Sometimes Old School is the Best School

Last week I went to read my I Believe Bunny books to the students at the Rogers International School in Stamford, Connecticut. As always, I came prepared with my power point presentation about how I came to create the Bunny and his friends and the Flower Filled Glen which is their home. When I arrived it soon became clear the school had a microphone, but no computer, so my slick power point was not going to work. This has happened before and I went back to the "old school" way of walking around the auditorium asking the kids questions, singing with them and telling them the story of how I became a children's book author. Though at first I was a bit rattled by not having the power point to guide me, I honestly had so much fun interacting with the kids and was amazed by the level of questions they asked me so-power point or no power point-I truly love it. Here I am with Jack and Maddie, two of the I Believe Bunny's biggest fans. You may recognize them because they sing the "I Believe Bunny Song" on our web site www.ibelievebunny.com. Check it out!

From Children's Songs to Rap

I have been doing school presentations for years, but my children were in college by the time I started, so neither of them has ever seen me in a classroom. That was changed last week when my son Johnny, who is 21 and a junior at Ithaca College School of Music (where I went!) came to see me present my books at a third grade classroom in White Plains, N.Y. It was fun to get his insights into what I do and, because he is a music education major and spends a lot of time with kids, I was able to get his input on things that went well and which could have gone better. I sing a song with the younger kids in grades K-2 and he had an idea for a rap song for the older grades. We wrote it together so here for the first time is the Reading and Writing Rap!

The Reading and Writing Rap by Johnny and Tish Rabe

When you get an idea don't try and reject it
You can write a story when you least expect it
Write down your ideas there's no right or wrong
You can write a story, a book or a song
Keep reading and writing and when you do
You'll find out you're a writer too