Schools
Popular Non-Fiction Writer Comes To Allen Elementary
Author Nic Bishop talked to students about about creepy, crawly things.
Frogs, lizards, spiders, tarantulas-- author Nic Bishop tries to make the creepy crawly things that kids find fascinating jump right off of the page.
That's how the nature photographer and children’s book author described his work on Thursday, as he prepared to speak before a crowd of captivated students gathered for a “March Is Reading Month” assembly at in Plymouth.
In the first of two assemblies, Bishop spoke before a library full of kindergarten through second graders eager to learn about the inner workings and very nature of his world.
“It’s really hard to get a picture of a jumping spider,” Bishop explained to an enraptured audience. “I can’t click fast enough to press the button, so what I did was get the spider to take the picture for me.”
Bishop described to his young listeners how he used a beam of laser light to capture the spider’s image.
“When the spider jumped up and hit that laser beam, that’s what made the camera take the picture, so the spider took the picture -- very clever," Bishop said. He ended his story with a broad smile as his audience laughed along.
Apparently a child at heart, the 56-year-old said he began taking pictures of animals for children’s books after publishers approached him about the idea.
“They saw a need,” Bishop said. “Kids want to read imaginary stories, but they also want to read about real things."
He added that children are under-served when it comes to non-fiction.
Allen Elementary School librarian Maryann Hammill agreed.
“We want our students to know that there are all kinds of different types of books," Hammill said. "We want them to be exposed to different types of literature."
According to librarian Julie Johnston, the staff at Allen Elementary usually invites a fiction author every year for the "March is Reading Month" assembly.
“We decided to change it up this year and get a non-fiction writer,” Johnston said. “Our students love learning about animals and he takes pictures of animals.”
Born in England and raised in New Zealand, Bishop, who moved to the United States with his wife after she was offered a teaching position here, said that “the states is a good country for books."
“Americans read books a lot, kids here really enjoy books and they're good about promoting books in the U.S.," Bishop said.
During National Reading Month, it appears that Plymouth-Canton is good about promoting Bishop.
The author and photographer of nature books for children said that he was asked to speak at various schools throughout the district in what appears to be a whirlwind tour. He is expected to visit nine schools in five days.
“Six talks per day, K-through-5," he said.
Bishop has authored more than 60 books. His works include Real Monsters, The Mysterious Universe, Red-Eyed Tree Frog, I Spy A Fly, The Fantastic Flying Squirrel and Backyard Detective.
Bishop told those in attendance that he is now working on a book about spiders.
