PRESENTATIONS

By arrangement, Phyllis makes author visits to schools and sometimes works with students over a period of time as an "artist in residence." She also gives talks to parent groups and attends and autographs at school book fairs. A typical author visit to a school includes four fifty-minute presentations to classes of elementary students which include time for audience questions. These presentations,which are tailored to meet the needs of different classes and grades, include:

General Author Presentation

-Approximately 10 minute discussion of writing poetry with reference to Sounds Around Us: Poetms to Tickle Kids' Ears; 10 minutes on fiction writing featuring the Fribble Mouse library mystery series; 10 minute discussion on writing nonfiction and a 15 minute slide show relating to my nonfoction book, A Kid's Look at Colorado; concluding with a five minute question/answer period.

Poetry Workshop

-Hear and learn about poetry and try it yourself!

Fascinating Animals

-This presentation is based on Perry's nonfiction animal books. Students explore the ways books are made as they learn about bats, crocodiles, crickets, tigers, manatee, and hippos.

A Kid's Look at Colorado

-This is a presentation of Colorado with a slide show about the plants, animals, rivers, and historic sites of this state.

The Writing Process

-This writing presentation is designed to answer the following questions: Where do authors get their ideas? What do editors do? What is the function of a book designer? How do authors carry out reseach? Who checks on a book's accuracy?

Multicultural Presentation

-This presentation provides a look at the myths, legends, folk tales, and tall tales of various countries of the world.

For Parents and Teachers

-Aimed at parents and teachers of elementary students, this presentation explores how authors attend to the various curriculum standards of different subject areas as they write fiction and nonfiction for children.