SELECTED TITLES

• All Tutus Should Be Pink (SCHOLASTIC, 1991)
• The Bathwater Gang Gets Down to Business (Little, Brown & Co., 1992)
• The Sub (Dutton, 1992)
• Ben and Becky in the Haunted House (Treasure Bay, 1998)
• JoJo & Winnie, Sister Stories (Dutton, 1999)
• Mr. Rover Takes Over (Scholastic 2000)
• Milo and the Greatest Trick in the World (Mondo, 2001)
• My Day (Treasure Bay, 2002)
• Meet Thomas Jefferson (Ideals, 2003)
• Secret Agent Dingledorff and the Case of the Drooling Dinosaurs (Tommy Nelson, 2003)
• Gigi, God's Little Princess (Tommy Nelson, 2005)
• Be Careful and Stay Safe (FreeSpirit, 2006)
• The Hut in the Forest; A Tale About Being Kind to Animals (Reader's Digest Young Families, 2006)
• The Pitiful Pirates (Reader's Digest Young Families, 2006)
• Will, God's Mighty Warrior; The Mystery of Magillicuddy's Gold (Tommy Nelson, 2007)

GRADES

K through 6. I am very comfortable in presenting customized presentations to students of all ages; my picture books and chapter books make me more in demand for grade schoolers. I also enjoy speaking at conferences and libraries.

LENGTH

Approximately an hour, even for the littlest guys! We have so much to do and talk about, nobody really gets bored. And if there happen to be more than a few wriggly little people, then the program gets adjusted as we go and I add movement and more participation. Very flexible, and very fun!

AUDIENCE SIZE

Groups of three to four classes at the most, although smaller groups are always better! Unless it is an assembly, I like to work closely with the kids, so being in the library has always been a good, comfortable choice.

PROGRAMS

Putting together lots of visuals and storytelling in a fun-packed, interactive program, my goal is to impart the absolute joy of reading, writing, and of course, drawing! Presentation content is amended according to the kid's age group. Different programs can include the following:

Where Do Ideas for Those Pictures Come From?
It starts with a drawing of Mrs. Pettigrew, my fourth grade teacher. Then we add a mustache, a big ol' mole on her nose, then maybe a hair on that mole... and on it goes. Lots of ideas come from stuff I did in my own wacky childhood. I draw as I recount other funny little memories. This can be the most popular part of the hour!

The Big Picture Show
Using a PowerPoint presentation, I introduce my own two kids and some of our pets. We look at photographs, then artwork created for different books from the ideas that came from the pictures. My kids and our overweight cat are featured in lots of my books. Kids LOVE to "see" the story behind the pictures!

Lets Read a Book
For the littler kids, we read a book together, with them helping in the parts where we might need a bark, or a very loud "booooo!". Depending on the ability of the audience, we'll also go back to just the pictures after reading the book, and talk about how the pictures tell as much or more than the words do. The kids can decided what they would have illustrated, using the same script. The ideas are endless.

How'd Those Pictures and Words Get In That Book Anyway?
For the older kids, I take more time showing them actual manuscripts and pencil sketches, then the actual art work. I give them plenty of time for questions. They will get a much better understanding about how publishing works.

If At First You Don't Succeed...
I show sketches that were not approved, and a cover that had to be re-done three times! Even the author has to change the copy sometimes when the pictures do a better job of story telling. The point is that we all have to revise and revise again. You just don't give up, because eventually you'll be successful. Just keep trying!

Let's Draw Summore
Little kids get 10 minutes at the end to learn how to draw the doggie character we read about. Then they help with ideas of what to add to our picture, and it gets pretty funny! There are three handouts at the end for drawing and writing the kids can do later. It all makes for a very fun-filled hour!

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS

Artist's Workshop
For students particularly interested in art, an hour can be used to explore their own talents. Activities will depend on the age group. If desired, a half-day can be arranged.

So I've Written This Book...
For teachers or parents who have written or would like to write their own book, or would like to illustrate a children's book, this workshop would be for you! Information is given on how these things can be accomplished; the "write" way and the absolutely wrong way to submit manuscripts, agents, mailing lists, how to self-promote... list is a long one. All questions welcomed!

Family Night
With a PowerPoint presentation, parents meet the illustrator. Then we all put a story together and "draw" the pictures.

Literary Festivals

Career Day Events

Workshops and Conferences

A WORD FROM MEREDITH JOHNSON

"Absolutely everybody likes to draw. It's a wonderful way to express how you see your world. The kids have so much fun thinking about words in pictures because it's a completely different way to 'write'. My goals for kids are to foster their innate desire to write and draw, encourage that creativity, and to help develop a life-long love of books. After having seen the presentation, and getting to draw a little on their own with me, it's always special to take home some of the books we talked about. This can happen for just about any student of any means because most of the elementary books are in inexpensive paperback. It's really wonderful to see kids troop home with an 'important' signature in their very own new book!"

FEES

$850 per day plus reasonable travel expenses. The day can include as many presentations as we need to get in comfortably. Schools may choose to trade a presentation for an art workshop, or tuck in a short visit with a pre-K; I'm flexible. In these days of tight budgets, it can be helpful for some schools to split a day with another school, booked simultaneously and coordinated by one of the sites.

After school inservices or Family Night are an additional $300.

SET-UP AND EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

• No microphone is needed unless the room is huge, like the cafeteria or an assembly.
• Projector for a PowerPoint presentation, and a screen or blank wall. Other arrangements will be made if the school does not have a suitable projector.
• A chalk board, or a white board, or a large pad of newsprint with an easel. Fat markers.
• Big bunch of kids.

AUTOGRAPHING

Always. Usually fit into the day's schedule, but any over-runs will be signed at the end of the day, no problem. It's just more fun to have the kids "meet" the illustrator and watch her put their names and hers in their new books!

LEARN MORE ABOUT MEREDITH JOHNSON

• Biography
• Testimonials
• References

CONTACT INFORMATION

Meredith Johnson
5228 Palm Drive
La Canada, CA 91011
Phone: (818) 790-8060
Alternate Phone: (626) 840-0900
Fax: (818) 790-1709
E-mail: meredithdraws@earthlink.net
Web Site:www.meredithjohnson.net