Why Do an Author Study

Author Study

Why do an Author Study?

An author study provides a good role model for students to identify with.
Students are able to understand the author’s purpose for writing the books.
Students see that authors also have difficulty putting their thoughts on paper.
Author studies enhance other areas of curriculum.
An author study draws students into the books and makes them want to read more. (Often characters and settings are repeated)

Weigh Your Possible Selections Against the Following Criteria:

Books need to be age-appropriate and be able to sustain the student readers emotionally and intellectually
They need to be able to evoke a range and depth of aesthetic responses and also connect to students’ lives
They need to have memorable language, believable characters, engaging plots, and other critical elements that work together to create universal themes – i.e. they need to be books of high literary quality
They need to have available supporting bibliographical material or good websites with appropriate information. (Most authors do have their own web sites.)
There needs to be enough books by that author to present an interesting variety of content and uses.

Some Aboriginal Authors or Authors of Aboriginal Materials Appropriate for an Author Study:

Bouchard, David

Bruchac, Joseph

Eyvindson, Peter

Guest, Jacqueline

Goble, Paul

Kusugak, Michael

Loyie, Larry

McDermott, Gerald

McLellan, Joe

Munsch, Robert

Taylor, C.J.

Planning the Study:

Collect many of the author’s works – from school library and public library
Read several of the author’s works
Collect biographical information about the author
Search for films, videos or CD’s about the author
Set up an author centre where relevant information can be accessed

Author Study

StrategiesMight Include:

Have students work in whole-group, small-group and individual situations
Incorporate both social and independent response to literature
Consider including Literature Circles as a key instructional strategy
Include lots of informal opportunities for students to talk together about the stories
Learning about the author – and how his life relates to his works
Mini-lessons about the author, about the books themselves
Introducing the books in more detail
Read aloud of selected works by the author
Make a time-line of the author’s life and the dates of when the books were written
Relate the whole class activities to the curriculum and to the author study, e.g. a graph of books read (by that author), a class book about the author
Vote for a favourite book and graph the results
Create book characters, write about them and pair with other students to see if they can identify the character
Invite another class in – “Persuade” them to read about and study the author just studied
Put on an afternoon for parents – explaining the study, dramatizing some books, staging dramatic readings, doing a radio show, celebrating the author
Discuss the importance/impact of the author’s work
Investigate the difficulties/challenges faced by the author

Student Reference:

Gertridge, Allison. 2002. Meet Canadian Authors and Illustrators, Revised Ed., Scholastic.

Professional Reference:

Jenkins, Carol Brennan. 1999. The Allure of Authors: Author Studies in the Elementary Classroom

Web Sites:

Online Reference Centre, from Alberta Education, at least 7 free encyclopedias, hundreds of periodical articles, current events, and much more. District password required for home use. Use particularly The Canadian Encyclopedia and World Book.

Wikipedia:

Resources to Support an Author Study of Michael Kusugak:

Some Web sites:

Michael Kusugak: the Storyteller

Michael Kusugak

Selected Books by Michael Kusugak:

Munsch, Robert and Michael Kusugak. A Promise is a Promise. 1988, 155037009X. Allashua, a little Inuit girl, disobeys her mother’s warning that the Quallupelluq (an imaginary creature like a troll) will take her away if she fishes in the crack in the ocean. In exchange for her life, Allashua promises to bring her brothers and sisters to the crack in the ocean ice. Her family’s courageous trek allows Allashua to keep both her family--and her promise.

Kusugak, Michael. My Arctic 1, 2, 3. 1996, 1-55037-504-0. This beautiful picture book uses a northern community as the background for basic counting from 1 to 10. After 10 there are pages to illustrate the numbers 20, 100, and 1 000 000. Focuses on the Inuit community, language and wildlife. Includes glossary and information about the arctic, its wildlife and climate.

Kusugak, Michael. Littlest Sled Dog. 2008, 9781551437521. This appealing story about a little cairn terrier who dreams of being a big, strong sled dog, incorporates many aspects of Inuit culture and the northern environment.

Kusugak, Michael. Northern Lights: The Soccer Trails, 1999, 1-55037-338-2. This beautifully-illustrated story tells the Inuit beliefs about the Northern Lights through the eyes of a young girl.

Kusugak, Michael. Baseball Bats for Christmas. 1999, 155037-144-4. This is a humourous story of a boy named Arvaarluk who lived in Repulse Bay during Christmas, 1955. The people had never seen trees and when they received six at Christmas time, they carved them into baseball bats.

Kusugak, Michael. Arctic Stories. 1999, 1-55037-453-2. Here are three stories about an Inuit girl named Agatha. The prologue and analogue provide the factual background for the stories. The analogue also contains a dictionary of Inuit words used in the story. There are full-page illustrations for each page of print. The pictures are vivid and both the illustrations and the story portray life in the Northwest Territories.

Kusugak, Michael. Hide and Sneak. 1996, 1-55037-229-7. This is the story of a little Inuit girl who learns about the nasty little Ijiraq who will hide you during a game of hide and seek. The trouble is that he will hide you so well that you will never be found. The only thing that will help you find your way home is an Inukshuk.

Selected Books by Paul Goble:

Goble, Paul. Boy & His Mud Horses: & Other Stories from the Tipi. 2010, 978-1935493112. Beautifully illustrated by award-winning author Paul Goble, this book features a collection of 27 traditional short stories from different Native American tribes, including the Pawnee, Cheyenne, Blackfoot, and Lakota.

Goble, Paul. Buffalo Woman, 1984, 0-689-71109-3. This picture book tells the legend of the relationship between the people and the Buffalo Nation. A young hunter marries a buffalo in the form of a beautiful woman. They go to live with his people. When his people reject her she goes back to her Buffalo Nation. The hunter's love for her causes him to follow her but he must pass several tests before being allowed to join the Buffalo Nation.

Goble, Paul. Gift of the Sacred Dog, 1980, 0027365603. This is the story of the coming of horses to the Aboriginal peoples. The tribes called them by different names: Big Dog, Elk Dog, Mysterious Dog, Holy or Sacred Dog. In this story the people are starving and the Great Spirit gives the sacred dog to a hungry boy seeking relief. Horses enable the tribe to hunt for buffalo.

Goble, Paul. Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. 1979, 0689716966. For most people, being swept away in a horse stampede during a raging thunderstorm would be a terrifying disaster. For this young Native American girl Goble's Caldecott-winning masterpiece it is a blessing. Although she loves her people, she has a much deeper, almost sacred connection to her equine friends. The storm gives her the opportunity to fulfill her dream--to live in a beautiful land among the wild horses she loves.

Goble, Paul. Her Seven Brothers. 1993, 9780689717307. Tells the legend of the creation of the big dipper. When an Indian girl begins to make clothes beautifully decorated with porcupine quills for seven brothers she has not yet met, her parents believe that unseen powers have spoken to her. The girl knows she must travel to the north country to find the seven brothers. She comforts her mother by saying, "Soon you will see me again with my brothers; everyone will know and love us!"

Goble, Paul. Iktomi and the Berries, 1988, 0833592076. This picture book tells the humorous tale of the trickster Iktomi. Iktomi's thoughts are printed in small type and passages printed in gray encourage the reader and listeners to remark on Iktomi's actions.

Goble, Paul. Iktomi and the Boulder. 1988, 0531070239. Iktomi, a Plains Indian trickster, attempts to defeat a boulder with the assistance of some bats, in this story which explains why the Great Plains are covered with small stones.

Goble, Paul. Iktomi and the Buffalo Skull: A Plains Indian Story. 1990, 0531059111. Again the trickster, the man in the middle, makes a fool of himself. Iktomi, the Plains trickster, interrupts a powwow of the Mouse People and gets his head stuck in a buffalo skull. Excellent source notes. The asides printed in italics mimic the comments of both the storyteller and the listeners in traditional storytelling. Have two or more readers reading the various parts as the story progresses.

Goble, Paul. Iktomi and the Buzzard: A Plains Indian Story. 1998, 0531086623. Iktomi the trickster tries to fool a buzzard into carrying him across the river on the buzzard's back. Asides printed in italics may be used by the storyteller to encourage listeners to make their own remarks about the action, as in traditional Iktomi storytelling.

Goble, Paul. Iktomi and the Ducks: A Plains Indian Story. 1990, 0531070441. After outwitting some ducks, Iktomi, the trickster, is outwitted by Coyote. The asides printed in italics mimic the comments of both the storyteller and the listeners in traditional storytelling. Have two or more readers reading the various parts as the story progresses.

Goble, Paul. Legend of the White Buffalo Woman, 1998, 0792270746. This is the Lakota legend of the Sacred Calf Pipe. Other legends are incorporated to frame the story. Factual information is included so there is a blend of story and information. Magnificent illustrations contain well-researched elements of Aboriginal design.

Goble, Paul. Lost Children: The Boys Who Were Neglected. 1993. A Blackfoot Indian legend in which six neglected orphaned brothers decide to go to the Above World where they become the constellation of the "Lost Children," or Pleiades.

Goble, Paul. Mystic Horse. 2003, 006029813-8. The story is a legend based on the oral tradition of the Pawnee. A boy discovers an old, limping horse. Though ridiculed by his tribe, the boy cares for the horse and brings it back to health. In turn, the animal helps his friend achieve greatness, only to be betrayed. The boy's remorse is sincere, but will he be forgiven?

Goble, Paul. Return of the Buffaloes: a Plains Indian story about famine and renewal of the Earth. 1996, 079222714X. This folktale is based on a Lakota myth in which a mysterious woman returns the buffalo and the other animals to the Indian people.

Goble, Paul. Star Boy. 1983, 1991, 0689714998. Relates the Blackfoot legend in which Star Boy gains the Sun's forgiveness for his mother's disobedience and is allowed to return to the Sky World. He brings back the sacred knowledge of the Sun Dance to his people.