Thanks for your interest in my author presentations to schools and libraries. The basic talk is called "Fangs and Stingers – Making Non-Fiction FUN!" My presentation works best in a 1-hour format. The talk includes information about my non-fiction writing strategies. It concludes with a short slide show based on two of my Early Bird Nature Books, Scorpions and Tarantulas. Young students love to learn about creepy crawlers, especially critters native to Arizona. I try to leave time for questions from the audience. Since 1994, I’ve done author presentations and writing workshops at more than 800 schools for more than 810,000 students. I've presented to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and to adult audiences as well. The slide show presentation is very effective for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders who are studying the creatures and plants found in desert habitats. But everyone loves learning the gooey, gross facts about these amazing creatures.

I use multimedia, puppets and props to do animated readings for younger children - pre-school, kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders. Allow at least 50 minutes for this presentation. I select readings from my growing list of award-winning picture books, including: The Rattlesnake Rules, Desert Night Shift (A Pack Rat Story), Life in the Slow Lane (A Desert Tortoise Tale), Don't EVER Cross That Road! (An Armadillo Story), Don't Call Me Pig! (A Javelina Story), or Lizards for Lunch (A Roadrunner's Tale). For older students or for in-service teacher seminars, my 60-minute and 90-minute mini writing workshops focuses on the craft of writing non-fiction for young readers, complete with writing exercises for all participants.

Effective June 1, 2009, my fee schedule is as follows:

My presentations work best in a library setting. Three or four classes maximum (75-125 students) allows for better interaction with the children. However, I have presented to entire schools (K-8) in an auditorium setting.

If you are interested in having books available for sale the day of my visit, please contact Laura Eng of Adventures in Literature at (480) 497-8572. She can help to arrange a pre-sale and make my visit to your school a successful and rewarding experience. As part of each visit I will donate several autographed books to your school's library.