I Am a Pencil: A Teacher, His Kids, and Their World of Stories

Swope's marvelous, moving book revives the teaching memoir . . . And takes it to new realms of tenderness, insight and humanity. -Phillip Lopate

In 1995, writer Sam Swope gave a workshop to a third-grade class in a Queens school bursting at the seams with kids from around the world. So enchanted was he with his twenty-eight students that he adopted the class for three years, teaching them to write stories and poems. I Am a Pencil is the story of his years with this very special group of students. It is as funny, warm, heartbreaking, and hopeful as the children themselves.

Swope follows his colorful troop of resilient writers from grades three to five, coaxing out their stories, watching talents blossom, explode, and sometimes fizzle. We meet Cindy (whose mom was a Taoist priestess), Brian (who cannot seem to tell the truth), and Lourdes (a wacky Dominican chatterbox). Preparing his students for a world of adult dangers, Swope is astonished by their courage, their humanity, and most of all, their strength. I Am a Pencil is a book about the power and magic of imagination, providing a unique window on the immigrant experience as seen through the lives of children.

Author: Sam Swope
Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
Published: 09/05/2000
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.40w x 0.80d
ISBN: 9780805078510
Award: Books for a Better Life - Winner

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 09/04/2005 pg. 24

About the Author

Sam Swope is the author of several very well-received children's books, including The Araboolies of Liberty Street, The Krazees, and Gotta Go! Gotta Go!, and of the soon-to-be published Jack and the Seven Deadly Giants. He lives in New York City.

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