CS 21, Crispus Attucks School, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, District 16

Susanna Pitzer, Not Afraid of Dogs: An Illustrated Book Program

Visit 1: November 6, 2009
Visit 2: November 13, 2009

Author Susanna Pitzer explored the ideas of fear and courage with a class of first grade students through her book Not Afraid of Dogs. Students learned about story structure, illustration, and the publishing process through two workshops. As an introduction to the book publishing process, Ms. Pitzer passed some of her original illustrations for students to look at and touch. Then the class worked with Ms. Pitzer to create and illustrate a story together. Ms. Pitzer guided the students through a brainstorm about the characters and the plot and then the students voted on the different parts of the story. The students decided their story would be about Judy, a T-Rex who was afraid of Brachiosaurus name Spike. Judy was afraid Spike would eat her, but they became friends when Spike told her Brachiosaurus only eat plants.

Over the course of the program, each student wrote and illustrated their own story about overcoming fears. The stories and illustrations were compiled in a class book, which the students entitled Not Afraid of Anything.

Susanna Pitzer reads aloud from her book Not Afraid of Dogs.		A boy proudly holds up his drawing. fffffffffffffffffffffffffffff
Susanna Pitzer helps a student with her work.		The first graders hold up their copies of Not Afraid of Dogs as they pose for a group picture.

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