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One of the best things about working at First Book is receiving thank you notes from the educators and kids we serve.

Cathy Stang, a Learning Resource Teacher from Adrian Elementary School in South Euclid, Ohio, recently sent a HUGE stack of silly, sincere and sweet notes from her students. She even included a note from a parent of one of her students:

Dear Mrs. Stang,

I just wanted to write you a note and thank you for your work at Adrian, especially with First Book. Caleb has grown so much in his love of books and reading this year. Since receiving his first Mo Willems’ book, Caleb fell in love/became obsessed with the Gerald and Piggie characters. He now owns 11 of them. He has used his own allowance money, asked his grandparents and basically any way he could think of to get more. When he gets a new one, he will bring it everywhere he goes and read it to all his friends. I am not even exaggerating. Thanks for making a difference in life of a kid.

We’re grateful to Cathy and all the wonderful educators and kids who share their notes and their love of reading with us. You are OUR heroes!

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The post A Heartfelt Thank You appeared first on First Book Blog.

We've come up with some pretty amazing lists in the past week. First we listed words that showed movement. Then we listed words or phrases that described a person we knew (or had seen). We created a setting and then we described the place more by using words or phrases that showed spacial direction.

To be perfectly honest, you guys came up with better ideas than me. That's what I like about writing with you! It's lonely being a writer. It's fun having creative people who love to write and create.

With that being said, let's look back at our lists and write a quick paragraph using some of the words or phrases from each list. The words or phrases can come from your list - or someone else's list.

Here's my paragraph:

As Mary drifted past me she brushed her long ashen brown hair away from her face. I watched as she ambled under the umbrella of trees and looked out toward the lush green pastures. Mary is as mighty as she is tiny. It didn't surprise me a bit when she shoved open the heavy metal gate and picked up the overturned water trough. It surprised me even less when Mary gave every horse that came up to see her an affectionate pat. As she engaged each horse, drifting more into their world, I felt as though time stood still.

Your turn. Write as little or as much as you want. Just refer to the lists and have fun! I just did!

Just so you know, I'm leaving for a horse show tomorrow afternoon. I won't be back until Sunday evening. I'll check my blog then. Wish me luck!