School Visit, Pulaski, Wisconsin (Or, When My Heart Melted)

5 days. 2 schools. 1,000+ students. 30 presentations.

I enjoyed an exhausting but wonderful week visiting Glenbrook and Sunnyside Elementary schools in Pulaski, Wisconsin. As always, I loved sharing my experiences as an author and teaching students about the process of researching, writing, and revising a book, but my favorite part of the visit was the inspiration these young creatives gave me. Check out these amazing books and letters they wrote for me.

One even dedicated his book to me. And another wrote, "When I was just 7 years old, I started to read your books. I thinked, hey, I want to be a writer. I'd always wanted to meet you and it finally came true." 

This right here? It's exactly why I do what I do!

Komodo Dragon Painting by Bhavna Misra

I was so excited to see this beautiful painting by the talented artist Bhavna Misra! It was inspired by one of the photos in my Komodo Dragons book.

Kids, have you made your own picture based on a photo from one of my books? If so, I'd love to publish it on my website. You can send it to me here, and I'll enter your name into a drawing for a free book! Don't forget, you can always send me your stories (fiction or nonfiction, too)!

These Kids Write: Zoe D.

Here are two more entries from Zoe D. First, some great facts about dolphins, one of my favorite animals!

Dolphins eat fish. A baby dolphin is called a calf. Dolphins are great swimmers by moving their tails up and down. Dolphins are mammals. Dolphins live in oceans in New York and Florida and California too. And dolphins get along with humans. Dolphins are afraid of killer whales and sharks and humans too. And they love you too.

And here is Zoe's piece about foxes.

Foxes eat mice. A baby fox is called a kit. A fox lives in Africa and South Africa too. Foxes can be pets too. They can be killed by coyotes. There are red fox and orange and arctic fox. And I love foxes forever and forever.

fox-in-hunting-wallpapers-free-picture on free pictures

Thanks for some more great work, Zoe! Don't forget, kids, if you want to publish your own writing on my site (fiction or nonfiction), send it to me here. Be sure to let me know that you want it published. You can tell me a little about yourself, too, if you'd like. Plus, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

These Kids Write: Hannah B. and Elijah B.

Wow! We now have two published young authors in the house! My daughter Hannah had a poem published in the May issue of Zoobooks:

Even though the bears may not roam
Near our city home
The birds and the bees
Fly over the trees
With the deer in the meadow
And the fish in the stream.

And my son Elijah had a second story published on the Zoobooks website in May:

Once there was a deer. She went to a stream to get a drink. She met an otter. The deer said that she was an otter. Then she met a fox. She said that she was a fox. Then she met a bird. She said that she was a bird. Then she got a drink and went back home. She went to an adult to ask what she was. The adult said she was a deer. "I thought I was an otter, a fox, and a bird. But I am a deer," she said.

According to Zoobooks, they receive more than 800 entries a month, so Hannah and Elijah both did a great job to get chosen! This writer mom couldn't be prouder!

If you want to publish your own writing on my site (fiction or nonfiction), send it to me here. Be sure to let me know that you want it published. You can tell me a little about yourself, too, if you'd like. Plus, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

Author Visits: Ripon and Muskego, Wisconsin

Finished out the school year with two great visits. The first was to Ripon, Wisconsin, where I had a chance to talk to the first grade students of my mom's best friend (who has known me since I was a baby) before she retired. Another great group of kids! And I had a chance to read the nonfiction books they had written about animals. Some had even written books about the same animals I've written about!

We had to adjust the Muskego visit by a day due to a water pump problem that closed the school the day I was supposed to visit. Fortunately, we were visiting family, so it was easy to reschedule (and I spent the day off with my family at the park!). And the visit was worth the wait. The kids in Muskego were great - engaged and attentive, even though it was almost the last day of school!

   

   

I always love when kids stick around afterward to chat and ask more questions! Nothing better than talking books and writing with kids!

These Kids Write

Enjoyed a great week of author visits in Holmen, Wisconsin, and met some more young authors. Here's a story from one of them!

Today started kind of rushed. I woke up at about 5:45 when my sister’s alarm went off. So I woke up, got sweatpants on and then just went back to sleep.I slept for a while, but then I woke up around 6:45, but I thought it was around 8:00, because it was bright as can be outside! So I ran up to the living room and said to myself "Aww man, I missed the bus?" I finally get into the living room and my Nina says, "No, it's just six." "Oh thank goodness!" I sigh in relief. So I wait, play with my birthday toys, and eat breakfast, and then it is finally 7:43 and time for me to go to the bus stop. As I walk to the bus stop, I see a couple of birds so I make a gun with my hand and pretend to shoot them. Right when I cross the street to get to my bus stop, a car comes out of nowhere and almost hit me! So I wait a few minutes and the bus is finally here.

Keep them coming, kids! If you want to publish your own writing on my site (fiction or nonfiction), send it to me here. Plus, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

These Kids Write: Zoe D.

Time to feature another student author. Here is Zoe's nonfiction piece about dogs:

Dogs have pads on their foot and they eat dog food. Dogs play outside and dogs have sharp teeth and I love dogs and I have a dog at home.

Thanks, Zoe, for sharing your writing with the world!

Kids, if you want to publish your own writing on my site (fiction or nonfiction), send it to me here. Plus, I'll enter you in a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

These Kids Write: Elijah Bodden

I love how excited kids get about sharing their work. My seven-year-old son just had a short nonfiction piece he wrote published on the Zoobooks website, and he was ecstatic. "I'm a published author, mom!"

Well, I want to be a part of bringing that excitement to kids! So, kids, send me your work (fiction or nonfiction) by clicking here. I'll publish as many as I can on my site. Plus, I'll enter you into a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my books.

So, I'm going to start this feature with my son Elijah's work, first published on the Zoobooks website:

I am a camel. I can hold fat in my hump. Did you know I live in the desert? So I have to be good at finding food and water.

Thanks, Elijah, for sharing your writing with the world!