Nature brought us both joy and anxiety in 2020. Photo: biosfer
For many of us, it was the last straw when, in mid-August, the East Bay Regional Park District closed most of its parks because of an unprecedented number of local wildfires. Our one solution to lockdown-induced cabin fever heading for the big outdoors had been cruelly wrested away from us.
Unfortunately, nature played it both ways this year. It was also behind many of our most anxiety-inducing days whether it was the time the skies turned orange because of the devastating regional wildfires, being shaken awake by a earthquake, or another Red Flag warning putting hill residents on alert and shutting off their power.
The Virtual Author School Visit Evolves By Shannon Maughan | Dec 11, 2020
Visiting young readers at schools and libraries is a significant part of many children’s book authors’ and illustrators’ jobs. School visits are also a big piece of publishers’ publicity campaigns for picture book and middle grade authors. But school closures forced by the pandemic suddenly halted this long-standing practice. As educators and families try to navigate uncertain times this academic year, a new era of virtual school visits is coming into clearer focus. We took a look at how some authors and illustrators are leading the way forward and explored some of the issues involved.