Thanks for another great school year!

Last week I wrapped up my school year with two presentations at Stratton Elementary School in Arlington, Massachusetts. This was one of the busiest years of school visits I've ever had- I did 127 presentations at 49 schools, from Fredericksburg, Virginia, to Westfield, New Jersey, to Cumberland, Maine...

I've gotten so much great feedback from teachers, librarians, parents, and students. And I just wanted to use this space to say a great big THANK YOU to all the people who made this such a great school year for me. I know it takes a lot of work form a lot of people to make a successful school visit- from the parent volunteers who organize the book orders, to the librarians who read my books to the kids leading up to the big day, and all the teachers who follow up my presentations with fun writing and art projects.

When I set out to be a children's book author-illustrator, I had no idea I'd end up spending so much time talking in front of large groups of people. And as someone who used to dread getting up in front of the class to speak, I never imagined how much I would enjoy it. It truly is one of the best parts of my job.

So thanks! Looking forward to another great school year in 2017-18. If you're interested in planning a visit, let me know.

Have a great summer!

Thanks for another great school year!

As another school year comes to an end, I just wanted to say a great big THANK YOU to all the people who made this such an enjoyable year for me. I've gotten so much great feedback from teachers, librarians, parents, and students, and I really appreciate all of it.

I did over one hundred presentations at over thirty schools during the 2014-15 school year. Here are a few pictures I took along the way:

Nothing like walking into a school and seeing student artwork inspired by my books. It floors me every time.

Wow!

Nice Gingerbread Pirates window art, with a hand-painted baseball bulletin board in the background!

How awesome are these baseballs!?! The shading!

Well done, Lily!

Even after doing this for over fifteen years, it's always a little surreal to walk into a building and see stuff like this.

...and this.

Sometimes they even give me cake! I had a nice big slice of this one (because it would have been rude not to, right?)!

Then a few days later at a different school... another baseball cake! And chocolate chip cookies. Nomnomnom.

Love this student drawing of me giving a presentation on Growing Up Pedro. Not bad!

School visits often lead to me getting some really awesome mail!

Hey, anything I can do to help! :)

It takes a lot of hard work from a lot of people to make a successful school visit. So thank you to the parent volunteers who organize the book orders, and to the librarians and teachers who share my books with their students leading up to the big day, and to all the teachers who follow up my presentations with fun writing and art projects. And of course, thanks to all the kids for being great listeners, and for their interesting questions, their thoughtful letters and their awesome artwork.

I've said this before but I'll say it again- when I set out to be a children's book author-illustrator, I had no idea I'd end up spending so much time talking in front of large groups of people. And as someone who used to dread getting up in front of the class to speak, I never imagined how much I would enjoy it.

So thanks! Looking forward to another great school year in 2015-16. I've already got trips planned to Utah, Texas and Minnesota! Can't wait.

But first... SUMMER!

Last Visit of the School Year

Yesterday I wrapped up my school year, with one last presentation at Thoreau School in Concord, Massachusetts. By my count, this was my busiest year of school visits yet- I did 115 presentations at 38 schools, from Birmingham, Alabama, to Bellevue, Washington, to Benton, Maine...

I've gotten so much great feedback from teachers, librarians, parents, and students. And I just wanted to use this space to say a great big THANK YOU to all the people who made this such a great school year for me. I know it takes a lot of work form a lot of people to make a successful school visit- from the parent volunteers who organize the book orders, to the librarians who read my books to the kids leading up to the big day, and all the teachers who follow up my presentations with fun writing and art projects.

When I set out to be a children's book author-illustrator, I had no idea I'd end up spending so much time talking in front of large groups of people. And as someone who used to dread getting up in front of the class to speak, I never imagined how much I would enjoy it.

So thanks! Looking forward to another great school year in 2014-15. But first... SUMMER!

bulletin board in Middlebury, CT, with awesome student artwork based on my books

Spring 2014 Events

With Chris Van Dusen on the 207 show back in 2012. CHris and I have a couple fun events coming up in April!

I've been busy trying to finish up my Pedro Martinez book, so I haven't been leaving my studio (or updating my web site) much lately. But I do have some fun events planned for this spring, so I wanted to make sure I took a few minutes and posted them here. Here's where I'll be...

March 30	UPDATE: This event has been postponed until April 6, 12:00-1:00. Celebrate Opening Day! I'll be teaming up with my friends at the Wells Public Library and the Wells-Ogunquit Little League for a fun baseball event at the Wells High School gym. I'll be reading a couple of my baseball books and doing a drawing demonstration, followed by a fun baseball clinic with Wells-Ogunquit Little league coaches. All ages and skill levels welcome. Bring your glove!
April 5	10:30 am. I'll be reading and signing books with my good friend (and one of my favorite author-illustrators),the amazing Chris Van Dusen, at Letterpress Books in Portland, Maine. Very excited to welcome Maine's newest independent book store! Chris will be introducing his brand new book, President Taft is Stuck in the Bath, written by Mac Barnett, and I'll have my new book, Jubilee!, written by Alicia Potter.
April 26	Time TBD. Another awesome event with Chris Van Dusen, at The Children's Book Cellar in Waterville, ME.
May 17	2:00 pm. Indies First Storytime Day! I'll be reading some of my favorite picture books at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA, alongside my friends and fellow author-illustrators Joe McKendry, Jarrett Krosoczka, and Jef Czekaj.
	School visits
March 3	Cutler School, South Hamilton, MA
March 12	South Memorial School, Peabody, MA
March 14	Centre School, Hampton, NH
March 26	H.O. Smith School, Hudson, NH
March 27	Hills Garrison School, Hudson, NH
March 28	Mill Pond Elementary School, Westborough, MA
April 1	Windham Center School, Windham, NH
April 2	Tenacre Country Day School, Wellesley, MA
April 3	Acton Elementary School, Acton, ME
April 9	Worcester Public Schools, Worcester, MA
April 10	East School & Foster School, Hingham, MA
April 11	Hall School, Waterville, ME
April 14	Maude H. Trefethen Elementary School, New Castle, NH
April 15	Winchester Authorfest, Winchester, MA
April 16	CK Burns School, Saco, ME
April 17	Holderness Central School, Holderness, NH
April 29	Pomperaug School, Southbury, CT
April 30	Gainfield Elementary School, Southbury, CT
May 1	Long Meadow Elementary School, Middlebury, CT
May 2	Middlebury Elementary School, MIddlebury, CT
May 20	Wheelock School, Medfield, MA
May 29	Bennett Elementary School, Bellevue, WA
May 30	Eastgate Elementary School, Bellevue, WA
June 2	Benton Elementary School, Benton, ME
June 3	Beaver Brook Elementary School, Abington, MA
June 9	Varnum Brook Elementary School, Pepperell, MA

Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lennie Merullo, and me

Here's a little behind-the-scenes story from my book, Oliver's Game:

The man who posed for me as Grandpa Hall actually played for the Chicago Cubs in the 1940's. His name is Lennie Merullo, and he was the starting shortstop for the Cubs the last time they made it to the World Series, in 1945!

I originally just wanted to interview Mr. Merullo, but once he started talking, I realized he was exactly how I pictured Grandpa Hall- just the right age, and overflowing with amazing stories about his days as a big league ballplayer. So I asked if he'd pose for me, and he did.  Mostly he just kept telling stories, and I took pictures.

One of my favorite stories he told was about how he managed to accumulate an incredible collection of three game-used baseball bats that had belonged to Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Ted Williams!

Here he is, in the fake baseball card store I built in my basement:

After the book was done, I was doing a school visit in Reading, Mass. I didn't know it, but Lennie's grand-daughters were students at the school, and he decided to pay me a surprise visit. And he brought something with him- a bag with three baseball bats in it!

They weren't in any sort of protective cases, just 3 old wooden bats in a canvas bag, like he was heading to the field to hit some fungoes. He let me hold the bats, and even swing them. It was pretty surreal to know I was swinging bats that Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth actually used in games. Here are a few pictures:

Lennie Merullo, his family, and me, with Ted Williams's bat and Babe Ruth's bat

This was years ago, and looking at these pictures, I'm not completely sure which bat is which. I think this was the Ted Williams bat, since the handle is a bit thinner:

me with Ted Williams's bat

And I think this is the Babe Ruth bat. Or maybe it's the other way around. Either way, what a thrill! I bet there aren't too many bats like this out there, that you can just pick up and swing.

me with Babe Ruth's bat

I'll never get tired of...

      ...walking into a school and seeing a bulletin board that looks like this:

It's pretty cool to think that anyone would take the time to decorate a bulletin board so they could count down the days until my visit. But the really great thing about this is that the papers you see are some of the essays written by students who won an essay contest the teachers held in anticipation of my visit.


I read all the essays (well not all the essays, just the ones on the bulletin board), and they were amazing. Some kids wrote their own sports stories, inspired by my baseball books. Here's a close-up of one essay that made my day:

The picture is a little fuzzy, so here are some quotes:

"This author made me like baseball and drawing. If I never heard his story I would not be interested to draw."

"When I was little Oliver's Game was my first book. I still have it."

"When I grow up I want to be an author like you. I make my own books myself. I want to draw just like you. Everybody in my class says I am a good drawer."


I'm sure there are kids who read my books and aren't too crazy about them. But every now and then I see something like this, and it's a wonderful thing to know that there are kids who read my books, and for whatever reason something clicks, and it makes them want to read more books, and make their own books.

Stuff like this gives me such a boost when I'm sitting here in my studio, working on the next one.

artwork from kids

One of the fun parts of being a children's book author-illustrator is getting mail from kids. Usually it comes in big batches, from an elementary school class that just read one of my books, or from a school I visited. It's always so cool to look at art made by kids, and it's very inspiring to know that the books I'm working on here in my studio will (hopefully) inspire kids to make art of their own.

Here are a few pieces of artwork I've gotten in the mail recently:

Over the River and Through the Wood, by Grace

Over the River and Through the Wood, by Celia

Captain Cookie, by Marissa

Captain Cookie with the sleigh from Over the River, by Anonymous

Mudball, by a different Anonymous

A picture of me doing a drawing demonstration, by Kaeden

"The Author in You" tv show

During a visit to Rock Springs Elementary School in Lawrenceville, Georgia last spring, GCPS-TV filmed this segment with me for their show, The Author In You. There are some interview questions from students, some snippets of my presentations, and footage of me throwing out the first pitch at a AAA Gwinnett Braves game (I thought I threw a strike, but in the video it looks a little high). Enjoy!

And check out their web site to see other episodes.