NEWS! Joanne’s newest middle grade novel FLEABRAIN LOVES FRANNY is a 2015 Bank Street College Book of the Year and a Sydney Taylor Notable Book.
Fun Facts 1. My current cat was the Mews for my novel THE FIVE LIVES OF OUR CAT ZOOK.
2. I make the best bread you’ve ever tasted. Ditto for strawberry jam.
3. Since I was a little girl, I have kept every letter I have ever received through snail mail.
4.I played the drums in my high school band.
5. I often work in my pajamas.
Joanne Rocklin Author
Recent Titles Fleabrain Loves Franny (Abrams),The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook (Abrams), One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street (Abrams), For Your Eyes Only! (Scholastic), Strudel Stories (Delacorte),
Presentations My school visits channel my former elementary school teacher self! The interactive presentation is entitled "Everything I know About Writing I've Learned from my Cats!" Really. I use a hand puppet (even with older grades), tell personal stories about my writing childhood, and use a computer with my own projector to show a jazzy slideshow which includes music and video. I reveal The Secrets of Every Writer, focusing on idea-gathering, the use of memory and sensory detail and research, and development from rough manuscript through edits, to book. Younger children also learn about book development, and they help me read my early readers.
Writing Workshops may include writing exercises in which students gather stories from memories by drawing maps of their own neighborhood. Or Fish for Inspiration for story ideas. Or use their senses to enrich their writing.
Talks for adults focus on similar themes. I also love expounding on my ideas relating the various genres of children's literature to children's developmental stages. (Here I channel my former clinical psychologist self! Please see my interview with Michelle Markel on the Home page of my website.)
I have also been thoroughly enjoying my Skype visits, tailored to an audience’s needs.
Accolades I was very impressed by your preparedness, your classroom management skills, and your ability to 'work a room' using different props and media to appeal to all different kinds of student-learners. I honestly feel like I learned a lot of tricks from you! ...Thank you for all your energy, humor, and creativity. - Natasha
I loved that you had a mini-video embedded in your presentation! - Selena
My students enjoyed your visit thoroughly, as did I. Thank you for sharing the Secrets of Writers.They are still talking about your writing workshop, and sharing stories from their own neighborhoods, based on the neighborhood map you had them create. - Teacher