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Book Cover for: The Scrambled States of America, Laurie Keller

The Scrambled States of America

Laurie Keller

A wacky cross-country adventure starring the fifty states!

"Well, it was just your basic, ordinary day in the good old U. S. of A. States all over the country were waking up, having their first cups of coffee, reading the morning paper, and enjoying the beautiful sunrise.

All the states, that is, except for Kansas."

At the first annual "states party," Virginia and Idaho hatch a plan to swap spots so each can see another part of the country. Before the party is over, all the states decide to switch places. In the beginning, every state is happy in its new location. But soon things start to go wrong. Will the states ever unscramble themselves and return to their proper places?

Packed with madcap humor and whimsical illustrations, this quirky story-starring all fifty states-is chock-full of introductory facts and silly antics that will make learning geography as much fun as taking a vacation.

This title has Common Core connections.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Square Fish
  • Publish Date: Apr 1st, 2002
  • Pages: 40
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.80in - 9.80in - 0.20in - 0.40lb
  • EAN: 9780805068313
  • Recommended age: 06-10
  • Categories: Places - United StatesHumorous Stories

About the Author

Keller, Laurie: -

Laurie Keller is the bestselling author-illustrator of many books for kids, including Do Unto Otters; Potato Pants!; The Scrambled States of America; the Geisel Award-winning We Are Growing!; and Arnie the Doughnut, as well as three books in the Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut chapter book series.

Growing up in Michigan, Laurie always loved to draw, paint and write stories. She earned a B.F.A. at Kendall College of Art and Design, then worked at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City as a greeting card illustrator for seven years. One night, the idea for a children's book popped into her head and after showing the story to several publishers in New York City, she quit her job and moved there. The following year, that story idea was a published book--The Scrambled States of America. Laurie loved living in NYC, but she returned to her home state, where she lives in the woods along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Short, Deborah J.: - Dr. Short is a division director at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, D.C. She has worked as a teacher, trainer, researcher, and curriculum/materials developer. Her work at CAL has concentrated on the integration of language learning with content-area instruction. Through several national projects, she has conducted research and provided professional development and technical assistance to local and state education agencies across the United States. She directed the ESL Standards and Assessment Project for TESOL and co-developed the SIOP model for sheltered instruction.

Dr. Short's monographs include: Extend Your Students' Reach and Move Them Toward Independence, Base Your ESL Instruction in the Content Areas, Reach for the Common Core, Structural Supports for English Learners, Comprehensive and Responsive Assessment, and Developing Academic Literacy in Adolescents.
Tinajero, Josefina Villamil: - Dr. Tinajero specializes in staff development and school-university partnership programs and has consulted with school districts in the U.S. to design ESL, bilingual, literacy, and bi-literacy programs. She has served on state and national advisory committees for standards development, including the English as a New Language Advisory Panel of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and the Texas Reading Academies. She is currently professor of Education and Interim Dean of the College of Education at the University of Texas at El Paso and was President of the National Association for Bilingual Education, 1997-2000.

Dr. Tinajero's monograph is titled Teaching the Fundamentals.
Schifini, Alfredo: - Dr. Schifini assists schools across the nation and around the world in developing comprehensive language and literacy programs for English learners. He has worked as an ESL teacher, reading specialist, school administrator and university professor. Through an arrangement with California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, Dr. Schifini currently serves as program consultant to two large teacher-training efforts in the area of reading for second language speakers of English. His research interests include early literacy and language development and the integration of language and content-area instruction.

Praise for this book

"Charming." --The New York Times

"It's hard to imagine a more engaging (or comical) way to learn the 50 states and their locations than in this auspicious debut from Keller." --Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"Will elicit laughs from all those who thought geography was boring." --Kirkus Reviews

"A wacky and absolutely painless look at geography." --School Library Journal