ABSTRACT
Building up the stamina to enjoy and respond personally to longer stories is in itself an achievement. The authors chosen to be studied have usually written significant longer stories or children’s novels but are just as valuable if looking at a poet or picturebook creator. The author study activities usually run over several weeks and work may include class- and group-based sessions and some independent contributions. There are some splendid sites to help with author studies. Nearly every author has an exciting website with details about their books, interviews and suggestions for interesting activities. The Booktrust website has good features about children’s authors from time to time. The chapter looks at some of the ways teachers bring writing into older primary children’s literature work, including reviews and reading journals, writing in role and author studies. Reading aloud to the whole class is one of the best ways of helping children to enjoy and think about a longer story or novel.
