The Year of the Book – Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge

The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng; illustrated by Abigail Halpin; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. 148 pages; $15.99 (hardcover); reading level: ages 7-11. Anna Wang is just beginning fourth grade and the word of the week is “perseverance.”  “It’s when you don’t give up,” her best friend, Laura, tells the class.  Both girls will… [Read More]

Connie To Be the Guest of Honor at Author Day – Elizabeth Starr Academy in Richmond, Indiana

Date: January 23, 2013 Location: Elizabeth Starr Academy Connie will talk to students about her writing process, being an entrepreneur, and how she markets her books.

Build a Book Christmas Tree

Of course I’m behind on my shopping, my Christmas cards, etc. and of course I have no time to spare so of course, when a friend sent me a link to a site where people were building Book Christmas Trees I just had to stop everything I was behind on and build one of my… [Read More]

Morrisson-Reeves Library Pre-K Reading Open House. See Pictures Inside…

I want to thank everyone who attended the Pre-School Reading Open House at Morrisson-Reeves Library in Richmond, Indiana earlier this month.  The Library has partnered with the K-Ready program whose goal is for pre-school children to read 1,000 books before they enter kindergarten. 

Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten! – Reviewed by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge

Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten! Written and illustrated by Hyewon Yum; Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, 2012. 32 pages; $16.99 (hardback); ages 4-6. The five-year-old hero of this tale is well-adjusted, brimming with energy, and ready for his first day of kindergarten. His mom? Well…not so much. As the illustrations (literally!) make clear,… [Read More]

An Encore for Captain Ericsson – Now in Paperback!

When both the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Virgina and the John Ericsson Society let me know they were having trouble finding copies of my out-of-print picture book, Thank You Very Much, Captain Ericsson!, I decided to spring into action.  With permission from Holiday House, the original publisher, and Andrew Glass, the illustrator, I started… [Read More]

Connie to Read at Morrisson-Reeves Library on November 3rd

Morrisson-Reeves Library and K-Ready present a Preschool Reading Open House Saturday, Nov. 3rd from 10:00 am – Noon Morrisson-Reeves Library 80 North 6th Street Richmond, Indiana You’ll enjoy storytimes with… Local Children’s Author, Connie Wooldridge Pam Hancock, Amigos (reading in Spanish) Kathy Campbell and Holly The Therapy Dog >>  View the Flyer

Congratulations To Donna & Ralph Weidenhammer For Winning The Signed Copy of “Just Fine The Way They Are”

There’s nothing like social networks to keep in touch with old friends and former neighbors, especially when you skip a year or two of sending out Christmas cards! Donna Weidenhammer and I lived next door to each other when our families were just beginning – lots of diapering, nap times and playground swings back then…. [Read More]

Thank You Very Much, Captain Ericsson – Coming in Paperback & Video!

About the Video Soon to be available on the website: A reading of Thank You Very Much, Captain Ericsson! (by yours truly!) in its entirety, complete with the original illustrations by Andrew Glass. This should be a great resource for you teachers doing a Civil War unit OR for parents/grandparents of 7-10-year-olds. About the Paperback As stated,… [Read More]

Author Tip: Importance of Structure in Nonfiction

I’ve just finished reading Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a terrific example of creative nonfiction. Check out this link for some great behind-the-scenes information on the importance of structure in a nonfiction piece and on how Skloot decided to include herself in the very story she was researching. >> See My “Just… [Read More]