From Elsewhere in Tennessee

They like it. They like it! I'm so happy. I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: I love it when teachers contact me to tell me how much their students love the books. I offer up this evidence:

My students LOVED the few photos of Guatemala they’ve seen so far - El cerro de la cruz, the view, and la plaza principal. Knowing that they were your, the author’s photos as opposed to something I found on the internet thrilled them. They also ran across the recipe for Kaq’ ik and got really excited. Of course they asked how to pronounce the word. Help please. Now that Matías is in Guatemala, the students are throwing out some fun predictions and their curiosity for what’s coming next is obvious and infectious. Todavía encantados con El jersey…

Of course I like hearing from the teachers, but anyone who knows kids knows THEY are the biggest - and most vocal - critics. In a good way. It's great that El jersey is passing muster with them and that they are engaged. Oh, and the photos referenced above? I put together a powerpoint that takes the same journey the main character does in El jersey. It's worth the "trip." Guatemala is beautiful. That presentation is available on TpT.

In other news: El jersey is coming out soon - in French (with appropriate cultural adaptations). Thank you to Terri Marrama, a teacher in Potsdam, NY, for taking on this charge and bringing the sweet story of a jersey (Le Maillot en français) to a wider audience.