Penny is a former teacher and a forever book lover who enjoys sharing her love of reading and writing. Penny’s visits are educational, entertaining and engaging.
To schedule a virtual visit, contact Penny HERE.
See information about FREE virtual visits below.
Virtual Author Visits-2020-2021
Cost: $100 per session.
Want to book several for your school? I’ll do up to four sessions a day.
—From Idea to Publication (K-1st): 30 minutes
Penny shares her love of books by telling children how she gets her ideas. Students will learn about her writing process and the publication process. Penny invites students to participate in a reading and help generate a new story with her.
—A Book’s Journey (2nd-3rd): 40 minutes
Penny’s shares the book’s journey from idea to publication. As part of the journey she includes some basics of revision to help students understand that a first draft isn’t perfect and that all writers can strengthen their work. Includes Q&A.
—Imagination: Keep It With You (4rd-5th): 45 minutes
Penny shares the importance of imagination in her writing life and encourages students to continue to imagine possibilities in whatever they do. She discusses the writing process as it applies to writers of all ages with a focus on revision and the power of words.
—Writing Workshop Let’s Fracture a Fairy Tale (3rd-5th): 45 minutes
*(Best for Small Groups/Single Classes)
Penny shares six tips for taking a familiar tale and spinning it into to a new tale with a new twist/s. Students will begin working on their own fractured tales during the workshop.
In-Person Author Visits 2020-2021
To schedule an in-person visit, contact Penny HERE.
Full-Day In-Person Author Visit
3-4 sessions
Cost in Texas: $1000 (plus travel expenses)
Cost out-of-state: $1200 (plus travel expenses)
Half-Day In-Person Author Visit
2 sessions
Cost in Texas: $750 (plus travel expenses)
Cost out-of-state: $900 (plus travel expenses)
One In-Person Author Visit (only offered within 30 miles of Abilene, TX)
Cost: $400 (no travel expenses)
—From Idea to Publication (K-1st): 30 minutes
Penny shares her love of books by telling children how she gets her ideas. Students will learn about her writing process and the publication process. Penny invites students to participate in a reading and help generate a new story with her.
—A Book’s Journey (2nd-3rd): 40 minutes
Penny’s shares the book’s journey from idea to publication. As part of the journey she includes some basics of revision to help students understand that a first draft isn’t perfect and that all writers can strengthen their work. Includes Q&A.
—Imagination: Keep It With You (4rd-5th): 45 minutes
Penny shares the importance of imagination in her writing life and encourages students to continue to imagine possibilities in whatever they do. She discusses the writing process as it applies to writers of all ages with a focus on revision and the power of words.
—Writing Workshop Let’s Fracture a Fairy Tale (3rd-5th): 45 minutes
*(Best for Small Groups/Single Classes)
Penny shares six tips for taking a familiar tale and spinning it into to a new tale with a new twist/s. Students will begin working on their own fractured tales during the workshop.
***PRESENTATIONS MAY NOT BE RECORDED OR SHARED.
Free Virtual Visits: Limit one per school.
If your class has read either of my books I would be happy to set up a FREE 15-minute virtual visit. This includes a reading and a Q&A session. Q&A works best if questions are written down ahead of time.
To schedule a free virtual visit, contact Penny HERE.
Helpful Information
There are ways to make an author visit affordable for your school. Check out this article for some great suggestions.—21 Ways to Fund an Author Visit.
Authors talk about successful school visits HERE.
Some Testimonials
Ellen Fleming, Library Associate, Bryan Elementary
Holly Hamilton, Reading Recovery Teacher, Adkins Elementary
She touched on things that I know the students are working on in their classrooms, which definitely helped reinforce certain writing skills and parts of the process.
Kim Krutka, Librarian, Blanton Elementary
Penny’s presentation was wonderful and a great combination of talking about her book and the writing/publishing process. She had fantastic energy and her presentations were very engaging for the students. She did a fantastic job tailoring the presentation the the age level of the students in each group.
Wendy Dickerson, Glen Oaks Elementary Librarian
Your visit to our campus was a great success. The kids loved it, and are still talking to me about the book! You involved the students in the telling of the story, making it fun for everyone. You spoke with our kids on their level, keeping their attention throughout the presentation. The students learned about writing stories. Even our teachers learned new things. We look forward to having you return in the future!
Suzie Haden, Elementary Librarian
The 2nd Grade teachers were all very pleased with your presentation. I especially enjoyed the steps you showed us about how your book was written and published.
Tricia McDaniel, Elementary LRC Associate
Wonderful job! Our students were engaged and excited. I have heard from the teachers that several of their students have wanted to write stories of their own after you were here.
Roger Thomas, Elementary Principal
You can contact me HERE to inquire about a school visit.
No matter how many swallowed-fly titles you own, this one belongs on your shelf too. — Kirkus
The author has used a broad range of words—savory, shady, fattens, tassel, guzzled, bloat, quote, perchance, amass, and billow. These will add depth to the young listener’s vocabulary. — School Library Journal
*Sunshine State Young Readers Award Jr. List 2015-2016
*Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award Nominee 2017
*Named Best in Rhyme 2015 in conjunction with the Rhyming Picture Book Revolution Conference
*THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT will be included in Scholastic Reading Clubs starting in February of 2017 and in Scholastic Book Fairs in fall of 2017.
*I’m thrilled that THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT was published in the UK in December of 2016. The illustrator, Ben Mantle, resides in the UK, so that makes this especially exciting.
Klostermann’s triple-twisted tale is a cute concoction that children familiar with the traditional stories will enjoy. Mantle’s bright, cartoon illustrations pair neatly with the text and propel the story with whimsical sight gags and charm to spare. — Kirkus
— a fine recipe for a fractured fairy tale—blend familiar storybook characters with lots of dialogue, add a pinch of disharmony, and stir in a happy-ever-after ending. A fun read-aloud for fairy-tale units and a suggested general purchase for all libraries. — School Library Journal
While folktale twists are fairly old hat, this layers some tasty frosting on the well-worn joke, and viewers will enjoy picking out all the fairy-tale references scattered through the backgrounds of Mantle’s slick but energetic illustrations. This entry the fractured-fairy-tale genre will leave viewers hungry for more.
~The Bulletin of the Center For Children’s Books
Press
There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight: Book News
