Gail Saunders-Smith (1952–) Biography

Born 1952, in Pittsburgh, PA; Education: Kent State University, B.S., M.A., 1977; Youngstown State University, M.S., 1980; University of Akron, Ph.D., 1994.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Red Brick Press, c/o Capstone Press, 151 Good Counsel Dr., P.O. Box 669, Mankato, MN 56002.

Career

Educator and writer. Elementary school teacher in Ohio, for ten years; Summit County Board of Education, Akron, OH, curriculum supervisor; currently writer and staff developer.

Member

International Reading Association, ASCD, Phi Delta Kappa, Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Lambda Theta.

Writings

NONFICTION; FOR CHILDREN

Carrots, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Autumn Leaves, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Beans, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Boats, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Butterflies, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Cars, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Chickens, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Children, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Clouds, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Communities, Capstone Press (Mankato, MN), 1998.

The Doctor's Office, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Flowers, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Frogs, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Apple Trees, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

From Bud to Blossom, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

From Blossom to Fruit, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Picking Apples, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Eating Apples, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Koalas, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Leaves, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Lightning, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Parents, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Rain, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Airplanes, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Animals in the Fall, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Autumn, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Seeds, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Spring, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Stems, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Summer, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Sunflowers, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Sunshine, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

The Supermarket, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Trucks, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Warm Clothes, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Winter, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Fall Harvest, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

Families, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

The Fire Station, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1998.

The Farm, Pebble Books (Mankato, MN), 1999.

The Universe, Steck-Vaughn (Austin, TX), 2000.

OTHER

The Ultimate Guided Reading How-to Book: Building Literacy through Small-Group Instruction, Zephyr Press (Tucson, AZ), 2003.

The Ultimate Small-Group Reading How-to Book: Building Comprehension through Small-Group Instruction, Zephyr Press (Chicago, IL), 2005.

Consulting editor on several series books for Capstone Press.

Sidelights

Gail Saunders-Smith told SATA: "Books, books, books! So many! Paper, paper, paper! So much! I love to read. I hate to write, but love when it's done. I love to read because I get to go places and meet people and do things I would never have the chance otherwise. I guess I don't r-e-a-l-l-y hate to write. But I like reading much better.

"Names fascinate me. I collect names. I hear names and write them down. I have lists and lists of names. Names of people, places, even things. I once thought up this moss that grows into fabric—it's vloss. I made up that name.

"I love books with beautiful illustrations. The author uses words as paint to make the pictures in the readers' mind. The illustrator uses real paint to make the pictures in the readers' eyes. Together the author and the illustrator paint a multidimensional story. The only thing missing is music. And sound effects. Maybe not, because then it'd be a movie.

"So many stories float around in my mind. Just scraps of stories—a character, a place, weather, a room. It takes work to stitch the scraps into a whole. And work takes time. We have to decide what to do with the time given to us. Read? Write? Sleep? Go for a walk? Talk with a friend? At least we have a choice, right?"