On Tuesday, November 17th, I visited Waldo Rohnert Elementary School to give a presentation to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders on Raggedy Chan and Chinese Mythology.
I had a blast. The kids were just amazing. They were SO well mannered, inquisitive, and adorable.
I started off by sharing the story of my Chinese auntie bringing me a Chinese rag doll by the name of Raggedy Chan when I was a little girl.
Camille Picott giving a presentation on Raggedy Chan and Chinese Mythology
I had the pictures from Raggedy Chan enlarged and laminated on poster boards. I gave the students a short summary of my book. As I talked about the story, my mom walked around with the poster boards. I’ve never heard so many “ooohs!” and “aahhs!” before! The kids really seemed to love the artwork. I wish my illustrator could have been there to hear all those “ooohs!” and “aahhs!” over his work.
To help focus their attention, I periodically asked the kids questions throughout the presentation. If a student answered my question correctly, he or she got a Raggedy Chan bookmark. At first, only 5 or 6 kids raised their hands to answer questions. By the end, about 60 hands shot up into the air — before I even asked the question! Then when I called on some of them, they would say, “Oh, I forgot.” Their enthusiasm was so cute.
I am definitely looking forward to my next school visit, which will be in January.
Camille Picott with Ms. Zimmerman, the teacher who organized the author visit.
Tags: Camille Picott author visit, free author visit, Waldo Rohnert Elementary School