Making it through the winter months can be daunting sometimes can’t it?  Especially this winter as the weather toys with your emotions: maybe it’s cold, maybe it’s warm, maybe you’ll be slugging through the snow or drenched in rain, you just don’t know!  For me, the worst is the teaser warm day because my mind jumps to spring when really, I’ll have to wait a bit longer.  That’s partly why this season is all about reading for me. It’s a completely transferable activity.  If I dare to visit a park on those nice days, I can bring a book but my plans aren’t ruined if I need to stay inside and curl up with a blanket.  So to keep my book list fresh, I’ve been looking to the stars…celebrity stars that is…   

Henry Winkler has been buzzing around our offices lately with his incredibly exciting new book co-authored with Lin Oliver: Ghost Buddy: Zero to Hero.  Not only was I excited to pick up that new release, it got me thinking about the man himself.  Like most, I love his most famous character but he’s also had such an interesting career.  To gain a bit of insight into what has influenced him, I turned to his Bookprint!

As the five most influential books in his life, Henry chose The Octopus by Frank Norris, The Alienist by Caleb Carr, The Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva, In and Out the Garbage Pail by Frederick (Fritz) Perls and The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel.  Little did I know that he and I have favorite genres in common – mysteries and novels based on real events!  With that, I have new books to read and during my research I learned that up next, Henry is going to be inspiring teachers – in person.  He is going to speak at the Celebration of Teaching & Learning here in New York this month.

The Celebration is a huge gathering of educators from across the nation to discuss what’s happening in the classroom as well as engage with experts, including authors like Henry who can bring their books to life.  Scholastic is going to be there and we hope more educators are able to join us.  This kind of inspiration and collaboration is sure to help teachers through the winter months and re-energize for the rest of the school year.

What do you do to stay inspired in the winter months?