David Greenberg  Children’s Book Author
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David Greenberg, Author
  • Biography
  • Testimonials
  • References
  • Poetry Assembly
    Video Excerpt
  • Book Order Form
  • Contact Info
  • David Greenberg, Author

    TITLES

    • Super Silly School Poems (Scholastic)
    • Enchanted Lions (Dutton)
    • A Tugging String (Dutton)
    • Slugs (Little, Brown & Co.)
    • Bugs! (Little, Brown & Co.)
    • Skunks! (Little, Brown & Co.)
    • Snakes! ( Little, Brown & Co.)
    • Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty? (Little, Brown & Co.)
    • Your Dog Might Be a Werewolf, Your Toes Could All Explode (Bantam)
    • The Great School Lunch Rebellion (Bantam)
    • The Book of Boys for Girls — The Book of Girls for Boys (Little, Brown & Co.)
    • Don't Forget Your Etiquette! The Essential Guide to Misbehavior (Farrar Straus Giroux)
    • Crocs! (Little, Brown & Co.)
    Enchanted Lions
    Book Reviews
    Crocs!
    Book Reviews
    Super Silly School Poems

    AWARDS

    A Tugging String

    • 2010 Oregon Spirit Award
    • 2009 Oregon Book Award Finalist

    The Great School Lunch Rebellion

    • 1990 recipient of the Children's Choice award

    GRADES

    • K-2 (only poetry based assemblies)
    • 3-5 (poetry based or civil rights assemblies)
    • Middle School (poetry based or civil rights assemblies)
    • High School (poetry based or civil rights assemblies)

    LENGTH OF PROGRAMS

    30-60 minutes (depending upon grade level and type of presentation)

    AUDIENCE SIZE

    As a rough guideline, around 200 maximum per assembly, 100 maximum per writing workshop. Inservices and Family Evening sessions can accommodate any number.

    PROGRAMS AVAILABLE

    Assemblies

    Poetry Assemblies: Filled with dozens of dazzling illustrations from Greenberg's books, these assemblies are fun, funny, and inspirational. Not only do children laugh, chant refrains, and tap along with the beat, but teachers and parents do as well. Kids leave saying, "I want to be a writer when I grow up!" Greenberg dynamically and expressively performs his rollicking poems for kids (click on book covers to see reviews). His poems are filled with alliteration, acrobatic meter patterns, and snazzy rhymes. Students are so captivated by the joy of Greenberg's performances they leave his assembly quoting their favorite lines. The assembly is, in essence, standards based academics wrapped within memorable entertainment. Greenberg weaves explanations of the various elements that activate good writing into his performance. He discusses the fierce perseverance necessary to succeed and emphasizes the key importance of the writing process.

    Poetry Assembly Video Excerpt 

    Tugging String
    Winner of the 2010
    Oregon Spirit Award
    Finalist for the 2009
    Oregon Book Award
    Book Reviews
    Don't Forget Your Etiquette
    Book Reviews
    Book Review
    Book Reviews
    Book Review
    Book Reviews
    Book Review
    Book Reviews
    Book Review
    Book Reviews
    The Book of Boys for Girls - The Book of Girls for Boys

    Book Review

    Book Reviews

    Civil Rights Assemblies: This assembly grips the listener. It inspires us to be our best. It is filled with basic American history. It deals with our challenges as a nation and what has made us great. Based upon his novel, A Tugging String, Greenberg discusses the racial attitudes in the United States at the end of the Civil War, and how deep prejudice against blacks still persisted. He talks about the rights denied to blacks, emphasizing that although blacks technically had the right to vote, they were quite often denied it in practice, and thus denied a voice in our political process. He talks about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s attempt to march from Selma to Montgomery to call attention to this injustice, and the response of the racist governor of Alabama, George Wallace. He discusses how King (helped by Greenberg's father) used the courts to peacefully overcome the forces arrayed against them, bringing about the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Ultimately, he shows how this has helped to make America a far better place. Greenberg draws the connection between the institutionalized bullying of the racists and the bullying that persists today. He calls upon students to take inspiration from King and his colleagues and challenges students to embrace personal responsibility and stand up for what is just and right.

    Additional Programs

    Writing Workshops: David Greenberg has lectured around the world on writing instruction. Based upon lessons he's developed, workshops are intensive, personalized writing sessions that exude a spirit of love for language. Based upon unique, highly motivational lessons, students write impressive, thoughtful work.

    Family Evening Presentations: Loads of fun, the purpose of Family Writing Night is to bring kids and parents together in an important educational activity. Greenberg starts the evening session by reading several of his poems. Next, he demonstrates a writing activity at the projector, and family groups collaboratively try their hand at the same sort of writing (which always has some sort of family theme). Kids clamor to take completed work home as a memento.

    Teacher Inservices: Based upon the writing workshops Greenberg has conducted internationally, these sessions are refreshingly fun in tone, yet absolutely practical in content. They provide teachers with numerous, unique and compelling writing lessons that they can implement in their classes immediately.

    A WORD FROM DAVID GREENBERG

    "Writing and reading are by no means easy to master. It is my goal to make words so delightful that children will be inspired to do their best with the tough slog of learning. I read fun, funny work and show captivating illustrations to do this. A great deal of success, though, is attitude. Most authors I know have had to rewrite their work many times and have had it rejected many (even countless) times. In my poetry assemblies I make a major point of talking about the rejections I've received for my writing, and how, in the face of this, I've persisted.

    In my Civil Rights assemblies, I want children to see that in the face of great challenges, our nation has become more just with more opportunities for more people. I want children to see that, as imperfect as we are, we have broken many of the chains of prejudice that held us back in so many ways. I do this by telling the story of Civil Rights in America through my personal child's eye view of events. My father was Dr. King's lawyer and I saw him leave for the South and worried if he'd come back safe and sound. The Ku Klux Klan sent us their literature filled with hate, often against my father. I remember a young Thurgood Marshall, who later became our first black Supreme Court Justice, at our house along with other Civil Rights leaders. They had the courage to take on the bullies of their day. By extension, I ask children to take inspiration from these leaders, to take personal responsibility, to stand up to injustice and bullying."

    FEES

    • $1295 for the first two presentations of a day.
    • $455 for each presentation thereafter on that same day.
    • $755 each for Afternoon Inservices and evening Family Writing Nights.
    • $1,250 for half-day Inservices (not combined with any other presentations that same day).
    • $1,750 for full-day Inservices.
    • There is usually no additional fee for expenses. (The only exception to this is if David Greenberg is asked to travel to an area that cannot be integrated into one of his tours. In this case, a fee will have to be negotiated and expenses charged in addition.)
    • $425 for virtual assemblies.

    International School Visits:

    • $1295 a day plus expenses for up to four student presentations, one teacher inservice, one Family Evening Presentation.

    SET-UP AND EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS

    David Greenberg needs:

    For Poetry and/or Civil Rights Assemblies:

    • An LCD projector (with added speakers for the Civil Rights assembly that can plug into the laptop headphone jack).

    • As large a screen as possible. The screen should be mounted as high as possible so kids have a clear line of sight that isn't blocked by the projector itself. If the screen doesn't pull down from the ceiling, it would be ideal, if possible, to place it on tabletop.

    • A microphone. The very best microphone is a wireless lavalier (or collar) mike. If this isn't available, a microphone affixed to a stand that can be removed, so Mr. Greenberg can walk around, is best. It's important to check the microphone so it's sound quality is adjusted before Mr. Greenberg starts presenting.

    • A small table for Mr. Greenberg to place his materials.

    • A bottle or glass of water.

    AUTOGRAPH INFORMATION

    Mr. Greenberg brings his books along for autographing with kids. Here's how it works:

    1. Mr. Greenberg will e-mail you a Book Order Form that lists all his books and their prices along with a space indicating to whom a book should be autographed.

    2. Send this form home twice before his visit (the first time perhaps two weeks before the visit and then the day before the visit).

    3. On the day of his visit, Mr. Greenberg physically brings his books to your school in boxes. All of the order forms are collected and Mr. Greenberg signs books to all who ordered them.

    4. Often, after seeing Mr. Greenberg present, kids want to get books. Send home the order form one more time the afternoon or day after his visit.

    5. Collect any final orders and mail them to:
      David Greenberg
      7327 SW Barnes Rd.
      PMB 623
      Portland, OR 97225
    6. Mr. Greenberg will pay all postage/handling and send back the signed final book orders right away.

    LEARN MORE ABOUT DAVID GREENBERG

    CONTACT INFORMATION

    David Greenberg
    7327 SW Barnes Rd.
    PMB 623
    Portland, Oregon 97225
    authilus@teleport.com

     


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