photo by Bob Sprankle

photo by Bob Sprankle

photo by Bob Sprankle

photo by Paula Renda

MATT TAVARES
SCHOOL VISITS

"I don't think I've ever heard such positive feedback after an author visit!"
-Laura Phelps, Media Specialist, Union 47 School District, Georgetown, ME

"You could tell from the questions, many from the adults, that the process was of broad interest to a broad range of ages.... Your whole program was just chock full of information and you presented it in a way that kept both the children and adults engaged."
-Nancy Denman, Head of Children's Services, Duxbury Free Library, Duxbury, MA

"Your slide presentation kept the students interested and focused, and your easy-going manner allowed students to immediately relate to you and want to know more about you.... I sent a letter to Candlewick Press letting them know how much we enjoyed our visit with you and would be happy to recommend you to other interested schools. "
-Laurie Woodfin, Media Specialist, Neary School, Southborough, MA

"Parents stopped me all over town for several days after the event to tell me how much their children enjoyed it, and how much they liked meeting you."
-Judi Paradis, Robbins Library, Arlington, MA

"Thank you for coming to our school. I loved your presentation you did! I dream of publishing a book of my own some day. I like to write and draw as much as you. Do you think I'll get a chance to make my own book? A lot of my friends can write more than me but I'm going to persevere. Anyway, thanks again!"
-Hannah G, grade 4

Since my first book came out in March of 2000, I have visited hundreds of schools. I'm very fortunate to be able to spend my days writing and illustrating books, and I appreciate the opportunity to share my experiences with students and teachers.

Now that I've been visiting schools for over a decade, I've had a few experiences lately where I'm sitting at a book signing, and a teenager comes up to me and says something like, "Hey, I remember you! You came to my school when I was in 4th grade!"

Talking with these kids, I am amazed not only by the fact that they recognize me seven or eight years later, but by the fact that they actually remember what I said. They remember my books. They remember how many times I had to re-draw a certain illustration. 

It's extremely gratifying to know that I can have an impact on kids, and teach them something, and hopefully even inspire them to write and draw, and make books of their own.

If you're interested in seeing some footage of my school presentations, head over to my blog and watch this video. And please feel free to contact me with any questions!

MY PRESENTATIONS:
My presentation is always changing, because with each book I work on, I have new experiences I want to share with students. My book, Lady Liberty: A Biography, ties in perfectly with classroom units on American history, the Statue of Liberty, and immigration. Lately I have put together a presentation on illustrating non-fiction books. Each presentation is about 50 minutes long. For grades k-1, I keep it  a bit shorter.

For the younger kids (grades k-1), I usually start my presentation by reading one of my books, with slides of all the illustrations. Then I show a slide presentation that explains all the work that goes into making a picture book. I let the students see how the stories and the pictures develop.

For the older kids (grades 2 and up), I focus more on the process of writing, rewriting, revising, researching, and sketching (and re-sketching...). I want to show kids that a lot of work goes into making a book, and even their favorite authors and illustrators don't usually get it right the first time. In my presentations, I show my rough drafts, complete with all my editor's marks. I show photographs I took of my friends and family, posing for different illustrations; the sketches I brought to my editor and designer; the sketches that I needed to redo a few times; and the final drawings.

Each presentation ends with a drawing demonstration and question time.

AGE RANGE:
I alter my presentation depending on the age of the audience, so it works well for all ages. I also love speaking to grown-ups.

AUDIENCE SIZE:
Any size audience is fine with me, as long as everyone can hear me and see the slides.

ILLUSTRATION WORKSHOPS:
I also do an illustration workshop. The workshop is for one class at a time (25 kids or fewer), and takes around 50 minutes. During the workshop, I have the students go through all the steps of illustrating a story. This works best when all students involved have already seen my presentation. One good way to do this is to have one presentation in the morning for three classes, then three workshops, one for each class.

BOOK SALES AND AUTOGRAPHING: If you want me to sign books for teachers and students during my visit, here's how to ORDER BOOKS at a special school discount.

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:
-Talk it up! An author-illustrator visit is so much more effective when the students have already read the author's books. I've done a few visits where the kids had no clue who I was, or even that they were going to see an author that day. And while those visits have gone well, it's just not the same. There's something special that happens when a kid meets the person who wrote and/or illustrated a book he or she really likes. It makes the day very exciting and memorable.

-Make it fun! Since a few of my books have a baseball theme, maybe you can let the kids wear baseball caps that day (even if they're Yankee fans!). Or maybe the art teacher can have the kids do some book-related project in anticipation of my visit.  Be creative!

FEES:
one presentation: $500.
half day (2 presentations): $1000.
full day (3 or 4 presentations): $1500.

(plus travel expenses and hotel
accommodations where neccessary)

To set up a visit, or if you have any questions,
please contact me.