Join Stevenson Elementary School Librarian Jennifer Ching and author/illustrator Ellie Peterson for all things about AUTHOR VISITS! If you have a debut and are interested in offering author visits, just want to make your presentations more dynamic and fun, or want to better understand the connection between school libraries and authors, then this is a great session for you. We’ll start with a tour by Jennifer of today’s elementary school library. Learn how books are organized by reader and genre, what draws kids to the library, what resources are available to them, and the strategies librarians use to encourage lifelong readers. Then, veteran teacher and author/illustrator Ellie Peterson will share with you the elements of a good author visit, nuts and bolts of booking and invoicing, and how to best work with librarians and teachers. We’ll finish up with time for Q&A. Bring your notebook, we’ll have a lot of good information for you!
Ellie Peterson is the author and illustrator of multiple picture books, including Washington State Award Winner HOW TO HUG A PUFFERFISH. She was an award-winning classroom science teacher for 21 years before making the move to full-time author/illustrator. Last year, she presented at 37 schools, 32 of those in-person! Look for her upcoming book SANDCASTLES ARE FOREVER (Roaring Brook, May 15th 2024) and learn more at elliepetersonbooks.com.
Jennifer Ching has hosted book creators as Stevenson Elementary's librarian for the past 8 years (shout out to Elle Peterson! Vikram Madan! Christine Day! Debbie Ridpath Ohi! Amanda Abler! Dan Gemeinhart! Ben Clanton! Kirby Larson! Suzanne Kaufman!). Before shelving books, she navigated middle school chaos as a language arts/social studies teacher. She’s been a freelance writer, curriculum developer, and wrangled productions with her husband’s small production company. She was a card-carrying member of SCBWI after doing UW’s Writing for Children program, but that card is collecting dust. One of her favorite things about her job is hosting authors and illustrators!