Nikki Grimes Author Study

1. Nikki Grimes Author Study Ariel Cornett, Debbie Diner, Kelly Farley, Tori O’Shea, Carolyn Crabtree

2. Nikki Grime’s World • Born in Harlem, NY on October 20, 1950 This was the place of the Harlem Renaissance Her parents separated and got back together multiple times. During these times, Grimes was in and out of foster care • Grimes moved to Ossining to live with a foster family, and it was then she first began to write. • She began composing verse at the age of six and prefers the title, “Poet,” over “Storyteller.” • When she was 13, she gave her first public poetry reading at the Countee Cullen Library

3. Her Life in her Writing • “For the first five years of my life, my parents separated and reunited countless times before their final split. During this time, my older sister, Carol, and I were bounced around from one relative to another, one foster home to another, just like the lead character in Jazmin’s Notebook.” • Grimes also writes about foster homes and being separated from family in Hopscotch Love, Road to Paris, and A Dime a Dozen?. “Books were my survival tool. They were how I got by and how I coped with things. Books carried me away.” -Nikki Grimes

4. Life Influences on Work • Grimes became very close with her foster family in Ossining. She had two foster brothers, Kendall and Brad. • She ended up leaving them to go live with her mother. This inspired the ending of The Road to Paris. • “Life can be tough sometimes, especially if you’re young. I know.” –Nikki Grimes

5. These Days • Grimes has conducted poetry readings and lectures at international schools in Russia, China, Sweden, and Tanzania. • She lived in Sweden for six years, and there she hosted educational radio programs. • She is involved with other forms of art such as singing and jewelry making. • Grimes currently lives in Corona, California • Outside of writing, her daily life involves time spent with her friends, at her church, and tending to her garden.

6. Grimes on Reading and Writing • “I love language. Language is phenomenal. I have always been fascinated that one word can mean many different things. I love the challenge of painting a story in as few words as possible. I’m also a very direct person and poetry is a no-nonsense genre.” • “I love that poetry can make a beeline for the heart.” • “I was bounced around a lot. I didn’t grow up in a home where I had my own books. My reading was dependent on the library. I read ravenously.” • “Keep in mind that every good writer is a good reader. The quality of your writing will always reflect the quality of your reader.”

7. More Quotes from Nikki Grimes • Grimes in Invisible Childhood Interview -“I've always believed no matter how complex language is, if you give a child a book to which he can relate, he will do whatever he needs to be able to read that book.” • Grimes in What is Goodbye Interview -“So I wanted to create a tool that would allow children who were grieving to access their feelings, to know that they were normal, and to also understand that it would pass.” • “My recommendation for K through 3 in terms of introducing poetry is, first of all, to get beyond the sense of intimidation about sharing poetry. What I've discovered is that most adults have had a really unhappy experience with poetry in their own student life, and so they're kind of put off at the very notion of sharing poetry with their students. So, it's important to remember that if you present poetry as if it were castor oil, no one will like it.

8. Awards • A New York Times Bestselling Author. • Praise for: • Bronx Masquerade: 2003 Coretta Scott King Author Award • Jazmin’s Notebook: Coretta Scott Honor Book and Bank Street College Book of the Year   • Meet Danitra Brown: ALA Notable and Coretta Scott King Honor Book   • Hopscotch Love and Aneesa Lee and the Weaver’s Gift: American Bookseller Pick of the List   • Come Sunday: An ALA Notable   • Talkin’ Bout Bessie: 2003 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, Horn Book Fanfare Book   • 2005: Grimes was awarded the Golden Dolphin Award by the Southern California Children’s Book Association which recognized her range of works

9. Nikki Grimes in the Classroom • Virginia Standard of Learning- Writing 4.7 • The student will write effective narratives, poems, and explanations: -Write rhymed, unrhymed, and patterned poetry. • http://www.nikkigrimes.com/images/pdf/BegnPoem.pdf • “Begin a Poem with a Picture”   Writing poetry can be a daunting task for an elementary school student. Nikki Grimes recommends using a visual image to jump start the poem writing process. This is a great opportunity for students to write descriptively about an image and eventually turn the piece of writing into the poem. The link above shows Nikki Grimes giving students an example of how she writes her poems using second, third, and even fourth drafts! This is a great opportunity for students to stretch their thinking and learn how to write effective poems.

10. Nikki Grimes in the Classroom • 3.10 The student will write letters and will: • A) Use a variety of planning strategies. • B )Organize information according to the type of writing. • C) Identify the intended audience. • D )Revise writing for specific vocabulary and information • Grimes’ children’s book Old Man Blue is a text that will allow the students to reflect on friends or family members who have been a positive influence in their lives, just as Blue was for Damon. Students will have the opportunity to write a letter to this person thanking them for their shared times together. The lesson could focus on modeling the parts of a letter, letter organization, and the ability to proofread and revise a piece of writing. The content of the letter should include reasons why this person has had a positive influence on the student with specific details of a shared memory together. This assignment offers the students the opportunity to make a personal connection with a specific text as well as personal reflection and practice with letter writing.

11. Websites • www.nikkigrimesauthorstudy.wikispaces.com • Teacher Tips http://www.nikkigrimes.com/teacher.html • Visiting Authors Spotlight on Nikki Grimes http://www.visitingauthors.com/authors/grimes_nikki/grimes_nikki_bio.html •  Reading Rockets: Teaching Kids to Read and Helping those who Struggle A Series of Video Interviews Topics Include: Difficult Childhood, Invisible Childhood, What is Goodbye? www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/grimes/ • Poetry Foundation- Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky on Nikki Grimes http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/179705

12. Resources • "A Video Interview with Nikki Grimes | Reading Rockets." Reading Comprehension & Language Arts Teaching Strategies for Kids | Reading Rockets. WETA Washington, DC, 2011. Web. Dec. 2011. <http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/grimes/>. • Grimes, Nikki. Nikki Grimes Children's Book Author Poet. 2011. Web. Dec. 2011. http://www.nikkigrimes.com • ”Meet the Author." Reading Is Fundamental. RIF Reading Planet, 2011. Web. Dec. 2011. <http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/bookzone/grimes.htm>. • Nikki Grimes' Biography." Visitingauthors.com Homepage. Web. 9 Dec. 2011. <http://www.visitingauthors.com/authors/grimes_nikki/grimes_nikki_bio.html>.  • Prelutsky, Jack. "She Speaks in the Voice of a Child by Jack Prelutsky." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2011. Web. Dec. 2011. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/179705.