Jitters? You bet!

Nevertheless, the students demonstrate their pluck, resourcefulness, adaptability, concern, and kindness while keeping their dear teacher in the loop throughout the day via the “Homeroom Hub” school/home communication system. Let me just say, I want to be part of Mrs. Hartwell’s school community!

Why this book? Why will it matter to kids?

In this student-centric tale, the class demonstrates esprit de corps as they manage to make the most of the day when the substitute teacher doesn’t show up. Various school staff pitch in to cover Mrs. Hartwell’s absence, and with each page turn we learn what’s happening through a peek inside the classroom and updates the students send to Mrs. Hartwell via classroom messaging. On wordless spreads we also see how under-the-weather Mrs. Hartwell is faring. The format of this picture book is sure to engage and keep the attention of listeners. The detail in the delightful watercolor illustrations offer the opportunity to witness collaboration, creative problem-solving, written correspondence, kindness, humor, flexibility, and more being modeled by Mrs. Hartwell’s students.

Levels and Layers of Learning

Grade level: 2-4

Social-Emotional Learning Themes

Acceptance, compassion, concern, connection, courage, creativity, curiosity, dedication, diligence, effort, empathy, empowerment, encouragement, fortitude, friendship, generosity of spirit, gratitude, helpfulness, hope,  inspiration, integrity, kindness, loyalty, perseverance, persistence, perspective, resilience, resourcefulness, respect, responsibility, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, self-assurance, self-awareness, self-management, self-reliance, social awareness, tenacity, understanding

Content Area Connections: ELA, Science, Community, Social-Emotional Learning

Using This Book in the Classroom

Hit the Ground Running Ready Resources for Educators, Homeschoolers, and Parents

Sick Day Jitters Lesson Plans:

Building School Wide Community

How to Handle Change

Learn more about Julie and her books on her extensive website.

Illustration © Judy Love

Write Away! Ideas to prompt writing

A classroom is a community. What examples of community spirit do you recognize in this story? What are examples of community spirit in your classroom? How can you add to your classroom’s community spirit?

Mrs. Hartwell is loved by her students and the people she works with, and she loves them. How do we know? Give examples from the story.

If your teacher was out for the day and you wanted to write her a note on the classroom hub system, what would you say?

Tell about a time you had a substitute teacher or a sitter. How was it different than when your teacher (or parent) is in charge? Give details. What did you like about the experience? What didn’t you like about it? Did your opinion change at all during the experience?

Poetry Break Related poetry to recite before or following the reading of this book

Poetry breaks fit perfectly into brief moments in the school day—from opening or closing exercises to lining up for lunch; from zipping up backpacks and jackets to transitioning from one subject to the next. Reading a poem typically takes less than a minute; yet, it can introduce or reinforce a concept, provide clarity, celebrate language, exemplify rhythm, enhance vocabulary, expand understanding of a concept, increase attention span, initiate reflection, spark imagination, or simply summon a giggle. And, poetry soothes and strengthens the spirit.

“Poetry builds resilience in kids and adults; it fosters Social and Emotional Learning. A well-crafted phrase or two in a poem can help us see an experience in an entirely new way.” ~  Elena Aguilar

The following poetry books center on school settings:

• Lafeteria poems and drawings by Douglas Florian
• Lunch Box Mail and other poems by Jenny Whitehead
• Rufus and Friends: School Days by Iza Trapani

Below is information on a newly released poetry book ideal for the winter season. For middle grades and up.

What You Need to Be Warm: A poem of welcome by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by thirteen artists was created from memories people shared with Gaiman via social media about “coming in from the cold, physical warmth, and the warmth of family, friends, and safety.” First woven into a scarf and then made into a film, it is now a book published “in the hope that it can help keep some people who have lost their homes, even lost their countries warm this winter and in winters to come.” The back matter includes notes from the artists who illustrated the poem’s verses.

Learn more about the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) which protects people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution, and for whom Neil Gaiman is a Goodwill Ambassador.

And Then There’s This…
Enrichment activities, related books, online resources, craft projects, and ideas for further study

The profile of Julie on the Charlesbridge website includes a biography and Q&A.

Julie’s blog contains lesson plans for books in the Jitters series.

Free downloadable kit includes activities for many of the books in the Jitters series

Related Books of Interest:

Dear Substitute by Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Chris Raschka

Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts

My Teacher is a Monster! by Peter Brown

Mr. S by Monica Arnaldo

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Back cover features Jitter series titles

Meet the Author

Julie Danneberg was a teacher for many years, so she knows a thing or two about school jitters. She grew up and lived in Denver until recently when she made Boulder her new home. When she isn’t writing, she is hiking, biking, and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more about Julie on her website.

Backstory: Q & A with Julie Danneberg

Judy Bradbury: Tell us about this successful project: how you began the Jitters series of picture books, how you choose topics, and how you landed on the subject of this latest title.

Julie Danneberg: The first book in this series, First Day Jitters, came out in 2000.  The main character doesn’t want to go to school on the first day, and only on the last page does the reader find out the person who is nervous on the first day is the teacher, Mrs. HartwelI. I wrote that book when I was an elementary school teacher and there was definitely a grain of truth to the story.  After that, I published several more books focusing on Mrs. Hartwell and her classroom antics doing all of the things that an elementary teacher actually does, like celebrating the last day of school, taking field trips, and planning parties.  Eventually, Charlesbridge decided to rebrand all of the books and those to come as the Jitters series.  In total, there are now eight books in the series with several more in the works.

JB: Tell about one hurdle you experienced in the creation of Sick Day Jitters, or provide a memorable (or humorous!) anecdote related to the writing of the book.

JD: Actually, writing this book was fun so I didn’t face any huge hurdles.  In fact, the whole premise made me chuckle: students emailing their sick teacher repeatedly through the day when the substitute situation didn’t work out, and their teacher luxuriating in her sick day away from school.  I did have a memorable experience with this book when I did my book launch at my old school.  When I retired, I moved out of Denver, and therefore had only been back a few times to visit.  The staff there, the teachers I worked with, were amazing and I truly did miss them.  It was fun to go back and read them a book that our shared experience had inspired.

JB: What would surprise readers to learn about you or about the writing of Sick Day Jitters?

JD: As a teacher, I have been on both sides of a substitute not showing up.  I’ve been the teacher who is at home sick, and I’ve also been a teacher called into a classroom for part of the day to fill in for a missing substitute. Luckily, I never had students contact me through our school’s home/school communication system, but I could always count on my students to fill me in on the good, the bad and the ugly of whatever substitute they had.  Several of the comments in Sick Day Jitters are directly inspired by observations about or interactions with a substitute that students shared with me when I got back to school from being sick.

JB: You’ve worked with Judy Love on all eight of the Jitters picture books. Tell us about your collaboration. Do you share ideas, review art and/or text at various stages, or generally communicate throughout the creative process?

JD: I’ve been very lucky to collaborate with Judy Love on the eight books in the Jitters series.  Her humor and translation of my words into hysterical scenes is truly what makes the books successful. We don’t discuss or share ideas before she begins illustrating.  Sometimes I put illustration notes in the manuscript, but she is free to come up with her own ideas. I try to write the story in such a way that leaves room for funny illustrations, but it isn’t unusual that I’m surprised with what Judy eventually comes up with. The way it works is that she gets the final manuscript and produces rough sketches for each page. The editor shares those sketches with me, and if I have any comments or concerns, I voice them to the editor who then takes them back to Judy. But honestly, every time I see Judy’s illustrations for a new book, I am totally amazed at how much her clever art adds to my often simple words.

JB: What do you hope young listeners and readers will take away from Sick Day Jitters?

JD: At its heart, I feel like there are two messages for young readers in Sick Day Jitters. The first is that school is a community where we all want the best for our students, and we all help each other to that end. Not just teachers, but nurses and secretaries and librarians and even security personnel and custodians are invested in the students’ success. The second lesson is that while routine and predictability are useful, sometimes, we just have to learn to “go with the flow.” (Ironically, a lesson I’m still trying to learn!) I have lesson plans for both of these ideas on my website.

Illustration © Judy Love

JB: What needs does Sick Day Jitters satisfy?

JD: For me, in writing it, the need was a way to say THANK YOU to all of the teachers and school personnel out there who work so hard, day in and day out, to help their students succeed.  People often don’t know or understand some of the obstacles faculty and staff face in everyday life.  This is a glimpse into one reality that people might not know about.

JB: You also write nonfiction for children. Tell us about that.

JD: For Charlesbridge, I’ve also written two picture book biographies: Monet Paints a Day (2012) and John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall (2015). Each book tells the story of a single experience in these men’s lives that totally reveals who they were and how seriously they took their work. They also contain additional information in sidebars and backmatter. I often read one of these books when I go on school visits because at the core, they are both adventure stories that always have my listeners on the edge of their seats.

When I retired, I had the extreme pleasure to write two books for the Inquire and Investigate series for my favorite educational publisher, Nomad Press, a book publisher for school-aged children.  The books, The Science of Weather and Climate  and The Science of Fashion, called on my experience teaching middle school reading. Not only did I have to write about the science in a way that was engaging and understandable for readers 12 and up, but I had to create experiments and activities to take the reader deeper into the topic.  I loved it.

Early in my writing career I wrote a series of biography collections, Women of the West, for Fulcrum Publishing profiling women writers, travelers and artists.

JB: What is one question you wish I had asked, and what is your answer?

JD: Are all of these stories based on your life?

The short answer is yes!  But I actually didn’t realize it until I met a school librarian recently who said, “I feel like I’m meeting the real Mrs. Hartwell.” It took me a minute, but I had to laugh when I saw the truth in those words.  Like Mrs. Hartwell, I was a teacher who tried hard and loved my time in the classroom, but made many mistakes, and continued to learn throughout my career.  I am retired now, but writing about school issues keeps me attached to a profession that I loved.

JB: What project are you currently working on?

JD: I am in the midst of reviewing final art and text for the next book in the Jitters series, Author Visit Jitters, which comes out in September 2024. Let’s just say that the visiting author’s identity is a huge surprise when the students meet her. Here is the flap copy, (information found on the inside left-hand side of the book jacket):

This author visit is one for the books!

Famous author S. J. Brown is coming to visit Mrs. Hartwell’s class. The students have read every one of S. J. Brown’s books. They can’t believe they’ll get to meet their favorite author in person.

Everyone rushes to decorate the classroom and brainstorm questions for the special guest. At last everything is ready. But where is Mrs. Hartwell?

Meet the Illustrator

Sidebar Spotlight New releases of note

Each month I receive several boxes of books to review from various publishers. As I read and peruse the books, I place them in two piles: those that I will consider featuring on the blog, and those that don’t fit the mission or theme of Children’s Book Corner blog for whatever reason. I highlight some of the books in the “possible” pile on Mondays (most weeks) on Instagram. Ultimately, I choose the one new release I will feature on my monthly blog post. Yet there are many terrific books I wish I could give a shout-out to, even if I can’t write an entire post about each one. So, Sidebar Spotlight is a means of giving a nod to new releases that, in my opinion, are noteworthy. I’ve linked each title to Bookshop so you can learn more. Happy reading, friends! And feel free to comment on these or other new books below.

There’s Always Room For One More by Robyn McGrath and illustrated by Ishaa Lobo is a sweet tale centered on adjusting to change. Clare cherishes the memories she’s made at their family table, so when her parents bring in a new and bigger one because Grandpa is coming to live with them, she resists. The progression of the story, appropriate for primary listeners, is satisfying and reinforces the concept of embracing change and welcoming new perspectives.

Winter: A  Solstice Story by Kelsey E. Gross and illustrated by Renata Liwska is a comforting tale embodying hope and friendship, joy and collaboration. Highly recommend this SEL read-aloud to take note of winter solstice on December 21.

News, Updates, & Items of Interest

Read-aloud of a portion of Cayuga Island Kids Book 2, The Adventure of the Big Fish by the Small Creek

Readers Theatehttps://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncbr, complete with props! 

It’s the holiday season! Find my books packaged as a series at your favorite bookshop or purchase directly from the publisher and receive a gift with purchase! Individual titles are also available in hard, softcover, and e-book versions.

Find where my books and I will be on my Events page.

Kindness tip: If you read and like a book, consider posting a review on GoodReads, social media, or on Amazon (if you bought it there). Authors and illustrators appreciate the shout-out. Even a one-sentence comment increases visibility of a book. Also consider placing a request with your local library to purchase a copy–another free way to support a book you recommend!

Each year the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) a division of the American Library Association, creates a list of Notable Children’s Books. Find the 2023 list here.

Find recommendations and resources for historical dates of note in December and January on the Read Write Think website. These include recognition of Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson, The Wright Brothers, Bill of Rights Day, Poor Richard’s Almanac, Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis Carroll, and more. For additional suggestions, see the professional resource Beyond February: Teaching Black History Any Day, Every Day, All Year Long by Dawnavyn James; Stenhouse.

Reading Rainbow is celebrating their 40 year anniversary by sharing 40 full episodes of Reading Rainbow on their YouTube channel. Episodes will be made available one at a time, for a limited time, released every Tuesday and Thursday through February 2024. For more details, visit the Reading Rainbow website.

Over to You…

Join the conversation! Offer your thoughts on this featured prompt related to this month’s post:

What picture book set in a classroom do you recommend? Share the title and author of the book in the comments section.

You are also welcome to post a general comment.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Final Thought