school visit

More praise for Steve's school visits


Here are some kids' quotes

That bird man was really awesome!

I want to make a birdhouse for the birds at my house.

I think he was awesome because he wrote books.

He was funny when he called the owl a swallow.

In the slide show you can see things you don't usually see -- like the inside of the nest.

Staff quotes

"I wanted to thank you for spending the day at Central School. Your presentations and birdhouse making workshops were wonderful. The teachers loved and were excited by having you visit. We'll be putting our birdhouses up in the spring."

Central Elementary School
Bellows Falls, Vermont

"Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm with students and staff. I'm looking forward to your new books!"

Sincerely,
Kathy Michel, Librarian

"Thank you for coming and reading your wonderful books. We've been talking about your visit and would like to share our thoughts with you."

Flood Brook Union School
Londonderry, Vermont

Writing begins with a piece of paper and ideas.

Good writers write about things that really happen in their lives.

We learned that in order to publish a book you need an author, an editor, an illustrator and an art director.

Titles can come after a story is written or from the story itself.

An author usually does not get to choose the artist for his/her book.

We learned that you just can't write a story and be done. You should put it away for awhile then take it out and work on it some more.

It's good to share your stories with someone else.

We can learn things from your books.

We learned about African animals and water holes in WATER FOR ONE, WATER FOR EVERYONE. The pictures and the story matched each other perfectly.

The title and illustrations in MOON IN BEAR'S EYES made us want to read the book. Can you come back and read it to us after it is published?

You should continue writing because you are a good author.

Good luck with your next book!

Sincerely,
Flood Brook Second Grade Teachers

"The birdhouse workshop was tremendous. Your project provided a delightful afternoon of "hands on" learning. You have a wonderful way with children and are adept at holding their attention. The peanut M&M's as swallow eggs was a great idea!"

Liza Dawson, Librarian
Grafton Elementary School
Grafton, Vermont

"The test of a successful author visit is whether the students come away from it thinking "I can do this too!" Steve Swinburne certainly had that effect on the students. Our school has a visiting author every year. Steve Swinburne will be remembered for years to come as one of the very best!"

Kathleen Witter,
Charles A. Lindbergh Elementary School,
Buffalo, N.Y.

After my author visit to the Grafton Elementary School, this story appeared in the school newspaper:

"In early December, Grafton students had the opportunity to meet and work with Vermont author Steve Swinburne. Swinburne's recently published book, SWALLOWS IN THE BIRDHOUSE, was the basis of his visit.

In the morning, Swinburne met with students in grades k-2. He showed slides about his book and shared with students the many steps involved in researching, writing, illustrating and publishing a non-fiction title.

In the afternoon, students in grades 3 - 6, also viewed the slides but that was just the beginning. Swinburne then explained the process for actually building a birdhouse and the students, along with the staff and some community members, proceeded to make 15 birdhouses! The birdhouses will be distributed throughout the community in the spring."

Grafton Elementary School Newspaper
Grafton, Vermont


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