ASSEMBLIES

Creating Books
(It is important that the students not be familiar with Ebbie & Flo before my visit). 

How does an idea become a book? I lead the students through the process of creating a book, using my original artwork from Ebbie & Flo to illustrate each step along the way. During this engaging and informative presentation, I show the evolution of my illustrations from sketches and storyboards to pastel drawings and finally the printer’s full-color press sheets. We also explore the writing process, with an emphasis on the importance of character development, plot, editing and rewriting.

Running time: 30-40 minutes
Grades K-2 (250 audience limit, though the smaller the better)
Up to 4 presentations per day

A Dog’s Tale
(It is important that the students have read A Small Dog’s Big Life; Around the World with Owney before my visit).

This assembly is based on my book, A Small Dog’s Big Life; Around the World with Owney. I start with a PowerPoint presentation about writing, focusing primarily on the mysterious origins of ideas. This presentation is similar to Creating Books in that we discuss how a book is made: writing, editing, sketching, editing, dummies, editing, storyboards, editing, final artwork, and editing (can't emphasize editing enough). The different challenges of working with a fiction and a non-fiction subject are considered, regarding both writing and illustrating.

Running time: approximately 40 minutes
Grades: K-5 (250 audience limit, though the smaller the better)
Up to 4 presentations per day

It’s a Butterfly’s Life
(It is important that the students have read It’s a Butterfly’s Life before my visit).

This assembly is based on my book, It’s a Butterfly’s Life. I start with a PowerPoint presentation about writing, focusing primarily on the mysterious origins of ideas. This presentation is similar to Creating Books in that we discuss how a book is made: writing, editing, sketching, editing, dummies, editing, storyboards, editing, final artwork, and editing (can't emphasize that enough). The different challenges of working with a fiction and a non-fiction subject are considered, regarding both writing and illustrating.

Running time: approximately 40 minutes
Grades: K-5 (250 audience limit, though the smaller the better)
Up to 4 presentations per day

WRITING WORKSHOPS

(The writing workshops are based on the A Dog’s Tale or It’s a Butterfly’s Life assembly).

A Dog’s Tale Writing Workshop

This writing workshop takes students on a ‘round the world’ writing adventure in which they look at Owney’s life from his point of view. Students examine character, ‘voice,’ and other driving forces involved in the composition of a story. These sessions are collaborative, creative, and lots of fun. By the end of the workshop, each student will have written and illustrated their story in an accordion book shaped like a doghouse. 
Grades 2 – 5.

Dear Diary Writing Workshop

In these workshops, we consider the importance of ‘voice’ in writing, with an emphasis on non-fiction. The students create a diary from the point-of-view of a caterpillar, using the ‘voice’ of a caterpillar. Working as a group, we discuss metamorphosis and with my guidance, the students make their own books based on this process. The students leave the workshop with their very own accordion book, as well as a renewed appreciation of how much fun science, research, reading and writing can be. 
Grades 1 – 5.

I can conduct a maximum of 4 presentations/workshops per day, and each session is between 35 and 40 minutes. Many schools mix the presentations to create a customized day for their particular school. Please email me for my fees.