I can speak to small or large groups. My books are appropriate for children ages 3 through 10, and my tall tales are sometimes used for 5th graders who are studying tall tales and writing. For Pre-K and Kindergarten classes,  I  do storytelling, with the pictures of my books on Powerpoint. This program lasts 20- 30 minutes.

For older students, sessions start with one or two stories. This is followed by a Powerpoint presentation on how books are created, from the beginning idea, through the writing and rewriting, editing, and illustration, to the final product. A question and answer period follows.  I can speak to the older student for up to an hour, with questions. (this time length is for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders – possibly 2nd graders, too) When grouping classes, please group them according to age – k-1, 2-3, and 4-5. This makes tailoring the presentation to each group’s age level easier.

Needed for school presentation:

• Powerpoint hookup and projector
• A screen
• A microphone
• Bottled water
• Teachers must remain with their classes

Before my visit, order as many of my books for your library as you can get.  It is important that my books are read to all the children prior to my visit, as this makes my visit much more exciting and memorable for them.  Books for sale should be ordered ahead of time and made available to the children.  For schools interested in a visit, contact me by email.

Whole day appearance

Three 45-minute presentations, or two 45-minute presentations and two 30-minute readings.

Half day appearance

Two 45-minute presentations or one 45-minute presentation and two 30-minute readings.

When traveling out of state, if at all possible, I prefer to have 2 to 3 full days of author visits with several schools working together, though this is not necessary. (If I travel on Mondays and Thursdays instead of Sundays and Fridays, the airfare is cheaper.  Also, if I am booked by several schools, the traveling expenses can be divided so that expenses are less to each school.) I prefer traveling Monday-Friday. I will make my own air reservation, but, since I will most likely be unfamiliar with your area, I prefer that you make a hotel reservation and arrange for someone to pick me up at the airport, and drive me back and forth to the schools each day. Since I will not have a car, I prefer that the hotel have a dining room available, or that there be restaurants next to the hotel. Please allow enough time between sessions for children to leave the room and the next group to get settled, and be sure to allow time for book signing! I can provide a master for a bookmark the school can copy on card stock so that all the students can have a memento of my visit. If needed, I can also provide a master sheet schools can copy to inform parents about my books, for ordering.

For more information, please contact Helen.