Ann Ingalls

SCHOOL VISITS

​PRESENTATIONS:

Biggety Bat! Hot Diggety!

pre-k through 1st grade, 30 minutes, 5-10 minutes at the end for questions.

Behind the Scenes of an Author
2nd through 3rd grade, 40 minutes, 5-10 minutes at the end for questions.

Research? Are you Kidding?
2nd through 6th grade, 40 minutes, 5-10 minutes at the end for questions.

Parts of Speech Can Be Fun—No Kidding!

4th through 6th grade, 40 minutes, 5-10 minutes at the end for questions.

To book author presentations, please visit my website at anningalls.com. You can contact me at ann.ingalls.books@gmail.com or through my website.

I love visiting schools and talking with students and teachers about writing picture books and hopefully shedding some light on just how a picture book is created.

Picture of me

Presentation length: Presentations for K-1 last approximately 30 minutes with 5-10 minutes at the end for questions.

For other age groups, presentations last 40 minutes with 5-10 minutes for questions.

The audience: I enjoy speaking to kindergarteners and adults and all ages between. Because I adjust my presentation to fit the audience, I prefer to address groups of similar age if possible. I like to keep presentations for K/1 to about 100 people, not more, and I so appreciate having teachers be part of that mix for crowd control.

Materials I will need:

• A computer connected to a projector. I will bring my PowerPoint presentation on a flash drive. (Please have someone familiar with your projector available to assist with set-up, including adjusting focus & keystone distortion.)
• A USB remote so that I may advance the “slides” from my speaking location.
• A screen (The bigger, the better—especially if the presentation takes place in a gymnasium)
• A table at the front of the room
• A microphone, if necessary
• Drinking water

Venue: The room you select should comfortably accommodate the audience and be conducive to viewing projected images. Please do a trial run in advance to be sure the room can become sufficiently dark and that all of the equipment is in working order.

Schedule: I will do up to four presentations in a school day.

Book signing: There are two ways to handle book signing. One is to have the children present when I sign their book. This can be done between presentations or after the final presentation. The other is to collect all of the books and schedule a block of time when I can sign. In either case, please place a sticky note on the title page with the child’s first name (or for whom the book is to be inscribed).

Honorarium:

• $250 per presentation, for up to 4 presentations during the day

Travel Fees: If I drive to your location and you are located more than 100 miles from my home in near Liberty, Missouri, there is a mileage fee equal to that allowed by the IRS (currently 51 cents/mile). If flying to your location, I will make airline reservations (direct flight, if possible). The host will reimburse me for the cost of airline tickets at the conclusion of the visit. If an overnight stay is required, the host is responsible for reserving and paying for lodging. Honorarium and fees are due at the conclusion of the visit. Once we’ve arranged a visit, I will mail a packet including book ordering information, my photo, and a letter of agreement.

I’ve been doing these for some time and enjoy the heck out of it. Creative work comes across my desk and I have the pleasure of reading it and making a change or two. In the process, I learn about what can be done with a turn of phrase, a carefully selected word, a tone of voice. You might want to try this yourself.

If you do want to send work to to me, I charge $50 for a picture book. Longer work needs to go elsewhere. Don’t hesitate to send an email if you have particular questions or concerns.

Here’s what I heard today. I’m still smiling.

Wow, Ann, you’ve really delivered! You made some brilliant changes. I can’t wait to sit down with your changes — this MS is really starting to sing!! Thanks again for your unbelievable speed and expertise.

Lindsay Hanson Metcalf

I’m pretty good with commas. I can draft a story and it may or may not sell. But when it comes to computing wizardry, I count on my fabulous friend, Tessa Elwood. She is a complete package–sweet, kind, an exceptionally fine writer, a computing genius, and web designer. Like I said, “Love the brainiacs in your life.”

Sketches for this book are coming in and they are terrific! Migy Blanco is the illustrator. You can visit his site at migy.com to get a glimpse. I’m so delighted that Sonali Fry at Little Bee paired his lovely work with my words.

Kansas City Author Honored by National Children’s Magazine
Ann Ingalls receives Annual Pewter Plate Award from Highlights Hello magazine

July 31, 2015 (HONESDALE, PA) – Highlights Hello magazine has honored author Ann Ingalls of Kansas City, Missouri, for her poem titled “Lily’s Shoes,” which was published in the January 2014 issue. The work was named “Poem of the Year 2014” by the editorial, art and production staff.

The poem, illustrated by Jennifer E. Morris, is about a young girl’s shopping trip to find new shoes.

Ingalls is the author of more than 25 books in print or forthcoming. Bright Connections recently published her book J Is for Jazz, and Scholastic recently published the first and second books in the “Biggety Bat” series. She has had work published in a number of issues of Highlights Hello and High Five.

Speaking about “Lily’s Shoes,” Ingalls said, “I wrote this poem about my daughters’ love for shoe shopping as children.”

Christine Cully, Highlights for Children Editor in Chief, says that authors like Ingalls “help us achieve our objective of bringing the most imaginative and original works to our readers.” In recognition of the achievement, Ingalls received an eight-inch pewter plate engraved with her name, the title of the winning poem and the issue in which it appeared. The pewter plates are handcrafted in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, the home of Highlights since its beginning in 1946.

art, Black history, race
J is for Jazz
by petermarino

J is for Jazz

The geometric shapes and the vigorous colors on the cover (representative of every page inside) of J is for Jazz may very well have this book bebopping off the shelves into little hands. (It’s going to my nearly-two-year-old nephew next.) Dare I say it–it kind of sings!

The text is fairly sophisticated, and with its inviting illustration, will be attractive to a wider age range than most alphabet books. (The book is aimed–conservatively–at kids five to seven years.) There is a text-rich jazz timeline at the front of the book and a glossary of terms at the end.

Some of the “is fors” will be familiar to adult readers (“J is for Jelly Roll Morton”),though there were a number of people and terms that I was introduced to (“F is for floorflushers; W is for Mary Lou Williams,” for examples).

J is for Jazz is written by Ann Ingalls and illustrated by Maria Corte Maidagan. It has forty pages, and is available from Bright Connections Media.

Would’ya? Could’ya? Come see me and many other writers, artists, musicians, and folks who enjoy those same things.

We’ll be there on Saturday, September 19th. Don’t miss it. There’s sure to be lots of fun and just plain silliness.

For your reading pleasure, a story I sold several times over to Aileen Andres Sox at Primary Treasure. This story is based on my own experience of baking with my Irish Grandmother. If you like, try the bread recipe at the end. It’s a real treasure.

ALI BAKES BREAD

Ali stood on a wooden chair. She watched Grams measured with the palm of her hand; flour, salt, sugar and baking soda–all in a big bowl. “What are you making?”

“Bread for hungry people. We always have enough to eat, but some people don’t.”

“Hold out your hands.” Grams filled them to overflowing with golden raisins. Ali popped a few in her mouth, but the rest went into the shiny bowl.

Then Grams got another bowl and two eggs.

“Let me crack the eggs,” Said Ali.

Grams poured in buttermilk, She measured with her eyes.

“Can I stir?” Ali whisked the milk and eggs together. She poured that into the big bowl.

“Use your fingers,” said Grams.

Ali dipped her fingers into the sticky dough. Flour flew everywhere. No one minded.

Then Grams got two heavy black pans from the cupboard. “Can you butter the pans? Fingers again.”

Ali’s fingertips slid and swirled along the bottom of the pans. “What’s next?”

“Count with me.” Grams placed the dough on the countertop. Ali kneaded it a dozen times while she counted. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12….” She patted and shaped two loaves. Raisins burst here and there through the dough.

Then they tucked it in the pans and smoothed it with their hands.

“Now for the best part.” Grams and Ali held an old knife and cut a cross into the dough in each pan. “Pray with me,” said Grams. “Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name….”

After they had finished praying, Grams popped the bread into the hot oven.

“Mmmm,” said Ali. “It smells so good.”

While it was still warm, Grams and Ali wrapped the biggest loaf in a towel. Mr. Gulatti. had lost his job a long time ago. He was still looking for a new one.

“Grams, we have lots of cans of food in the cupboard. Do you think the Gulattis like applesauce?” asked Ali.

“I’ll bet they do. I’ll bet they like spaghetti sauce and pasta, too,” said Grams.

“I can get a big box,” said Ali.

Then Grams and Ali prayed, “Lord Jesus, please remember our neighbors, the Gulattis. Help Mr. G. find a new job. And thank you for this yummy bread. It will fill our tummies and theirs, too.”

“Amen,” said Grams.

Then Ali and her Grams carried the bread to their neighbor’s front door.

It opened and Mr. Gulatti said, “Now what do we have here?”

RECIPE FOR IRISH SODA BREAD

4 cups unsifted flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

¼ cup sugar

1 cup currants or raisins

4 tablespoons butter

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 ¾ cups buttermilk

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly using two knives or a pastry blender.

Mix egg with milk and add to dry ingredients. Stir until blended.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead a dozen times.

Divide dough and make two round loaves. Place each loaf into a greased 8 inch pan or a greased cast iron fry pan.

Press the dough to the sides of the pan. With a floured knife, cut crosses on top of the loaves about 1 inch deep. Be sure to say the “Our Father” while you do this. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. When cool, wrap both loaves into tea towels and give one away.

I love to visit schools! As a former elementary and special needs teacher, I think I fit right in.

PRESENTATIONS:

K/2—30 minutes. We sing, do finger plays, read, and play a game or two.
I give a simple short presentation, focusing on the books I have written for that age group. I explain how an author works with an illustrator to create a book that is a real collaboration. We sing a few songs and play a game or two depending on time.

Grades 3/6—45 minutes. I share a bit about my reading and writing journey and show how I take events in my life and shape them into stories. I explain my process of writing from generating an idea, drafting it, sharing it with my critique group, sending it to my agent for review, and finally a critique and rewrite for an editor. I leave 15 or 20 minutes for questions at the end.

I am comfortable speaking to children in a wide variety of settings. I prefer to work with a maximum of 100 students (or so) in a session. This gives students the opportunity to ask questions and leaves them with the feeling that they have been seen and heard. I am happy to present in other formats as well.

FEES:
Out of town: $1000/day (4 presentations), plus expenses
Kansas City area, $800/day (4 presentations)

It is an older version of English with a bit of Irish charm thrown in. I listen to the residents here in Ireland and most of the time, I understand most of what they are saying. But some of the time, I can’t make sense of a blame word. Just saying.

I have picked up names of people and places to work into stories and can imagine writing a story about the most charming coffee shop I’ve ever been to, all the goings on there and the talk about Irish Tidy Towns. This place is everything good folks say it is. Get there and get a Guiness!