Question and answer sessions are a big feature with many of these speakers. A sale of books in conjunction with the author's appearance would be very desirable when possible.

With a school audience, it is expected that a teacher or other responsible adult will remain with the children throughout the speaker's appearance.

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I can speak on the following subjects:

1. The writing process, especially research, plotting and character development
2. Using history as a basis for creative writing
3. Writing personal essays -- brainstorming, outlining, revising
4. Living and teaching in Asian cultures

My talks involve lots of Q and A, and lively discussion. When I discuss my books, I bring in different versions of my cover art, and the Civil War photographs that inspired me. I emphasize the role my now-teenaged sons played in giving me ideas for children's books, and the importance of the pre-writing stage -- the ways in which I brainstorm, research, and outline my plots before I begin writing.

Books for young children include a series of nine beginning readers on community helpers, and Busy Toes, a multiethnic picture book for ages 3-7 written with Claudine Wirths and Wendie Old under pen name C. W. Bowie. Busy Fingers is in press.

An interview is one of the best ways to get information about the subject of a biography. During the second part of our presentation we challenge students to come up with probing interview questions. Then we pair them off and allow time for them to practice interviewing one another. Afterward, volunteers demonstrate their interviewing skills for the group.

If time allows, we discuss possible ways to begin a biography (for example, with an anecdote). Afterward, we encourage the students to practice writing an opening paragraph and to read their work aloud.

If requested, we will consult with teachers to adapt our presentation to their curriculum needs.

Middle Schools: Fees start at $600 for a one-hour book talk; $800 for two; $1,000 for three talks, all day at school. Please contact the author for out-of-state visits and rates.

Middle School and High School: How I became a writer and how I research reality and write my novels. Can focus on one particular novel or a more general talk on all.

Penny and the Punctuation Bee – A unique program about the secret personalities of punctuation marks, including a discussion about a real-life example where a missing punctuation mark repealed an entire law! At the end of the program we have a mini-punctuation bee of our own. I also do a readers' theater version of Penny for grades 4-6.

Alfie the Apostrophe - A fun introduction to punctuation and especially the magical apostrophe. At the end of the program I perform a punctuation magic trick with audience participation!

I also perform my alphabet play for kindergartners and first graders and can do creative writing workshops for all ages.

Henry Cole's books not written by Pam Edwards: Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats; Jack's Garden; Moosetache; I Took a Walk; Little Bo.

• The Schoolchildren's Blizzard (about the horrific blizzard that swept across Nebraska in 1888 and how teacher Minnie Freeman led her students to safety during the storm).
• Saving the Liberty Bell, Spanish edition--Salvar a la Campana de la Libertad (how eleven-year-old John Mickley helped prevent the Liberty Bell from being melted down for ammunition by the British during the Revolutionary War).
• Washington is Burning! (about the burning of Washington during the War of 1812 from the view point of Paul Jennings, James Madison's 15-year-old African-American slave and personal valet. Paul Jennings later wrote the first White House memoir).
• Prisoner for Liberty (about 15-year-old James Forten, African American Revolutionary War hero) will be published March 2008.

In addition to being an author, Ms. Hart has a masters degree in Communicative Disorders from Johns Hopkins University. She taught elementary school and is currently an adjunct instructor in Developmental Reading and Writing at Blue Ridge Community College, specializing in improving reading and writing skills. She would love to develop a program specifically for your school or group. All presentations are interactive and designed to get kids (and adults!) excited about reading and writing. Topics have included:

1. Bringing History to Life-The author's love of history shines through in all her presentations whether it's Readers Theatre, Writing Historical Fiction (ages 9 and up), Historical Fiction in the Classroom (professionals), or Take a Field Trip Back in Time (all ages).
2. The Case of the Missing Necklace-Mysteries are a sure-fire way to get kids engaged in reading and writing. A variety of interactive presentations are offered for young through adult mystery lovers.
3. Creating a Book: From Idea to Cover-The author's work is used to demonstrate how a novel is crafted from the idea to the cover. By the end of the presentation, students will realize that all writers-from second graders to (gasp!) J.K.Rowling-- use the same process to create a story.
4. A Basketful of Ideas-Authors are always on the hunt for new ideas and-guess what-they're everywhere! Young (and old) writers will discover the secrets of collecting a basketful of ideas and then spicing them up with imagination for the start of a great story or essay.
5. Boost Those Writing Scores-For schools/teachers who are grappling with SOL's and Writing Literacy Test Scores. This is a two-day to three-day workshop (depending on number of classes and grades) involving teachers and students. Advanced planning to meet the needs of each school is necessary.
6. The Writing Life-designed for older students/adults. Writing careers from technical writing to journalism as well as the importance of strong writing skills for all careers is explored. In addition, the reality of 'the writing life' of an author is discussed.
7. The Magic of Writing-No rabbits appear, but students use their imaginations and 'five senses' to create fantastical characters, settings and plots and in the process realize that writing is truly magic!
8. Writing 911-Workshop for writers designed to pin point areas that need strengthening as well as remedies/ideas to help them on the path to publishing. Interactive and informative.

1. The writing (and rewriting) process, geared for different age groups.
2. What happened to the Presidents: photos and stories of 11 attacks on 10 U.S. Presidents.
3. Teaching writing: an inservice for teachers. An experienced writing instructor and editor, the author received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Maryland University College and the Outstanding Faculty Award from the National Universities Continuing Education Association.

My No English program is for second through fifth graders. This program features activities and discussion about friendship, tattling, and making newcomers feel welcome. In addition, I am an award winning poet whose poems have appeared in Cricket, Cicada, Christian Science Monitor, and numerous literary magazines and anthologies. I can talk about the writing process, from getting ideas through multiple revisions, particularly where it pertains to poetry. To learn more about me, please visit www.jacquelinejules.com.

1. How to G.R.O.W. a Book…or a Report, or Practically Any Nonfiction Project. In this presentation, I explain how I write my nonfiction books. I Gather, Read, Organize, and Write (G.R.O.W.), an approach that can be adopted by students for their own nonfiction work. I use examples from my own projects to show how to amass a messy pile of information and end up with a carefully-constructed finished product.
2. Privacy in the 21st Century: I provide a topical overview of the privacy debate for students. We will explore: 1) who owns personal data; 2) privacy in relation to new technologies (RFID chips, retinal scans, GPS, etc.); 3) privacy rights vs. national security; and more.
3. Space Race USA!: This fun, fast-paced, highly-visual presentation introduces the early space program, from Sputnik to Apollo 11, and discusses the cultural and social impact of the space race.
4. Women in World War II: On the home front and on the battlefields, American women played a vital role in the war. My presentation relies largely on first-person accounts and identifies some of the women who played crucial roles.

1. Songs and Tales of African: American Folklore and Other Tales. Alice McGill draws from a repertoire of over 200 stories, chants, songs, and rhythms to illustrate the commonality of folk traditions in many ethnic groups as well as in the African-American culture. Teacher's guides are available. Audience limit: 350 per program. Grades K-12
2. The Five-Step Story: This introductory workshop is designed to illustrate the writing process through the use of original short stories author's books. Students are encouraged to identify time, setting, problem, plot (or series of events), and solution (or outcome). Teacher guide and handouts to students are provided. Grades 3-5, student limit: 75 per workshop
3. Sojourner Truth Speaks: An historical event. Alice becomes Sojourner Truth, an ex-slave who became a powerful speaker of the 19th century. This program does not view slavery as necessarily a black issue but in the broader sense--that many ethnic groups of the world have experienced slavery. Sojourner Truth Speaks provides a glimpse into the pre- and post- Civil War periods of American history through monologues based on Truth's narratives. Audience participation is encouraged. Teacher guides are provided. Grades 4-12. Audience limit: 350 per program.

1. "How Ten Timid Ghosts Came To Be"
   In this lively presentation, I discuss the creation of the Ten Timid Ghosts counting books from the first spark of an idea to selling the idea to a publisher and working with the editor and art director to produce the final text and art. I discuss the key elements that are found in good picture books and show my beginning sketches, dummy books, revisions, final sketches and paintings. I also explain the color separation process used in printing by showing a set of one color transparencies that, when held one on top of the other, magically form a full color picture. Toward the end of the talk, the children direct me as I draw and together we create our own humorous but scary creature and setting. We then have a quick, fun brainstorming session to create a story about our new character. The drawing is left with the school and the children are often inspired to finish the story later or create new ones about our character!
2. "A Garden of Whales —An Adventure in Illustration"
   In this fun filled interactive talk, I show how A Garden of Whales was created by a whole team of people working together. I discuss the role of the author, publisher, editor, art director and printer, concentrating on my job as the illustrator. I share sketches (including some that were rejected), dummy books, and final illustrations as well as a set of transparencies that explain the color separation and printing process.

   While playing a CD of the music that inspired me when producing the paintings, I create a large pastel drawing of several different whales (which stays with the class). I share some fascinating facts about whales and ask the children how big they think a newborn baby blue whale is. It's 23 feet long but don't tell! I unfurl a life size canvas painting of this animal. The program is followed by a question and answer session.

3. Workshop: "Let's Create A Picture Book!"
   I begin this exciting workshop by briefly showing my books and explaining my process of creating and illustrating stories and characters. I also discuss the key elements that are found in good picture books. Then each child is encouraged to think up a character and draw it on the cover of his or her own book. We all have fun brainstorming together with my "idea grab bags" and in no time everyone is writing and illustrating their own books!

   All children work differently. They can do as much or as little as they feel comfortable doing. Everyone will put together their books with brass fasteners and hole punched blank pages. Then the work in progress can be finished in class or at home.

1. Bringing Dead Guys to Life: Biography doesn't necessarily mean boring. Biographies are the stories of real people and how they did things. But more importantly, biographies are the stories of why they did what they did. The Wright Brothers and Flight . Why did they succeed when others failed? George Washington and Leadership. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and Jazz. How and Why. The search for the character of these people. Biographies can be read for fun by both children and adults; or they can add an extra dimension to reports and the study of history. They are windows we peek through to see how other people lived. They bring dead guys to life.
2. How a book is made: From idea to finished product. Concentrating on picture books for younger readers and on biographies when talking to older readers.
3. Help me write my next picture book. We've done Toes and Fingers. What should we write about next and how should it sound? Children help me create a picture book with rhythm and bounce. (Teachers could prepare them by asking them to illustrate things that toes or fingers could do.)
4. Tell me a story: Children act out a familiar (or not-so-familiar) folk tale. Best done in small to medium-sized groups.
5. The Best Books for Kids -- and why kids like them.
6. So you want to be a writer: The ins and outs of the publishing world. Helpful hints for writers young and old.

1. Lively illustrated lecture and artwork exhibit-with much audience participation- of the process of writing and illustrating picture Books. For grades K-6 or for teachers, media specialists, parents and students together;
2. Two-projector slide talk on the history of illustrated Books. "From Parchment to Picture book: The Splendid Journey of Gina Farina." For high school or adults.

Power Point presentations include:

1. The Research is the Best Part — touches on all books;
2. The Writing Process — tailored to a specific book or sampling each of them;
3. Shades of Gray: From Idea to Published Book;
4. Across the Lines in Pictures — good for classes studying the Civil War;
5. The True Story of Grandpa's Mountain — especially good for 3rd or 4th;
6. The Pictures behind the Words — shows some of photos and sketches that provided the images for characters and scenes as I wrote my books;
7. Down the C&O Canal with Kate and Seth — includes some features of 1) and 6) for Captain Kate;
8. Self-editing — especially good for older kids or groups of enthusiastic writers. (This is the most interactive of my programs, with oral participation from the group throughout the session.)
9. Cover Illustrations: An Author's Point of View - sketches, finished art, and judging a cover by its book;
10. Fritz, aka Franklin - The Secret Project Notebook, with emphasis on the importance of point of view.

A lively, humorous lecture, with plenty of time allotted for questions and audience participation.

• CD Slide Shows: Gloriously illustrated, fast-paced, informative, and humorous. Great for all ages. (A dark room, projector, and screen are required.)
• Storytelling in costume with props and sound effects: Rollicking, riveting shows for grades K-3 featuring volunteers from the audience and plenty of interaction!
• True Stories from History: Using one book of your choice for each presentation, we will explore an exciting story in depth; the book can be used to coordinate directly with your school's own curriculum. Examples include amazing true stories about Charles Darwin’s adventure–packed journey around the world and how it changed science forever, John Smith’s amazing escapes (this talk can also be geared toward Colonial Jamestown); the many inventions of Benjamin Franklin; what both George Washington and King George III really believed during the Revolutionary War; the daring exploits of Lewis and Clark; the incredible California Gold Rush; how my own family escaped to America; and much more. All talks can be presented as CD slide shows and are guaranteed to appeal to the age level of your groups or classes.
• Adult presentations: How teachers can make history spring to life; The scoop on combining illustration with writing; Finding great research for just about any topic; How my books were written; and practically anything else you can come up with.
• Writing workshops for small groups: (One or two days) Nonfiction sessions - How to write a terrific journal or how to interview friends and family members about a past event. In fiction sessions, Schanzer tells the beginning of a funny story or a mystery and students use tips to write their own endings.
• Autographing sessions and lunches with students can be added to each day's presentations

An interview is one of the best ways to get information about the subject of a biography. During the second part of our presentation we challenge students to come up with probing interview questions. Then we pair them off and allow time for them to practice interviewing one another. Afterward, volunteers demonstrate their interviewing skills for the group.

If time allows, we discuss possible ways to begin a biography (for example, with an anecdote). Afterward, we encourage the students to practice writing an opening paragraph and to read their work aloud.

If requested, we will consult with teachers to adapt our presentation to their curriculum needs.

Carry Me! Animal Babies on the Move
Winner, 2005 Parents' Choice Approved Award
Selected to the Society of Illustrator's "Original Art 2005" exhibition
Recommended by the National Science Teachers Association
Selected as a "Best Children's Book of the Year" by Bank Street College of Education, 2005

Nature's Paintbrush
Nominee, Georgia Author of the Year Award, 2000
Selected as a "Best Children's Books of the Year" by Bank Street College of Education, 2000
Selected as an "Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children" by the National Science Teachers Association, 2000
Society of School Librarians International Book Awards Honor, 1999

1. Minerva Louise stars in the original program, aimed at K through 2nd graders. Ms. Stoeke reads from some of the books, pointing out the events in her life that prompted her to think them up. Then, asking open-ended questions, the author elicits a character, a plot (beginning, middle and end) and plenty of hilarious twists and turns from the students. Sketching quick and lively images on the board, the author pulls together their ideas, having them vote on the best ones, and tugging them toward a satisfying conclusion. In the end, they have made a story. The students see first hand that they can do it! Creating a book is not only possible, but great fun. Questions about authoring round out the session. 45 minutes.

2. The new program, aimed at fifth and sixth graders, focuses on writing from personal experience. It features the author's latest book, Waiting for May, her son's story about anticipating the adoption of his sister. Using the book as an example, Ms. Stoeke helps the students search for which events from their lives might be story-worthy. The focus is on the emotion the event elicits. Students are reminded to write the whole piece with that feeling in mind. Life happens in a random sort of way, but stories need some structure. I will show the students how to rethink the event and find the inherent structure, building on their central feeling throughout. Teachers can refer to this streamlined writing tactic again and again throughout the year. 45 minutes.

Love, Ruby lavendar, Harcourt Brace, Spring 2001. Novel for elementary-age readers. Nine-year-old Ruby and her grandmother, Miss Eula, survive a summer apart where Ruby raises her unruly chickens, defends herself against the snooty Melba Jane, befriends the new girl, Dove (junior-anthropologist-in-training), saves the town Operetta, and learns to let go of her guilt over her grandfather's death. An ALA Notable book, NCTE Notable book, Parent's Choice Children's Media Award winner, Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children.

One Wide Sky, Harcourt Brace, Spring 2003. Bedtime lullaby and counting book in rhymed couplets, about a family's day spent outdoors in the natural world together.

Hang The Moon, Harcourt Brace, Spring 2003. Novel for older elementary/middle school readers about two cousins who travel from Mississippi to Memphis in 1966, to find Elvis Presley.

• Author-in-the-Schools Assembly Program: - "Write for Your Life! Tell Your Story!" Participating in a presentation of slides, artifacts, anecdotes, laughs, and lots of questions, students discover how pieces of Debbie's life story are captured in her books. Students should be able to carry away a sense of how they can do this, too, along with a feeling that their stories and what they have to say are important. Suitable for all ages and tailored to all age groups
• Creative Writing Program: Using Freedom Summer or Love, Ruby Lavender as a model, students explore the writing process by writing from their lives. Grades 2 and up, tailored to grade level. Students discover the power of words, selection of telling details, story structure, characterization, translation of an idea into story, and revision.
• Poetry Program: Using One Wide Sky as a model, students learn how to use brainstorming, metaphor and simile, the senses, and emotions, to create poetry of their own, to tell their stories. Suitable for all grades. Older students work with poetry forms as well.
• Customized Presentations: Teacher in-service and conference speaking on several themes, including the value of incorporating life stories and oral history into your classroom, how it reaches across the curriculum, and strategies for teaching students to "Write for your Life!" using poetry, essays, fiction, and oral history. Interactive teacher programs, parent and family programs, and other customized presentations on tools for teaching creative writing, raising life-long readers, and advice on choosing and using children's books, all illuminated by stories, slides, and props.

ANYONE BUT YOU (Delacorte) on sale November 8, 2005 wherever books are sold!
CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE (Delacorte) available in paperback on the same date!