I love questions at events. I really do. BUT, it can be very difficult to pick a questioner (“how about the boy in the blue shirt there? no, I meant that blue shirt…”) out of a sea of children popping up and down like the Frogger game at a carnival, hands waiving, hollering, “me, me, me!” — you get the picture.  To conquer this issue, ask the person in charge of your visit to solicit questions in advance and have them ready for you. This exercise can become part of the extended learning preparation for your visit. It is also a great way to give the media specialist, custodian, or school secretary some limelight. Before your presentation, ask if they would mind coming on stage to read questions for you. Children love to see adults around them under a new (spot) light.  

I’ve just returned from a school and library visit trip (three elementary schools in Dexter MI and my hometown library and can truthfully say these visits are one of my favorite parts of being a children’s book author. I adore seeing how our book has contributed to understanding, broadened perspectives, and encouraged questioning about the world.  Yes, there have been some sleepless nights worrying about the technology (will the projector speak to the laptop? will the image on the screen project large enough for children in the back of a big room to see? will the microphone work?) and wondering about my presentation (will it engage almost 200 children ages 5-9 for an hour? can I lead a song without squeaking? will listeners leave with a greater appreciation for animals and their adaptations?). But the reactions are so worth any lack of sleep and caffeine works wonders! Stay tuned for lessons learned on the road…