A to Z Challenge: K is for Keller. Laurie Keller.

Originally, I was thinking that K would be for kids as I'm surrounded by them every day as an elementary teacher. I have heard some of the most amazing things from the kids I work with. Yesterday's conversations included one about the tooth fairy who doesn't take your teeth but instead just takes a tiny bit of your tooth and mixes it up to make money. Very interesting!

Instead, I started thinking about some of my favorite children's books and one of my favorite authors, Laurie Keller, came to mind! So, K is for Keller - Laurie Keller.

Laurie Keller is the author of some amazing books, including Do Unto Otters and The Scrambled States of America.

Do Unto Otters is a wonderful book about manners and teaches how to be a good friend and a good neighbor! It's a fun way to address some very important values. I plan to get W a copy when he's a bit older.

The Scrambled States of America is about a party the states decide to have and by the end of the story they have all swapped places so they could see a different part of the country! It is a fun book that includes great facts about each state!

While I enjoy all of her books, my absolute favorite (and one of my favorite children's books overall) is Arnie the Doughnut!

I was first introduced to Arnie the Doughnut during my first year teaching. My partner teacher raved about it and I had never heard of it. Needless to say, once I had read it for the first time, I was hooked! It's the story of a doughnut who is determined to change his fate and not be eaten! The artwork in the book is wonderful and the humor is even better!

Each year that I had a class of my own, we read the book and made our own doughnut necklaces. Now that I teach computer, we have used the video on days when we had special events that called for us all to be together. Last year, our librarian got the opportunity to have Laurie Keller come to our school and do an author visit.

She taught us how to draw the otters and Arnie! It was a very engaging author visit and one I would definitely recommend to other schools. I happened to enjoy it due to my love for Arnie! I cannot wait to share Arnie the Doughnut with W (he already has a copy) and I hope he likes it as much as I do!