Tag Archive for James Preller school visits

The Artist’s Name Is Jeffrey

May 7, 2025 / / No comments

 

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On a recent school visit to Ichabod Crane Middle School — grades 4 & 5, oddly enough — or is it Intermediate? — I get so confused — anyway, moving right along — I noticed a bulletin board welcoming me to the school. Always a thoughtful touch. And there was a portrait of yours truly, based on a photo that still floats around the internet, long after I lost the hat I was wearing, along with a degree of youthfulness.

Later in the day, I had a chance to meet the artist, Jeffrey Dedrick, and asked for a photo. He obliged. For a young rapscallion, Jeffrey sure has talent. He made me look good! Jeffrey even managed to capture my lopsided, lazy right eye.

How did he know?

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Category: School Visits / Tags: , , ,

School Visit Vibes: Photos & Captions

April 9, 2025 / / No comments

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We talked about Kurt Vonnegut’s dictum, “Make awful things” happen in relation to my book Blood Mountain. What rotten, horrible things can we do to these poor characters in order to show the reader what they are made of?

Well, young readers — I’ve learned — are frighteningly good at this stuff. Full to overflowing with awful ideas! Maybe they should be writers, too?

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PRO TIP: I sit when I present to the Prek-K crowd. I go soft and gentle. And it’s lovely and warm.

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After reading Two Birds and a Moose, I tell them about the upcoming title, Two Ballerinas and a Moose. Fortunately, we had some real, live ballerinas in the room who were delighted to come up and demonstrate some of the basic moves.

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Lately for grades 3-4, I’ve opened up by talking about Character, Setting, and Plot in relation to one of my new “Scary Tales” paperback (3 stories in 1). These stories always get their rapt attention, so it’s the strong opening I need. Note: I stand for the big kids.

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THANK YOU, ANNEMARIE & TO ALL THE GOOD FOLKS AT KENSINGTON ROAD ELEMENTARY!

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Category: School Visits / Tags: , , , , ,

Photos from Some Recent School Visits

March 24, 2025 / / No comments

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I just thought I’d post a few of these shots, with and without captions, depending. 

I’ve got a busy week ahead of me, with four days of school visits, Tuesday-Friday, and then on Saturday the Poughkeepsie Children’s Book Festival. 

I’m dancing as fast as I can. 

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This is from last week, a local school.

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This last shot was kind of amazing. My first day in Tulsa, OK, and my first presentatiion: 450 5th-graders in a gigantic gym. Whoa!

 

TEACHERS, PTO MEMBERS, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS:

In the world of author visits, I am fairly unique because I can share age-appropriate books, in paperback (cheap!), for PreK-8. Each presentation is different and, like the books themselves, geared specifically for the age and interest levels of the audience. 

I live in the Albany area of NY state, and will happily travel by car or plane to any location in the U.S. and beyond. 

Some titles typically discussed: 

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My Favorite Color Is . . .

February 19, 2025 / / No comments

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When I visit schools, young readers often ask questions in superlatives. What’s my favorite book? My favorite author, color, food, etc. And perhaps because I am an adult, I tend not to think about things in those terms. So I always fumble for answers, offering lame responses, since nothing I say makes sense to me. Except for color. I have, at last, a satisfactory answer to that one.
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My favorite color is gray.
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It wasn’t always that way. I guess it grew on me.
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(Sidenote: For blog purposes, I have to categorize posts. I didn’t know whether to put this under “School Visits” or “Scary Tales.”)
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Category: School Visits / Tags: , ,

Cookies & Conversation & School Visits

February 12, 2025 / / 2 comments

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Here’s a snap of a display from a recent school visit in Tulsa, OK:

 

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While I doubt this is an original idea, I want to take credit for it anyway. It’s become one of my favorite parts of any school visit when the schedule allows. 

For an elementary school, K-5, I typically do 3 1/2 presentations. I like to add a short one (25 minutes) with PreK/K-only, where we keep things simple and age-appropriate; works better for everyone. Then I do full presentations for grades 1-2, 3-4, and 5-only (45-50 minutes). 

There’s time for me to sign books, always alone. 

And then, ta-da, “Cookies & Conversation.”

Kids love cookies.

And some of them like chatting with a real, live author.

Essentially it’s a cozy group of 10-15 young people — the ones who would rather sit in the library with an author than go outside for recess. 

It’s always a loose Q & A format that tends to go deeper on writing, if that’s where the group takes me.

I’m often invited to eat lunch with students — and while I’m willing to do that, it’s a cherished tradition in some places, I much prefer to eat in silence and do a 30-minute Q & A with a small group. 

Anyway: Did I invent the Cookies & Conversation format? 

Um . . . maybe? 

Okay. Probably not. 

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Category: School Visits / Tags: , ,
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