Local children’s book author shares time and talent with fifth graders

Local author Janet Costa Bates recently visited Thayer fifth graders as the students started a new creative writing unit in their English classes. 

The author of several children’s books — including the Rica Baptista series; Seaside Dream; and Time for Bed, Old House — Bates included an interactive read-aloud of Time for Bed, Old House in her visit as well as a workshop portion where she challenged students to pick her brain about how she created the book’s characters. After that, through creative writing exercises, the students created their own characters; they will then use these characters to develop their own short stories in English class. 

Bates also shared a little of Cape Verdean culture and the Portuguese language during her visit. Like her protagonist in the Rica Baptista series, the author is Cape Verdean American. 

To complete the visit, Bates signed copies of her book Rica Baptista: Llamas, Iguanas, and My Very Best Friend along with matching bookmarks that the students were able to take home.