Kyra Teis

Imagining Stories

School Visits

How to Make the Most of a Visit

Getting Students Excited about Author Visits

Author visits help young readers in so many ways. Meeting authors and illustrators creates lasting bonds between children and books. Visits also show students that a book is the product of a creative process - a process they participate in every time they write, draw, or tell a story.

Who knows where a little creativity will take them?

Set the Tone

Teachers and librarians set the tone for school visits. Get fired up, and your students will too! Create a festival atmosphere by doing book-related projects that involve several classes together. Bring visits to the attention of parents by sending home announcements, author bios, or by planning an evening meet-and-greet autographing party for families.

Read the Books

Reading and discussing an author's book before a visit challenges children to engage more deeply in the material. Also, in my case, reading for the students is not often part of my presentation. I prefer to share how the illustrations are made instead. So it is even more important to read my books ahead of time so the students are familiar with my work. As you read, invite your students to think of questions to ask about the book and how it's made. If your school has internet access, have students go the the visitor's website. Watch videos or read other material relating to the topics of the visitor's books. Do a book-based project before the visit: make a quilt, explore themes, perform reader's theater, compose a song, do artwork in the illustrator's artistic style.

Display Student Work

Plan to share student work with the author or illustrator by making a gift, a sign, or a creative display in a hallway or classroom. Students feel so special when the visitor thanks them and compliments them on their creativity.

Have a Book Sale

When children own a visiting author's book, they have a memento they can read again and again. Being able to take home a book also helps students share their experience with family members. Set up an autographing time (be sure to plan for this in your schedule), so that each child has a personalized reminder of the visit. I especially enjoy autographing sessions because I love to be able to connect with each child individually. Refer to my Book Sales page for information.

Follow Up

Do follow-up activities such as the ones on my Artful Ideas page. Even having the students write "thank you" notes allows them to reach out to the visitor in a personal way, express a closing thought, and reflect on the visit.

Consult an Expert

If you are planning an author visit, don't feel like you have to reinvent the wheel. There is a bounty of guidance, information, and inspiration to be had. Children's Author, Media Specialist, and Literacy Activist, Toni Buzzeo, has written a must-have resource for schools hosting author visits. Learn about her book, Terrific Connections with Authors, Illustrators, and Storytellers, and get her "Terrific Visits Tip Sheet" on her website: www.tonibuzzeo.com