Founded in 2012, the Dutch National Reading Coalition (Leescoalitie) promotes and stimulates reading in schools in the Netherlands. Every two years, the Reading Coalition publishes an anthology with excerpts from well-known Dutch children’s and young adult books. This year’s edition features an excerpt from Boreas en de vijftien vrienden (Boreas and the Fifteen Friends), the final book of the Boreas series. I am beyond stoked and proud that my book has been chosen to promote reading in schools because… well, this is a children’s writer’s dream! A national acknowledgment that top educators in the Netherlands believe that my book will stimulate students to read. I couldn’t wish for more! The free anthology, Een stuk! Meer (One Piece! More), was published in January 2020 and…
Mina Witteman – author | editor | teacher of creative writing
Posts by Mina Witteman
KINDERBOEKENWEEK WORKSHOP MET GROTE BROER! Tijdens de Kinderboekenweek (of daarvoor of daarna!) de wereldkaart van Boreas maken in de klas? Dat kan met Grote Broer Kunsteducatie! Superleuke workshop waar ook nog eens techniek bij aan te pas komt. Helemaal Boreas! “Met de hele klas maken de kinderen de wereldkaart van Boreas na. Het is niet zomaar een kaart, het is een interactieve kaart! De kinderen gebruiken verschillende technieken, zoals LED-lampjes, batterijen en pop-upsystemen. In groepjes werken ze aan de zeven delen. Aan het eind van de workshop worden alle zeven delen samengevoegd tot één uniek verhaal.”
To celebrate my birthday (and because the book is flying out the stores!), my wonderful editor at Ploegsma Children’s Books just let me know they started the next print run for Boreas en de zeven zeeën. So… YAY, birthday! I have also received a copy of the lesson plans that CPNB, the foundation for collective promotion of the Dutch book and organizer of the Dutch Children’s Book Week since 1954, had stellar educators make to support teachers of every elementary school in the Netherlands. Super exciting and I have designed my school visits with these plans in mind, so they seamlessly add to the wonderful work of teachers and their endeavors to promote reading and children’s books in their classrooms. Requests for school…
Writer friends! All friends! I am still glowing from the Bay Area Book Festival, which was a great success in no small part thanks to the brave young women of Cinnamongirl Inc. I approached Cinnamongirl Inc. to find youth moderators for my middle grade and young adult sessions. And I got them! I am so honored to have met Renée Richard and these exceptional girls. I am in awe of what they did, stepping out of their comfort zone and onto the stage, rocking at interviewing accomplished authors. And I’m in awe of how Renée guides the girls to a future brimming with opportunities and possibilities. Now, Cinnamongirl Inc. is kicking off their Write Your Story program. I am reaching out to you,…
What I am doing these days? Getting ready for an exciting, if not thrilling Bay Area Book Festival, for which I put together the children’s and young adult program. A stellar lineup of authors and illustrators, from the quirkiest picture books to the most gripping young adult novels: Cindy Derby, Andrea Tsurumi, Tania De Regil, Mylo Freeman, Rana DiOrio, Andrew Smith, Benny Lindelauf, Gennifer Choldenko, Innosanto Nagara, Laura Atkins, Steve Bramucci, Justina Ireland, Lee Wind, Cindy Pon, Zoraida Córdova and many many more. Two days of amazing panels and interviews and hilarious contests. New this year? Most of our middle grade and young adult panels moderators and interviewers are all local students! They come from Malcolm X Elementary School to Albany Middle School to…
Tagged: Albany, Andrea Tsurumi, Andrew Smith, Bay Area Book Festival, Baybookfest2019, Benny Lindelauf, Berkeley, Book Club for Kids, Children's Books, Cindy Derby, Cindy Pon, Cinnamongirl, International Congress of Youth Voices, Lee Wind, Life, Literary Death Match, middle grade, Mylo Freeman, Oakland, Podcast, Young Adult, Zoraida Córdova
BOREAS AND THE SEVEN SEAS Core Title for the Dutch National Children’s Book Week 2019 I had high hopes, of course, when the theme for the upcoming Dutch National Children’s Book Week (October 2 – 13, 2019) was announced: Travel Along! / Reis mee! And yes! Boreas en de zeven zeeën has been chosen core title. It’s an enormous honor and I am super super happy! I loved the journey of writing the Boreas books and I hope that lots and lots of kids will will join Boreas and travel along across the seven seas. Would you like to know what Boreas and the Seven Seas is about? Surf quickly to the website Leesbevordering in de klas for a review and for lesson plans (in Dutch!).…
Categories: A Bit of Everything
Teaching creative writing, plot and revision in Hawaii.
Mina Witteman 