Lucy here—I would love to come to your school and share my books with your students! Since my books are picture books, they would appeal the most to PreK-2nd graders. However, I’m willing to present to any grade level. I show PowerPoint slides throughout my presentations.

A typical visit from me would go like this:

• Introduce myself to the students

• Show some of my own writing from when I was in school

• Read one or more of my books (depending on time)

• Give one of my talks/presentations, suitable for the grade level(s):

• Pre-K: Odds are, they are a little too squirmy to sit through a presentation so I will probably just read one or more books to this group.

• K & 1st Grade: My talk for this group focuses on Reasons to Read so they can start building a love of reading (and writing).

• 2nd Grade and Up: My talk for these grades focuses on the writing process, comparing it to baking a cake.

• Take questions

After I present to a group, I usually like to sign/distribute any purchased books then. But we can work out whatever schedule will best fit the day.

Story Sparks Activity

“Story Sparks” is a brainstorming activity that works best in smaller settings, like a single classroom. This activity is a great way to show kids how easily the “spark” of an idea can turn into a story full of possibilities!

The activity works like this: I have plastic Easter eggs, and each color corresponds to an element of a story. Each egg contains a slip of paper with a word or phrase. I let kids pick at least one egg of each color. Then I collect the chosen eggs, read the enclosed elements out loud, and write them down on a board. Next, it’s up to the kids to come up with story ideas using all the elements. When they have an idea, they raise their hand and share it with the group. I usually do several rounds of this activity. I have the kids just say their ideas aloud, but if you’d like them to be written down for later use in a writing activity, feel free to have them do so.

How a round of this brainstorming activity might go if the chosen eggs/elements are:

• Character: Girl

• Setting: House

• Activity/Verb: Doing Homework

• Emotion: Surprise

• Object: Teddy Bear

The story idea that a kid might come up with that ties all these elements together: A girl is at home working on her homework. She is surprised when her teddy bear starts talking to her.

Visit Fees and Requirements

My fee for a visit is $500. I also request reimbursement for travel, at the rate of $0.50 per mile.

If I am coming to visit your school, you MUST send your students home with an order form (you can download them below) and have them return those order forms with their payment (cash or check) before my visit. Ideally, have the students return their order forms (with payment) a couple of days before I visit and tally up the total number of books that they ordered. This way, you can inform me ahead of time approximately how many books I should bring with me when I come. I will always bring some extra, but knowing a rough number helps me prepare.

I have some activity and coloring sheets based on my books that I can leave with teachers to make copies to share with their students either before or after my visit.

Interested in booking me for an author visit?

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