Michael Anthony Steele

 

 
My last day in Kansas City was spent at Bell Prairie Elementary—home of the Mustangs! I spent the day with all grades and was once again excited to see how many young writers were in attendance. Way to go, mighty Mustangs!
 

 
Between shows, many Mustangs were happy to get books signed AND pose for pics…
 

 

 
One was MORE than happy!
 

 
Thanks to Mrs. Wheeler for having me out and for the lovely lunch. Thanks to all the Bell Prairie Mustangs for the fun experience and all the great questions (I’m still getting email questions from Mustangs—and a few from Northview Panthers). And thanks to everyone I met during this round of Kansas City schools. I always have a fun time in KCMO!
 

 

 

 
Today I spent another fun day in Kansas City, at Northview Elementary—home of the Panthers! I gave three shows in their big gym (almost blowing out the speakers with my explosion sound effects) and asked loads of great questions. It’s always fun to see how many young writers are in the audience (and young filmmakers—shout out to you and your brother, Ben).
 

 

 
After I signed bunches of books, it was off to a pizza party with five students. They got to answer more questions without the pesky task of waiting their turns behind the rest of the school. It was great to meet you: Alana, Annalise, Ben, Kalyn, and Madeline!
 

 
Thanks to Mr. Schrag for inviting me (and for the cool Star Wars conversations). Thanks to the coaches for the use of their gym and for help setting up. Thanks to my pizza-partners for the fun lunch conversation. And a big thanks goes to all the Northview Panthers. I hope you enjoy your books and keep writing those stories!
 

 

 

 
I’m back in Kasas City, Missouri for a brief 3-day tour and I returned to a school I visited in 2011—Ravenwood Elementary, home of the aptly named: Ravens!
 

 
I gave two presentations for the enthusiastic Ravens, signed a bunch of books for the students and school library alike, and even got in some class pictures between shows!
 

 

 

 
Thanks to Mrs. Boekhout for inviting me back (sorry I missed you this trip). Thanks to Mrs. King for taking over and for taking photos. Thanks to Miss Harris and Coach Rule for the help setting up. And a big thanks to all the new Ravens I got to meet this trip. I hope you enjoy my books and check out all the ones from the library. Don’t forget to read my special message I left inside each one!
 

 

 

 
It’s my last day in Kentucky and this morning I had a fun time visiting Spottsville Elementary—home of the Panthers! We had big fun with two shows and even got in a group shot!
 

 

 
For the afternoon, I met up with some other big cats—the Chandler Cheetahs at Chandler Elementary! Although there were some technical issues, we got through it (thanks, Mrs. Haley and Mr. Jones), and I want all the Cheetahs to know that if they have any questions they didn’t get to ask, feel free to email me anytime (that goes for the Panthers, too)!
 

 

 
Thanks to Mrs. Payne and Mrs. Tompkins. Thanks to Mrs. Swanson and Mrs. Herron for inviting me back to Henderson. Thanks to Mrs. Norman for the introduction and for taking pictures. Thanks to Mrs. Clary for help with setting up. Thanks again to Mrs. Haley and Mr. Jones for help with the technical issues. And a big thanks to all the Panthers and Cheetahs! You made my last day in Kentucky (for now) a memorable one!
 

 

 

 

 
Almost a year ago, I visited half of the elementary schools in Henderson, Kentucky. This year I’m back to visit the other half! I began with Jefferson Elementary—home of the Jaguars! Having been here last year, I knew I would run into students who had changed schools and had seen my show before (and I did). But I didn’t expect to meet two sisters who I had already met when I visited their school all the way down in Crandall, Texas. Great to see you again, Kallie and Chloe!
 

 
The Jaguars were excellent audiences during both shows in the library (my favorite place in the school) and they had loads of great questions!
 

 
After departing Jefferson, I zipped over to Bend Gate Elementary to have lunch with Mrs. Williams in the library. I signed several library books and then headed off to the gym to perform two more shows for the Bend Gate Gators! They had great questions, too, and I just know that they’ll get in some reading during their upcoming spring break to become even greater Gators!
 

 
Thanks to Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Hudson for having me out. Thanks to Coach Duncan for helping set up. And a giant thanks to all the Jaguars and Gators for welcoming me back to Kentucky. It’s great to be back!
 

 

 

 

 
Today I travelled up to Little Rock, Arkansas to spend the day with the great kids at Pulaski Academy! My very first school visit in Arkansas, I was greeted by a fun welcome sign and a bunch of students who already knew who I was. Mrs. Stipsky did a great job preparing for my visit and she should know, Pulaski Academy has author visits all the time.
 

 
In between some group shots, signing a few books, and a nice lunch with Mrs. Stipsky and Mr. Harris, I managed to get in three performances! I even got to play the big room with my very own sound and light tech (thanks, Mr. Ellis)!
 

 
All the Pulaski students were fun to hang out with, and every age group had great questions (especially yours, Maggie)!
 

 

 
Thanks to Mrs. Stipsky for inviting me out. Thanks to her and Mr. Harris for being such great hosts. Thanks again to Mr. Ellis for all the stage support. And a big thanks to all the great kids at Pulaski Academy! I hope you enjoyed my presentation and I’m sure your next visiting author will have as much fun as I did!
 

 

 
My last day in Victoria, TX had me at O’Connor Elementary—home of the Frogs! I enjoyed meeting everyone and checking out all of the school’s giant aquariums—very relaxing. And since I was still knee-deep in the Dr. Seuss celebration, I enjoyed seeing more cool Dr. Seuss characters! I think I even saw the Grinch lurking around somewhere.
 

 
I performed two shows and even had the rare chance to pose with all the Frogs themselves!
 

 

 
Thanks to Mrs. Sanchez for having me out and for lunch. And thanks to all the O’Connor frogs for the perfect end of a fun week in Victoria ISD! I hope you all get a chance to hop into one of the books I signed for your school library!
 

 

 

 
For my second day in Victoria, TX, I began at Aloe Elementary—home of the Aloe Gators! Not only did my visit fall on Read Across America Day (AKA Dr. Seuss’s birthday), but it was also “crazy hat day” at Aloe; so I fit right in!
 

 
There was a cool welcome display (signed by all the Aloe Gators themselves), and a bunch of fun hats to view during both of my presentations. I had a fun-filled morning!
 
Below is some crazy hat goodness!
 

 

 
After signing a bunch of books, I said, “see you later, Aloe Gators!” (yeah, had to say it) and then zipped over to Hopkins Elementary—home of the shining Stars! There was a huge welcome banner on the front window and I spotted many Dr. Suess characters roaming the halls. Not only that, I had lunch with One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, and Blue Fish (AKA Mrs. Vogt, Mrs. Young, Mrs. Drham, and Mrs. Treviño)!
 

 
I signed a bunch of books for the students (thanks for the Mardi Gras beads, Benjamin) and then performed two shows in front of the big screen where I threw out a fish of my own. See below, but note: that fish has yet to be caught on camera.
 

 
Thanks to Mrs. Beck and Mrs. Vogt for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Beck for the generous gift bag. Thanks to Mrs. Vogt for lunch and the snacks. Thanks to Mrs. Thigpen and Mrs. Treviño for help setting up. And the biggest thanks of all goes to Hopkins Stars and the Aloe Gators. Remember the words of Dr. Seuss… “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
 

 

 

 

 
In 2015 I enjoyed a trip to Victoria, TX to visit Field Elementary. Only two years later I came back to enjoy a short tour of Victoria ISD beginning with Smith Elementary—home of the Eagles! I performed two morning shows in the gym and met a school full of young writers! It was a warm day but the gym was cooled off by the biggest ceiling fan I had ever seen (forgot to get a picture). Needless to say, the Eagles weren’t as impressed with the special effects wind machine I feature during my show.
 

 
After I signed a bunch of Eagles’ books (I hope you enjoy them, everyone), I had a nice Mexican meal with Mrs. Lara, and then it was off to DeLeon Elementary—home of the Dragons!
 

 
No mega-fan here but with all the doors open, it was almost like performing outside—a first for me! The Dragons were welcoming and had the dragon roar down to an art (of course). I had to cover my ears for the last one!
 

 
Thanks to Mrs. Lara and Mrs. Ahrens for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Bagnall, Coach Armstrong, and Coach Woz for helping with the setup. Thanks to James for the escort to the 1st grade building. Thanks to young filmmaker Ean for sharing some of his work. Great job, Ean. Very impressive! And the biggest thanks of all goes to the Eagles and Dragons themselves. Remember those four words and you’re bound to soar high!