Author and illustrator of books for young people, Lois Ehlert, shares how she interweaves her creative process with her daily routine.

This is a biography story about Lois Ehlert, an author and illustrator of children's books. By the time she was in high school, Ehlert knew she wanted to be an artist. Ehlert illustrated for many other authors and suddenly decided she wanted to try writing. She wrote books about vegetables, a book from a cat's point of view and a book about the alphabet. She used a variety of different techniques for illustrations including watercolors, paper colleges and even glued down real objects. This is book is appropriate for grades k-5 and a perfect choice for a biography lesson. Students can also learn about the process of being an author or illustrator from reading this selection. ( )

This biography is bout Lois Ehlert. She grew up in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. She has tons of books. She spent four years in art school. This book helps me know how to draw in a simple way and start to write my own poem.

Lois Ehlert tells us that ideas for writing are usually right under our noses, though they are hard to piece together and actually put down on paper. Ideas for writing can come from things that occur in our daily lives or things that interest us. She explains her writing process and how she illustrates hers and other author's books. This can be valuable for students who think they can't write because it doesn't come easy to them. Even for author's writing doesn't come easy even though the ideas are there. I would use this book in my class because it gives real incite on the writing process and real pictures of rough drafts, story boards, and rough sketches. ( )

Retelling: In this book Lois Ehlert writes about herself (where she lives, who is in her family, and what her house looks like) and about her writing process (how she started writing, where she gets ideas and inspiration, and how she creates her illustrations).

Thoughts and Feelings: I particularly enjoy seeing authors' rough drafts. It reminds me that I don't have to be perfect the first time, that I can feel free to explore a topic until the words finally jump out at me and I'm ready to share.