Reading Rock Stars at Dawson Elementary

Students in the Dawson library can't wait for author Tad Hills to read from his latest book, "Rocket Writes a Story."

Last Friday, Dawson Elementary hosted three authors to read and speak to students about their work through a grant from the Texas Book Festival's Reading Rock Stars program. This is the third year of the program, which aims to promote literacy by bringing authors to Dawson and other elementary schools in AISD and across Texas. As part of the grant, each student receives a signed, hardcover book from the author at the end of the presentation.


Sylvia Mendez, from the book "Sylvia & Aki," takes questions from Dawson fifth graders.

Dawson's fifth graders were treated to a presentation by Winifred Conkling, author of "Sylvia & Aki," which won the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award. Also on hand was Sylvia Mendez, one of the women who inspired the story.

While she was in grade school in California during the Second World War, Ms. Mendez was denied admission to what was then the "whites-only" 17th Street Elementary in Orange County's Westminster School District. Unhappy with the quality of education and shabby facilities at the school designated for "Mexican" children, Ms. Mendez's father brought suit against the district. This resulted in the landmark 1947 Mendez v. Westminster decision, which led to the desegregation of California's public schools and paved the way for the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling seven years later. In 2011, Ms. Mendez received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in honor of her life's work as an advocate for civil rights and social justice.


Winifred Conkling author of "Sylvia & Aki," presents a signed copy of her book to a Dawson student.

As if that weren't material enough for an entire book, "Sylvia & Aki" also tells the story of the injustices suffered by Aki Munemitsu, a Japanese-American girl whose family was forcibly relocated to an internment camp during the war. If you can believe it, the Mendez family leased the Munemitsu family's home during this period, and the two girls became life-long friends.

Following the presentation, Principal Shannon Sellstrom chats with her fascinating guest, Sylvia Mendez from the book "Sylvia and Aki."

As you can imagine, the audience had lots of questions for Ms. Mendez after her presentation. The students had read the book in advance, and had also researched World War II and the history of segregation in American schools. It was astonishing to many that such things had occurred in living memory, and hearing from someone who had witnessed—and made—so much history was an unforgettable experience. Ms. Mendez concluded her time at Dawson by advising the fifth graders to "Stay in school, go to college and have a wonderful life!"

Dawson Librarian Debbie Shaffer introduces author Tad Hills to an eager group of first graders.

Down the hall in the Dawson library, author and illustrator Tad Hills presented "Rocket Writes a Story" to a group of first graders, who clearly are big fans of this popular series of children's books. Mr. Hills read from his latest story and demonstrated some of his painting techniques, including how to make fluffy feathers on a duck who features prominently in the story.

Tad Hills shows a library full of students how he paint a duck from his new book "Rocket Writes a Story."

Liz Garton Scanlon was the third author to visit Dawson on Friday. As the mother of two girls who attend the Kealing Magnet Program, Ms. Scanlon has lots of experience writing for, and interacting with, young children. She spoke to pre-K students about the writing process, including how she uses the world around us and her own imagination as sources of ideas.

Author Liz Garton Scanlon displays a copy of her latest book, "Think Big."

Ms. Scanlon also talked about the different kinds of art that inspired her latest book, "Think Big," including dancing, painting, building and even cooking. Finally, she discussed the teamwork involved in writing a book. "My editor is like your teachers," she said in explaining the many steps involved in getting her books ready for publication. She also gave credit to the illustrator who helps bring her stories to life. Yet another great example of how Teamwork Makes the Dream Work at AISD!

Liz Garton Scanlon pesents a signed copy of her latest book to a Dawson pre-K student.