Claire’s Day authors available for school visits
Written by Sarah Ottney | Managing Editor | sottney@toledofreepress.comThree children’s authors coming to Toledo this spring for Claire’s Day are available to speak at area schools the day before the free family reading event.
The 10th anniversary celebration of Claire’s Day, set for Saturday, May 21, will feature triple the usual number of authors and illustrators, so some are still looking for host schools, said event chairperson Cindy Zamora.
Authors available for day-long school visits on Friday, May 20 are Louise Borden, Matt Faulkner and Michael P. Spadlin.
The deadline for scheduling a school visit is Feb. 15.
Brad Rubini with picture of Claire 2010 Claire's Day
Borden, who lives in Cincinnati, writes children’s books, most recently “The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey.”
Faulkner is an author and illustrator living in Southeast Michigan, who most recently wrote “A Taste of Colored Water” and most recently illustrated “The Monster Who Ate My Peas.”
Spadlin also lives in Michigan and writes books for children, teens and adults, most recently “The Youngest Templar Trilogy” for young adult readers.
Zamora said the atmosphere at Claire’s Day is always electric and even more so when the kids have already met and interacted with one of the authors the day before.
“The kids have met that one author and so they’re experts at that one author, and they’re just so excited to meet other ones,” Zamora said. “They just get really excited and it’s just a way to build that excitement for reading.”
The authors will be available for four presentations to students during the day, typically 30-40 minutes each, and can sign pre-purchased books for students. The author will also spend time with staff and teachers.
“It’s always been a popular event just because it exposes the kids to someone they may not meet otherwise,” Zamora said. “The authors all talk about how to get into writing, what to do, how they got discovered, how long it takes to write a book. It gives a realistic view to kids of what to expect.”
Because Claire’s Day is already covering the authors’ travel and hotel expenses, host schools would only be responsible for the author’s fee, which ranges from $1,250 to $1,600, according to the website.
“It’s just an excellent way to expose kids to an author without a huge expense because half the expense has basically been taken away,” Zamora said.
Each participating school will also receive a complimentary bundle of books written and illustrated by Claire’s Day authors and illustrators, according to the website.
The 10th Annual Claire’s Day is set for 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 21 at the Maumee Branch Library, 501 River Rd. More than 30 authors and illustrators will attend the event, ranging from children’s picture books to young adult novelists, Zamora said. The event will also include hands-on activities and the presentation of C.A.R.E. Awards, given to children nominated as the most improved readers in their schools.
“Most of the authors we try to get from the tri-state area just because we want to show people talents we have right here,” Zamora said.
Perhaps the most well-known presenter will be Marcia Thornton Jones, author or co-author of more than 135 books, including “The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids” series, Zamora said.
Toledo author Wil Clay was scheduled to come, but died in January. He is the only author to have attended every Claire’s Day event, Zamora said.
Claire’s Day is named after Claire Lynsey Rubini, an avid reader who died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition in July 2000, when she was 10.
Her parents, Brad and Julie Rubini of Maumee, founded Claire’s Day Inc. to honor her by inspiring children and families of all ages to be lifelong readers through exposure to a variety of literary opportunities and experiences.
If interested in scheduling a school visit, contact Zamora at quillerno_t@yahoo.com. For more information, visit www.clairesday.org
Tags: Books, Brad Rubini, Cindy Zamora, Claire's Day, Julie Rubini
