Will you visit our school?
Sure, schedule permitting. I’ve visited schools all over Texas and beyond.

What is the length and content of your visit?
Depends on the grade level of the children and the size of the group or groups.

A  typical presentation lasts anywhere from 35 to 45 minutes. Shorter presentations are particularly better with younger children.

With very young children, pre-K through 3rd, I like to tell stories while sharing original artwork from my books. I have also illustrated some humorous poems written by Jack Prelutski. I like to read a few poems while showing the art.

I use plenty of visual aids such as dummy books, rough sketches and final paintings. I often end my presentation with a question/answer session or by drawing cartoons of a few children, time permitting.

With children grades 4 through 8, or large groups, I like to show slides or Powerpoint presentations. This allows me to show more work and discuss process in detail. To show how I have grown and progressed as an artist, I show some of my artwork from my childhood, high school and college years. I talk about how I was able to get my first book published and how my family and friends inspired and encouraged me.

For older children, 8 through 12, I use slides or Powerpoint, discussing individual pieces and my experiences in depth. I encourage questions throughout to make my presentation more of a group discussion.

Please group students according to grade level for presentations.

What do you charge for visits?
For in-state visits (Texas), contact me. Some visits will require an overnight stay in a hotel. This expense needs to be covered by the school or included in the honorarium. For out-of-state visits, I charge $1400.00 per day plus expenses. (3 presentations per school). Many schools have partnered to share expenses, which allows me to visit each school over the course of several days. I travel fairly regularly to the following destinations: Corpus Christie, Dallas, Forth Worth, Kansas City and Des Moines. Schools in these areas are invited to inquire about coordinating events with pre-scheduled trips.

Click here to inquire about a school visit.

My school doesn’t have that kinda money!
Please contact me anyway. I’m a pretty flexible guy.

But I don’t need you for a whole day, can you come for an hour at a reduced rate?
I’d be glad to make one or two presentations at your school, at reduced rate. Please contact me to discuss.

What additional things do I need for a school visit?
- Large easel
- Drinking water
- A room that can be darkened for an effective slide presentation
- I’m a big coffee drinker

How can I prepare students for your visit?

Please have the students read a few of my books. Contact me for suggestions about current books. Library author-illustrator visits are much more exciting and meaningful to students who are familiar with my work. Consider having students do classroom activities or discussions related to the books. Kids will love to share their stories and experiences with me.

A detailed schedule must be sent to illustrator at least two weeks prior to visit, in addition to hotel and travel arrangements.