Ashley Belote and LISTEN UP, LOUELLA

Congratulations to Sandra F. Coliny!  You won the copy of BIG TUNE from Alliah Agostini!   You're going to LOVE it!  So fun and full of rhythm and rhyme -- sure to have you ready to "bust a move"!  Enjoy! Thanks, Alliah, for your generosity and thanks, Sandra for tuning in!

Ashley Belote and I chat art, music, and more!

Ashley is a delight and we had a a GREAT conversation!  Come on in and join us as we chat! Her book, LISTEN UP LOUELLA is precious!  It's so full of fun, so don't skip it! 

LISTEN UP LOUELLA

LOUELLA is an elephant -- with a big personality! She gets her feelings hurt when  she gets left out, but in the end she realizes  that much of it is in her control.  She learns the power of being a good listener and a good friend after quite a few MISadventures.  Music shows up in a few places in this super fun summer camp story, and when it does, it adds to the color and fun of the book!  The illustrations and colors are full of camp fun, and this cast of characters will make you wish for summer days again!  LouElla is relatable for kids, and this story has an SEL component that will have kids learning as they're laughing.  

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

While this song doesn't talk specifically about listening, it does talk about friendship and it has the colorful summer camp vibe of LISTEN UP, LOUELLA.  It's got a great beat if you'd like to use it in music class.  Check out the playlist for more fun music to use in your classroom.  And take a look at the tips for the classroom and music classroom for more fun things to do with this book in your classes.

Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics

Ashley's book is full of great topics for teachers and there are many ways to use it in your classroom!  It's full of great layers and a super-strong SEL connection!  If I were using it in the regular classroom, here are some ways I would consider:

• It's a great birthday book if you read aloud books for kids' birthdays or if you do a monthly celebration or do anything with birthdays. . . 
• It would be a perfect book for the beginning of the year, since it talks about being a good listener, playing well with others, waiting your turn, apologizing, working and playing together, and cheering each other on!  A perfect way to introduce some of those classroom rules, procedures, and expectations. 
• It would be great at the end of the year, too, as kids are getting ready for their own summer camp experiences.  If you prefer to use it at the beginning of the year, you could recap any summer camp experiences they'd had.
• If you're doing a friendship unit, this would be a great addition to that as well, as all the SEL components are characteristics that distinguish good friends.

So those are some times/ways I would personally use this book. As a teacher, there are a few topics/themes that scream at me that would be great to highlight in the classroom.

• Character analysis is one that jumps out at me for sure! LouElla is so FULL of personality!  She would be a great one to discuss and analyze.  But you also have Tarantula, who is the opposite of LouElla in so many ways, so it would be fun to compare and contrast the two of them as well.
• SEL connections are another huge presence in this book.  Some of the topics you could work on in your classroom are:
  • Playing well with others
  • Waiting in line/waiting your turn
  • Being a good listener
  • Cheering each other on
  • Apologizing
  • Working/Playing  together
  • How to be a good friend
• If you want to give your students a camp experience, this book would be perfect for that and then perhaps you could do some of the activities that appear in the book, like painting, making music, building forts, playing badminton, tug of war, basketball, etc.
  • From that perspective, too, it's the perfect book for the beginning of school, since it talks about several things that are probably Encore/Specials classes (painting, music, gym) so you could read it before taking a tour (especially like for kindergarten or pre-K and point out the places where those things would happen.)
• You also could do a compare/contrast between camp/school.
• This book could also be a great introduction to a unit on spiders or Tarantulas or a unit on elephants if you want to integrate it with science or to do a paired text activity.  SCURRY: THE TRUTH ABOUT SPIDERS by Annette Whipple  or I'M TRYING TO LOVE SPIDERS by Bethany Barton would be excellent for spiders or SHE LEADS by June Smalls for elephants would be fabulous!

*There are lots of great ideas on the Pinterest board and additional ones in the YouTube playlist for specific songs, lessons, and activities to these ends, so be sure to check out the links section below for lots of resources on these topics.

Tips and Topics for Music Teachers

While the music content is not as prominent in this story as some of the others I've featured on PBJamz, there are lots of ways you could integrate this book into a successful music lesson or even a unit.

• The most prominent appearance of music is of course the talent show, so you could have your own musical talent show -- allowing kids to sing, dance, play an instrument, etc.  This, too, would be a great way to end the year and there are many ways you could do this.  The easiest would be class by class as each class comes to you, the students who wish to participate share their talent in the class setting.  If you wanted to go bigger, you could do grade level talent show and set up a time for each grade level to perform. (If you wanted to keep in during the school day, you would arrange the schedule accordingly.   For instance, when my kids are doing a performance, we do combined Encore classes so I can practice with the whole grade level.  You'd have to work within your schedule's confines.) Or you could do a schoolwide talent show and do an evening; maybe even make it a fundraiser for your school/music dept., etc.
• The book mentions making music as part of the camp experience, so this is a perfect opportunity to teach some camp songs, folk songs, etc. There are some lovely campfire videos on YouTube that I've often used to create camp ambience.  What a fun lesson to do music around the campfire and teach them some old favorites (maybe even have a S'More-related snack)
• The music room is a perfect place to discuss and sing about the SEL connections. Again, it would be perfect for the beginning of the year, as you're introducing rules, procedures and expectations in the music room -- waiting in line, being a good listener, playing well with others, etc. would make great components for BOY lessons.
  
• Also, if you'd like to do a lesson/unit on Being a Good Friend, this book has some great takeaways for that, including being a good listener, working/playing together, and cheering each other -- great skills to teach in the music room, as there are wonderful songs about those topics, and it's such an important life skill that certainly crosses into musical territory.
• Additionally, if you do anything with birthdays, this is a fun read-aloud with a birthday component. (Tarantula's birthday)

Writing Prompts from Tonnye

1. If you could choose any of the activities LouElla did at camp (paint pictures, make music, build forts, go canoeing, participate in a talent show, play tug of "roar", play basketball, enjoy water play, go to the gym, play badminton, or go to a birthday party) which one would you MOST want to do and why?
2. Write a paragraph describing LouElla as a character.  Remember to talk about her inside characteristics as well as her outside characteristics.
3. Write about a time you had a camp experience.
4. Write an apology letter to someone that you wronged.
5. Write another story that takes place at a camp in the summer.
6. Write this story from Tarantula's point of view.
7. Write 4 paragraphs: one describing LouElla, one describing Tarantula, one telling how they're alike and the last telling how they're different.
8. What do you think Tarantula's birthday invitation looked like -- Draw and write your version of his invitation.
9. Write a birthday song to Tarantula.
10. Write an article explaining how to be a good friend.
11. If you were Tarantula, what kind of cake would you like for your birthday.  Write a fun recipe for that cake.
12. Write a sensory poem about LouElla's camp experience.
13. Write a list of 10 facts about elephants or tarantulas.
14. Create a Venn diagram comparing spiders and elephants.

Writing/Illustrating Tips from Ashley

1. Let your environment do the talking! Always keep an open mind, wherever you are. Ideas can strike when you least expect them! Always have a notebook around (especially if you're an illustrator), because you'll need somewhere to jot down ideas!
2. Don't edit yourself in your head. Sometimes we think of an idea and immediately say, "That won't work." This is not the right way to create. We must always give our ideas a chance. Yes, they could turn out to be amazing, but sometimes they can lead to other ideas. Regardless of what path they take, they are working toward your success.
3. Exaggerate. When actors are on stage, they are often told to make their movements more exaggerated than they would normally because part of acting is exaggerating. Art is the same way. If you are drawing a character reaching up to get something, exaggerate it more. Stretch the arms longer, squish objects to the point of them breaking, elongate things, twist, turn, etc! Every time I make a drawing, I revise and exaggerate the movement just a bit more and it always makes me feel better. We need to create energetic, active, and entertaining scenes, and one way to do this is through the linework in our art.
eek, check back for writing tips

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

Pinterest board with lots of fun links to resources and activities to go along with LISTEN UP LOUELLA
YouTube playlist with camp songs, listening songs/activities, read-aloud and art activity from Ashley and more!
Activity kit to go along with LISTEN UP LOUELLA -- Earn Roar Scout badges, color, draw, go on a scavenger hunt and more!
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PBJamz Snack

A perfect camp snack or breakfast, these PBJ granola bars are easy to whip up, simple to serve and a perfect summer PBJ recipe!

Guest Links and Giveaways

Ashley Belote is the illustrator of FRANKENSLIME (Feiwel & Friends, 2021) and VALENSLIME (Feiwel & Friends, 2021). She is the author-illustrator of her solo debut early reader THE ME TREE (Penguin Workshop, 2021) and her solo debut picture book LISTEN UP, LOUELLA (Feiwel & Friends, 2022). 

She studied traditional animation under the direction of Don Bluth. Ashley is a West Virginia native, and earned her BA from Alderson Broaddus University. She earned her MA in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky. Her graduate study included a children’s literature and illustration course, The Whole Book Approach, through Simmons College at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. She also serves as the Illustrator Coordinator for the Carolinas chapter of SCBWI. Ashley is represented by Moe Ferrara of BookEnds Literary Agency.
Check out her links below:
Ashley's website

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GoodReads

If you'd like to order signed copies of Ashley's books, order through Main Street Books in Davidson, NC.

Speaking of books, Ashley is giving away a signed copy of  LISTEN UP, LOUELLA.   Simply comment below to be entered into a drawing to win!