Pictured: Author and illustrator Dan Yaccarino spoke to East Lake Elementary School students as part of the annual author residency.
Photos courtesy of the Massapequa School District
With experience as both a writer and an illustrator, Dan Yaccarino gave students great insight into the creation of children’s books during his visit to East Lake Elementary School on Feb. 5. Mr. Yaccarino was this year’s guest for the author residency, an annual tradition spanning more than a quarter century.
The author visit was coordinated by librarian Anna Schwen, who said Mr. Yaccarino was selected because of the wide variety of children’s books he has published for elementary-aged children, including picture and chapter books.
“I liked the fact that he is both an author and an illustrator,” Ms. Schwen said. “Many of my students have expressed their desire to write and illustrate their own books one day so I wanted to try to get an author who did both.”
Children were excited to meet the man behind many of the books found in the classrooms.
Mr. Yaccarino had grade-level presentations in which he discussed his books and the publishing process, in addition to taking questions. Every day, he spends time writing or illustrating, and encouraged students to devote time to their passions. He showed several examples of his early story boards and how his ideas eventually became books. Children were also excited to learn that one of his children’s books is being developed into an animated series.
Ms. Schwen said that the goal of the author visit was to inspire students by showing them what can be accomplished through hard work and determination.
“It’s important for students to be able to make connections to their own lives and their own dreams of what they might want to do one day,” she said. “By listening to an author talk about some of their struggles, methods and ideas, students can imagine themselves following in their footsteps and accomplishing their own goals through hard work.”
Recent Comments