Rachel Smalley with blonde hair smiling outdoors, wearing a patterned dress and gold earrings, standing among bushes and trees with a park visible in the background, framed by an oval border with alternating white and yellow-green segments.

For Educators

Before I was an author, I was an elementary school teacher! I know firsthand that activities and curriculum connections make a picture book more fun and more valuable in the classroom.

TUFTED was written for young readers ages 7–12, but it was also written for you: the teacher looking for a true story about ingenuity, craft, and a girl whose handwork changed a whole region.

Here's what's ready for your classroom right now:

A cartoon illustration of a book with a blue cover featuring daisies, with a pink bookmark and a cream-colored background.

Vocabulary

Key words from the book, from tufting to chenille, ready to introduce before reading or explore along the way.

DOWNLOAD
Illustration of a typewriter.

Writing Prompts

Invitations for students to think, wonder, and write about Cathy's story and their own.

DOWNLOAD
Illustration of a pink heart with grid lines, surrounded by a purple and white scalloped border, featuring a white red crayon on the left side.

Tuft Like Cathy

A special hands-on activity that lets students try the craft Cathy revived, one stitch at a time.

DOWNLOAD

This collection will keep growing. I'll be adding new resources over time, so check back often. And if there's something you wish existed for your classroom, I'd love to hear about it at hillbetty@readrachel.com.