Friday, February 1, 2008

Virtual Book Tour: Day 1



Welcome to my Virtual Book Tour! I’m glad you’ve joined me to celebrate the release of my newest picture book, D IS FOR DRINKING GOURD: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN ALPHABET.

For today’s stop on Day 1 of the tour, we’ll be visiting the California Readers site. Click on the link to stop and visit. This past fall at the CSLA (California School Library Association) conference, I met Bonnie O’Brian when she stopped by the Cengage Learning booth where I was doing a book signing for D is for Drinking Gourd with Sleeping Bear Press. Bonnie graciously asked me for an interview and added me to their list of California authors! What an encouraging organization they have for authors and illustrators who all hail from California! And what a great bridge they’re building between books and kids and schools. Isn’t that what children’s books are all about?

Also be sure to check out author Anastasia Suen’s blog where she lists “blogs of the week” and more!

Just for Kids:
Kids from classrooms in different states of our country have been sending me questions to answer during my Virtual Book Tour. One question a lot of kids want to know is, “What’s it like to be an author?” Personally, I think it’s the best hobby someone can have. It’s fun! It’s also the best job anyone can have, too, because you get to do what you love the most all day long! When I was a kid, I loved math and as an author I get to write about math! I like stories and adventure and history and people, and as an author I get to write about it all. To find out more about what it’s like to be an author, keep checking in each day on the tour.

Today’s Trivia Question:
Which famous scientist was also an artist?
a. Shirley Jackson, first African American woman awarded her doctorate from MIT
b. Earl Shaw, researcher and developer working on electron laser
c. George Washington Carver, researcher and teacher at Tuskegee Institute
Submit your answer by posting it as a comment on today’s blog. Your name will be put in a hat to be drawn for 5 prizes to give away at the end of the tour. Check back in tomorrow for the answer!

Top Ten African American Heroes:
Who is your favorite African American hero?
Submit your suggestion by posting a comment on today’s blog. Your name will be put in a hat to be drawn for 5 prizes to give away at the end of the tour. I’ll post the most popular ten suggestions later in the week.

Coming tomorrow:
On Day 2 of my Virtual Book Tour, I’ll post a link to obtain a free downloadable teacher’s guide/activity guide for D IS FOR DRINKING GOURD. Perfect for classroom or homeschool use, this guide contains lots of fun and educational activities for kids to do to help learn more about African American history.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Terrific article about D is for Drinking Gourd and you, Nancy, in today's San Bernardino SUN....right on the front page of the Inland Living section...really nice photos, too. Everyone who can should check it out. Congratulations! Marge

Gloria McQueen Stockstill said...

Nancy, congratulations on your virtual tour! I have D is for Drinking Gourd and encourage others to purchase it. It is very informative and the drawings are absolutely beautiful.
Gloria

Carol M. said...

Nancy...I'm looking forward to everyday this month! This is exciting...thanks!

Nancy I. Sanders said...

Thanks, Marge! I'm looking forward to seeing the paper!

Nancy I. Sanders said...

Thanks, too Gloria! It's fun to know you are enjoying the book.

Nancy I. Sanders said...

How exciting that you're joining the tour, Carol. Glad to have you on board!