EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SCHOOL VISITS by Clare Helen Welsh

 

In a bookshop last week, I bumped into two sisters. They’d recognised me after I’d visited their school during World Book Week. It was such a surprise since we were miles from home and all on holiday! There was much excitement from both parties, confirming to me the importance of school visits - getting into schools to reach and interact with readers.

A CHANCE MEETING IN PADSTOW BOOKSELLER

 

But did you know, that in 2023 only one in five children said an author had visited their school, either online or in person?

A Twitter thread from the National Literacy Trust and this chance encounter prompted me to write about school visits for today’s Picture Book Den post. The National Literacy Trust researched the impact of author visits in schools (both online and in person). They found that children who attended author visits were more likely to enjoy reading and writing in their free time. I’m often asked about school visits - what should they be like, how to prepare for them, how to get them and do you have to be published to offer them? So, I thought this might be a good opportunity to champion school visits, and share a bit about how they can look.

You can read the full National Literacy Trust report here: Author visits in schools, and children and young people’s reading and writing engagement in 2023 | National Literacy Trust

 

WHAT IS A SCHOOL VISIT?

School visits can in person or online. They can be with a whole school, with a key stage, with groups of classes or a single class… or a combination of all of these! The school that has booked the visit might have a purpose for your appearance in mind – to encourage reading for pleasure or to link with a curriculum topic - or your visit might be to celebrate the launch of your book. They can vary enormously, but this is good news! It means there is no set way they should be. If you play an instrument, why not make this part of your session? You might be confident drawing, at home with a puppet or prefer talking with slides… play to your strengths and what you feel comfortable with. It’s important for children to see there are lots of different kinds of authors, just like there are different kinds of people. And it's important that your school visit reflects you.

Whatever the theme of the day, I usually begin with some fun facts and photos about me and my books on a screen. Consider including things like; previous jobs, childhood photos, your writing inspiration, your writing space… it might feel boring to you, but it’ll be fun and different for them. If there’s no tech available, I do the same with props to keep the children’s attention.

In workshops, I always try to plan an activity that sees the children take away something physical, and something that can be expanded on in class should the teachers wish to do so. I also make a big effort to ensure the sessions are interactive and engaging, building in a strong hook so that children can’t wait to start and will remember the day for a long time afterwards. I tend to structure workshop sessions like this:

– Warmer

– Hook and shared activity

– Independent activity

– Share and tell

– Q&A/ Quiz

Here are some examples of the activities I’ve led in the past:

      -     making sunny-side specs

-          making lemur tail twisters (think tongue twisters written on tails!)

-          biscuit tin crime scene

-     design and make a biscuit rocket

-     create your own story character

-     'creative compost' idea gathering workshop

-    create your own graphic novel

-    puppet making

Whatever you decide, it always nice to end a workshop with a show and tell session. It’s unlikely you’ll have had chance to speak to everyone individually, so asking them to talk with the person next to them, and then a few feeding back to the whole group, gets around this problem nicely. I use my story TV and microphone, for this! It’s a bit of encouragement to share ideas, plus, who doesn’t want to be on TV?!

THE END OF A SCHOOL VISIT WORSHOP -

'SHOW AND TELL'

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A SCHOOL VISIT?

It takes a lot of planning to ensure a school visit runs smoothly. This could include all or some of the following;

– communication with the school about logistics, payment and terms
– organising a book sale and liaising with a local bookshop
– making posters to advertise the event
– booking transport
– planning and resourcing

I also try to build children’s excitement and anticipation, by sending schools activities and material in advance. You might be the last author the children meet for some time – you might be the first or only author they meet! Something that works nicely is sending ahead a writing competition to be judged on the day. You might be able to think of something that links with your book or theme for the day.

I try to arrive around an hour before the event starts to set up and familiarise myself with my home for the day. It’s important for me to leave plenty of time because I often bring lots of resources that need unloading and because schools are busy places – you sometimes don’t know the finer details of where you’ll be based until you arrive and even then, plans can change. Also, if you’re going somewhere you haven’t been before, leave in some buffer time for traffic, delays, parking (or the lack of it) and getting lost! Better to have time to spare than be panicked, I think.

Giving children the opportunity to buy books can be lovely for all concerned. Some schools request a book signing, at the start or end of the day. If there’s a local bookshop to organise this, that’s great. If not, I set it up with a pre-order system so that I can source books from a seller locally to me. If your event is online, you might be able to liaise with a local bookseller and send signed/ dedicated bookplates.

After the event, I make sure to thank the staff for their help and hospitality, both in person and email. I usually follow up with a blog post and photo share, if I have been given to permission to take photos. This is something to check in advance.

In case you’re interested, a few years ago I wrote a post for My Book Corner with even more detail about my school visits. You can read that post here: A Guide to Author Visits by Clare Helen Welsh - My Book Corner]

HOW DO YOU GET SCHOOL VISITS?

It’s a great idea to have your contact and event details on a website or on social media, showcasing what you can offer, including a price list. If you need advice on pricing, have a look at the Society of Author guidelines: Fees for author school visits - The Society of Authors

Think about what makes you and your visits special. I travel by authormobile, so I try to share photos of this because it’s different. Author, Cara Matheson, takes her cockapoo, Scout!

As well as photos, you could also share testimonials from your events to help get the word out. If you’re a published author or illustrator looking to do more events, you could also try contacting organisations such as Authors Aloud, Authors Abroad, Contact An Author, Reading Rocks, National Literacy Trust .

 

BLUNDELLS PREP SCHOOL 

THE 'AUTHORMOBILE!'

AUTHOR, CARA MATHESON, AT A SCHOOL VISIT

'SCOUT' THE COCKAPOO!

WHO CAN DO SCHOOL VISITS?

I am keen to dispel the myth that only published writers and illustrators can do school visits. I know firsthand how inspiring it can be for children to see the journey as opposed to just the finished product. Any creative with a passion for what they do should feel able to share that if they want to.

Sarah Dollar is a writer and poet looking for representation and a home for her picture book manuscripts. I asked her to share her school visit experiences:

 

AUTHOR, SARAH DOLLAR.

SARAH'S ILLUSTRATION OF 'MILDRED.'

“Mildred’ is an (as yet) unpublished character I created with my son, Hugo, in mind. He has severe food allergies and Mildred suffers from hayfever. My thinking was that it would open the door to meaningful conversations about allergies that might lead to more understanding amongst his peers.

When Allergy Awareness Week came round, I saw an opportunity to sidestep the gate-keepers and seek my own reward. I’m not an overly confident person, but I suffer flashes of over-the-top enthusiasm. I collared his teacher, “I don’t know if you have anything planned for Allergy Awareness Week yet, but I’d be happy to read a story to the kids in Hugo’s class?”. To my surprise, and vague horror, she jumped on it! Before I’d left the playground she had given me a day, a time and four classes to present to! Gulp!

I watched many Youtube videos, such as Joseph Coelho’s Poetry Prompts. I sought advice: wear something bright, take props, be prepared to be silly.  I practised taking questions (from anyone willing to play along) and read the story out loud - a LOT! I was nervous and met with a whispered chorus of ‘It’s Hugo’s mum!’, but the teacher introduced me as a writer. The children were excited.

My nerves settled quickly. I got a few children to help make Mildred’s soup concoction in a giant pan with imaginary ingredients. They laughed in all the right places. They engaged! Having repeated the session with another three class groups, I left the school - brimming. I floated out to the car park and stashed my props.

I did sessions for a nursery down the road and when poetry day rolled around I was approached by another local school. The kids enjoyed it. And I loved it. I may only have a few school visits under my belt, but the reaction from the children I've met has left me in no doubt - this is where my future lies.”

 

What an inspiration, Sarah is! I hope her experiences inspire you and give you permission to contact a school or bookshop or library for storytelling, if you wish. It doesn’t have to be pre-published or even published story. Why not take along a selection of your favourite books to share?

If you’d like to find out more about Sarah and her visits, she’ll be featured in Write Mentor’s Final Word newsletter very soon. You can sign up for that here: Home - WriteMentor - for all writers of children's fiction (write-mentor.com)

 

WHY DO SCHOOL VISITS?

If visiting a school has already been on your radar, I really hope this article and the National Literary Trust research have inspired you to take the plunge. In case you’re still unsure, have a read of these testimonials. School visits really do make a difference!

 

“The workshop was amazing! The children were engaged from start to finish. Such a great way to get such young children to believe in themselves as writers! The children haven’t stopped talking about where they are going to travel in their rocket!”

 

“The boys in Year 6 were so very proud of their writing and shared it first thing with their teacher the following day who was blown away. Thank you again, it was a wonderful afternoon.”

 

“All children were totally engaged and enthralled throughout the workshop. Clare was fantastic with the children, bringing plenty of props to excite and provoke creativity from the group. The children were well guided and fully involved throughout the session.”

 

 

SARAH DOLLAR

Sarah was born in London and grew up in Devon, where she lives now with her partner and their three (very) energetic children. She writes short stories, picture books, chapter books, poems and even cryptic crossword clues! She was longlisted for the 2021 Stratford Salariya Picture Book Prize and was included in the finalists' showcase for Mindy Weiss’s Picture Book Party. Both pieces have since been published. You will find her writing in places such as The Dirigible Balloon and Parakeet and Paperbound Magazine. She has also contributed to the spoken word event Book Jive Live. Find her on Twitter @SarahLCDollar.

CLARE HELEN WELSH

Clare Helen Welsh is a children's writer from Devon. She writes fiction and non-fiction picture book texts - sometimes funny, sometimes lyrical and everything in between! Her latest picture book is called 'Sunny Side Up,' illustrated by Ana Sandfelippo and published by Little Tiger Press. You can find out more about her at her website www.clarehelenwelsh.com or on Twitter @ClareHelenWelsh . Clare is represented by Alice Williams at Alice Williams Literary.

How to Answer Curious Questions Kids Ask on School Visits • by Natascha Biebow

 

I do a fair number of virtual school visits, which are hugely enjoyable ways of connecting with teachers and librarians as well as children in many parts of the world. The highlight for everyone is usually the Q & A when the students get the opportunity to ask questions and get answers to whatever they're curious about.

 

Other authors and illustrators will be familiar with many of these questions, like:

 

- Where did you get your idea?

- Why did you become an author?

- How long did it take to make the book?

And even the more personal types of questions, like ‘How old are you? and ‘How much do you earn? Are you rich?’

 

This is a portrait of me doing a school visit by Angely

Every once in a while, a child will ask you something that gives you pause, perhaps something that you don’t know the obvious answer to and you find yourself umming . . .

 

Here are a couple that have made me stop and think:

“How many times did you mess up on the book?”

 

I love the idea that children think that you need to ‘mess up’ to make a book.

 

And indeed there is a lot of messing up!

 

In the first draft  . . .

 

And the umpteenth drafts . . .

 

One of the umpteenth drafts of my book.

And in the illustration roughs . . .

 

Steven Salerno's rough doodle for the first spread of The Crayon Man

 

And sometimes even in the artwork!

Messing up is part of figuring stuff out. Messing up is to be human and it’s how we make better books and learn for next time.

 

Messing up

 

is

 

IMPORTANT!

 

But I’m not sure I can count how many times I messed up to answer that kid's question . . .

“Are you and the illustrator friends?”

Ooh, wouldn't it be great if you could just hop on the phone to your illustrator, and meet up for pancakes or pizza or something? We could share about our lives, what we are making and maybe find out we both like dogs or collecting cool rocks.

 

 

Then I’d tell the illustrator how amazing they are at interpreting the words I'd written.

 

And congratulate them on making visual magic between words and pictures.

 

And sometimes, if we were on the subject of the book we're making together, I wouldn’t be able to resist offering my two cents about this and that. 

 

We'd be friends in no time, I'm sure!

 

But, if you’ve ever made a picture book, you’ll know that the process is rather different. Usually, the editor and art directors are the ‘go-betweens’, the champions and project directors of the picture book. The author talks to the illustrator through them. Very rarely do they meet – at least until the book is out in the world.

 

This process allows SPACE for each of the author and illustrator to each create freely and unencumbered, and to carefully weigh up and consider feedback to make the best book possible.

 

So, authors have to trust that everyone on team publishing has the best interests of the book at heart and that every decision that is made is for the good of creating something amazing for children. Sometimes that is HARD.

 

I’ve made friends with many authors and illustrators with whom I collaborated with my editor’s hat on. We play together, we write letters (and emails) to each other, we share cookies and coffee and we talk about one of our favourite things – books.

THE CRAYON MAN illustrator Steven Salerno and I have collaborated and exchanged many emails. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet met in person. I’d like to be friends with my book’s illustrator because we share something very important in common – we’ve made a book together!

 

 

I didn't know what Steven Salerno looked like until
he shared this photo for a joint blog post on his process.

“Do you sell every book you write?”

This question can be read in two ways:

 

Do you sell every book that you write?

 

If we sold every book that was printed that would be super super!

No bookstore returns.

No books pulped.

No more sitting in the bookstore at a signing waiting for a single person - anyone - to come and talk to you and buy a copy – the books would just fly off the shelves and the tables and you'd get to sign them all until they were SOLD OUT!

 

Do you sell every book you write?

 

Oh my goodness, wouldn’t that be AMAZING? Can you image if you wrote a book and it sold right away and you didn’t have to wait for ages and ages and ages for it to find a good home with an editor?

 

But on the flip side, it’s actually quite good that everything I write doesn’t end up

on children’s bookshelves because fairly often it needs polishing and loving and cooking some more, and then re-jigsawing and sometimes even

 

to

 

be

 

THROWN

 

OUT!

 

Luckily we have time, kind and generous critique group partners and editors to help us realize THAT.

 

and . . .

 

“What happened to Harold?”

 

Harold C. Smith was Edwin Binney’s cousin, with whom he ran Binney & Smith, the company that made Crayola crayons. Harold was the salesman in the duo, while Edwin enjoyed experimenting and inventing.


Harold made friends all over the world on his travels selling products. He later turned to writing and philantrophy.

Edwin and Harold outside the factory (From
The Crayon Man, illustrations by Steven Salerno)

 

You can never be quite prepared to second-guess what children might ask.

To get out of a tight situation, you can either quickly Google it under the table or . . . 

 

. . .  if you’re brave enough, admit you don’t know and make it a game. :We should all look it up, shouldn’t we?!"

What curious questions have young readers asked YOU on your author visits? 

 

_________________________________________________________________

Natascha Biebow, MBE, Author, Editor and Mentor

Natascha is the author of the award-winning The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons, illustrated by Steven Salerno, winner of the Irma Black Award for Excellence in Children's Books, and selected as a best STEM Book 2020. Editor of numerous prize-winning books, she runs Blue Elephant Storyshaping, an editing, coaching and mentoring service aimed at empowering writers and illustrators to fine-tune their work pre-submission, and is the Editorial Director for Five Quills. Find out about her new picture book webinar courses! She is Co-Regional Advisor (Co-Chair) of SCBWI British Isles. Find her at www.nataschabiebow.com

 

Five Tips for an Amazing Author Visit by Chitra Soundar

As a children’s author, I’m often invited into schools, libraries and festivals to tell stories and share my book with children and often parents. 

Illustrated by Poonam Mistry

If you’ve written a picture book and got it published, then you might want to visit schools to share your stories. 

Here are five tips for a wonderful author visit. 

1) Read the book aloud many times, knowing when to dramatize, where to change voices, how each character sounds. Prepare for the visit. 

Remember picture books are usually shared with children from 3 years old. So it’s important to engage them with the reading. When I read You’re Safe With Me to children, I change the voice for each animal in the story, that matches their personality, and the dialogue. You can try this out with your own family or friends to get prepared. 

Here is my reading of Tiger Troubles (illustrated by Hannah Marks) that helps illustrate this.

2) Expand and stretch the story. Introduce nursery rhymes as appropriate to break up the reading. Children love to join in and they enjoy and remember the experience when they can participate instead of being passive listeners. 

Illustrated by Frané Lessac

For example, when I tell the story of Pattan’s Pumpkin, as the pumpkin floats, we sing Row, Row, Row the boat together with some relevant changes in the words that surprise the children and the adults alike. 

3) Carry props -  they could be shop-bought, handmade. But it adds a new dimension to the listening. Children can see and touch the object (pre-covid of course) especially if the characters or things in your story are new to the listeners. When I tell the story of Manju's Magic Wishes and the sequel Manju's Magic Muddle (both illustrated by Veronica Montoya), I carry a magic lamp with me and it is fascinating to see how the little ones are definitely happy to suspend disbelief and imagine the magic. And that's magic. 

4) Ask the publisher for a pdf version of the story and convert it to a slideshow (google can help you find tools to do this). In every class, there will be children who need visual cues to keep their attention. Also it honours the craft of the illustrator to show the children the art from the book and talk about it. Just remember not to leave the presentation / pdf behind in a school or festival computer. 

5) Create activities for the story – be it a colouring sheet (ask the publisher to give you one from the book) or a word search puzzle (google for this too) or a craft activity children can learn to do from the teachers. Check out my dedicated website for book related activities here. 

That's just five tips from the tip of the author visit iceberg I've shared with you. What are your tips to bring your book to readers and listeners? Share in the comments. 

To Be or Not to Be an Author? • by Natascha Biebow

Children are curious – they ask me

This question has got me thinking about this vocation
that is being an author:

 

What's not to like? You get to do something you LOVE 💖

Tell stories all day long.

When the story is flowing, time passes in a jiffy. I feel like I'm in a kind of time warp. When I'm in the midst of researching a new non-fiction picture book, I get really excited by all the interesting new facts I'm learning and have to remind myself where I started and what my end goal is, otherwise I might get stuck down a rabbit warren of (irrelevant) information . . .

Notes for my books have lots of questions

Getting to meet children and seeing them excited about stories too is a lot of FUN too.

Doing messy art with them is EVEN MORE FUN!

 

Messy artwork with Y3 & Y4 at AJS, London - looking at Nature and mixing colours like Edwin Binney

And so is drawing with children –– and grown-ups.
 

Having an excuse to make an awesome cake (and eat it) to celebrate your book, plus wear a silly hat is . . .

FUN!

 

The most challenging cake I've ever made. Inspired by The Icing Artist.

 

But being a children’s author is also HARD WORK. Making books requires countless revisions, plus the time it takes to make the final picture book often spans years.

When the story is NOT flowing – or someone else has already pipped you to the post and published ‘your’ story – writing is very TIRING.

(Where’s the duvet?!)

Authors have to be resilient and be prepared to take on board feedback from their peers, their agent, and their book’s editorial team (editor, illustrator, designer, publicist) gracefully and constructively (even though sometimes you want to throw a pillow). Authors need to be prepared to listen and persevere.

Another edit? I thought the book was finished . . .

When I finally finish writing a book, waiting for someone to say they love it as much as I do is very hard. Waiting for a book deal is . . . yes, TIRING.

Getting rejections builds a thick outer skin, but it’s also . . . you got it, TIRING.

Authors are constantly having to come up with new ideas and try to put out our very best work, which is great when it’s flowing, but not so easy when it’s not.

Once published, authors are expected to promote their book. Being on the road for author visits to schools and bookshops far from home can be . . . TIRING.

 

Cupcakes help.

So, it’s about even – FUN vs. TIRING.

 

But then look at COOL:

Visiting interesting places for 'research' (like inside the Crayola crayon factory). (Amazing!)

Crayola's HQ in Easton, PA

Crayola crayon labels from inside the factory!

Unpacking a box of advanced copies of your book with your name on it. (Oooh, goody!)

Walking into a bookshop and seeing your book on the playbill  . . . (Wow, who me?!)

and being an actual, really actually published author with your name on the front of a book displayed in your uni bookshop . . .

Receiving unexpected and thoughtful gifts from fellow artists:

Tara Moon handmade me this amazing giant box of Crayolas exactly
like the one from she'd kept her childhood, complete with 'worn' crayons!

Meeting readers who are soooo excited to see you and think you are . . . COOL (!), then creating stuff together. AMAZING!

Drawing with all 8 colours

Drawing together in a whole School Assembly in VA

Signing books at your old school for a new generation of readers. Wow! 

At the lower school library EARJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

And for me, making unexpected connections through my book . . .  Here's a story I'd like to share with you: 

ALL SO

But best of all is . . .

Seeing readers reading your book in unexpected places.
 

This girl couldn't wait to read the book --
right near the Easton Farmer's Market where she bought it.

I’d say on balance

I count myself very lucky (even if I can’t yet make a living doing it).

Happy World Book Day! 

________________________________________________________________________________

Natascha Biebow, MBE, Author, Editor and Mentor

 

Natascha is the author of The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons, illustrated by Steven Salerno, Elephants Never Forget and Is This My Nose?, editor of numerous award-winning children’s books, and Co-Regional Advisor (Co-Chair) of SCBWI British Isles. She is currently working on more non-fiction and a series of young fiction. She runs Blue Elephant Storyshaping, an editing, coaching and mentoring service aimed at empowering writers and illustrators to fine-tune their work pre-submission. Find her at www.nataschabiebow.com