Karla Wendelin

Dr. Karla Hawkins Wendelin was a consultant for the popular PBS program, “Reading Rainbow,” and wrote the “Reading Rainbows” Teacher and Math Guides. She grew up and went to college in Indiana, where she taught elementary school and wanted her students to love reading as she did. Dr. Karla Wendelin’s love of learning led her to receive a Ph.D. in Reading from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Wendelin spent 20 years teaching at the University of Texas-San Antonio and the University of Nebraska Lincoln teaching courses in reading, language, arts, children’s and adolescent’s literature. Dr. Karla Wendelin became an elementary media specialist and taught workshops at Doane College and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. When at Nebraska, she co-founded The Golden Sower Program, awards given to various genres of books.

Dr. Wendelin also continued to write articles, contribute to teacher manuals and poetry. She still works with students to become better readers and writers and loves to read herself. Dr. Wendelin now lives in Indiana with her husband, surrounded by books, and truly enjoys writing poetry. She has a Poetry Studio where she not only writes but also paints and draws.

Storybook Classrooms: Using Children’s Literature in the Learning Center

Dr. Karla Hawkins Wendelin’s Website