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I would like to add a name to the growing list of authors who do great school visits. Jane Kurtz has written several picture books, including Fire on the Mountain, The Lion's Tail, Miro and the Kingdom of the Sun, and one children's novel, The Storyteller's Beads. Most of her books up to this point have been set in Ethiopia, where she lived as a child. She now lives in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and teaches at the University there. She visited our school at the end of February. It was the first time our school had ever hosted an author, so we didn't quite know what to expect, but Jane set a standard that will not be easy to maintain. She and her brother Chris (who co-authored one of the books and who lives relatively nearby, in Portland, Oregon) made two large group presentations, one to grades K-2 and one to 3-5. Using her experience as an elementary school teacher, Jane skillfully tailored these two presentations to the audiences. We followed these presentations with a catered Ethiopian lunch which a number of students dropped in on-- not anticipated, but welcome. As most of our students visit an Ethiopian restaurant in 3rd grade, we had some eager injera eaters! After lunch Jane and Chris visited individual classrooms for the up-close-and-personal view. The day was a huge success. Students were delighted to meet a real, live author. Teachers were very impressed with the way Jane presented her life, her experiences as a writer, and her encouragement to students to follow their passions, to keep trying until they succeed. On Jane's website <www.geocities.com/Athens/5232> she posts a rejection letter from a publisher and she is quite honest about how difficult it is to break into children's publishing. Because I had lived in Ethiopia myself, I had lots of goodies to present to classes in preparation for Jane's and Chris' visit. She will provide a box of realia to schools that don't otherwise have access to such things. One thing I found particularly useful was an article that apeared in Booklinks about a year ago, in which a school librarian outlined the steps of setting up a visit (coincidentally) with Jane. Jane's books are wonderful and very well reviewed. She's a 'real person' who has a gift for connecting with children and adults alike. And she's quite happy to get an occasional reprieve from NoDak winters! Consider inviting her to your school. Lisa Keller Head Librarian The Bush School Seattle, Washington lisa.keller@helen.bush.edu =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-= All postings to LM_NET are protected under copyright law. To quit LM_NET (or set-reset NOMAIL or DIGEST), send email to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL or 3) SET LM_NET DIGEST 3) SET LM_NET MAIL * Please allow for confirmation from Listserv For LM_NET Help & Archives see: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=