Kate DiCamillo is the July author for the 2021 Author Study Challenge. Can you believe we are over half way through the year and half way through our list of authors? I hope you have found some new favorite authors and books. Diving into this month, I think Kate DiCamillo is a wonderful summertime author. So many of her books are set in summer, but more than that they are the kind of book that you want to really get lost in. Her characters and settings and incredibly descriptive language capture you in a different world and since it’s summer you have time to stay there a while. Whether you’ve read some of her books before or not, I hope you are able to get lost in one of her stories this month.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2021 AUTHOR STUDY CHALLENGE
Meet Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo is a writer of books for all ages. She has won awards. Lots of them. Her books are everywhere. I imagine you are at least familiar with the name if you spend a decent amount of time in the children’s section of your library or bookstore. If not, well. I have a delightful author to introduce you to this month! Her books are warm and funny and full of heart.
I will admit that her books lean a little towards school aged kids and above, so I apologize if you are participating in our Author Study Challenge with babies and toddlers – this one is less for you. However, she does have a few picture books for you get a little intro to the lovely world of Kate DiCamillo.
Learn more about Kate DiCamillo on her site: https://www.katedicamillo.com/about.html
Picture Books by Kate DiCamillo
A Piglet Named Mercy is an intro to her beloved Easy Reader character Mercy Watson.
Find Online
Good Rosie! is a picture book told in a kind of graphic novel format. Find Online
La La La is a beautiful book. A must read. Find Online
Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken is the closest in picture book form that I think you get to her more imaginative novels. Find Online
Easy Readers by Kate DiCamillo
Bink and Gollie series is a favorite in our house. It is all about the relationship between two amazing, endearing characters. My kids both can’t get enough of these. Find Online
Mercy Watson is possibly her best known series. They are about the Watsons and their pet pig, Mercy. These are fun and quirky and full of bright, playful illustrations. Find Online
Tales from Deckawoo Drive is her most (in my opinion) out there series. The characters are quirky and so are there adventures. The newest one FRANKLIN ENDICOTT AND THE THIRD KEY came out this year. Find Online
Middle Grade books by Kate DiCamillo
Raymie Nightingale is her National Book Award Finalist winner. This is a series about three girls, Beverly, Lousiana and Raymie. They are not my personal DiCamillo favorites, but they are widely loved and beautifully written. Find Online
Flora & Ulysses is a quirky book about a boy and a squirrel. It is an award winner and was recently made into a Disney+ movie. Find Online
The Magician’s Elephant is one of my favorites, but isn’t talked about as much. I love this dreamlike story about magic and magic that feels a bit like a fairytale. Find Online
The Tale of Desperaux is the first book I ever read by Kate DiCamillo and it’s magical. This is the one I’m reading aloud to my kids this month. Find Online
Because of Winn-Dixie is a Newbery Honor book that is so full of heart and also happens to have a movie version for a little summer read and watch fun. Find Online
Shop Kate DiCamillo’s Booklist on Bookshop.org to Support Local Bookstores
Author Study Activity Ideas
Playing with the books you read, writing and creating based on what you read, imitating an author’s style or aspects of their work is part of the fun of author studies. The options are unlimited. Kate DiCamillo has options for most of her books on her website
Below are some activity ideas to go with some of our favorite Kate DiCamillo books to get you started.
- One of the things Kate DiCamillo does so well is characters. You could explore your favorites in a few ways – compare and contrast two favorites, write your own story about your favorite, try to draw a favorite.
- If you write your own stories, together or independently, this post has some resources for plotting and story mapping.
- Explore facts vs opinions with Mercy Watson or some of DiCamillo’s other animal stories. Think about real pigs vs. Mercy Watson and Eugenia’s opinions about pigs.
- Make toast and celebrate Mercy Watson’s birthday – this post has some fun ideas that their first grade classroom did to celebrate.
- As I mentioned above, many of her books have been made into movies. Read one, watch the movie and then talk about what was similar and what was different.
- Learn about your names. DiCamillo’s characters often have unusual names. Pick one and learn more about it and/or learn about your name. Why were you named that name? What is it’s meaning? Would you pick a different name for yourself if you could and what would it be?
Click Here to Get the Preschool Author Study Pack
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