My teaching partner read the book Inside This Book (are three books) by Barney Saltzberg. This great book is about three siblings that write their own books. It’s a great introduction to the different parts of a book: authors, title pages, story and illustration.

It inspired the students in our classroom so much that they immediately wanted to write their own books and we were happy to oblige. This was the easiest literacy center to set up: just fold some paper in half and staple the center. We put the books out at a table and let the children be their own illustrators and authors. They enjoyed creating stories and sharing then with the rest of the class.