Fourth- through eighth-grade teachers in Tulsa County are invited to attend the Mr. Henry’s Books Teacher Workshop, Feb. 22, 9 a.m. - Noon, at Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E. 93rd St.
Registration is $10 and includes a continental breakfast, 35 classroom copies of Newbery Award-winning book “Dead End in Norvelt” by Jack Gantos, winner of the 2014 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature, and lesson plans on how to use Gantos’ books for a variety of school subjects. One lucky participant will win a classroom visit with Gantos on Aug. 22. Mr. Henry’s Books began in 2003 and has provided nearly 35,000 classroom copies of books during that time.
Gantos is being recognized with the 2014 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature for writing more than 40 books for children, teens and adults, many of which were recognized with distinguished national awards. He will receive the award during a presentation on Aug. 22, 7 p.m. at Hardesty Regional Library in Connor’s Cove.
In 2012, he received the John Newbery Medal for his book “Dead End In Norvelt.” His 2002 memoir, “Hole In My Life,” won Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert honors. He also is widely known for the “Rotten Ralph,” “Jack Henry” and “Joey Pigza” series.
By his own admission, Gantos didn’t start out as a voracious reader. At 7-years-old his family moved to Barbados where there was strong emphasis on reading and writing. He recalls the teachers were friendly and made reading fun.
Gantos’ family moved to Florida when he was in the sixth grade, where he discovered students were not as interested in his newfound love of books. He found solace in an abandoned bookmobile, with three flat tires, parked behind the school’s baseball field.
His career as a professional writer began in 1976 with the publication of “Rotten Ralph,” which he wrote with his illustrator friend, Nicole Rubel. While continuing to publish books at a rapid pace, he also taught creative writing, literature and publishing classes at Emerson College from 1978-96. Gantos also has instructed creative writing, literature and other writing-related topics, ranging from introductory classes to graduate-level seminars, at various universities.
Mr. Henry’s Books is a program of the Tulsa City-County Library, sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust and TulsaKids Magazine, made possible by a grant from the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.
Registration forms are due by Feb. 15. To download a form visit, http://www.tulsalibrary.org/sites/default/files/homeblocks/mr-henrys-books-teacher-workshop_13.pdf
For more information on Mr. Henry’s Books Teacher Workshop, call the AskUs Hotline, 918-549-7323.
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