Programs for Children

PROGRAMS

Invite your students to think globally, and excite them about reading and writing!  Plan an author visit with Maryann Cusimano Love for your library, book club, conference or event.  Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love is an award winning international educator and best selling author, and a winner of Harvard University’s Pew Faculty Fellowship for teaching, and Catholic University’s Teacher of the Year Award.  She is an effective presenter who favors participatory techniques. Maryann has a proven track record as a writer, communicator, and expert, giving addresses to institutions such as the United Nations, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Brookings Institution, Notre Dame University, Georgetown University, University of Milan, University of Ireland at Galway and the Conferences of Latin American, Canadian, and U.S. Bishops.  Additionally, Dr. Love has done numerous interviews for ABC World News, CNN, CNN International, NPR affiliates, and other media outlets. Children’s book author appearances include the National Institutes of Health Children’s Inn, Georgetown’s Holy Trinity School, Kutztown University Children’s Literature Conference, George Mason University’s Fall for Books Festival, and the Audubon School in Williamsville, NY. She teaches groups as diverse as grade school assemblies to military officers at the Pentagon. Maryann is outgoing and down-to-earth, and can make the program topics clear and concrete to the novice. She has been working with children since she was a teen–as a clown, story-teller, singer, puppeteer, and caregiver, and those skills keep her presentations moving at an upbeat tempo.

Dr. Love offers programs for children of all ages and adults. Topics include:Write Away and Write Now: Programs on the importance of writing and reading throughout history, and how books are made, to get your classes excited about writing.
  • Around the World: Children’s books are a global business. How might this change the world?
  • How to Write Children’s Books. What does it take to write and publish your children’s book?
  • Reading Together: Strategies for adults and children to read together and love it!
  • Writing Together: Tips and projects for encouraging writing together.

FEES, LOCATION, TECHNOLOGY

Honorarium and fees are negotiable based on the length of the appearance, the distance, and the number of presentations given in a day. Organizations without a designated events or author appearances budget often are able to host such events via successful prior fund raising. Discounts are given to Maryland schools and libraries, and to groups that arrange for advance sales of Maryann’s books. Send an e-mail to Maryann to learn more [link to send me an email].

Maryann lives in Maryland, and can access schools in the Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis metro areas easily. Travel is generally easy to Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and parts of New York. Travel outside Washington, D.C. requires mileage and meal reimbursement; train or airfare and hotel accommodations may also be needed. Low tech presentations are possible to small groups. Larger assemblies require microphones, and either PowerPoint projection (preferred) or overhead transparency projection (can accommodate), with a designated tech person from your organization to facilitate.

RESOURCES

DETAILED PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

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Preschool and Kindergarten programs are best at a half hour or less, with smaller groups of children. They begin with story telling, show how a children’s picture book is made, and end with a craft. Possible activities include learning how to say “I Love You” in different languages, making dandelion wishes, making Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine or Christmas cards, decorating paper bears, etc.

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Elementary School Programs vary in length and size, from classroom to school assembly, but all focus on the importance of writing and the process of writing.

Write Away! Have you ever been busted for talking in class? Books begin with that same basic urge to share something. Books start in the wings of imagination, memories, dreams, experiences, and history. These are captured in the amber of words and pictures, so stories can be preserved and shared. Books give us the chance to eavesdrop on the fears, dreams, and stories of people we have never met, from famous baseball players, to people in far away countries or time periods, to characters that exist only in history or imagination. Using examples from the demise of the dinosaurs, to e-books, to the early drafts and proofs of my own books, we discuss the creative process from idea to finished book. We also discuss reading and writing as a revolutionary activity, with stories of people persecuted for reading and writing. We may also focus on poetry (a natural for National Poetry Month), discussing the use of simile and metaphor, with examples from my books. Discussion, examples, and suggested follow on activities vary depending on grade level. K-3: Favorite memories with family drawing and writing, the importance of reading together with family. Poetry, simile and metaphor, with my books as examples. 4-6: Make your own book, from memory, imagination, history, or current events. Poetry, simile and metaphor, with my books as examples. The importance of reading to younger brothers and sisters, or to the elderly. 7-8: The importance of telling your story. Reading and writing as rebellion. Reading and writing as memory. Published teen writers. Writing contests available.

Around the World in 32 Pages. Children’s books are now a huge global industry. What does it mean if young people around the world are all reading the same books? How do the same books read differently in different countries and cultures? What is lost in translation? Examples from Harry Potter to Winnie the Pooh to graphic novels, to my own children’s books published in six languages. At the lower grade levels we read passages from my books in various languages, teaching children how to say “I Love You” and other phrases in several languages. At the higher grade levels we discuss global book piracy, global literacy rates, the dominance of the English language in books, movies, and music, and debates over the globalization of culture.