Kathleen enjoys speaking to students from K through high school. Below is a sampling of her presentations, but any of these can be tailored to suit your school's particular need.

NEW! School Visit Photos!

Programs

Storytime

Kindergarten

Kathleen will read the children Raj, the Bookstore Tiger, show posters of Scotland, discuss a little background to the story and if time and attention spans allow, read her other book, The Giant King. (30 minutes)

Journey with Story

Grades 1-8

Using any one of her four picture books, Kathleen explores how stories are like journeys. What do we take in our suitcases? What obstacles might we meet? Will there be diversions? What are our favorite parts? What souvenirs will we bring back? These are some of the questions that form part of this thought provoking and popular presentation. (45 minutes - 1 hour)

Journey with The Sandal Artist

Grades 1-8

Using her latest picture book, Kathleen takes her audience on a journey to long-ago Italy where a poor young artist called, Roberto wears another man's sandals and so learns to see grace and beauty in unexpected places. Whose footsteps would you like to follow? What makes a great leader? Do artists "see" the world differently? These are some of the questions that students might ponder after this presentation. (45 minutes - 1 hour)

Inspiration

Grades 4-6

Kathleen will explore what inspiration is and how you can nurture it to live a more creative and joy-filled life. She will share the 5 Ps of inspiration behind all of her books and end with a Q and A session. (45 minutes - 1 hour)

A Writer's Roots

Grades 2-6

Kathleen will explore her writer's "roots"—exploring how her childhood in Scotland and Ireland led to her becoming a writer, a reader, a teller and a listener of stories. She will finish with some tips on how to keep your writer's roots nourished and watered. (45 minutes - 1 hour)

The Writing Craft

Grades 5-Adult

How do we become better writers? Kathleen explores the skills and tools that every writer needs to become better at her craft. Using examples from her own books, she shows students how every piece of writing reveals something about who we are and how we view the world. She also emphasizes the benefits of writing, even if we don't become a "published author." (1 hour) (popular for Young Author's Days)

In His Foosteps

Christian schools

"The color of your thought dyes your soul." Marcus Aurelius. So too Kathleen believes that the color of her soul dyes her stories. In this presentation, she describes how her Celtic soul "dyed" her story, The Sandal Artist, and she explores ways in which the students can "put on Jesus' sandals, see the world with His eyes, and walk in His footsteps. Can be tailored for use with First Holy Communion/Confirmation/Sunday school classes.

Also, illustrator, Lois Rosio Sprague, walks your students through the illustrator's process; from receiving the manuscript to the final art. Step into her creative shoes to see how she chooses characters, creates a storyboard layout and sketches each page. Using real samples from her published works, you will see each stage of the creative process.

Available as a joint presentation from both author and illustrator or as author only presentation.

The Art and Heart of the Picture book

Adults—beginning writers

In this presentation, Kathleen will explore the "art" (that is craft) and the Heart of her picture book, The Sandal Artist, and explain what loves in her life sowed the seed of this story. She will look at the ten essential ingredients of a picture book manuscript, and ten most common weaknesses of a picture book manuscript, ending with a Q and A session related to aspiring writers' manuscripts in progress. (Can be tailored for a one-hour presentation or a two-hour workshop)

Group Size

You may make your group as small or large as you wish. However, most children benefit most from a group size that is not larger than 60. Of course, much depends on the individual school, and Kathleen is very flexible and has given presentations to assemblies as large as 200+.

Equipment

All presentations are in PowerPoint (except for Kindergarten), but Kathleen only brings a disk. She needs the school to provide:

Laptop computer with PowerPoint
Screen
Helper to have equipment set up 15 minutes before the assembly begins
Helper to move slides along as she speaks
Microphone (for large groups)
Table—to lay out all her stuff
Water

Fees

$500—One day visit—includes up to 4 sessions and autographing
$250—Half day visit—includes up to 2 sessions and autographing

Travel expenses—$60 for schools over 40 minutes from Denver, CO area.
All plane and lodging expenses for out of town visits.

For schools with financial constraints—Kathleen does 3-4 free school visits in the year—contact her for more information.

Autographing

Kathleen will be available to sign books before or after her visit.

Praise for Kathleen's Sandal Artist Presentation

"Mrs. Pelley's inspirational discussion on how she puts herself into her writing is great for student authors to hear."
—Dana Gallegos, Middle School Writers' Workshop and Religion, Christ the King school, Denver CO

"Your joy in expressing God's love for us is evident in each of your books."
—Jo Ann Ehrlich, 5th grade teacher, Christ the King School, Denver CO

"What an excellent and spiritual presentation—kids loved it and were in AWE!"
—Sister Sheila Seng, 3rd Grade Christ the King School, Denver CO

Praise for Kathleen's School Visits

"Friday, after your visit (about Magnus Maximus, A Marvelous Measurer), two of my boys took their rulers and notebooks outside to measure—they want to be the official school measurers!"
—Diane Thearine, 4th Grade Teacher, Sierra Elementary, Arvada, CO

"I loved that you included Latin in your presentation. I teach my 8th grade Latin and Greek and Old English etymology. It is so important to understand the tradition of words and I appreciate you reinforcing that."
—Cristina Russell, Language Arts Teacher, Guardian Angels School, CO

"Kathleen's presentation was educational and inspirational. Her love of books and writing is contagious."
—Jaclyn Kleinsmith, Triangle Day School, Durham, NC

"The students were so engaged the entire hour and can hardly wait for creative writing this afternoon to write about what inspires them."
—Caroline Marvin, St. Mary's Academy, Englewood, CO

"Kathleen Pelley is a captivating story teller. Her cheerful enthusiasm is contagious. She is an inspiration for students and teachers alike."
—Megan Lucey, First Grade Teacher, Our Lady of Victory School, Washington DC

"The second graders at our school were spell-bound for an hour by the lyrical language, warm presence, and inspirational tone of Ms. Pelley's presentation. Many of these 2nd graders have decided that Ms. Pelley is their new favorite author...."
—Deborah Hensley, Librarian, Horace Mann Elementary School, Washington DC

"An excellent presentation. The children were captivated during the whole session. Very impressive."
—Angela Laird, 1st Grade Teacher, British School, Washington DC

"My second grade class and I enjoyed your visit with us. We were all enchanted by your books and loved hearing that you put some of yourself into them. Thank you for including the fact that you revise your work and make many drafts. It was wonderful for the children to hear that even professional writers don't get it perfect right away."
—Cathy Field, Second Grade Teacher, Christ the King School, Kansas City, MO

Contact

Email Kathleen about a School Visit
If you do not hear back from me within a week, please email me again.

Photos

Elm Creek Elementary School, Conifer, CO (May, 2013)

Monfort Elementary School, Greeley, CO (October 2010)