well as a list of his books. By clicking on a book cover, you can view a plot synopsis as well as reviews on the work. Don’s biographical information is also found here and features a lengthy bio sketch and numerous pictures of him in different stages of life. The site also contains a section labeled "Secrets." This page contains interesting facts about the Woods, such as the first book they ever worked on together was called Moonflute. The most spectacular aspect of this website is the activities for children. There is a wide variety of coloring pages, word finds, crossword puzzles, mind benders, and cut and paste items that all relate to one book or another. The pictures that go along with the site are very big and colorful, which will be a big attraction for young eyes. However, this makes loading time very slow. There is a teacher, parent, and librarian page designed to help you explore the free resources available that can help students better experience their children’s books. #8

Welcome to Jan Brett’s Home Page. [Online] Available http://www.janbrett.com. January 29, 2005.

This massive site can be utilized best by teachers and students. The subtitle of the site boasts 2,969 pages of free activities, coloring pages and projects. The biggest aspect about this source is the free printables available. All teachers love things that are free and cute, this site as them all! Everything from calendars to bookmarks to finger puppets. Thematic Units are a big item at this site as well. It is easy to look up a unit title such as "weather" and find all sorts of free print outs to use with your class. You could search this site for days and not hit all aspects of it. Something that is new to Brett’s site are video clips. A link to 15 or 16 video clips about some of her books are given. This page requires Windows Media or compatible program to view. There is a page that allows students to print their own cards and envelopes. Students may select a favorite character from one of her books, or a common symbol to go on the front of their card, they may type text into a window and have their message printed on the card, or print out a blank card and hand write. Kids could write a friend about their favorite Jan Brett book, or simply wish someone a Merry Christmas. The activities cover a wide range of subject areas, but the materials are specific for young elementary classes. This site is definitely geared toward teachers rather than students. There are no interactive games; it is strictly a click and print site. It would be most beneficial as a resource and print out page, rather than an informational website. #4