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Children’s author to stop in Lewistown on state tour

Submitted photo Micha Archer, author and illustrator of ‘Daniel Finds a Poem,’ will visit the Mifflin County Library in Lewistown at 6 p.m. on Wednesday as a part of a statewide tour sponsored by the Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child program.

LEWISTOWN — Micha Archer, author of “Daniel Finds a Poem,” will visit the Mifflin County Library in Lewistown as part of the Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child early literacy initiative.

The author will appear at 6 p.m. on March 29 to read “Daniel Finds a Poem.” The author also illustrated the book.

“Daniel Finds a Poem” is this year’s selection for the One Book, Every Young Child program.

For the 12th consecutive year, Pennsylvania’s One Book, Every Young Child early literacy initiative aims to lead the way and highlight the importance of early literacy development in preschoolers ages 3 to 6.

In its inaugural year, the One Book, Every One Child program won the coveted national John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations award.

Published in 2016 by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, the book tells the story of a little boy named Daniel who, while playing in the park, discovers poetry is all around him. After spending time with his animal friends, he creates his own poem to share.

By making this reading a family event, parents and caregivers will not only enjoy sharing a story experience with their preschooler, but they will also have the opportunity to learn more about the One Book, Every Young Child initiative.

Studies show that activities like reading aloud and sharing books and stories are crucial to early learning. Adults must find ways to engage children in activities like talking about a book’s cover and illustrations, discussing the action in the book and favorite parts, pretend play related to the book and more. Through One Book, Every Young Child, adults with preschoolers in their lives will learn how they can support the development of literacy in preschool children.

This event is free and open to the public.

To learn more about the One Book, Every Young Child initiative, visit www.paonebook.org.

About the author

Micha Archer grew up in a family that traveled far and wide and around the world twice.

At home, her mother insisted that her five children go outside, and not watch TV, so Archer spent many hours keeping up with her three older brothers — running, biking, skating, climbing trees and building small worlds for little trucks. They made forts in the front yard, forts in the back yard, and snow forts in the winter.

When she finally had a little sister, Archer played school with her, and taught her to read at the age of 3. Archer’s room had stuffed animals and real animals with cages stacked like a little zoo. She made her own dolls and sewed their clothes. And she drew, and drew, and drew some more.

The things Archer did as a little girl led her to what she does today. She teaches, travels, hikes, bikes, gardens, paints and even built her own house with her husband. Her travels and love of nature filled her memory with the colors, patterns, textures and architecture that appear in the pages of her books. If there are trees in her books you know she is imagining herself climbing them.

When she had her own children, they made weekly trips to the library and spent hours reading aloud every evening. With no television in the house, her two children filled their time with drawing and creating books of their own at the kitchen table and playing in the woods and gardens around their house. Her children, now grown, have remained creative artists, readers, builders and environmentalists.

“Daniel Finds A Poem” is the first book Archer has both written and illustrated. The idea came to her from a sketch of a little boy on a stage. Daniel’s journey through the park, and through a week, asking his animal friends in the park what poetry is leads him to a poetry reading where he proudly reads the poem he has been gathering all week.

For her illustrations, Archer used collage and oil paints. The collage papers are made with homemade stamps, layered tissue paper and by spreading paint thinly across colored papers with a credit card. A video of how she creates her papers is at www.michaarcher.com

Other books Archer has recently illustrated are “Lola’s Fandango,” “The Wise Fool,” and “Bathtub Around the World.”

Archer will begin her whirlwind tour of Pennsylvania with appearances at Schlow Centre Region Library and other locations in State College on March 28 and 29, before visiting Lewistown at 6 p.m. on March 29. On March 30, she will appear in Blair and Huntingdon counties, then continue touring through the beginning of May.

Her complete schedule is available on the website www.paonebook.org.

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