The last stop of my short tour took me Eastward, over to Mize Attendance Center in Mize, MS! I was on the big stage this time and had the unique opportunity to perform for 2nd graders all the way up to 8th graders. All grades were very polite and were full of fun questions. I even had one boy ask who was my favorite superhero. It’s always cool to see when, after I give my answer (Batman), most of the boys in the audience raise their hands triumphantly and high-five each other. It’s true, I’m more of a DC guy than a Marvel guy.
Thanks to Mr. Jones for inviting me (I enjoyed talking bees and blueberries between shows). Thanks to Mrs. Adams for taking pictures and to Mrs. White for all the help. And a big thanks to the wonderful students at Mize Attendance Center. You were the perfect end to my first Mississippi tour!
Another day in Mississippi and another welcome sign in front of Madison Avenue Upper Elementary, in Madison, MS! I had a fast and furious morning with three shows for all the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. Just like their younger counterparts next door, everyone was excited, full of questions, and extremely polite; I heard “yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir” so many times, I felt like an officer in the Army. I had the pleasure of meeting many of them personally when I signed 200 copies of my Night of the Dragons book!
During a signing break, I had a chance to meet a fellow author and teacher at MAUE, Mrs. Michelle Smith. She gave me a copy of her first book all about the Common Core State Standards Initiative. Don’t worry, her colorful book makes it much clearer than it sounds. It’s called What in the World is Common Core? and it’s illustrated by DeAnna Backel. You can get your copy HERE or simply click the book cover below.
Thanks to Mrs. Berry and the PTO for having me out and giving me a big Mississippi welcome for the second day in a row–I think Mrs. Berry did great organizing her first author visit! And thanks to all the wonderful students at Madison Avenue Upper Elementary. I hope you all enjoy your books!
My first ever school visit to Mississippi greeted me with a welcome sign right out front of Madison Avenue Elementary, in Madison, MS! Inside, I was greeted by tons of students who already knew me on sight and were anxious to see the show! I went on to give three performances for Kinder, First, and Second Grade with plenty of book-signing in between.
For more pictures from the action-packed day (as well as some previous MAE author and illustrator visits), be sure to visit the official MAE Library website HERE.
Thanks to Mrs. Wilson for making my first school visit in Mississippi a true pleasure. Thanks to her again and the MAE PTO for inviting me. Thanks to Katia for taking pictures and for all her help. Thanks to all the kids who brought books to sign and a big Texas thank you from me to all the MAE students! I hope you had as much fun watching as I did performing!
The first author visit of the school year had me at my first school that shared a name AND a street address–Stults Road Elementary, in Dallas, Texas! It was a fast and furious day with three shows back-to-back, beginning in the cafeteria with the Kinder, 1st, and 2nd graders. It was the first show of the morning so I had to wake them up with boisterous entertainment, in which they joined nicely along the way. Then, it was off to the library for two more shows with the rest of the school, 3rd & 4th graders, and then the 5th and 6th graders!
I had time to rest and enjoy a nice lunch with several 1st graders. They were full of lovely questions (as well as cheeseburgers–it was cheeseburger day, after all), and I learned what everyone planned to be for Halloween. It was great meeting and eating with: Abigail, Denise, Fernanda, Justice, Kevin, Khamani, and Mrs. Page.
I rounded out the day with a classroom visit and some book signing. Thanks to Ms. Johnson for inviting me and thanks to all the students at Stults Road Elementary. A great group of kids, you were polite, inquisitive, and made my first author visit of the school year quite an enjoyable one!
Today I enjoyed one of my best library visits to date! I spent the afternoon at the Harrison Public Library in Greenville, TX. My appearance was part of the library’s summer reading program and I could tell by many of the questions that there were some fantastic readers in attendance. In fact, there were so many questions, that I couldn’t answer them all. Remember what I said, if I didn’t get to you, feel free to email me at: ant@masteele.com.
Thanks to John Hayden for doing a great job setting everything up. And thanks to everyone in Greenville who came out to see me at the library. Enjoy the rest of the hot summer in the cool library, behind a great book!
My last author visit of the school year had me at Windermere Primary School in Pflugerville, TX. My appearance kicked off the school’s superhero week–how cool was that! Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see everyone dressed as superheroes; that happens tomorrow. I’m sure there are going to be some exciting characters flying through the halls in the days to come. I was also fortunate to be present at the beginning of the book fair. I signed a ton of books that will be sold in the fair so I hope everyone who picks one up enjoys them!
Thanks to Mrs. Gregory for inviting me and for the kind words about my Night of the Dragons book. Best of luck with the book fair! Thanks to Mrs. Bryant for all the help (and the cow jokes, which were quite mooooving). Thanks to my mom and dad for finding my cool new shirt. And a big thanks to all the young superheroes at WPS! Remember, just a few more weeks before you soar into summer!
Today, my penultimate author of the school year had me at Longfellow Elementary in Alvin, TX. I was greeted with an artistic welcome banner (thanks to Blakeli, Parris, and Rainlynn) and was fortunate enough to be a part of Longfellow’s career day. Along with my presentations, Longfellow students were treated to talks from a police officer, a librarian, a veterinarian, a graphic designer, a member of the bomb squad, and a rancher with cows and everything. Therefore, I knew the kids would make authentic cattle sounds for my silly farm song at the end—which they did!
Thanks to Mrs. Duckworth for inviting me. Thanks to her and Mrs. Maples for all the help. Thanks to Connor for the cool Longfellow pencil. Thanks to Gabe for bringing in his copy of Night of the Dragons for me to sign. And a big thanks to all the great students at Longfellow Elementary. I’m sure you had plenty of careers to think about when the day was done. I just hope you remember those four words when you decide what you want to be when you grow up. Remember, you can do that!
After a month off from Texas schools (big test in April, understand), I had the pleasure to visit Grace Hartman Elementary in Rockwall, TX. During my three performances, I met tons of young readers, aspiring writers, and actually fielded more questions about my fez monkey collection than ever before. Just sayin…there’s just something about fez monkeys.
Thanks to Mrs. Hughes for inviting me and for the fun lunch. I hope you enjoyed your first author visit as much as I did; I think you did a great job! Thanks to Mrs. Mosley and the Grace Hartman PTA for having me out. And thanks to all the students at Grace Hartman Elementary for a wonderful day. I hope you have a fun and productive rest of the school year. Cram in as much learning as you can!
Today I had a fun day at Dutch Lane Elementary, in Hicksville, NY. I was told early on that this Long Island school was chocked full of young writers. I could tell that was true by all the wonderful questions I received during every show! I performed for 2nd & 3rd and then 4th and 5th. I signed some books (thanks, Kyle, Maya, and Jennie) and, after a tasty school lunch, I had one more show with the Kinder and 1st grades. And you know what? They had the best questions out of the entire school!
Thanks to Mrs. Telesky for inviting me. Thanks to Mr. Sleeper for helping me set up. Thanks to Ms. Panono for the use of the amp. Thanks to Mrs. Borra for all the picture organizing and help throughout the day (a welcome to Thomas, by the way). And thanks to all the young writers at Dutch Lane Elementary. Keep reading and keep writing!
Today I visited the first school of my brief Long Island tour—Hobart Elementary in Shirley, NY! I gave three performances for three huge groups of kids. The library was jam-packed! Everyone was great, students and faculty alike and I hope my visit was a welcome break from prepping for the state test.
Thanks to Mr. Bretton for inviting me and for being such a great host. Thanks to Mrs. Demmers for putting up with me and the crowds in her library. Thanks to everyone in the nurse’s office for the entertaining lunch. Thanks to Mrs. Parise’s class for that cool puppet parade. And a big thanks to all the wonderful Hobart Elmentary students. Good luck on your tests and then have a happy spring break!
