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D I R E C T O R Y O F A U T H O R S & I L L U S T R A T O R S
Pamela Bauer Mueller
"The students are still glowing from the warmth of your visit!" "Ms. Mueller is an enthralling storyteller." "Your books allow students to relate, compare and overcome." "You have the unusual gift of communicating the emotions of both humans and animals in a unique loving way."
Kids learn how cats write books, discover the process of raising a guide puppy, and applaud in wonder listening to the true story of antebellum slave Neptune Small. Bi-lingual, multi-cultural award-winner Pamela Bauer Mueller weaves storytelling, historical events and research throughout her presentations, entertaining and educating through the magic of her books — The Bumpedy Road; Rain City Cats; Eight Paws to Georgia; Hello, Goodbye, I Love You; Neptune's Honor; An Angry Drum Echoed, Aloha Crossing.
Tom Birdseye
"Tom is a treasure! Hire him immediately." Award-winning author of 18 books, including novels, picture books, and non-fiction, Tom also has ten years of classroom teaching experience, and has given over 3,000 presentations worldwide. He knows kids and how to get the most reluctant excited about writing. Entertaining and full of insights, Tom's multi-media, dynamic presentations demystify the writing process — from initial idea to final rewrite — and provide concrete techniques that aspiring authors can use the next time they sit down in front of a blank paper, a blank screen, or a writing assessment. Invite Tom to your school, library, literacy event, teacher training, conference, or as an artist-in-residence. All who hear him will be inspired!
Larry Dane Brimner
"My 6-year-old son now wants to be an author and has been drawing and writing in a 'special' notebook everyday! Thank you for inspiring his creativity." So wrote parent Alyssa M. to award-winning author Larry Dane Brimner, whose books include We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin, winner of the 2008 Norman A. Sugarman Award for Biography and the Jane Addams Book Award; Subway: The Story of Tunnels, Tubes, and Tracks; and Merry Christmas, Old Armadillo. Educators routinely say his programs are "inspiring for kids and teachers" and "the best author visit we've had." The author of more than 150 books, his Dinosaurs Dance has had the younger set dancing in the aisles in auditoriums on three continents!
Ronda Friend
"Ronda Friend is an exceptionally gifted storyteller! Adults and children alike find her performances entertaining, enlightening, and engaging!" "Our students were thrilled with your presentation as you brought your characters to life. Your visit encompassed strong character-building skills while accenting the literary merits of writing." "Most importantly, the students loved her!"
Ronda acts out her series, Down on Friendly Acres, as her spirited six-year-old self. Incorporating family squabbles and unbelievable true cliffhangers, children relate to the sibling rivalry in Swallows Her Pride, Time Out at Home, Hats off to Heroes, Panic in the PigPen and Woolly Baaad Lies. P.U. You Stink!, a debut picture book, teaches teamwork. The moral of the story is — "Families who stink together, stick together!"
Lisa Funari Willever
"Our students were mesmerized; she had them from the moment she started speaking until they reluctantly left." Funny, interactive, and memorable, former teacher, Lisa Funari-Willever's presentations hold the attention of students and staff members. She is the author of Chumpkin, a favorite of First Lady Laura Bush and displayed at the White House, 32 Dandelion Court, 2007-2008 New Jersey Battle of the Book List, and Garden State Adventure, 2005-06 New Jersey Battle of the Book List. Schools all over the country agree that Lisa's presentations are inspirational and her storytelling ability is superb (even though she never considers herself a storyteller!). Her titles include chapter books and picture books, as well as Exciting Writing and On Your Mark, Get Set, Teach! New titles include There's A Kid Under My Bed, Nicky Fifth for Hire, and A Glove of Their Own.
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John Steven Gurney
"Everyone loved how you weaved the reading and writing in with the drawing process. And the series of steps you have to take to get to the final product!" Reading specialists, art teachers, and students alike are all excited and inspired after John Steven Gurney visits their school. He has illustrated over 120 books, including two of America's best loved chapter book series, The A to Z Mysteries and The Bailey School Kids. He is the author and illustrator of the picture book Dinosaur Train. The goal of John's presentation is to help students understand the thought process involved in creating an illustration. Every illustration tells a story, but how?
Gerald Hausman
Gerald Hausman is a multi-cultural storyteller, sound-effects expert and author. As a guest of the History Channel he told ghost stories from his award winning book Duppy Talk. Each of Gerald's books has received awards and honors and seven of them have been translated into foreign languages. Some of his books are classroom favorites such as How Chipmunk Got Tiny Feet; and Doctor Bird: Three Lookin' Up Tales from Jamaica. Gerald's stories have been widely anthologized and one of them is an animated film. His newest novel for 10-and-up is Time Swimmer published by Macmillan Caribbean, Fall 2008.
Christine Petrell Kallevig
Kids love origami, but they need stories to touch their hearts and feed their minds, stories to peel away layers of resistance and false sophistication, stories to reveal roots of intelligence and creativity. Christine Kallevig is an Ohio novelist and professional storyteller who provides those stories. She's also the "Storigami Lady" who figured out how to illustrate short stories with the progressive steps of simple origami models. Originally intended as a fun and quirky curiosity, Storigami instead evolved into an enticing experience that captivates audiences and sends them hurtling back and forth across an enchanted bridge that connects language with art, a bridge where you definitely want to let your fingers do the walking.
Betsy and Giulio Maestro
Celebrate Nonfiction and American History with this dynamic author-illustrator team! You'll take a lively trip through the creation of a nonfiction picturebook. The Maestros enthusiasm for their work motivates and inspires students to get started on their own nonfiction projects. The Maestros have been visiting schools for more than twenty years and are comfortable and effective with audiences of all ages. Educators call their program "organized, energetic and
Herman Parish
Author Herman Parish carries on the misadventures of Amelia Bedelia, everyone's favorite mixed-up housekeeper, created by his Aunt Peggy Parish. Herman has added fourteen books to the series, including the N.Y. Times bestseller Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm. His latest books are Amelia Bedelia and the Cat in which a kitten adopts Amelia Bedelia for a day and Amelia Bedelia Talks Turkey in which she makes sure that a school's Thanksgiving pageant is no turkey!
Marilyn Perlyn
How do you inspire children to reach out through reading to help others? Just listen to Marilyn Perlyn, service learning/character education coach and author of The Biggest and Brightest Light: A True Story of the Heart. Marilyn's area of expertise is teaching kids a love of reading while inspiring them to make a difference. Marilyn's three children have received national awards for service, have been written about in ten books, and have appeared on Oprah. Her family is the recipient of the national Daily Points of Light Award.
Marilyn's presentations are unique in that students identify with the main character of her book by engaging in a service project themselves. Her presentations are highly inspirational, motivational, engaging, and FUN!
Laurence Pringle
"Warm, wise, and funny" are words educators often use to describe Laurence Pringle's programs about the writing process and the creation of both nonfiction and fiction books. His highly-praised titles — now totalling 106 — include Penguins! Strange and Wonderful, Sharks! Strange and Wonderful, One Room School, Naming the Cat, An Extraordinary Life: The Story of a Monarch Butterfly, and American Slave, American Hero: York of the Lewis and Clark Expedtion.
Peter Roop
"Peter's programs were MAGIC!" Light the Writing Lights with Peter Roop, award-winning author and educator. Peter has written 100 fiction and nonfiction books for grades K-8. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie is a Reading Rainbow Feature Book. Other titles are: Buttons For General Washington; Buffalo Jump; Sacagawea; Whales and Dolphins; and Let's Dream, Martin Luther King! Peter is published by Scholastic, Atheneum, Lerner, Simon and Schuster, and Hyperion. Peter Roop, Wisconsin State Teacher of the Year, has presented to schools in 30 states as well Indonesia, China, and England. "Peter's programs fit our curriculum perfectly!" "An affordable, positive, spellbinding experience!" "The best use of PTA funds ever!" Invite Peter Roop, The Pied Piper of Writing" to your school this year!
Chris Rumble
"Motivating and inspiring!... one of those kind, gentle people that attracts everyone... amazingly FUN and UPLIFTING... your genuine love for inspiring children to read is so evident... Your books are true favorites... You are touching kids' lives." Author-Illustrator-Musician, Chris Rumble, offers a READING PEP RALLY using art, music, audience participation and lots of laughter that will have your students FIRED UP to read! Kids love his highly-illustrated Adventures of Uncle Stinky series (designed for the reluctant reader). As The Reading Guitar Man, Chris performs sing-alongs to tunes your students will recognize. I'm a Believer becomes I'm a Big Reader. Twist and Shout becomes Read and Shout!, etc. Chris has visited 300 schools since 2001!
Diane Z. Shore
Diane Z. Shore is an award-winning author and dynamic presenter. "A gifted writer and storyteller," says librarian Janie Cowan. "The kids adore her." Educators describe Diane's energetic presentations as "right on target with all grades." Her much-loved books include How to Drive Your Sister Crazy, an I Can Read!™, Bus-A-Saurus Bop, winner of the 2004 Children's Choice Award, Look Both Ways, and her starred-reviewed nonfiction, This Is The Dream. Diane has your students laughin' & learnin' as they guess riddles, search for hidden pictures, look both ways with Filbert the squirrel puppet, and act out Rosa Loves to Read. Her historical, non-fiction books and magazine articles will amaze you and you won't believe how long it took her to get published!
Contact Authors and Illustrators Who Visit Schools