Local Author Inspires Imaginations
Boulder author Elaine Pease was on campus this week to inspire and celebrate young writers. She spent Wednesday with students in the Lower School discussing her five books and how she gets her ideas.
Boulder author Elaine Pease was on campus this week to inspire and celebrate young writers. She spent Wednesday with students in the Lower School discussing her five books and how she gets her ideas.
At a presentation to Grades K-2, Elaine read from her newest book, Safe at Last. The nonfiction chapter book was inspired by her love of horses and her volunteer work with Colorado Horse Rescue in Longmont. Each of the six chapters tells the story of a horse whose life was changed by rescue and adoption.
The book took two years to write from the first idea to publication. Elaine spent most of the time doing research on horses and interviewing the families who adopted the six horses featured in the book.
She also shared Even Sharks Need Friends, a book about accepting others for who they are. "I wanted to write a book about friendship, but with a twist," Elaine says. "I came up with the idea of an unlikely pair - a sea urchin and a hammerhead shark – who become best friends even though they have very little in common."
Later in the day, Elaine had lunch with four students from Grade 3, winners of a writing contest in library class. Librarian Ashleigh Finn explains, "I gave students a writing prompt: 'If you could bring any book character to life, who would it be and why?'"
One student from each Grade 3 class was selected for his or her descriptive and creative writing piece. Congratulations to Kash Austin, Casey Eidson, Caitlin Mahoney and Lucie Pease.
Elaine also met with Mrs. Pease's third grade class to discuss the writing process before another presentation to all of Grade 3. She talked about the magic "What if?" question that can generate imaginative story ideas.
"I love presenting to younger students because they are so fresh and have such original ideas," says Elaine. "It's also entertaining and inspirational for me, because they ask great questions and are so creative."
In the end, Ashleigh reminded students, "Each of you is an author who is capable of writing a wonderful story." GO write!
At a presentation to Grades K-2, Elaine read from her newest book, Safe at Last. The nonfiction chapter book was inspired by her love of horses and her volunteer work with Colorado Horse Rescue in Longmont. Each of the six chapters tells the story of a horse whose life was changed by rescue and adoption.
The book took two years to write from the first idea to publication. Elaine spent most of the time doing research on horses and interviewing the families who adopted the six horses featured in the book.
She also shared Even Sharks Need Friends, a book about accepting others for who they are. "I wanted to write a book about friendship, but with a twist," Elaine says. "I came up with the idea of an unlikely pair - a sea urchin and a hammerhead shark – who become best friends even though they have very little in common."
Later in the day, Elaine had lunch with four students from Grade 3, winners of a writing contest in library class. Librarian Ashleigh Finn explains, "I gave students a writing prompt: 'If you could bring any book character to life, who would it be and why?'"
One student from each Grade 3 class was selected for his or her descriptive and creative writing piece. Congratulations to Kash Austin, Casey Eidson, Caitlin Mahoney and Lucie Pease.
Elaine also met with Mrs. Pease's third grade class to discuss the writing process before another presentation to all of Grade 3. She talked about the magic "What if?" question that can generate imaginative story ideas.
"I love presenting to younger students because they are so fresh and have such original ideas," says Elaine. "It's also entertaining and inspirational for me, because they ask great questions and are so creative."
In the end, Ashleigh reminded students, "Each of you is an author who is capable of writing a wonderful story." GO write!
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Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
