Sharron L. McElmeel, author, educator, mother, grandmother, and literacy advocate draws on her years of experience as an observer and teacher of children and young adults, and her role as a mother and grandmother to provide suggestions for building positive relationships and connections with grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and "gathered into the family children," and their parents. She has been honored as Iowa's Reading Teacher of the Year, and with the Iowa Celebrate Literacy Award. She is the author of more than 35 books for educators and parents and currently, in addition to her writing and literacy advocacy she teaches graduate level courses at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Sharron and her husband live in a rural area north of Cedar Rapids, Iowa where they enjoy frequent visits from their four sons and two daughters, seven grandsons and seven granddaughters.
In her professional life she
has earned a national reputation as a literacy advocate and children's and young adult literature specialist. She has authored many books for educators and parents focusing on books for young readers and the people who create those books.
Sharron earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Iowa and her M.A. in Library Science from the University of Iowa. She has completed post-graduate work in educational administration and reading and holds certificate approvals in both areas.
Sharron's career as an educator has spanned elementary, secondary, and college level teaching - in both classroom (team teaching, block scheduling, self-contained) and media centers - many of those years as an educator in public schools. Currently Sharron is a full-time writer and college instructor, and director of McBookwords--a literary organization. Sharron is a respected authority in the field of children's and young adult literature field. Her research papers are housed in the University of Iowa Library's Special Collections.
