School Visits

General Information

I really enjoy visiting schools and talking with kids about books and writing.

I have two requirements for school visits: (1) Students read (or have read to them) at least one of my books before I visit the school. (2) Students take home a book order form so that they have the opportunity to order a personally autographed book. Students are not required to buy my books, but I do ask that the school sends home an order form with each student.

If you’d like to have me visit your school, there’s plenty of information here to help you coordinate a visit.

School visit brochure
Fee schedule
Calendar page
Sample book order form
Watch an Interview with the Author

For more information or to book a visit, please contact me.

Presentation Programs

What Do Writers Do All Day?
Presentation for Grades 1–8
Through lively stories, Jacqueline answers commonly asked questions about her writing life: how she began writing, where she finds her ideas, and—yes!—what do writers do all day? She talks about strategies for becoming a better writer and encourages students to think of themselves as the writers of tomorrow.

Birds, Books, and a Boy Named Audubon
Presentation for Grades 1–4
Using The Boy Who Drew Birds as a launching pad, Jacqueline introduces students to the remarkable paintings of John James Audubon. She talks about birds and allows kids to get “up close and personal” by examining real birds’ nests. Jacqueline then uses 15-inch paper dolls to tell the story of how The Boy Who Drew Birds became a book—from idea through editing, illustration, and printing. It’s a story the kids will never forget!

Sounds All Around
Presentation for Grades preK–1
The Night Is Singing, Jacqueline’s evocative poem-book, is about the sounds we hear as we drift off to sleep. Working with hand-held musical instruments and large letters, Jacqueline directs the children to think about the qualities of sounds we hear, as well as the qualities of letter-sounds in our alphabet. Children gain an increased awareness of the craft of poetry.

When Life Hands You Lemons
Presentation for Grades 4–8
The idea for The Lemonade War began as Jacqueline watched her two sons arguing over a lemonade stand. How did that first idea evolve into a book? What did the author keep from that real-life incident and what did she change? This presentation explores the three story elements of main character, motivation, and problem; story shape and structure; and the sequential stages of writing (thinking, prewriting, writing, and revising).

Writing Workshops
(limited to 25 students per session)

Map Me a Story
Writing Workshop for Grades 1–3
Using strategies from educator Jennifer Jacobson’s groundbreaking book No More, I’m Done!, Jacqueline draws a map of a childhood home of hers and shows how the map is filled with potential story ideas. Students are then given a piece of drawing paper and encouraged to create a map of a favorite place. Where are the story ideas hidden on the map? Time permitting, each student begins to write a story that was “discovered” on the map.

A Poem Is Not a Fish
Writing Workshop for Grades 4–8
What is a metaphor? Why is it a writer’s best friend? How do we create metaphors that are powerful and unique? During this hands-on writing program, students work collectively and individually to write poems composed entirely of metaphor.

Hooked
Writing Workshop for Grades 4–8
Any writer will tell you: The most important paragraph in a story is the first one. Does it hook the reader? Draw her in? Make him want to read all the way to the end? Jacqueline talks about story openings and how to make them irresistible to the reader. She discusses the techniques that writers use to write compelling first paragraphs and shares some examples of the best openings ever written. Students then have time to write a brief story opening using the techniques they have just learned.

The Plot Thickens
Writing Workshop for Grades 4–8
Motivation, rising conflict, climax, resolution. These are the elements needed to create effective plot within a story. But how to do it? In this workshop, Jacqueline explains how plot works, why a story's problem needs to get bigger and bigger, and what story structure looks like. Students play a fun board game in which they create an effective plot, then use a graphic organizer to develop the structure for a story of their own.

Residency Programs

I See, I Draw, I Write
Five-day poetry-writing residency for Grades 3 –8
The root of writing nature poetry is observation: looking closely at the world all around. Jacqueline begins this five-day residency by taking the children outside with sketchbooks in hand. They draw the world around them, capturing images and words on the pages of their nature journals. Then they bring those words inside and begin to write poems that use the poets’ techniques of rhyme, alliteration, and assonance. To learn more about this residency, you may download and view a slideshow in various formats: pdf, PowerPoint, or QuickTime.