Bring Diane Z. Shore to Your School!

"And they thought they were just having fun!" is Diane’s theme as she shares her picture books, rhyming riddles, poetry, Highlights for Children magazine articles, early-reader fiction, and non-fiction with kids. Diane's ultra energetic, educational, and inspirational performances get children excited about reading and writing in a variety of genres, and will have your students a-laughin' and a-learnin' all the way to the end. It's a celebration of literacy!

Home: Marietta, GA

 

Travels to: Diane will travel to anywhere she is invited!

Diane is the author of: Bus-A-Saurus Bop (Bloomsbury Books); Rosa Loves to Read (Scholastic/Children's Press); Look Both Ways: A Cautionary Tale (Bloomsbury Books); This is the Dream (Amistad); and How to Drive Your Sister Crazy (HarperCollins).

Poetry appears in: My Teacher’s in Detention, Rolling in the Aisles, If Kids Ruled the School, and Miles of Smiles. (Meadowbrook Press)

Rates

Three Presentations: $525 plus travel expenses
Four Presentations: $700 plus travel expenses
Five Presentations: $1,000 plus travel expenses
Six Presentations: $1,200 plus travel expenses
Evening Presentations: may be added to a school visit for an additional $200.

Click here to get started on planning your visit!

Biography

Award-winning children's author and storyteller, Diane Z. Shore, says her favorite thing about writing for children is meeting the kids. She writes picture books, early-reader chapter books, poetry, short stories, games/puzzle pages, and nonfiction. "Humorous stories and poems are my favorite things to write," says Diane. "I try to make them kid-friendly with lots of humor and a twist at the end." In addition to over 50 publications in various children's magazines, she writes historical and contemporary picture books, early readers, and chapter books.

She currently has four published books: Bus-A-Saurus Bop (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2003) winner of a 2004 "Children's Choice Award," Rosa Loves to Read (Scholastic/Children's Press, 2004); Look Both Ways (Bloomsbury 2005); and This is The Dream (HarperCollins, 2005); which is the first in a series of historical picture books. The author has a forthcoming “I Can Read” series with HarperCollins. The first title in that series, How to Drive Your Sister Crazy, is scheduled for release in the summer of 2007.

Event Descriptions

Diane offers several different programs that get kids excited about reading and writing, including these fun events:

Presentations

A-Rockin’ and A-Read Aloud
(suggested for pre-K through 2nd grade)

Standing beside her orange, outlandish, almost life-size Bus-A-Saurus, Diane reads from her award-winning picture book, Bus-A-Saurus Bop; asks the kids "Who likes to make noise?" before choosing a "Rosa" from the audience to act out her Rookie Reader, Rosa Loves to Read (about soft and loud noises); and with the help of Filbert the squirrel puppet, recites her cautionary tale, Look Both Ways, in a combination of both English and German, or Germlish, as Diane calls it.

Diane also shares her humorous poems and riddle rhymes and will have your students a-laughin' and a-learnin' all the way through this interactive performance. It's an ultra energetic, educational, and inspirational performance that gets children excited about reading!

A-Rockin’ and A-Readin’
(suggested for 2nd through 4th grade)

Diane and her outlandish Bus-A-Saurus will have your students a-laughin' and a-learnin' as she reads from her award-winning picture book, Bus-A-Saurus Bop and shares her nonfiction articles (Did you know that George Washington's false teeth were not made of wood and that the first Ferris Wheel held over 2,000 people!), poems, and rhyming riddles. Diane shares how she started writing poetry by changing the words of nursery rhymes.

It's an ultra-energetic, educational, and inspirational performance that gets children excited about reading AND writing!

Poetry Party!
(suggested for 4th through 7th grade)

"It's a belly bustin' blast 'til the very merry last!
Poetry has never been so much fun when Diane recites her award-winning poem, "Get Out of Bed!" and acts out poems from Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Dr. Seuss, and other favorite poets-all in a school setting. There's even a visit from "Mrs. Stein," the mean substitute!

Kids learn onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, metaphors, and more. It's an ultra-energetic,educational performance that will inspire even your reluctant students to read poetry and possibly write some of their own!

Faculty and Teacher Workshops

(3rd through 5th grade teachers) Rate: $250 each
Time: 1 hour – 1 ½ hours

Write On!
Designed for teachers to help students enjoy learning the craft of writing, this workshop will have your students painting pictures with words and at the same time take the stress out of assess. With an emphasis on personal narrative, expository, and creative writing, these fun, interactive, hands-on activities will put your students on the “write track” for the statewide writing assessment.

Topics covered: Hooks/grabbers, show vs. tell, vivid verbs and colorful words, onomatopoeia, dialogue tags, sentence structure, sensory check, similies/metaphors, and wrap-up.

Lessons of the Civil Rights Movement...Beyond Martin Luther
Using her award winning picturebook, "This Is the Dream," Diane will share ideas on teaching tolerance, nonviolent change, and explore the concept of freedom and justice for all. This workshop incorporates lessons in non-violence and tolerance into the elementary curriculum and to explore the alternate ways that the Civil Rights Movement can be taught using literature and interactive activities. Diane will introduce picture books, exercises, and interactive, hands-on activities that can be used to teach non-violence and tolerance all in the context of the Civil Rights Movement. The workshop attendees will participate in interactive hands-on activities, will be shown demonstrations for classroom use, and will be familiarized with a variety of picture books and resources on the topic.

Handouts included.
1 hour

A Goldmine of Guinea Pigs
Do you have a story that's begging to be written; written and begging to be published? As a teacher or librarian, you know that a classroom is a goldmine of ideas and your students guinea pigs for your works- in -progress. Barbara Parks, Paula Danzinger, Louis Sachar, and Patricia Reilly Giff had the inside track and motivation to turn their own experience with kids into award winning books. If you, too dream of publishing a children's book, then join former teacher and award winning author, Diane Z. Shore, and learn how to develop your ideas into marketable manuscripts.

Handouts included.
1 hour

Poetry Party!
Poetry has never been "funner" when award winning author and poet, Diane Z. Shore, recites and acts out her own poems along with those of Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Dr. Suess and other favorites. An added bonus is the special section introducing and writing "I Poetry." Learn how to use alliteration, hyperbole, end rhyme/internal rhyme, rhythm/meter, onomatopoeia, metaphors, similies, and more, to write poetry that wiggles the funny bone and tickles the ribs.

Handouts included.
1 hour

Sample Poem

Birthday Wish

When I turned eight I made a wish
I thought was really great.
I wished my birthday came each week-
a year's too long to wait.

Be careful when you make a wish,
it may indeed come true.
Although I'm just in second grade
I'm almost ninety-two!

© 1998 by Diane Z. Shore. Reprinted from Miles of Smiles (Meadowbrook Press).

Click here to get started on planning your visit!

Testimonials

"Diane is energetic, enthusiastic, and quite talented. She obviously loves children (she ate lunch with first-graders!) and they love her right back. She had the students telling jokes, answering riddles, interacting with her poems, and generally having a good time. She emphasizes the importance of "writing what you know about" and the perseverance required to get a book published. She brings a kid-size Bus-a-Saurus, and we enjoyed taking pictures of the students 'riding' the bus."
— Lynn Dye, Media Specialist, Keheley Elementary School

"Your books come in and go right back out-all the copies."
— Loretta Cronier, Media Specialist, Shades Cahaba Elementary

"Diane Z. Shore's presentation was so fun, the students had no idea they were even learning."
— Jill Brooks, third-grade teacher, Bennett Elementary School

"Diane 'drips' with creative juices."
— Pepper Smith, Special Advocate for children

"Diane is the only person I know who has the students asking for more homework!"
— Debra Heller, Reading Specialist, Newton Elementary

"Diane is a natural with children and inspires even the most reluctant readers to pick up a book and read."
— Sylvia Fulton, Media Specialist, East Side Elementary

"Your poetry rocks!"
— Fourth-grade student, Mt. Bethel Elementary School

"She's cheerful and upbeat and shares interesting information about the research she did to develop several of her published nonfiction magazine articles. The children loved her poetry recitations and her enthusiastic reading of her lively picture book Bus-A- Saurus Bop. She brought along enlargements of her poems, a puppet, and a stand-up Bus-A-Saurus backdrop. She stayed beyond the expected time and autographed books and was delightfully pleasant to work with. Her fees are reasonable as well. I recommend her if you are looking for an affordable author your students will enjoy."
— Meg Reed, Media Specialist, McKendree Elementary

"We loved your poetry and your humor. All the librarians are eager to return to their schools and share the poems with their students."
— Stephen Schwartz, President, Society of School Librarians Int’l

If you are interested in booking an event with Diane Z. Shore, please fill out the Speaker Visit Query form or contact our Author Appearance Manager at 800-338-2232, ext. 105, or admin@authorsinschools.com. We look forward to working with you.