Unique “About the Author” Page Examples and Ideas for Student Books
One of the best aspects of a classbook project is the multitude of opportunities it offers your students to unleash their creative potential. Every single page is a blank space where anything can happen—and that includes the “About the Author(s)” page…
And yet, in classbooks, such pages can be underutilized. It’s perfectly acceptable, of course, to simply use a standard class photo or list of names, or even to skip the page entirely if you prefer. But why pass up the chance to show your students that there is room for creativity everywhere, if you only take the time to look for it? Here are some of Studentreasures’ favorite examples and ideas to help you and your students make your classbook’s “About the Author(s)” page as unique and engaging as the rest of your project.
Idea #1: Nifty Names
One simple yet effective way to spice up your “About the Author(s)” page is to try doing something special with your students’ names. Instead of simply listing your authors alphabetically, why not try something a little more eye-catching?
Mrs. Pike’s class turned their “About the Author(s)” page into an index listing the pages each student created. This makes it easy for students to find their own pages when sharing their book—and of course parents find it handy as well when showing off their child’s work!
Idea #2: Themed Photos
Photos are a great way to bring an author biography page to life, but don’t stop there! Inject a little extra creativity into your classbook with a special visual twist by including a theme in your class or individual author photos.
In their classbook Signs, Mrs. Mirskov’s students had a little fun with their author photos by dressing up as various street signs.
For their bio page, Mrs. Jenne’s class took a beautiful class photo out in the winter snow to match the theme of their book, Silly Snowmen at Night!.
Instead of matching their bio page theme to their classbook, Mrs. Stueve’s class chose to show off their school spirit by posing as pirates for their photo.
Idea #3: Added Illustrations
Classbooks are an excellent way to showcase student writing—but they’re also the perfect place to show off their artistic abilities, too! Consider including student-drawn illustrations in place of, or as a complement to, photos, to really make your “About the Author(s)” page stand out.
For Future Plans of the Ballard Kindergarteners, Mrs. Carlson’s class drew adorable doodles of themselves next to their names. While they used this idea for their title page, it works just as well on an “About the Author(s)” page!
Mrs. Schuster and Ms. Butt’s class chose to keep things simple. Instead of creating extra art for their “About the Author(s)” page, each students’ photo shows them holding up the original artwork they created for their book.
Idea #4: Inspired Bios
Including individual author bios on your “About the Author(s)” page gives your students yet another golden opportunity to practice their writing skills. It’s also one more chance to help your students think outside of the box! Instead of following the usual name, birthdate and birthplace template, try asking them to approach their author bios from a slightly more unique angle.
Mrs. Saj’s class, for example, included a note about the publishing process and the inspiration behind their story, A Diary of a Turtle, giving parents and other readers a special behind-the-scenes peek into how their book was created.
Mrs. P’s class dug deep for the “About the Author(s)” page of their historical biographies book. Instead of writing about where they came from, they wrote about what they wanted to be remembered for.
For the Team Watson Recipe Book author bios, Mrs. Watson’s class kept things on-topic by writing about their own cooking experiences and preferences.
Idea #5: Clever Formatting
The content of your “About the Author(s)” page isn’t the only place you can get creative—don’t be afraid to play with the formatting, too! Sometimes even just a tiny tweak can make a huge difference in the look and feel of the page.
Ms. Isram turned the author bios of her students’ Alphabet Rollercoaster classbook into a gallery simply by adding picture frames to individual student photos.
Mrs. Daly’s class had a ton of fun with their bios by turning it into an impressive Western-style wanted poster.
We Are Wild About Animals by Mrs. Biddles and Mrs. Allen’s class incorporates colorful scrapbook paper on every page—including the “About the Author(s)” page—which makes their book really pop.
It’s About the Authors: Your Students in the Spotlight
Though it’s usually saved for last, the “About the Author(s)” page is one of the most important parts of the book. Becoming published authors is a huge accomplishment, especially for such young writers. Seeing their names and faces on that page helps bring that moment home and remind them that yes, it really happened—they’re real authors now!
Such an impactful page deserves just as much thought and care as the rest of your book. Luckily, it doesn’t take a ton of extra work on your part to make that page shine. Simply modifying a few elements—such as your student’s names, images, biographies or even the formatting of the page itself—can turn an average “About the Author(s)” page into a work of art worthy of your students’ efforts and achievement.
For more classbook project ideas and other teaching tips, check out our online teacher’s lounge and be sure to sign up for your free publishing kit!
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