As a children’s author, I would love to visit your school.  I have previously worked with several different classes from K-5th grade.  In addition, I have performed my presentation at local libraries and bookstores, entertaining children of all ages.

“Thank you very much for visiting Henry F. Kite and sharing your story Penny and Rio: The
Mysterious Backyard Meeting with us.  The children were inspired after meeting a “real” author!
Your read aloud was wonderful as was your presentation on the story glove.  I thought it was so
meaningful for the students when you related the story glove to the books they were currently
reading.  The children also enjoyed the bookmarks and stickers.  Thank-you also for the donation
of your two books.  I know many children are just itching to get their hands on them!  Again, thank-
you for taking the time out of your schedule to not only share your book, but also to inspire future
authors.”

Michelle Stinson
Instructional Coach
Henry F. Kite Elementary, November 2008

Option 1:   Interactive Reading Only:
Best for grades pre-K through 3rd
30 minutes

I first introduce myself and my characters and then I invite the students to participate in an interactive reading of my book.  I lead the children in “yawning” as Rio’s character does frequently, and “barking” and “digging” like the dog Penny in my book.   At the end of the reading, I discuss with the students how I came up with the idea for my book (it was inspired by my very own dogs, Penny and Rio).  I bring pictures of the “real” Penny and Rio.  Then, I answer any questions they may have for me.

Option 2:  Interactive Reading Plus Discussion of Parts of a Story:
Best for grades K- 2nd  or possibly 3rd
40 minutes
*** PowerPoint Presentation available ****

In this presentation, I discuss the three parts of a story, beginning, middle, and end.  Then, I perform an interactive reading of my book as indicated above.  At the end of the reading, I discuss the three parts of the story in my book. Then I talk about how they can take simple ideas that happen in their own lives and turn them into wonderful stories.   I show pictures of my dogs and talk about how they inspired me to write my book.  At the end, there is time for questions.

Option 3: Discussion of Writing Techniques, Using “The Story Glove”
Plus excerpts from my book as examples

Best for grades 3rd through 5th
40 minutes
PowerPoint presentation

In this presentation, I introduce “The Story Glove” to the students and talk about the 6 points that are necessary for creating a great story:
Prompt, Grabber, Problem/Challenge, Action, Solution, and Takeaway.
I use either a book they are currently reading in their class or relate it to a Harry Potter book.  Then, I read a few excerpts from my book to demonstrate how I used all six parts of “The Story Glove” when writing my book.  I talk about where to get ideas for a story and then show them pictures of my real dogs.  Finally, I discuss the most important part of writing- editing!  At the end there is time for questions.

Extras:

I bring bookmarks and/or stickers to be distributed to each student.  The school is welcome
to go to my website and download any and all coloring pages or puzzles to hand out.

Each school will receive a complimentary copy of my book for their school library.

I am available to sign copies of my book that have been purchased by students in advance.
I will provide a note for the school to send home announcing my visit.  I sell my books to the
students/teachers for a reduced price of $11.00 each or both books 1 and 2 for $20.00 total. 

Pricing:

Because the schools in Florida are experiencing severe budget cuts, my fees for school visits are :

The first day of up to 4 presentations, or 4 interactive book readings is FREE. After that, each additional day is $100 a day.  I would like to offer my book for sale every day that I am presenting.

For more information about scheduling a visit, please call me at 992-6955 or 403-4979 or email me.  Please note, for schools out of the Jacksonville area, there will be a small travel fee requested.

“Jennifer Swanson came to visit my 3rd grade class at Jacksonville Beach Elementary School.  My
students were engrossed as she read the tale of Penny and Rio and they were surprised at the
way the story ended… Jennifer Swanson is an author that relates well to her audience.  My
students loved the way she gave the characters different voices as she read aloud to them.  They
remarked, “It made the characters in the story seem real.”   She also brought along her two stuffed
animal dogs and talked about how they were like the two dogs,  Penny and Rio, that she had as
pets.  My students enjoyed hearing how she got ideas for her books from events in her own life.
Jennifer Swanson took the time to answer every student’s question.  She also reinforced the
importance of the writing process and spent a lot of time talking about editing and revising. As a
teacher, I was very honored to have Jennifer Swanson come into my classroom.  My students are
now anxiously awaiting the next adventure of Penny and Rio.”

Mary Lee
Third Grade Teacher
Jacksonville Beach Elementary, May 2008