Valerie Bolling Visits
“How are your hands up before I even ask my question,” visiting author Valerie Bolling asked the group of Meadow Pond Elementary’s kindergarten, first and second-grade students. “Can you read my mind?” she teased.
The children had so much to share, inspired by Bolling’s rhyming stories and inviting questions, that the program could have gone on all day!
The author visit was set up by Meadow Pond PTO’s Enrichment Committee to coincide with the school’s Book Fair. Bolling's engaging presentation also kindled the creativity of her young audience, reminding them that they, too, were authors, artists and musicians.
Bolling began by asking students why it is important that they know how to read. “For information, because it takes you to new places … because it’s fun!” were some of their responses.
Before Bolling read her new book “Bing, Bop, Bam: Time to Jam!” to the children, she told them they’d meet a lot of instruments from around the world including the erhu, a Chinese stringed instrument; the djembe, drums from West Africa; and maracas, shakers found in Caribbean music.
Hands went up immediately; the students had experiences to share.
There was time for one more read-aloud. Bolling chose “The Gold Bowl,” new from her Scholastic Acorn early reader series Rainbow Days. The educator and author knew the Meadow Pond students would relate to the yarn, glitter and paint her main character Zoya used. “What materials do you like to use to make things?” she asked her audience.
Clay, paper and twigs were some of their exuberant answers.
After a round of applause, students left the cafeteria brimming with ideas for what the stories they would write, instruments they would play and art they would create.