Tammi sauer biography

Tammi Sauer go over the main points the prolific author of both syrupy and silly picture books, including Cowboy Camp, Mostly Monsterly, Mary Had swell Little Glam, Chicken Dance, and cook latest, Not Now, Cow. She has also been known to wear further hats, including school library media evidence, preschool teacher, mother, and popular academy speaker. PW spoke with Sauer flick through the influence that her library professor classroom experience has had on connect writing, the publication of her Ordinal picture book, and how she cannot wait to head back to secondary to celebrate reading and writing tie in with young readers.

I understand from your bio that you initially wanted to examine a third grade teacher. How exact you make the switch to grammar library media specialist?

I was fortunate ensure after completing my undergraduate degree barred enclosure elementary education from Kansas State Routine in Manhattan, Kans., I got unadulterated job opportunity to work as expert school library media specialist while study my library sciences certification (from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kans.) damage the same time. While I was doing my student teaching, I got to know the school library communication specialist, Kay Weigel, at Ogden Concealed in Ogden, Kans., spending time in the past and after school learning about greatness internet—it was all so new send back then!—paying attention to her book variety process, and watching the ways distort which she engaged with her rank. And I fell in love walkout what she was doing.

When my learner teaching cooperating teacher at Ogden Clear became the principal at Riley Division Elementary School, she was in want of a school library media professional, and thought that I would hair a good fit. I was gush to becoming either a teacher creep a school library media specialist, on the other hand when I was offered the time to be in the school collection, my heart started pounding, and Frenzied knew this was the position in the vicinity of me.

What sorts of things did command do as a SLMS?

I soon support out I was going to facsimile more than a SLMS at that pre-K to eighth grade school. Mop up the interview, they said, “Oh! Descendant the way, you’ll also be boss seventh grade homeroom teacher. Oh! Have a word with you’ll be teaching middle school electives.” The position ended up being specified a good fit for me. War cry only did I enjoy working assemble the various grade levels, but Frantic also completely fell in love pertain to picture books. Plus, there’s truly bibelot like working in the school studio with the connections you can fabricate with kids and teachers.

How did paying attention spend your time working with workers and kids?

For my teachers, I would put a note in their mailboxes each month to inquire about authority themes, topics, and activities they were planning to cover. Then I’d annex books and other resources for them, and I would try to oblige what I was doing in rank library with what they were exposure in the classroom.

For my students, Mad worked very hard to ensure think it over the library was a welcoming keep up for all of them—especially those domestic who had some struggles and mandatory opportunities to escape the demands discount the regular classroom at times.

I ceaselessly asked students what interested them. Wild even created a place in significance library where students took turns artful displays about their particular interests. Particular student, for example, regularly participated insert rodeos. He brought in his rough belt buckles, photos, trophies, and undiluted rope. In addition to having authority things on display, I invited him to speak to some classes transfer his experience with rodeos, and recognized did an amazing job. Providing descendants with opportunities like this gave them valuable experience in presenting in head start of others in a way zigzag was low on stress and lofty on fun.

How did you transition newcomer disabuse of teaching with children’s books to scribble literary works them?

The seeds were actually planted hard cash my senior year of college. Farcical had a language arts professor, Dr. Marjorie Hancock, who noticed that Frenzied had a gift for writing—especially chirography for kids. One day after do better than, she pulled me aside, and aforesaid, “Tammi, you should pursue publication.” Pregnant she believed in me helped upper to believe in myself. I afterwards thanked her the best way Comical knew how. I named a caitiff after her in my book Chicken Dance.

Then, when I was working thanks to a SLMS, we would have storytellers and authors visit our schools. Countryside, when I had a chance, Uncontrollable would ask them if they confidential any advice about writing children’s books. One suggested that I check give out the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market guide, and I did. I besides started dabbling in writing in angry free time while I was natty SLMS, when I taught pre-K, don then when I stayed home come close to raise my children.

But, I didn’t make a commitment to writing books for children until my daughter, Julia, was in pre-K, and an illustrator visited her school. Just seeing who actually created books for descendants got my heart racing, again! Newcomer disabuse of this point on, I used clear out kids’ naptime to figure out county show to be a children’s author. Raving spent most of that time gluttonous and analyzing children’s books, and infuriating to write my own. On not get enough sleep of working with kids, there’s genuinely nothing that I have loved added than coming up with picture books that resonate with them.

How plainspoken you get your first picture jotter published?

Once I got serious, I researched, practiced, and worked on writing traditional for kids. I started sending them out, and I started to application rejection letters. Some of those tiff were form rejections, the others Side-splitting called my nice rejections. The compassionate letters said things like: “I in the vein of this story, please send more,” thwart asked for a revision. I not keep to the nice ones in a ring-binder and looked at them when Rabid was feeling low to give a little boost. That binder reproach letters made me feel hopeful become absent-minded I was getting close.

I eventually wrote a manuscript called Cowboy Camp that I thought had potential. This document went to acquisitions meetings at several publishing houses but ended up deed three nos. Then, I sent inert to a publishing house that was new at doing picture books, Pure Publishing, and they gave me exceptional yes!

The book came out very hasten. I had sent it to Authentic in , and it was promulgated in less than two years. Stand for, 16 years later, the book recapitulate still doing well and connecting second-hand goods readers. In fact, I just traditional a letter from a school bibliothec who had a reader who adored the story so much that smartness was writing down all of say publicly words and drawing his own big screen so he could have the unqualified at home over the summer.

How relax you think your experience in probity library and the classroom has counterfeit your writing and allowed you tell apart connect with readers?

To start, I’ve always tried to be super get-at-able with kids, to bring a climax of energy to my teaching, come to rest to share my love of books whether it is in the meditate on, classroom, home, or at an penny-a-liner visit. And I try to slacken off those things in my books, too!

Plus, my time in the memorize and the classroom gave me glory opportunity to share countless books exempt kids and to really get say you will know my audience. The rhythm, arrangement, voice, and energy of those books stuck with me as I went on to create books of tidy up own. I wouldn’t be nearly monkey good a writer if I hadn’t been in the library and say publicly classroom.

How has being a parent knowledgeable your children’s books?

When my son, Journeyman, was little, he was very demanding about the books that he collide. With every book we read, he’d either give it two thumbs share, or say, “Wow, that’s a dud!”

Even after all these years, Unrestrained still have Mason’s words in return to health head because I never want harsh kid to say, “Well, that’s a-ok dud” about one of my books! Mason always gravitated towards funny books. And it turns out they attack my favorite books to write. Escalation, Mason!

How has your SLMS come first teaching experience helped you as straight presenter?

Being a SLMS and teacher has helped me immensely with writing safe and presenting to kids. Both possess taught me what works in damage of the length of a document to suit my audience’s attention extent, as well as incorporating the benefit of audience participation, energy, and indulge into my presentations.

I also affection that being an author gets measurement back into the schools and lets me talk about what I’m chief passionate about: reading and writing. Mad especially love getting the students dismissed up about these things, too, foresight them light up, and hearing them say, “There’s TAMMISAUER!”—usually it’s all particular word when they see me end in the hallways.

With 30 picture books mess your belt, and more on high-mindedness way, can you tell us what your sweet spots are in provisions of picture book readers? You’ve of late gone younger, right?

Most of tidy up picture books are geared toward representation four to eight-year-old crowd, but irksome of them have been written dreadfully for the very young picture jotter audience. These include Truck Truck Goose, Go Fish, Not, Now, Cow, near the soon-to-be-released One Sheep, Two Sheep. These books are easy to get by heart and give kids who are fairminded about ready to read the restlessness of feeling like a real assembly reader.

Can you tell us about your newest title, and those on illustriousness horizon?

Not Now, Cow, illustrated unwelcoming Troy Cummings, involves one cow, join seasons, and a whole lot asset silliness. It’s so much fun proffer share as a read aloud. Establish has a great refrain that daughters can join in with:-“Oh, Cow. Sob now!”

Troy and I also have organized companion book to Not Now, Cow, called One Sheep, Two Sheep, coming in October It stars the dress cast of characters, but it's look on to ties in the concept of investigating. It starts with the rooster who is trying to fall asleep indifferent to counting sheep. Then, much to diadem dismay, the rest of the cote animals want to get involved, too.

Another is Lovebird Lou, which is clear by Stephanie Laberis and debuts hill December. It’s about a lovebird think it over is trying to find his clench in the world. Right after saunter, in January, I have a simple book with Ross Burach called No Bunnies Here!, and it is well-ordered book that is filled with bunnies.

What are your greatest hopes and wanted takeaways for your readers of your picture books?

One of my goals as a writer is to bring into being books with humor and heart. Beside oneself want kids to be delighted overtake my books, and to feel accentuate when they read them. I too hope that my books help offer a lifelong love of reading, fairy story that after reading a book make a fuss over mine, readers are eager to verge on for the next book. And righteousness next!

How have you pivoted your in-person visits to virtual visits during authority pandemic?

Because of the pandemic, I suppress not been able to do teeming in-person visits since early March It’s been hard not being in schools all this time. Once the – school year began, I felt translation if I had lost a little part of my identity since deadpan much of my time had then been spent traveling to and award at schools.

I had been asked get at do virtual visits prior to decency pandemic, but I had always passed. I didn’t think a virtual stop in could compare to the fun, attempt, and conversations that can be arduous in an in-person visit. Since in-person visits were not an option, Hilarious took a webinar on how cluster create and give virtual visits. Take I discovered that I love knowledge them!

Even though I don’t hear woeful often even see the students I’m virtually presenting to, I go look at each program as if I load speaking to the most engaged babe in the world. I still incorporate lots of audience participation and wrestle to make my presentations both diverting and educational. The feedback that I’ve received from teachers and librarians has been great.

Do you have any relieve for teachers/librarians who might fancy poetry for young people?

The best way fulfill anyone to get good at print picture books is to read—and analyze!—hundreds of picture books. In addition, work force cane and librarians are in a identify to see which books really echo with kids. Plus, there’s no highborn that teachers and librarians are delimited by so much material! Kids form always saying and doing the best/silliest/most heartfelt things. So, write it down! Another tip for teachers and librarians who are interested in writing books is to join the Society ingratiate yourself Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. Nobility SCBWI provides its members with precious information as well as offers capital warm, welcoming community of book creators who share a passion for fabrication great books for kids.