There was no better way to end my fall Houston tour than at the super-fun school of Memorial Drive Elementary! I mean, what other school library has giant spaghetti and meatballs all over it?!! It looked as if it had rained them—just like in the book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs! Actually, I think that’s exactly what they were going for (see below).
I performed all my shows in the library’s cool theater with a big screen projector. I enjoyed a birthday lunch with MDE students Kate & Samantha, courtesy of their father. And I got to sign many books brought in by the students, including a rare WISHBONE book that I haven’t signed in a while–The Ghost of Camp Ka Nowato.
I’d like to thank Nanette Gabriel for inviting me and for hosting such a wonderful author visit. Thanks to Kate and Sammy’s dad for bringing lunch. And a big thanks goes to all the MDE Ponies! Your interest and enthusiasm really sent me back to Dallas in the best of moods! Thanks for the great day!
I enjoyed an exciting day today at Jeter Elementary in Manvel, TX. I gave two performances to huge crowds of students (some may the biggest audiences in a while) and two writing workshops to several aspiring writers.
Several things made today stand out. First, I was greeted with a fun welcome sign as soon as I arrived. Second, I enjoyed a Thanksgiving lunch with many of the students and their families. Third, a roving pep rally followed my first performance complete with high school band members, cheerleaders, football players, and drill team members. And finally, I received a nice GIFT BAG full of all kinds of treats for back at the hotel (many I’ve sampled already).
Thanks to Mrs. Choules for inviting me and for the great gift bag and thank you card; it was quite appreciated. And thanks to all the Don Jeter Jaguars for being such a great audience! Keep reading and keep writing!
Halfway through my fall Houston area tour found me at Ney Elementary—home of the Ney Knights! I had an exciting time with all the kids, got to see part of another 3rd Grade Thanksgiving show, and even found that one of the Ney students (Joshlyn) posted a greeting on my Facebook page when I got back to the hotel.
The only downside to my visit was that many of the books the kids ordered didn’t come in on time. But don’t worry, just like Mrs. Roland said, when I visit nearby Ogg Elementary in December, I’ll be happy to sign them. You’ll get them in time for Christmas!
Thanks to Brandye Roland for inviting me and for all the help and thanks to all the Ney Knights for another great school visit!
On the second day of my fall Houston area tour, I drove up to Mason Elementary in Manvel, TX. The staff was welcoming and quite helpful as they gave me directions when my GPS took me to the wrong address. Everyone was welcoming and I even got to snack on some goodies from their November staff birthday bash. I was especially pleased to see some of Mrs. Mejias’ wonderful hats. Turns out, she’s an avid hat collector, too!
Thanks to Jennifer Kerr for inviting me and to Coach Allison for help setting up and the use of her gym. And a super-big thanks to all the great students at Mason Elementary. Keep reading and keep working on those giraffe sounds. Don’t forget what I showed you!
As soon as Comic Con was over, I drove into the night so I could make it to my first stop in my week-long Houston area tour. Good thing I made it or I would’ve missed a very cool school—Griffith Elementary in Clute, TX! I was greeted with their school sign welcoming me and all the kids were excited to see me. I performed, signed tons of books, and even got to watch all of 3rd grade rehearse their Thanksgiving program. They have until Thursday to practice but I think they’re going to do great! They were already very far along when I saw them!
Thanks to Liz Fambrough for inviting me, thanks to Coach Castillo for all the help setting up, and a big thanks to all the smart students at Griffith Elementary. I’d also like to thank Ms. Gaspard for the use of her music room (where I spoke to the PRE-pre-K kids) and to wish her a sincere “break a leg” for the performance Thursday night. They’re going to be great!
Just before heading out of town, I spent the day at Forestridge Elementary in Dallas. I received one of the warmest welcomes I had received in a long time. The kids were all jazzed about my arrival and recognized me before any of them attended a show! I gave three performances, signed lots of books and conducted a writing workshop with several aspiring young authors. Keep writing, gang!
Thanks to Andrea Dysput for inviting me and thanks for Jennifer Zia for all the help. And a big thanks to all the great students at Forestridge Elementary!
Oh, and thanks to Genesis Barrientos who took time off from taking photos for the Diversity Photography Competition to take a few shots of me for the school. Good luck, Genesis!
I had a great time today at Hunt Elementary, in Murphy, Texas! I gave presentations to all the Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders. While the 4th and 5th graders got to see another author the next day. Sounds as if all the Hunt Hounds will get revved up about reading!
And I know where they can start… they can begin with two of my earliest titles right in the Hunt Elementary Library: Wishbone: Forgotten Heroes and Wishbone: Case of the Impounded Hounds. Not only are these two of the very first books I ever wrote but also they’re two of my all-time favorites. How cool is that? And if any of you hounds happen to check them out, you’ll see that I wrote a special message inside each one.
Thanks to Kelly Hamilton for inviting me and to Shannon Dugger and the Hunt PTA for having me out! I had a very nice time. And an extra-big thanks to all the Hunt Hounds! Keep barking! Keep reading! And keep saying those four words… “I can do that!”
After my visit to Westwood, I made my way to Moss Bluff, Louisiana, and gave a show at the Moss Bluff Public Library. I was greeted by this cool sign and enjoyed performing for the families that took the time out of their busy evenings to come out. They all had some great questions and the kids made awesome giraffe noises!
Libraries are great—especially their wonderfully unique library smell! Just like Boz the Bear said: “…the smell of all those books! It’s the smell of all those stories mushed up together. The smell of fun! The smell of adventure!”
Thanks to Danielle McGavock & Ginette Evans for inviting me and a great big thanks to Elizabeth Daigle for hosting a great event and helping me set up. And an extra special thanks to all the families who spent an evening with me at the library!
I briefly crossed the border into Louisiana to visit Westwood Elementary, in Westlake near Lake Charles. I enjoyed performing my shows and, believe it or not, my hand wasn’t too tired from signing 630 copies of one of my favorite books: King Julien’s Guide to Ruling the Zoo. That’s right! The school made it possible for all of the students to receive a copy of my book. How cool is that?
I’d like to thank Paige Powers for inviting me and setting up a wonderful author visit event. Thanks to Mr. Mike, Ms. Jackie, and Mr. Pitre for helping me set up. And an extra special thanks to all the great kids at Westwood Elementary. I hope each of you enjoy your books!
I had another great author visit today in Plano, TX. This time, it was at Barksdale Elementary. Little did I know that I had visited many of the students’ older brothers and sisters last year at nearby Renner Middle School!
I enjoyed the wonderful murals throughout the school, all the nice teachers, and the very well-behaved Barksdale students. I was especially happy to find that there was a copy of my favorite Wishbone book in the library: Case of the Impounded Hounds.
I’d like to thank Poornima Poondi and the Barksdale PTA for having me out. Thanks to Paige Edwards for the use of the library, for helping set up, and for the wonderful literary conversation during lunch.
I’d like to give a super-big thanks to all the Barksdale Broncos! Be sure to check out my Wishbone book when you get a chance! Like Wishbone says, “there’s nothing like chewing on a good book!” Okay, don’t really chew the book. There’s only one left, after all!
