One of the best parts of creating children's books is visiting wonderful schools and meeting their students. On May 2, I was invited to visit Louis Toffolon Elementary School (Plainville, CT) by Library Information Teacher, Deb Pikiell, as part of their Children's Book Celebration week. I showed slides of my creative process, read Soccer Hour and played my imagination drawing game with the students.
When I was working on CHALK, I had actually photographed the playground behind Toffolon Elementary school, but didn't realize it until I arrived at the school. This photo was taken in 2007 as reference for the tube slide interior shot (taken hanging upside down by my ankles in the slide).
Continuing their Children's Book Celebration week, Toffolon Elementary had a children's book parade the following day. Some of the faculty even dressed up in tribute to my books (Deb Pikiell is the Karate Hour representative). They replicated the books' outfits right down to the colors!
Louis Toffolon School is another fantastic example of caring teachers using children's books to create special events for their students. Books are magical... and teachers are too!
