Author Illustrator Angelo DeCesare brings the characters from his five volume Flip series to life in the classroom as he teaches learners to be author-illustrators using storytelling, drawing and book arts.

Overview

Flip's Journal Series

About Flip

Flip's Neighborhood Journal

New Program : Flip's Video Journal

Read Flip's Video Journal

Video: Angelo teaches how to draw Flip and Friends

 

 

Students learning to draw the Flip characters.
   
 

 

Children create a bookart project involving community helpers.

   
 

Grade 1: Flip’s Mighty Memoir Journal: A stepping-stone to memoir writing


After an introduction to the characters in the series, Angelo DeCesare reads Flip’s Mighty Memoir Journal and discusses what a memoir is. In this book Flip’s teacher, Ms. Fleacollar, asks him to write about something from his past. Flip has trouble thinking of anything to write, so to jog his memory his mom takes him to visit their old neighborhood. Flip is still unable to recall anything about his earlier life until he finds an old toy dinosaur, named Crunch, in his closet. Through Crunch, Flip remember incidents from his past and writes a much-improved memoir. Children make puppets of the characters, create memoirs and bring them to life through puppet drama.

 

Grade 2: Flip’s Neighborhood Journal: A community-studies program


Author-illustrator Angelo DeCesare introduces the children to the characters in the first book in the series, Flip’s Fantastic Journal. He then reads Flip’s Neighborhood Journal in which Flip tells about his life in Brooklyn and some of the community helpers in his neighborhood. The children learn to draw the characters and then create a book art in which the characters are community helpers. One of the popular culminating school activities is a “publisher’s exhibit” in which children showcase their books

 

Grade 3: Flip’s Super Journal: An exciting program that teaches responsibility and teamwork


In this book Flip plans a “super fun day” with his best friend, Muzz. This includes playing with their favorite action figures, Space Flier and Mighty Mutt. Unfortunately, their fun is postponed when Muzz has to watch his baby brother, Digger, for “10 whole minutes.” But Flip and Muzz flop as babysitters and their fun day is canceled. On the way home from Muzzs’s house, Flip blames baby Digger for ruining his day. Flip’s big sister, Sniffie, reminds Flip that he was once a baby brother, too. The children create the characters as super heroes and create book art or puppet adventures for them.

About Flip

Flip, Muzz and Sniffie and Baby Digger are delightful characters whose adventures continue book after book in the Flip series. Children, teachers, and parents tell us all the time that they're actively looking for more Flip books.

Flip, his family, and friends are recognizable to thousands of children across the country.

Flip is respected by educators and reading specialists.Flip's Fantastic Journal was well reviewed by School Library Journal, and was cited by Reading Today as having "all the ingredients budding diarists need to be successful in their own endeavors: honesty, creativity, and the option of illustration when words fail."

Flip has edge. Flip lives in a city, his mom is a single mother, he struggles with sibling rivalry, and has problems in school. Kids relate to what Flip goes through.

Angelo DeCesare is an accomplished visiting author. Because he is both writer and illustrator, he can reach kids through art and entertain them while they're learning.

Teachers love Ms. Flea-Collar, a sympathetic character who is the heroine of the book. She guides Flip and gives him approval and encouragement.

Flip's Fantastic Journal: The Series

 

The Flip series is curriculum based, and extensively tested in classrooms in New York City. The series grew out of Angelo's experiences as a visiting author for Puppetry in Practice in 1994. His first book Flip's Fantastic Journal was so successful it led to the development of the entire series.

Flip targets the reluctant reader and writer. Boys and girls alike love Flip, and respond to the books.

Flip is an effective program in the classroom. I've seen it again and again: School administrators, reading specialists, and teachers have embraced Flip as a teaching tool because it works.

Flip is recommended by Scholastic publishing as an effective way to spark the imaginations of beginning writers. See Real-Life Writing Activities Based on Favorite Picture Books by Gloria Rothstein, page 48 (Scholastic Professional Books, 2002).

Flip is easy for kids to draw. Angelo specifically designed the Flip characters using simple shapes and colors so that students of all levels of achievement can readily express themselves through Flip.

Kids love Flip. Students familiar with Flip think of the characters as friends. They truly enjoy drawing and writing about them.

Parents love Flip. Some comments from New York area parents: "All the kids had it at the bus stop the other day and they were comparing their favorite parts." "My son is writing his own book and wants to be like Angelo." "My daughter hates to read, but she has been dragging that book around for three days."

Flip's, appeal is multicultural, and a powerful motivator for ESL students. Flip has been presented to children of all ethnic groups and levels of achievement, as well as special-ed classes and English learners.

 

New Program: Flip's Video Journal

Click here to read the entire book

Flip's teacher, Ms. Flea-Collar, tells her students that they may do their next journal entry as a video. Excited, Flip borrows his grandpa's DVD camcorder. Grandpa tells him not to drop the camcorder, so Flip keeps it strapped around his neck at all times.

The following morning, he records his mom as she drives Flip and his big sister, Sniffie, to school. Suddenly the car breaks down, making Mom angry. Mom needs to call a tow truck, but Sniffie is using Mom's cell phone and doesn't hear her. Now Mom gets really angry and scolds Sniffie for ignoring her.


Since they're only a few blocks from school, Flip grabs a skateboard from the backseat and heads for school. Sniffie, now in a bad mood, realizes that Flip is using HER skateboard. She runs out of the car and catches up to him. There, on the street corner, she yells at Flip for taking her skateboard without permission.


Flip stomps off to school feeling angry and embarrassed. At the schoolyard, Flip's best friend, Muzz, rushes up to him in a state of great excitement. Muzz shows Flip his new Master Manga Metal Monster trading card. Flip, still angry with Sniffie, calls Muzz a bragger and shoves him away. Muzz returns the shove and the two boys roll on the ground, trading punches. The fight is broken up by their teacher, Ms. Flea-Collar, who says that she'll speak to them both in the classroom.


Later, Ms. Flea-Collar asks Flip why he was fighting with Muzz. She reminds Flip that he and his friend have always enjoyed comparing trading cards. She asks him to think about why things were different this time. Was Flip feeling angry BEFORE he met Muzz today? Ms. Flea-Collar then points out to Flip that he has left his camcorder on. Flip had forgotten all about it!


After school, on the bus, Flip wonders how to mend things with his sister and his best friend. Then he remembers the camcorder! Flip realizes that he accidentally recorded the morning's event and he shows Sniffie a replay of their confrontation. (We see things from the camera's POV.) Flip promises Sniffie that he won't borrow her skateboard again without first asking for her permission.

Sniffie says that from now on, she'll only yell at Flip at home, and not embarrass him in public. Sniffie, still upset about the breakfast incident, tells Flip that she doesn't understand why Mom yelled at her.

At home, Flip puts his DVD disc into the TV and shows his mom how angry she was when her car broke down. Mom realizes that she took her anger out on Sniffie. She apologizes for overreacting to Sniffie's cell phone conversation and gives Sniffie a hug.


Flip grabs his disc and heads for Muzz's house. He finds Muzz playing "catch" with his baby brother, Digger, by bouncing the ball off Digger's head. Flip tells Muzz that he's sorry about what happened and shows him a replay of the events leading up to their fight. Flip wishes that people could always see the REAL reason why they're angry. "Then they wouldn't get angry at the people they're not mad at!" he concludes.
Muzz feels bad because he was taking out his anger towards Flip on his baby brother, who can't protect himself. "Maybe not," says Flip, "but he can eat your new Master Manga Metal Monster card," which is exactly what Digger is about to do!

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video: Angelo Illustrates How to Draw Flip and Friends

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