If you are considering a visit from me to your school, let a peer tell you why you should...

Since you were here, the kids have not stopped talking about the fun they had that day. The general consensus was that they want you to come back! We had kindergartners who had never written a thing before, writing whole pages about how they want to be authors when they grow up.

One mom at the PTA meeting told me that her kindergartner come home the day of your presentation and told her that she needed to get him up at 4:00 a.m. the next morning. She said that would be fine, but wondered why. He went on to tell her that 4:00 a.m. is the time Justin Matott gets up to have a quiet house in which to write, so he wanted to do the same. The next morning, he set out several stuffed animals on the writing table in front of him, to be like your pets, and started writing! A kindergartner!

I had heard from a lot of the older kids about how you had helped them with writing techniques and had inspired them to write, but a 5 year old who really doesn’t even know how to write yet believed he could thanks to you. It was just a great day all around. We are so glad to have had you here at Meeker.

We were especially happy with the “Anti-Bullying” message that our kids took away as a bonus to the day. To hear first hand what bullying felt like to someone that they had grown to know and care about, left a lasting impression. It forced them to see bullying from the victim’s perspective, something that they try to avoid. I know that the majority of our students will think twice before they allow another bully to have the upper hand...

...We are all looking forward to your future books in the “Go Ask Mom!” series, as well as “The Man in the Woods.”

Thanks again for a great day.

Sincerely,
Karen Z (Librarian at Meeker Elementary School, Greeley, Colorado)