School Visits with Shennen Bersani

Informative, unique, and fun school visits with award-winning author and illustrator Shennen Bersani.

 Students and teachers love when Shennen Bersani visits their class or assembly. Her visits are captivating, intriguing, fun, and motivational. They are also quite unique. Children have so much fun, while being inspired to learn every day. Her facts, antidotes, and energy show students that she has so much fun learning a great deal while creating every book. After her visit, they will want to read far more books. They will want to investigate and research nature and science around them. They will realize that writing comes in many forms. Even a grocery list is a book. They will become motivated to write far more. She uses today's culture and technologies as examples of student's writing in their daily lives. They will want to create words and draw images that represent words and thoughts of a book. They will understand how a children's picture book is created, but they will hear the hilarious back stories, antidotes, and sometimes whacky events that seem to occur during the process of each book. They will also learn many facts about animals and nature. Some of the most common comments teachers have made about her visits are, "She shows students that learning, reading, and research is so much fun"; "Shennen shows children fun ways of using reading, researching, writing, and drawing in ways most have never realized."  Another teacher wrote, "my students were more motivated to read, write, and draw than they have been all year". Another teacher said, "I was amazed that my most challenged readers only wanted to read after her visit". Many said, "One of the best school visits we've ever had". Shennen is available for class visits, assemblies, librarian meetings, or parent meetings.

Students rave about her unique fun antidotes and back-stories about the book's creation. Teachers rave about how much children learn, retain, and are motivated. Her illustrated books have won prestigious awards; such as, The Eyeball Alphabet Book won the 2023 Keystone to Reading Book Award, and Once Upon an Elephant, won the 2017 Children's Choice Book Award. Her books have sold over 3 million copies and growing. The world’s top education-focused publishers, e.g., Scholastic, Charlesbridge, and Arbordale, publish her books. She teams with others on some books, e.g., Jerry Pallotta. Children will realize how much fun doing research for a book is, and how reading many books gives authors new ideas of their own. They will learn how a book gets created, how illustrations come to life, and how to create their own book. She does visits to all school grades, teachers, parent groups, conferences, or professional organizations.

After art school and a career as an acclaimed artist, Shennen began creating children's picture books for well-known publishers. Her books have won countless awards. She has appeared on TV, leaves children and teachers cheering at school visits, presents at professional events, and appears at book-signing events. She is well known for her impeccable research of her topics no matter where that takes her. Her educational non-fiction and fiction books focus on a wide range of categories - the earth, animal conservation and habits, values, math, early reader alphabets, and challenges.  Her research for Achoo! Why Pollen Counts brought her to bee colonies, black bears, pine forests, pollen scientists, researchers, weather scientists, beekeepers, and forecasters. Whew!  If you would like Shennen to do a classroom visit, or speak at an event please contact her at [email protected].

Visit Events:
o   Classroom presentation to students and staff
o   Multi-class assembly presentation to students and staff 
o   Writing or drawing workshops with single class    
 
Fee:
o   $2,000 per day honorarium per day
o   plus Travel expenses from Boston
o   Covers from 2 to 3 presentations per day, preferably one hour each
o   Books are purchased through Shennen Bersani per Order Form
o   Bring your own Shennen books! She will be delighted to sign ones you own 
o   Contact Shennen: [email protected]
o   AV equipment is expected to be provided by the school and hook up requirements need to be discussed with the author prior to event. 

Does your classroom have a bee, pollinator or pollen assignment? Check out the fantastic photos of pollen and bees from across the globe: http://www.achoowhypollencounts.com/photos-of-pollen-from-near-and-far.html
Don't miss the free coloring pages, puzzles, craft projects, puppets, and more fun for your students: 
​http://www.achoowhypollencounts.com/free-coloring-pages-puppets-puzzles.html
For tips on planning school visits, visit Charlesbridge's site: https://charlesbridge.com/pages/school-event-ideas​

Illustrator of the 2023 Keystone to Reading Book Award-winning The Eyeball Alphabet Book, written by Jerry Pallotta.

Illustrator of Honey Girl: The Hawaiian Monk Seal,
​2018 NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book, written by Jeanne Walker Harvey.

Illustrator of the 2017 Children's Choice Book Award-winning
Once Upon an Elephant, written by Linda Stanek.

Books illustrated by Shennen Bersani:
​All Arbordale books are available in English and Spanish
Achoo! Why Pollen Counts, written and illustrated by Shennen Bersani, Arbordale Publishing, 2015
​Let My Colors Go, written by Courtney Filigenzi, Courtney Filigenzi, 2022.
Yay for Big Brothers!, written by Janet Halfmann, Arbordale Publishing, 2021.
​River Otter’s Adventure, written by Linda Stanek, Arbordale Publishing, 2020.
Not a Butterfly Alphabet Book, written by Jerry Pallotta, Charlesbridge, 2019.
A Family Walk, written by Jennifer Butenas, The Perfect Moment, 2019.
Cheetah Dreams, written by Linda Stanek, Arbordale Publishing, 2018.
Night Creepers, written by Linda Stanek, Arbordale Publishing, 2017.
Honey Girl: The Hawaiian Monk Seal, written by Jeanne Walker Harvey, Arbordale Publishing, 2017.
A Case of Sense, written by Songju Ma Daemicke, Arbordale Publishing, 2016   Also available in Chinese
Once Upon an Elephant, written by  Linda Stanek, Arbordale Publishing, 2016.
Eyeball Alphabet Book, written by Jerry Pallotta, Scholastic, 2015
Butterfly Counting, written by Jerry Pallotta, Charlesbridge, 2015
Animal Partners, written by Scotti Cohn, Arbordale Publishing, 2015
Salamander Season, written by Jennifer Keats Curtis and J. Adam Frederick, Arbordale Publishing, 2015
Sea Slime: It's Eeuwy, Gooey, and Under the Sea, written by Dr. Ellen Prager, Arbordale Publishing, 2014
The Shape Family Babies, written by Kristen Haas, Arbordale Publishing, 2014
Butterfly Colors and Counting, written by Jerry Pallotta, Charlesbridge, 2013 Kirkus Starred Review
Shark Baby, written by Ann Downer, Arbordale Publishing, 2013
Home in the Cave, written by Janet Halfmann, Arbordale Publishing, 2012
The Glaciers are Melting!, written by Donna Love, Arbordale Publishing, 2011
The Long and the Short of It: A Tale About Hair, written by Barbara Meyers and Lydia Criss Mays, American Cancer Society, 2011
Astro: The Steller Sea Lion, written by Jeanne Walker Harvey, Arbordale Publishing, 2010
Nana, What's Cancer?, written by Beverlye Hyman Fead and Tessa Mae Hammermash, American Cancer Society, 2009
Let My Colors Out, written by Courtney Filigenzi, American Cancer Society, 2009
My Sister, Alicia May, written by Nancy Tupper Ling, Pleasant Street Press, 2009
Beginnings, written by Lori Ann Watson, Pauline Kids, 2009
Creature dell' oceano, written by Gaby Goldsack, Cowley Robinson Publishing, 2008
En el oceano, written by Gaby Goldsack, Cowley Robinson Publishing, 2008
Snakes: Long, Longer, Longest, written by Jerry Pallotta, Scholastic, 2006
Sharks: Big, Bigger, Biggest, written by Jerry Pallotta, Scholastic, 2005
Ocean Counting: Odd Numbers, written by Jerry Pallotta, Charlesbridge, 2005
Icky Bug Shapes, written by Jerry Pallotta, Scholastic, 2003