DEAR EARTH... (+ Erin Dealey) from the 5th graders in Room 3A & Portable E !

It’s blog takeover time–hooray! The 5th graders in Room 3A and Portable E saw Mrs. Pete’s class blog takeover and asked if they could do one too. What fun to zoom and play with words and talk about writing!

Here’s what they had to say:

Dear Erin Dealey,

We read your new book, DEAR EARTH…From Your Friends in Room 5 (Harper Collins/ Illus. Luisa Uribe) and wrote some reviews:

DEAR EARTH…From Your Friends in Room 5 / Erin Dealey/ Interior art by Luisa Uribe / 2020 Harper Collins.

“I liked that it was about kids doing good things for the Earth. I found it interesting that the Earth was thanking them, the Earth won’t send messages but it will still be good for Earth if you do the things the kids in the story did.” –Ryan
“I liked that it was a fun story, but at the same time told you about different ways that you can help the Earth.” –Ellie
“I like that the earth is a character.” –Addy
“The story made me think about the fact that that is why we are in this world.” –Gissell

DEAR EARTH…From Your Friends in Room 5 / Erin Dealey/ Interior art by Luisa Uribe / 2020 Harper Collins.

The book made us think about:

How many things we can do to help our planet, and how much energy I’m using and wasting. –Jadelyn

DEAR EARTH…From Your Friends in Room 5 / Erin Dealey/ Interior art by Luisa Uribe / 2020 Harper Collins.

Earth deserves more love because we take it apart and the animals on the planet suffer because of us and we pollute which is a very bad thing–not only to us but our environment. —Nolan

DEAR EARTH…From Your Friends in Room 5 / Erin Dealey/ Interior art by Luisa Uribe / 2020 Harper Collins.

One day at school at the end of each day, I will go around the whole school picking up trash during the last recess and I will ask the teachers if they want to help. —Nolan
You should care about the environment. —Allora

We have some questions for you!

Qs From Miss Wexler’s class:

1. How long does it take you to make a normal book, if you have been doing it for a while? –Alison

Erin Dealey: It really varies, no matter how long I’ve been doing this. (I’m on my 16th book.) The idea for a story usually comes quickly. Then I play with the story to see where it goes, and then share it with my writing group to get feedback. After that I revise, and then I revise, oh–and then I revise. After that, I send it to my agent, who submits it to editors. Sometimes the editors have revisions or issues which I might fix, even if they reject it. And when I am lucky enough to sign a contract for the story to become a book, you can be sure that editor will have suggestions for revisions, so I will revise again. Then the illustrator gets a full year to complete the illustrations. They say it takes approximately two years from signing the contract for a story to hit the shelves as a published picture book.

2. Have you ever had anyone help you with making a book? –Alison

Erin Dealey: It takes a wonderful team to create each book. My writing group helps by giving me feedback and reading multiple drafts after I revise. I may also send a manuscript to other writer friends for feedback. My agent helps by giving feedback and then submitting it to editors. IF I sign a contract, that editor has a team, including Art director, publicity, marketing. The illustrator makes the world of the book come alive. With DEAR EARTH… we also had a science expert on climate change who made sure my facts were accurate, and Earth’s suggestions as well as the back matter were correctly stated and plausible. Creating a picture book takes team work!

3. What made you finally realize you wanted to be an author? And why did you decide to write children books and not a different type of book? –Jadelyn

Erin Dealey: As a high school Theater teacher, and the Theater director at Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp, I wrote skits and plays for my students as well as plays for elementary classes to perform. My first published play, “The Christmas Wrap Rap,” was in Plays Magazine. One day I picked up a YA novel that someone had left behind in my drama room and thought, I could do this. My mom always said, “You never know until you try.” I decided to try. As for why I chose to write children’s books, I actually feel like they chose me. Maybe it’s because I was a classroom teacher for many years, but the ideas that pop into my brain are for kids your age or younger.

4. How hard is it to publish books? –Jett

Erin Dealey: It’s super fun to actually create a story. I’d say the hardest part about getting it published is the WAITING. If it drives you crazy not to know your grade the second after you turn in an assignment, multiply that times 1,000 and that’s what it’s like. You wait to hear feedback from your writing group. You wait for your agent to submit your manuscript. You wait to hear from the editors who have received it. You wait to hear a YES from one of them. OR you wait for your agent to submit it to other editors. Then you wait for them to reply. Meanwhile, you work on another story. And another. Once you are lucky enough to sign a contract, you wait for the editor’s feedback. You wait to find out who the illustrator will be….Are you getting the picture?

5. Who is your sister?–Alejandro

Erin Dealey: Hahahahaha–did she put you up to this?

——-

Qs From Mrs. Baileys’ class:

1. Do you like video games? -Noah

Erin Dealey: I don’t play video games, Noah, but I do know someone who designs them, and lots of people who love them. Sounds like you do, too. And if you think about it, video games begin with a story. It’s a different form of writing but still very important. Without a good story, the video game wouldn’t be half as much fun, would it?

2. What is your favorite book or book series that wasn’t written by you? -Ellie

Erin Dealey: I’d have to say the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riorden. That is definitely the series I wish I’d written–and absolutely LOVED reading.

3. Have you ever met anyone famous? -Bella

Erin Dealey: Hmmm…yes, depending upon what you mean by famous. I have had the pleasure of meeting amazing authors like Patricia Polacco, Katherine Applegate, and Kwame Alexander. And I met my share of “movie stars” when I worked as an extra in films–but that’s another story—haha. I suppose I have a few famous friends too, but I don’t think of them that way. Also– I’ve met all of YOU, and you may be famous some day too–right?

4. What was the first idea that you ever had for a book? -Liam

Erin Dealey: The first idea I had for a book became GOLDIE LOCKS HAD CHICKEN POX.

GOLDIE LOCKS HAS CHICKEN POX by Erin Dealey, Illus. by Hanako Wakiyama / Atheneum / Simon & Schuster

5. Do you have any cats? -Bella

Erin Dealey: I used to have two cats, Sunshine and Grey Cat. Bet you can’t guess what color fur they had–!

We learned that writing is never wrong, and that writing poetry helps us share what’s important to us. Check out some of our poems:

Writing is never wrong,

Wrong like math can be.

Be yourself, express yourself,

Yourself as you want to be.

Be who you are, be true to yourself,

And you can do impossible things.

Things others can only dream of,

Like flying away with wings.

Or becoming a pirate who sails the seas,

Looking for hidden treasure.

Or traveling the world and visiting Asia,

And walking the Great Wall forever!

Reading is a lot like writing,

Because you can do anything.

You can read about magic and adventures

Otherwise only in your dreams.

Or you can read about history,

Filled with dates and facts,

And read all of the books that you find,

Until you know all about the past.

There are many other kinds of books to read,

Yes, certainly, Of course.

But the real reason I wrote this poem,

That rhymes just like a song,

Is to make sure that none of you, none of you, ever forget,

WRITING IS NEVER WRONG!

by Ellie

—-

I need to find a poem

I don’t think it’s in my home

I need a purpose to do it

I could think of it i knew it

But i couldn’t renew it

I thought and thought

And i still can’t stop doing it

Can someone anyone?

I just need to find a poem.

by Hunter

—-

Music brings everyone together.

The togetherness of everyone really makes me happy.

Happiness is what I feel when I sing songs.

Songs always make me feel better when i’m sad.

Sadness is something that goes away when I sing.

Music brings everyone together.

by Allora

—

Dear Earth,

How you please us

Us is a group of people

People is a group

Groups make you better when clean

Clean is better

dear Earth how you please us.

–by Alejandro

—-

Dear Earth,

You are my home!

Home is my happy place

A happy place is anywhere on earth or in space!

I love earth!

by Addy

—-

Dear Earth,

The place you have given us is amazing,

we take care of it,

we help it,

thank you for what you have gave to us,

The place you have given to us is amazing

by Alison

—-

Dear earth u make us happy

happy makes u happy

universe is home

u are home

u make us happy

by Jett

Poems can be about anything!

Oh, hello there

Oh I gave you a scare

Scare is the cause of nightmares

Nightmares are bad

Bad in the the night

Night, silence dark

Dark full of lurking

Lurking animals

Animals of scare

Scare of a nightmare

Nightmare Of scare

Scare of the night so kids beware

Beware of the night

Night with the scare

by Braxton

—-

Roses are red, Violets are blue

Can i tell my story to you?

Video games keep you entertained

Also bad for you , but i

Don’t play video games a lot.

I am limited

Just like you

Should be nice.

Roses are red, Violets are blue.

That’s my story I read to you.

by Bryson

—

Dear minions,

Minions are yellow

Yellow is the sun

Sun is hot so the minions sweat

Sweat is funny

Funny is cool

Cool minions are mice

Mice must be in the next movie Gru .

Gru is mean

Mean Gru will be sweet

Sweet Gru is in the new zoom movie

Dear minions

by Marcos

—–

Hi my name is Mary

Paper makes trees

Trees are nature

Nature are where animals live

Live is a warm home

Home is where your family is

Family is love

Love is joy

Joy is happiness

Happy people are nice

Nice is peaceful

Peaceful is Mary

by MARY

—–
My Brothers and Their Legos

My brothers like legos

Legos they create with

With legos they make cool things like robots

Robots out of legos have no eyes

Eyes on robots-if they have them- were drawn

drawing is one of my brothers favorite things to do

Do my brothers draw robots? Yes!

Yes my brothers draw robots

Robots is what my brothers battle with

With my brothers I play with legos

Legos are what my brothers like

by Chloe

—–

I had a sleepover with my friends

Friends are the best friends ever

Ever did I have such great friends in the world

The world is around us

I love sleepovers

by Lydia

—-

Dear Earth,

Do you like butterflies?

Butterflies are very colorful

Colorful is something that makes something beautiful

Beautiful is something that is on a model airplane

I have a model airplane and it is very colorful and pretty

Pretty is something that makes something beautiful

Butterflies are beautiful

Do you like butterflies?

by Eryn

—–
I like my dog , Nico

Nico is a shiba Inu

A shiba Inu is a dog breed from Japan

Japan is a country.

A country is a place like America

America is where my home is

My home is where my brother lives too

My brother goes to high school

High school is where teenagers go

Teenagers get picked up by parents

Parents take care of their kids

Kids go to school

School is something I don’t like

I like my dog, Nico

by Ryan

Erin Dealey: WOW! Those are awesome. thank you for sharing!

PS from our teachers: It was so nice having you today! I really enjoyed it and so did the kids! I am very impressed with their writing and what they were able to do! Thank you again so much for your time; we really do appreciate it and wish you the best! –Mrs. Bailey

It was so wonderful having you, the kids absolutely loved it. Thank you so much. –Miss Wexler

Erin Dealey: It was my pleasure! I’m so glad they are learning to express themselves through poetry. Thanks for the fun takeover. WRITING IS NEVER WRONG!

Up next on the blog: Stacia Deutsch–author of over 300 books–including:

GIRLS WHO CODE: THE FRIENDSHIP CODE and SPIRIT: RIDING FREE, as well as junior movie tie-in novelizations for summer blockbuster films like HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, the New York Times Best Seller: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS JR. MOVIE NOVEL, and THE SMURFS MOVIE NOVELS.

Stacia will be talking about her latest release, a picture book bio about Jim Hensen.

And don’t miss the #giveaways from authors Alexandra Alessandri and Vivian Kirkfield. <–Click to find out more.

Until then–happy writing and reading!

Erin Dealey

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