Yacks Elementary, Michigan

I had so much fun doing my first in-person author visit at Yacks Elementary in Harrison Township, Michigan! I got to read my picture book, The Fanciest Flower, to the kindergarteners and first graders in their fabulous media center. They loved the story and they were especially impressed by the cartoonishly large prop fork I brought along to go with it.

After the reading, the students asked some great questions. My favorite was: “How do you draw the lines perfectly where you want them?” I can clearly remember wondering the very same thing as a young artist while looking at illustrations in books or other finished artwork. The answer, of course, is that I never get the lines perfectly where I want them the first time. The secret is simply drawing them again…and again…and again until they’re right.

“What if you drew it in marker?” came the follow-up question. At that point, I explained, you might need a whole new sheet of paper. The young artists nodded thoughtfully and tucked that advice away.

We also did some fun drawing activities together. In my book, The Fanciest Flower, Ferny O’Violet invents a brand-new kind of bloom called a Fork Flower. I invited the students to suggest ideas for their own new flowers, the sillier, the better. Together we created a panda flower, a puppy flower, an old man flower, a bread-and-sugar flower, and even a monster truck flower.

Then we brainstormed some characters they might someday write stories about, and I drew them as the ideas flew in. First came Charles, a fancy raccoon in a bowtie. Then Trevor, a baby cat who wears sneakers. And finally Oka—the Arrow Kid—who can shoot himself through the air. I encouraged everyone to go home and dream up stories for their fabulous characters.

Before I left, one of the teachers handed me a stack of drawings the students had hurried back to their classroom to make in a burst of inspiration. What a talented group of artists and storytellers. Thank you for having me, Yacks Elementary!