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The Peabody third and fourth grade classes were honored to listen to a presentation by two-time Newbery award-winning author, Kate DiCamillo. The students were fascinated to learn about how Ms. DiCamillo’s childhood illnesses impacted her and led to her fascination with stories and books.

The Peabody third grade students began their year reading Because of Winn-Dixie.  During the presentation, the students learned it was the first book Ms. DiCamillo ever published, at age 30, and she received 473 rejection letters before she found a publisher!

The fourth grade students have read two of her books this year, Flora and Ulysses and The Tiger Rising.  The students learned a lot about Kate DiCamillo’s motivations for writing each story and this really helped the students gain a deeper appreciation for why certain events took place in each story.  The students are excited to extend their knowledge in upcoming character and author studies.