Children’s Book Author Visits Elementary Schools

STONE HARBOR – Mullica Hill and Stone Harbor resident Nancy Viau will visit Stone Harbor Elementary March 3, 2014 to kick off the Seven Mile Island’s Author-in-Residence program. At Stone Harbor Elementary, Viau will present two auditorium programs: one for first and second graders and one for third and fourth graders. She has a separate, special reading event planned for kindergarten. In these interactive presentations, students will learn first-hand what it is like to be a children’s book author. “I want students to hear how everyday occurrences inspire my writing and how they can use their own experiences to create unique stories.”
In the weeks following, Viau will meet with fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students three times where she’ll give in-depth writing workshops. “These workshops will focus on craft,” Viau says. “The students will learn the importance of creating multi-faceted fiction with interesting characters and intriguing settings and plots.”
Nancy Viau is the author of two nature-inspired picture books: Look What I Can Do! (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013), which School Library Journal calls “wonderfully expressive” and “a gently affirming tale perfect for parent-and-child sharing,” and Storm Song (Two Lions, 2013), a fun read-aloud filled with rhythmic text that captures the excitement of thunder, lightning, and rain. Viau’s third picture book, City Street Beat (Albert Whitman & Co.) will be released in 2014. She is also the author of the middle-grade novel Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head.
Viau travels across the country presenting auditorium programs and writing workshops to elementary school children. On her website, she offers free, downloadable teacher’s guides (aligned with the Common Core). She is a frequent presenter at book festivals such as the Princeton Book Festival and the Warwick Book Festival, and does book signings at Barnes & Noble and independent bookstores, libraries, and conferences. On her blog she offers writing info and tips for young writers: http://nancyviau.blogspot.com/