Children's Author

Jeanette Hopkins has been a classroom and environmental educator for over twenty years. She began her teaching career in a class one (rural) school and most recently taught at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. She is a past member of the Iowa Writing Project Advisory Board and is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in the area of Middle Childhood Generalist. She has a keen appreciation for the delight young readers have for rhythm and rhyme and hopes that readers of all ages will find the music in The LadyBug Waltz.

The LadyBug Waltz came about as Jeanette sat with her granddaughter, Chloe, as she was undergoing one of five open heart surgeries.  Jeanette sang the song to Chloe every night as an assurance to the next day.

Jeanette and her husband are environmental writers and enjoy “day tripping” throughout the states. In past few years, they have developed a series of road trips, where young grandchildren have learned to appreciate nature and develop a respect for the natural world. Jeanette’s husband, Bruce, is currently writing a book centered on those day trips. They share environmental experiences with teachers and environmental educators in workshops throughout the United States.

In 2010, Jeanette will be available for classroom presentations and will share writing experiences with children in classrooms of all ages. Her second book, The Juggler, will be published in 2011 and promises to be a natural text that will engage the youngest of readers.

Jeanette says on her book, “The rhythm in the book assists in reading development. I’d really like to see experience, rhythm and rhyme back in the daily routine of the classroom…I read in classrooms and try to select books that immediately engage the children and allow them to be part of the experience…..very transactional.”

You can contact Jeanette at: saunter@cableone.net. She appreciates comments and will reply as soon as she can.