The last day of this Omaha trip had me at the Crestridge Magnet Center! I was met by another cool banner and I performed my last three Omaha shows. It was a tight fit, but we crammed each group into the school library for some dragon-roarin’ fun!
For lunch, I had the honor of having eating with a few stars of the summer reading program. These kids kept the reading going all summer and they had great questions about books, writing, and superheroes to prove it! It was great meeting you: Afdal, Angeli, Braxtyn, Brayau, Briseyda, Dominic, Elizabeth, Enoc, Eva, Gaby, Gree, Hannah, Ibraheem, Kaleb & Kaleb, Lucy, Marcos, Nehal, Nmarge, Noe, Quin, and Sophie!
Thanks to Mrs. Prisbell-Hultman for having me out. Thanks to all the summer readers for the lunch company—I wish I could’ve had lunch with all of you. And the biggest thanks goes to all great students at Crestridge. You were the perfect finale for my week of Nebraska fun! In fact, I’d like to thank Omaha Public Schools for flying me up letting me visit so many cool school. I enjoyed spending the week with your diverse, gifted, and enthusiastic students!
My penultimate (new vocabulary word) stop in Omaha had me spending the entire day at Jefferson Elementary—home of the Jaguars! I was welcomed with a couple of great banners and even saw some custom LEGO drawings from many of the kids. I especially enjoyed visiting Mrs. Anderson’s Candyland-themed library.
Look who I found!
I had a great time performing for three enthusiastic crowds and meeting everyone in the hallways and cafeteria. All the Jaguars were familiar with my LEGO books in part due to the great read-along-videos Mrs. Anderson found on Youtube. Check out one of them below!
Thanks to Mrs. Anderson for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Torneten and Mr. Bush for helping me set up. Thanks to the 1st graders who made me the wonderful thank you card (complete with LEGO figures). And a big thanks to each and every Jefferson Jaguar in the school. You were extremely welcoming and I hope you enjoyed my visit!
Today I visited two more great Omaha schools, beginning with Indian Hill Elementary—home of the Bears! Along with my two morning presentations, I signed a bunch of books for the school library, and was fortunate enough to have lunch with several outstanding 5th graders. They got the chance to ask more questions about writing, special effects, and just why I have so many donkeys. It was great to meet you: Alex, Daniel, Edwin, Eric, Jesus, Jija, Julie, Maricela, Naquiria, Oumaima, Samuel, Traonna!
Yes, a silly one, of course…
After lunch, I found my way to Franklin Elementary—home of the Eagles, yet again! I had a little trouble finding the place since the school was in an unusual location. While their school is being renovated, Franklin has temporary classes set up in a large warehouse. But that didn’t stop them from having a visiting author! I just hope we weren’t too loud for their temporary open concept school.
Thanks to Mrs. Reilly, Mrs. Hoarty, and Mrs. Beasley for having me out. And a big thanks goes out to all the Indian Hill Bears and the Franklin Eagles! I hope the Bears enjoy checking out my books from the library and I hope the Eagles can keep the giraffe noises quiet until their school is finished. But if anyone gives you trouble this week, just blame the noise on your friendly, neighborhood visiting author!
UPDATE: I want to thank Mrs. Renfro’s class for all the wonderful thank you cards they mailed to me. It was very thoughtful and full of very cool art! Turns out there are some talented illustrators at Franklin Elementary!
My second day in Omaha had me at Springville Elementary—home of the Eagles (that’s right, more eagles—I felt right at home). I spent the morning with the talented Springville students. I knew they were talented going in because, before I arrived, I received an email full of their cool book ideas—visualized! I can’t post them all, but here’s a sample:
After two shows, I got a lunch to go and was almost out the door. But before I left, I received a stack of hand-crafted thank you cards from Mrs. McCormick’s 5th grade class. Very nice! And I noticed a familiar Garfield illustration; it matched the welcome drawing I received earlier that morning. Thanks, Tamara, Kaidy, and Aiyana!
After lunch, I spent the afternoon at Conestoga Elementary—home of the Pioneers! I was greeted with more art as I performed in a gym covered in cool frontier murals. But I was especially thrilled when I found out just how many of the kids wanted to be authors AND screenwriters. I hope you enjoyed my screenwriting segment and don’t forget to keep reading. Like I said, that’s the easiest thing to do to help you become better writers!
Thanks to Mrs. Langan and Mrs. Buffington for having me out. Thanks to Blaine for directions. Thanks for the warm welcome from Mrs. Loberg’s class. Thanks to Mr. Macaitis and Mr. Vobejea for the technical support. And a big thanks to all the Conestoga Pioneers and the Springville Eagles! I enjoyed spending my day with so many young authors and illustrators!
I’m back in Nebraska for a seven-school, five-day whirlwind…beginning with Edison Elementary in Omaha—home of the college bound Eagles! I had a great time today and was welcomed with a banner featuring a surplus of hats (someone found out about my hat-collecting issue).
I had three fun shows and signed bunches of books for the school library. I also signed books for the winners of the Michael Anthony Steele trivia contest (who knew that was a thing). Before my arrival, trivia questions about yours truly were read during the morning announcements. The entire school played and the correct answers were put into a drawing for free books. The winners were Gary, Jaeda, Khloe, Markell, and Naydu. Congratulations and and I hope you enjoy my books!
Thanks to Mrs. Childers and Mrs. Fullenkamp for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Glniffke-Leak and the PTA for lunch and for the book donations. Thanks to everyone who took pictures for me. And the biggest thanks goes to all the Edison Eagles themselves. Being an Eagle Scout, I have a fondness for eagles and I can tell by your thoughtful questions, polite behavior, and ear-ripping dragon roars that you’re going to soar high!
Today I returned to New Mexico to visit two schools smack in the middle of Roswell! This morning I was at Nancy Lopez Elementary where most of the school turned out for one big show! Everyone was energized, made excellent giraffe sounds (don’t forget how I showed you) and had great questions all around. I was thrilled by the amount of superb space alien sounds, too. About half a second before I reached that part of my song, I realized, oh yeah, this is relevant!
Thanks to Mrs. Ryan for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Norris for taking pictures. A big thanks to Mrs. Brooks who worked tirelessly to set up everything before my show. And a big thanks to all the great kids at Nancy Lopez Elementary! Don’t forget those four words I taught you!
Later this Afternoon, I swung by Pecos Elementary to give another school-wide performance and was excited by all of the superhero decorations. Turns out this school is full of super-learners! This huge audience also had tons of great questions, proving that learning IS their super power!
Thanks to Mrs. Nieto-Walker for having me out and for the awesome shirt (I had to rock the shirt during the show). And a big thanks to all the Pecos super-learners! Keep reading, learning, and being the best superhero you can be!
That’s right. I’m Hatman. Boom!
And I couldn’t visit Roswell without a stop at the International UFO Museum And Research Center!
help me
Today I flew up to visit Anna Elementary—home of the Rockets! It was my very first school in Ohio—Anna, OH, to be precise. I was fortunate enough to be a part of their LEGO-themed Right to Read Week. Check out their cool display at the main entrance!
I signed a ton of books during my visit, and the kids seemed anxious to get them. But today was a special treat for me since most of the Rockets wore their Halloween costumes—even the teachers! Needless to say, I had more fun than usual during my three presentations. Heck, if I had known, I would’ve worn my Batman costume!
Thanks to Mrs. Boerger for inviting me. Thanks to Mr. Holtzapple for all the help. Thanks to Mr. Duncan for the use of the gym. Thanks to Mrs. Boerger, Mrs. Webker, and Mrs. Borchers for taking pictures. And the biggest thanks of all to each and every one of the Anna Rockets! I hope you enjoy my books. But don’t stop there. Get to your library and read as many books as you can!
Today I got to spend the day with the great kids at Oak Hill Academy in Dallas, TX for their Literacy Live event! It’s a good thing I wore one of my dragon shirts since their mascot is a dragon—and boy could they roar!
I enjoyed two presentations in their cool, nautical-themed library (hence the boat in the middle of the room with the dragon masthead) and I saw that my books were on display in the pirate treasure box!
My books weren’t the only ones on display! I got to look over the middle schooler’s books on display in the front entrance. Oak Hill Academy is full of young authors!
I had a tour of the school and then gave a final performance to all the middle and high schoolers. Everyone had great questions and it was fun meeting them after the show!
Thanks to Mrs. Wachel for inviting me. Thanks to Mrs. Urban for the gifts and all the help. But most of all, a big thanks goes to all the Oak Hill Dragons themselves. I hope you had as much fun today as I did!
Today I drove historic Route 66 to see the 4th and 5th graders of Nichols Elementary, in Miami, Oklahoma! I was fortunate to perform in the Miami Public Library itself where all the kids were bussed in for three fun-filled shows. They were a bunch of great kids, and this day was a perfect way to start off the new school year!
I enjoyed a group shot with Mrs. Herd’s class.
Of course…the silly version.
During our lunch break, Mrs. Beauchamp took me to Chapters bookstore for an impromptu photoshoot with her special pack rat. This rat has traveled all up and down Route 66 as part of the library’s contribution to Outside the Lines—a weeklong celebration demonstrating the creativity and innovation happening in libraries. I’m holding up his little book for him. See, he’s small so he likes little books…and Dr. Suess.
Thanks to Mrs. Beauchamp for inviting me and setting up the tour at a local landmark, the Coleman Theater. It was a great place and my photography wouldn’t do it justice. You can check it out at: colemantheatre.org. And a big thanks to all the Nichols Elementary 4th and 5th graders. You were a great audience and I had a fun day on my first author visit of the school year!
Today I was fortunate enough to spend the afternoon at the West Irving Public Library, in Irving, TX! I performed in front of an energetic crowd and I even got to meet each and every one of them after the show. I met them when they lined up to have their books autographed. That’s right, the library purchased one of my books for the attendees—LEGO City: Work This Farm! I think I signed around 120 books. What a cool library!
I want to thank Corine Barberena for inviting me. But I especially want to thank all the kids and parents who came out to watch my presentation. It looked as if everyone enjoyed the show, but I hope you also enjoy your copy of my LEGO City book. It just may come in handy when the library hosts its upcoming “Build it with LEGOs” events!
