Author / Literacy Events & Projects
Jim Gill offers two ways to promote the joy of reading and writing! He can visit, as a featured author, and lead a read-along and sing-along concert event. He can also work with your community on a VIDEO book project that promotes literacy development and social & emotional development.
Sing-along! Dance-along! READ-ALONG!
Jim Gill is both a musician and an author. His recordings and musical books for young children have received five separate awards from the American Library Association over the years.
His first book, May There Always Be Sunshine, continues to inspire teachers, librarians and family members to help children create handmade books, inspired by Jim’s original. Schools, libraries and other community organizations across the country have also worked with Jim to create VIDEO books filled with pages created by children. (More details below!)
His silly sing-along opera book, A Soup Opera, received an award from the American Library Association and is enthusiastically read, sung and dramatized in classrooms and libraries nationwide.
Create a Community VIDEO Book!
School districts, libraries and other community organizations have partnered with Jim to create community VIDEO books, based on Jim’s book May There Always Be Sunshine, filled with pages that are written and illustrated by children! These projects connect children’s social & emotional development with literacy development…..”all wrapped up in a song!” Watch this video to be inspired by the children’s thoughts and artwork! Contact Jim for information about working together to create a video book with YOUR community!
Jim uses puppets, created from the illustrations in his book, to lead a read-along and sing-along of A Soup Opera!
Child Development
Jim is a child development specialist and concentrated his graduate studies on the significant role of play in our lives. Jim understands the importance of those moments when young children “play at reading” with parents, teachers and caregivers that they love. Those moments play a crucial role in literacy development. Musical books, such as Jim’s, are especially useful in creating opportunities for those playful reading experiences.
When Jim is asked to visit a community as a featured author, he works to create a celebration of his books and, more importantly, a celebration of the joy of reading by emphasizing active participation and family play. There are songs to read and books to sing! There are even opportunities for families to read as they dance along!
The goal is to create an event where adults and children experience the joy of reading together in a playful manner in the hopes they will continue to playfully read together at home. Events can be planned so that a playful writing activity, based on May There Always Be Sunshine, follows the concert.
Jim Gill is unique in his ability to combine his artistry with advocacy for early literacy development. He shares both at each inspiring and joyous event.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra celebrates Jim’s book!
Jim was honored that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Negaunee Music Institute featured May There Always Be Sunshine in a video created for their CSO for Kids program. The video features Jim, along with Melinda Alberty from the Chicago Symphony Chorus, singing pages from his book while a brass quintet from the Chicago Symphony plays the music!
