©DON TATE ILLUSTRATION

Neyland Public Library, Corpus Christi, September 6, 2008. See my 2008 - 2009 speaking schedule for availability Will you visit our school? Sure, schedule permitting. Keep in mind that I do my children's book work part-time after my full-time job. 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. My typical presentation last about 35 to 60 minutes. Shorter presentations are particularly better with younger children. I like to start by discussing the many ways stories can be told, and how I enjoy telling stories with painted pictures. 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 encourage the children to share with me their special talents, while explaining to them how I turned my talents into a career. 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 of my artwork. This allows me to show more of my work. To show how I have grown and progressed through the years, I show some of my artwork from my childhood, highschool 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 of my artwork while 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. We can discuss. For out-of-state visits, I charge $1300 per day plus expenses. I will make up to 3 presentations per school. I travel fairly regularly to the following destinations: 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 presentation at your school, at reduced rate of $350.00. This is only for Austin area schools, or schools within a 20-minute drive of Austin. What additional things do I need for a school visit? Depends on what we will be doing. For the most part I will need the following: - Slide projector with carousel (an extra bulb, please) - Large easel - Large sketch pad (at least 14" x 17" inches or larger - A couple pencils and hand-held pencil sharpener - A package of Crayola-type, thick tipped markers including black - Drinking water - A room that can be darkened for an effective slide presentation Detailed schedule must be sent to illustrator at least two weeks prior to visit. Which books should I order? Individual books can be ordered through Amazon.com. If ordering 25 or more books, you can order from the publishers. Click here to inquire about ordering from individual publishers. I use the following books in my presentations: The Hidden Feast by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss August House ISBN: 0874837588 Sure as Sunrise by Alice McGill Houghton Mifflin ISBN: 0618211969 Summer Sun Risin' by W. Nikola-Lisa Lee & Low Books ISBN:1584300345 The Legend of the Valentine by Katherine Grace Bond ZonderKidz ISBN: 0310700396 Black all Around! by Patricia Hubbell Lee & Low Books ISBN:1584300485 Say Hey! A song of Willie Mays by Peter Mandel Hyperion books for Children ISBN:0786804807 Koi's Python (Hyperion Chapters) by Miriam Moore and Penny Taylor Hyperion Books for Children ISBN: 0786822856