The West End School PTA’s Parents as Reading Partners Week got off to an inspiring start as children’s author Nancy Krulik visited the Lynbrook school to talk about her life as a writer.
Krulik is the author of more than 200 children’s books, including such popular children’s series as How I Survived Middle School and Katie Kazoo Switcheroo.
Krulik invited students to participate in a How I Survived Middle Schooltrivia contest, as well as a costumed reading of a chapter from Katie Kazoo Switcheroo. She talked about how much time she spends writing each day and where she finds inspiration for her stories. Krulik also passed on useful advice to any students who would like to pursue writing as a career.
“Inspiration for stories can come from anywhere,” she explained. “Keep a journal and write in it every day. If you want to be a writer, you must also read, read, read. The more you read, the better a writer you will become. If you want to be an exceptional writer, you must be ready to revise, rewrite and rethink your story many times between the first draft and the finished story.”
Each year the West End PTA sponsors their school’s PARP celebration. In addition to sponsoring Krulik’s visit, the PTA also purchased signed copies of her books, which were distributed to every student in the school. Guest readers also visited the school throughout the week to read to children in their classrooms.
PARP is a New York State PTA program that asks parents to read with their children for at least 15 minutes daily, while stressing the fact that reading can be fun as well as informative. Part of the mission of PARP is to cement the necessary bond between the home and the school in order to encourage children’s love of reading.
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