Books in Cottonwood Press series

You will never run out of writing topics when you have "Journal Jumpstarts" at your fingertips. This compact, easy-to-use book has over 400 ideas for writing, plus the most practical tips you will ever find on the subject of journal writing in the classroom. You will appreciate author Patricia Woodward's sensible suggestions on how to handle the large amount of paperwork that comes with journals and how to handle sensitive situations that come up when students write about themselves. Best of all, the topics in "Journal Jumpstarts" are student-friendly. They appeal to young people and help them think and write--about a wide variety of subjects and ideas.

How to Avoid English Teachers' Pet Peeves is a book that helps writers avoid the annoying little errors that English teachers encounter nearly every day as they read student papers. It addresses the mistakes that make English teachers wince. It is not intended to address major problems, like disorganized writing or writing that does not make sense.The 50 pet peeves in this practical book were those mentioned most often by 125 English teachers from across the country.Topics covered include:spelling "a lot" as one word;writing "could of" instead of "could have" andmixing up "your" and "you're."The short, sensible explanations and exercises can help anyone learn to avoid common writing errors.

Melanie and the Trash Can Troll makes a perfect junior high or middle school production. The play has a flexible cast, simple sets, easy costumes and--best of all--lots of humor. The funny fairy tale stars a young waitress who is forced to confront a terrifying creature called the Trash Can Troll. She discovers a secret the Troll has been hiding for years, as well as the courage to stand up for what is right. The play runs about an hour and fifteen minutes and includes 16 characters, plus extras.