Author of Biscuit Books Visits JFK

Over 1.2 million copies of the Biscuit books–a favorite among the young reader set–have been sold. That number however doesn’t represent the number of children who have read a Biscuit book at one time or another. In fact, it is fair to assume that 100% of BCSD kindergartners have read a Biscuit book–which is why it was such a thrill yesterday when the author, Alyssa Satin Capucilli, visited JFK Elementary School.

Capucilli met with classes of kindergarten students through a BOCES Arts in Education grant to discuss being a writer and answer all Biscuit related questions.

Students were captivated by Capucilli and her soft-spoken and interactive talk. She explained that she writes down all of her ideas for her stories in her “treasure keeper” writing journal.

“I write everything down. Who will be in my stories, where the story will take place, what will happen first, next and last. Then I type my words, check my spelling, check my punctuation, and give it to my teacher–my editor at my publishing house. Sometimes my teacher asks me to add more detail, which I do. If I am not careful with my words, the illustrator won’t know how to draw Biscuit. A book does not take days or weeks or months. A book takes two years to publish.”

As she read, students interacted responsively.

“Here Biscuit, look what I have,” read Capucilli

And the students responded: “woof, woof!”

Students had lots of questions for Capucilli at the end of her talk.

“How do you get your ideas?” asked one student.

“I use my imagination, I write about things I know and things I am interested in,” said Capucilli.

At the end of one session, students gathered around Capucilli and a Biscuit stuffed toy to take a picture, one student handed her a special note, even the teachers expressed gratitude for how impactful the biscuit books have been in their own lives and the lives of their students.