When local author, Madonna Maze (aka Lady Creator), finished her book Polite Delight, two copies of the book were donated to Ms. Mondie’s classroom by her room volunteers Nancy Brothers and Polly Schmarje. It wasn’t long before Ms. Mondie’s third grade readers were asking if they could possibly meet the author. This was coordinated and Lady Creator came to read her book to these excited students. As she read, they were able to hold up the original artwork that was used to make the book. Lady Creator also talked about the writing process and then asked the students for their thoughts on various parts of the book, triggering an even deeper discussion on what it means to be kind and thoughtful to others and how it applies to our students’ lives.
The kids were enthralled by the main characters, the Schmoogies. These little creatures bring polite delights to life. Our readers/writers wanted to learn how to draw these characters and in no time at all, with the guidance of Lady Creator, they were creating their own Schmoogies and, after the author left, they went on to write their reactions to Polite Delight while exploring the main idea of the text. Many thanks to our local author, Madonna Maze, for visiting our students and creating excitement about reading, writing and the importance of being kind and polite.