Summer in the City {Author Guest Post, Freebie, and Giveaway}

Author Kathleen Wainwright has published her first children's book, Summer in the City. Welcome to day 3 of her virtual tour! Today Kathleen will be sharing some of her personal connections to her book!

Click HERE for a complete list of tour dates

Hi Cheryl! I first want to say thank-you for agreeing to host me during my virtual book tour! I am loving the opportunity to share my ideas behind the story, Summer in the City.  And, I am enjoying the personal journey this process has taken me on. Thank you for giving me the chance to share my experiences with so many teachers and parents around the world!

Let me begin by saying that although this story is directly related to my personal memories of growing up and how I spent my summer days, this is one that any reader can relate to! Did you play jacks, hopscotch or double-dutch? Tag or "That's My Car?" Did you collect fireflies in an old jelly jar or get kicked out of the pool during adult swim? Did you spend hours playing outside riding your bike, skating, and/or racing with friends without an ipod in your pocket, a cell phone in your hand or tablet/Nook in your backpack?? If so, this is truly a story that you can relate to. Even better, it is one you will enjoy sharing with your kids! Your children will not only enjoy the rhythm of this story as it talks about all of the summer fun they can have outside,  they will also enjoy the stories you can share as you reminisce about when you were growing up!

Summer in the City  is a snapshot into my childhood. It is reminiscent of some of the happiest times I had as a child. Most importantly it captures good old fashioned, outdoor, technology-free FUN! Growing up in the Philadelphia I enjoyed water ice, soft pretzels and penny candy. I climbed trees, made mud pies, played hide-and-go-seek... I HAD FUN OUTSIDE! When you have a chance to read the book and enjoy the illustrations, you will not only see the skyline, you will see houses, door designs, parks and sidewalk plants that you can find throughout the city of Philadelphia. You will also see hugs, jelly shoes and bracelets, charm necklaces, and sundresses unique to my generation growing up in the 80's!

I am sure as you read this story with your class and/or children, you will be able to make connections to your summers growing up as a kid. Sharing these connections with students is a great way to strengthen their reading comprehension.

When you purchase Summer in the City from TeachersPayTeachers you will receive a Teacher's Reading Companion for *free! This resource is full of reading comprehension activities that are not only fun but also a great way to reinforce important skills.

There is nothing like having a handful of great activities to compliment a great book. Because I am always thinking with my "teacher's cap" on, I found it important to share a variety of activities that teachers will find resourceful when using Summer in city in the classroom. The activities above encourage students to make connections to the text while also fostering great conversations with both their classmates and teacher! Get students thinking about how they spend their summer days and help to improve their reading comprehension skills. Click to download the Teacher's Reading Companion: Making Connections.

To purchase your signed hardback copy of Summer in the City, feel free to visit www.kathleenwainwright.com. For the e-book version of the book, visit my TPT store.

Tomorrow, Latoya Trice Reed, will be providing an overview of some of the great resources you will be able to find in the Summer in the City Teacher's Reading Companion. Don't forget to stop by and get your link to download another freebie!

I will also be giving away 10 free, signed copies of Summer in the City at the end of her virtual book tour! Be sure to enter the giveaway for your chance to win!

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Kathleen Wainwright is a dedicated teacher in the School District of Philadelphia. She received her bachelor’s of Science degree in education from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, and her master’s in education with a focus in literacy, from West Chester University, in West Chester, PA. Kathleen also teaches literacy courses to aspiring teachers at Temple University and developmental reading courses to incoming freshman at Delaware County Community College. “This story captures a typical summer’s day for me and my friends growing up in the 80’s! Every time I read it I travel back to some of my favorite childhood memories.” Kathleen recently earned National Board Certification in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts (Early and Middle Childhood). She enjoys sharing her personal teaching experiences and educational resources in her blog, The Diary of a Not So Wimpy Teacher (www.notsowimpyresources.com).