Chalk + Ink: Season 1; Episode 12

Interview with Preschool Librarian and Picture Book Author, Sheri Dillard

Welcome back to Chalk + Ink: the podcast for teachers who write and writers who teach. Meet preschool librarian and picture book author, Sheri Dillard. Sheri is the author of Cowhide-and-Seek. Her humor and flexibility are an inspiration.

In this episode, Sheri talks about how she uses imaginary read alouds to revise her manuscripts, the importance of putting books face out so that they're accessible for preschoolers and the necessity of believing in yourself to make your dream of becoming a published writer come true. 

If you're a preschool teacher and you're looking for a way to incorporate an end-of-the-day read aloud into your routine, Sheri recommends using a read aloud song just like you would use a clean up or a snack song. 

For writing, Sheri explains she had a breakthrough moment when she started paying attention to the positive feedback she received during critiques instead of the negative feedback. So, instead of trying to fix what wasn't working, she zeroed in on expanding what was working. This is a fantastic tip that I'm currently using as I craft my middle grade nonfiction manuscript.

Sheri thinks all preschool classrooms should have a copy of Everybody Says Meow by Constance Lombardo. This book is so funny that when Sheri reads this book to her preschoolers she literally has to wait till the children's laughter dies down before she can read the next page.

To encourage social emotional learning, Sheri recommends that all preschools have a copy of The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld.  The book leads to wonderful discussions about how you can be helpful when a friend is sad and helps readers recognize different emotions.

​Happy listening!