Bellatrix, Butterflies, and Bear Claws: Laini Taylor Visits Silver Star

Quick: Besides Blackbringer and Harry Potter, where can you find “Bellatrix”?

Look to the night sky and find the constellation Orion.  Bellatrix is the blue star of the left shoulder in the constellation. Bellatrix is Latin for  “warrior woman”.

Quick: Who can taste with their feet?  I know I can’t.   Butterflies can. And moths? They have amazing tongues, some as long as 11 inches!

Bear claws do not hold a candle to the talons of a Harpy Eagle, an animal strong enough to crush a human skull. Intrigued?

Fourth and fifth graders certainly were as Laini Taylor talked about her life and her love of research for her  books.  She also combined a lot of fun; pulling  pink wigs from a secret blue case that five students bravely wore so that she would feel so alone with her pink hair. 

Laini created a fabulous slide presentation with hands on props such as the Mysterious Box of Claws and Talons and butterfly specimens (no animals were hurt: claws are museum quality replicas and the butterflies died naturally in a Butterfly Zoo). 

Her slides not only showed her family members but explained the main points of Blackbringer, her book as well. Students also saw examples of the revision process on her upcoming book, Silksinger.

What I loved most was the way in which Laini combined facts about science (and math) into her imaginary world.  Her slide presentation also did this.  Students saw some pretty incredible slides of the natural world: Harpy Eagles, Grizzly Bears, moths, butterflies, and my favorite, dragonflies. 

I loved this modeling for the students.  I am hopeful that perhaps one of them will look at science in a new way.  Perhaps the student who doesn’t see the point of science, will have a new found purpose: to make his or her writing even better.  The other thing I loved was the playfulness that my students showed after her visit.  I saw fifth grade girls pretending to be faeries and begging Laini to bring them home.  Fifth graders usually are way to cool; it was refreshing to see.

This summer I will re-read Blackbringer with a totally new eye for how the names and ideas were created.  I am looking forward to reading Silksinger as well.  (comes out in 09).  This summer when I am at Bryce National Park and I will look at the night sky with a renewed enthusiasm for the stars.

For the moment I need to re-read the essays of students who want a signed copy of Blackbringer.  It is going to be difficult to choose.

If you are looking for a dynamic author for your school, Laini Taylor is some one you need to contact.

Happy Reading.

MsMac