NEWS RELEASES > SEPTEMBER 15, 2021
MCHENRY, Ill., Sept. 15, 2021 — Children’s author Peter H. Reynolds, who is in the spotlight today with the global celebration of International Dot Day, will soon be participating in a live video conference with one lucky classroom, thanks to the Write to Connect program from Follett School Solutions.
Reynolds, author of “The Dot” that serves as the inspiration for International Dot Day, will connect with students whose classroom is randomly selected as the winner of a giveaway open now and running through Sept. 30. Write to Connect, which debuted last year, asks students to send questions to an author about his or her book. Six classrooms are randomly selected as winners with one chosen to participate in a live Zoom conference call with Reynolds.
After the winners have been announced, Follett will send each classroom one copy of “The Dot,” the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to make her mark in life. Teachers will read the book to their students and have them submit letters to Reynolds along with questions. He will respond with a personalized letter and recorded video.
Reynolds is the third author to participate in Write to Connect. Dan Santat, author of “After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again,” and Jessika von Innerebner, author of “Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows,” kicked off the program, which falls under the larger Follett All Books for All Kids initiative.
“I am laughing and crying all at once,” Innerebner said upon reading the students’ letters. “This is so special and I’m touched by all these awesome kids. I’m grateful for all their questions, suggestions, support, and likes and dislikes. I love it all!”
Teachers interested in entering the free Write to Connect giveaway by the Sept. 30 deadline should visit www.allbooksforallkids.com/authors/write-to-connect for complete information.
“There are many benefits to the students participating in this process,” said Kristen Zack, first-grade teacher at Elizabeth Shelton School in Shelton, Conn., whose classroom won the contest with Santat. “They are learning how to write letters and how to have ‘book chats’ where they discuss their thoughts about the book they are reading. They also were having to think about what they wanted to ask an author and they came up with very thoughtful and meaningful questions.”
Britten Follett, CEO of Content for Follett School Solutions, applauded Jennifer Parisi, a third-grade teacher in Barrington, Illinois, for inspiring Write to Connect.
“During remote learning last summer, Jen created activities to help her students develop interpersonal connections. Her students communicated with authors whose books they had read in the classroom. We partnered with Jen to scale her idea to schools across the country,” Follett said. “Our current author, Peter Reynolds, is a perfect fit for the program as he is all about making the world a better place and fostering self-expression.”
International Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration, and began when an Iowa teacher introduced his classroom to Reynolds’ “The Dot” book on Sept. 15, 2009.
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Media Contact: Doug Thompson | Thompson Drake Public Relations | 541.419.4471 | doug@thompsondrake.com
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