Visits

Have Kristyn Crow visit your school or conference event!

Elementary School visits

Students will learn, in a fun animated presentation:

  1. How I became an author and what I do
  2. The journey around the world that a picture book takes to get to your bookstores
  3. My advice for what kids can do to make their own career dreams come true.
  4. Read one (or more) of my stories on the big screen, using Power Point:

    Bedtime at the Swamp – I’ll tell the story to the sounds of the swamp, and students will participate using rhythm and repetition with snaps, claps, taps, and hand signals.
    Cool Daddy Rat – We’ll learn to scat, and divide into “Yow,” “Wow,” “Zow,” and “Pow” teams.  Which team will be the “coolest?”
    The Middle Child Blues

Conference/workshop speaking presentations

I can do one of the following presentations, or with advance notice, I can address a topic of your choice.  Each of the following is approximately 20 – 30 minutes.  I will conclude with a question/answer session.

  1. A Rat from Manhattan – Who I am, how I became an author, the story of my first publication.
  2. “Have I written a good picture book manuscript?”   Useful criteria to help analyze your work, compiled by a group of published authors.
  3. “So you want to write a picture book?”   Nitty-gritty information about how to improve your chances of getting published.

Workshops

  1. Picture Book Character Workshop – We’ll discuss what makes a good picture book character, and then participate in a fun writing exercise where I will bring illustrated characters of every shape and size (I have sixty or more) and give writers the opportunity to name their characters, create a problem for them, and potentially seed the beginnings of a good story.  
  2. Picture Book Analysis – I’ll bring a whole stack of picture books from various authors and we’ll break into groups and discuss what makes them effective (or not).  Reading and analyzing picture books is a very important exercise for hopeful writers.

What you need to provide:

  1. A PowerPoint projector with speakers for sound, and hook-ups for a standard PC laptop.
  2. A screen in a room that can get dark enough for the audience to see the images adequately.
  3. A microphone with a stand, or a clip-on mike.
  4. A table (or cart) for the projector and my laptop to rest on, with extension cords long enough to reach from that table to the outlet. (I’ll need two plugs in addition to the plug you’re using for the projector.  A power strip would make things easier.)
  5. Staff assistance, if necessary, with crowd control.
  6. A glass or bottle of water.  Thanks so much for this!
  7. As much technical set-up completed prior to my arrival as possible.

Preperations prior to my visit:

I’d love it if the audience had some familiarity with me and my books prior to my visit.

If elementary schools advertised my books beforehand using fliers or announcements, students could purchase them at the end (or in advance) of my visit.  I will personally sign copies.  I’ll need advance notice to order books for the visit.

Fees:

I will be flexible in working with schools to determine a fee that is fair and reasonable.  If I’ll be traveling some distance I’ll need those expenses covered.  Please e-mail me for more information at kristyncrowbooks@gmail.com