Crystal Williams, a Library-Media Specialist from Red Rock, Oklahoma, answered our "Question of the Month" for November/December and was chosen from a hat out of several contestants: "Which author/illustrator recently got married and posted photos on her biography page?
Answer: Darleen Bailey Beard (officially Riffle). You, too, can be a winner. Just scroll down on the homepage for the question!
Welcome to Oklahoma Children's Book Authors & Illustrators (OCAI).
Here you'll find information about some of the most talented people in Oklahoma. Every other month we feature a new author or illustrator in a video with an exclusive interview so you'll get to meet our OCAI authors & illustrators up-close and personal. Each video and interview is archived for easy reference on the author's/illustrator's biography page. We also provide links to contact information, "fun facts", brochures, lesson plans, & much more.
Need a grant? Check out the grant we provide on our grant page as well as both local and national grants. Be sure to send us grants that you know about because if we post a grant you suggest, we'll send you a free autographed book. We also have a "Bimonthly Question" which gives you more chances to win free books. We'd love to hear from you & we hope you'll invite an Oklahoma author or illustrator to your next book-related event!
Don't flake out and leave without entering to win a FREE autograhped book! It's as easy as reading our "In the News" section and answering this question!
Just find a 'Feedback Form' on our homepage and submit your answer. Be sure to include your email address so we can contact you for shipping information. If you're a student, be sure to tell us what grade you are in. If you're a teacher or library media specialist, be sure to include what grades you work with so we'll send you an age-appropriate book. January/February Question:
Which author/illustrator has two picture books coming out this Spring?
New!
Find OCAI on your smartphone. See the right margin of this page for an example and a QR code so you can quickly link to it on your barcode scanner app.
Scroll down to see winners of our $250.00 Grant . . .
$250.00 "Every School's a Winner Grant"
In August, we asked schools to participate in our first annual $250.00 "Every School's a Winner Grant" to win $250.00 toward the speaking fee of one of OCAI's authors or illustrators. To enter, a school had to make a bulletin board featuring photos of our authors & illustrators and photos of some of their books and then email a photo of their bulletin board to OCAI by Nov. 1st. We had so many great entries, that we decided to give not only a first place prize but a second and third place prize, too. Listed below are our winners. And remember, every school who entered will receive an autographed book just for entering. Congrats to all our winners!
First Place Winner, receiving $250.00 for an author or illustrator visit is Lisa Barton, Sunnyside Elementary, Cushing, OK. Lisa has also won a nonfiction easy-reader, Freshwater Feeders: Studying Food Webs in Freshwater by Gwen Hooks.
Second Place winner, receiving a $150.00 Grant for an author or illustrator visit is Earon Cunningham, Zarrow International School, Tulsa OK. Earon has also won a chapter book, Annie Glover is NOT a Tree Lover, by Darleen Bailey Beard.
Third place winner receiving a grant for $75.00 for an author or illustrator visit is Julie Sherwood at Cushing High School, Cushing OK. Julie has also won a novel, Stolen by the Sea, by Anna Myers.
2012 Oklahoma Sequoyah Award Master List: "Annie Glover is NOT a Tree Lover" by Darleen Bailey Beard.
I know the answer, do you? If you want to win a FREE autographed book, be sure to read the "In the News" section carefully. Then scroll down to answer the "November/December Question" to enter to win!
Tammi Sauer reports that her TWO new picture books will be coming out spring 2012. "Me Want Pet!" and "Bawk & Roll" are the titles. To take a peek at her new fab books, go to our Recent & Upcoming Books page.
Una Belle Townsend, has FABULOUS news! She's sold a new picture book to Pelican. It's based on a true story that happened in 1975 right here in Oklahoma. It's called, The Great Elephant Escape, and tells the story of two elephants, Isa and Lilly, who escaped from the circus in Hugo. It will be released fall of 2012. Great way to teach fun local history! Check out Una Belle's bio here. More news----Una Belle's popular picture book, Grady's in the Silo, was recentlly featured on Channel 9 News. We will post a link to this video asap....
Anna Myers, Oklahoma author, regional director of the Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), invites all adults who are interested in writing and/or illustrating books for children to attend the annual SCBWI spring conference which will feature several editors from major publishing houses in New York, an art director, and more. For more info: go to www.scbwiok.org or contact Anna Myers at: amyers_author@yahoo.com. Check out Anna's bio page here.
Peggy Perry Anderson, a Tulsa author and illustrator, is new to OCAI and her biography pages and speaking information are now posted. And good news, teachers--she loves doing school visits!! Check out her info here.
Darleen Bailey Beard, Norman author, reports that her chapter book, Annie Glover is NOT a Tree Lover, has been nominated for the 2012 Oklahoma Sequoyah Award! For fun activities and a reader's theater, go to her web site at: www.darleenbaileybeard.com. Darleen also reports more exciting news---she got married this summer! To see her bio and photos of her wedding, click here.
Be our guest -- OCAI is a brand new resource for anyone wishing to find information about Oklahoma children's authors and illustrators. Because we are so new, we'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, and suggestions -- so please sign our guestbook!
Please provide us FEEDBACK with the form provided here
OCAI Mobile
OCAI QR Code
Winner:
Bobbie Hummingbird
Coweta Public Schools
Coweta, OK
Congratulations Bobbie Hummingbird for being our 10,002 visitor! You have won our GIANT GIFT PACK of free autographed books:
The Flimflam Man
That Doggone Calf
Cowboy Camp
Chicken Dance
Easter Bunny Blues
2 Posters
Bookmarks
Tattoos
Postcards
We hope the Coweta students LOVE our books and thanks for visiting OCAI.
OCAI Kids' Writing Contest
Winners receive a real personalized email from their favorite OCAI author or illustrator, a free autographed book from this author or illustrator, and their story will be printed on our "Kid Zone" page.
Three separate categories for:
3rd-5th grades
6th-8th grades
9th-12th grades
Go to "Kid Zone" for details. Deadline: Jan. 24, 2012
OCAI is approaching our 15,000th visitor to our home page. If YOU are one of the first people who visit this site after 15,000, send us a feedback form with your visitor number. The person closest to number 15,000 will win a GIANT GIFT PACK of FREE AUTOGRAPHED BOOKS just like Bobbie Hummingbird of Coweta Public Schools who was our 10,002nd homepage visitor. Good luck!
Andrea Campbell (above)
Schwartz Elem.
OKC won:
Let's Clean Up
Vickie Smith, Smithville H.S.
Smithville, OK won:
Falcon of Abydos
_______________
Mona Edwards, Carver M.S.
Tulsa, OK won:
Spy
_____________
Julie Sherwood, Cushing H.S.
Cushing, OK won:
Cayman Gold
____________
Janie Riddle, Hilldale Elem.
Muskogee, OK won:
Racecar Driver's Night Before Christmas
__________________
Ladies: Send us your photos and we'll post them here.
Congrats to all of you and thanks for entering our drawing!
Kids can Win $1000 for entering a Poem in the Kid Zone ... Click here.
"Raving Reviews" is your responses and viewpoints of the OCAI website.
"Meet the Authors/Illustrators" provides a photo montage, a one-page bio, and photos of each author's and illustrator's book covers (all photos can be enlarged for easy viewing). You'll also find a link to each author's and illustrator's personal website, as well as a printable brochure.
"Young Adult Authors" is basically the same as Meet the Authors/Illustrators page but its exclusively designed for those authors that specialize in books aimed toward the Young Adult readers.
"Upcoming Books" provides a quick reference of who has a new book coming out, the title (if known) and the release date.
"Available for Speaking" lists the authors and illustrators who would be happy to visit your school or special event.
"Tips for Planning a Visit" shares easy tips to help you plan, prepare, and promote an author/illustrator visit or event.
"Need Grants or Funding?" is a great place to find the funds you need for your next speaker visit.
"Post a Question" is a bulletin board for you to ask our authors and illustrators questions. We'll send them your questions and then post their answers.
"In the News" has the latest book news. "Book Technology News" is for the high-tech savy viewers.
"Website Links of Interest" provides a listing of publishers, bookstores, schools, and more.
"Teacher Zone" is a great resource for teachers and a fun area for interaction between teachers. "School Listing" is a list of schools in Oklahoma.
"Kid Zone" provides a starting point for kids and young adults who are writing reports on Oklahoma authors and illustrators. They can also find scavenger hunts, puzzles, and links to other places of interest. "Games" is a fun page for kids to learn more about reading, writing, Oklahoma authors and illustrators through fun games.
"Put Yourself on this Site" is a great way for you, your organization, or company to be represented here at Oklahoma Children's Authors and Illustrators. Simply follow the easy directions on this page.
"Contact Us" is where you can provide OCAI feedback on anything from how much you love our site to how much you'd love to improve our site. We really do appreciate all of your comments and suggestions!
