GRADES Early Childhood, K-12, Parents, Teachers, Community & School Library Sessions Area Writers and Art Groups, Seminars for Self-Publihers I usually speak to K-6, but have also presented to grades 7-12 and pre-school children.

LENGTH Program length is always adjusted to accommodate a school's needs. 15-20 minutes Early Childhood, K-1 30-45 minutes for 2-6 45-60 minutes for 7-12 & Adults Middle School & High School visits are determined by school needs. Writing & Illustrating Workshops are generally held in a classroom, with 1-2 classes, and run from 1-2 class periods.

AUDIENCE SIZE I'm flexible and like to meet the school's needs. I've spoken to 20 students to over 400. I most enjoy speaking to groups of 25 to 100 in a library or classroom settings. Smaller groups of 50 or less allow more personal interaction, but larger audiences in an appropriate venue are welcomed.

PROGRAMS I am available for Conferences, Teacher Workshops, Young Author Fairs and School and Library Visits. I discuss storytelling, writing, illustrating and explain the process of creating a children's book. I show all the stages of creating a picture book, from initial sketches, researching, illustrating with traditional media and using a computer. I am delighted to speak to high school students about a career in illustration. I have a PowerPoint slideshow to enhance my presentations which can be modified in content and detail, according to the group's age.

OTHER PROGRAMS Readings from my Books 20-60 minutes; All Ages For younger children, I read or storytell one of my early readers or young picture books. For older students, I always read or storytell favorite parts of some of my picture story books. My Treasure Box 30-60 minutes; 2rd grade-adults We peek inside my idea file, where a jumble of scribbles and scraps live. Drawings, cards, napkins, envelopes, and paper scraps are some of the more unusual scraps that hold ideas that may someday blossom into a book. I share how I capture ideas and encourage students to begin a Treasure Box of their own. Writing Can Be Fun! Really! 60-minutes; 3rd grade-adults The session guides attendees through the process of story creation - from concept brainstorming through the joy of completing the final draft. Frequent audience participation supplements my powerpoint display. Students learn how storylines are triggered and characters developed. They'll observe how a writer climbs into a manatees head to tell a story. There's always a generous amount of fun rolled in.

FEES $500  plus travel expenses for a full day. Each day will have 3-4 presentations/writing & illustrating workshops and autographing. Discounts are available for additional days, and for programs in other schools arranged by you on days before and after your program.

A WORD FROM "There is nothing more satisfying to me than inspiring a child to draw, create, openly express themselves through words and pictures. I love hearing a teacher tell me that their quietest student returned to the classroom and 'copied' their favorite piece of my art. I also love to write and to teach. I hope to inspire those with a gift for storytelling to make that a career goal. But realistically, most attendees have decidedly different inclinations. So, the most interesting challenge of the day is showing those kids that something they don't particularly enjoy doing can actually be a lot of fun if they approach it creatively. After all, even nuclear scientists need decent writing skills!"

PRESENTATION SET-UP AND EQUIPMENT NEEDS My wish list includes: Students who've read my books and have questions ready to ask. It makes the day so much more valuable to them. I also need: Big screen or wall on which to display my Powepoint slideshow Table and cart for my computer and LCD Long extension cord and power strip Microphone for big rooms (a lapel mike is my favorite) Table at the front of the room for books and visual aids A bottle of drinking water is always nice!

AUTOGRAPH INFORMATION I will sign books to the children at the school. Depending on the number of book orders and time, the books maybe pre-signed with the author's signature and message. I offer a discount for all books sold to the students in conjunction with my author visit. All books can be pre-ordered through the Book Order Form on this website. Educators should send this order form home with the students two weeks before the presentation, and again the day before. There is also a Coloring Page teachers can download to use as a classroom project and send home as a reminder. (located at the bottom of the HOME page) After each presentation, the child will bring the order sheet with his/her name for me to autograph the books. It is recommended that the schools group order slips by grade and teacher. I always bring plenty of extra books to offer to those ready to purchase. Helpful Hint: It is so nice if a teacher prints the first name of the child or children the book will be signed to on a 3 x3 yellow Post-It. This way we can place the Post-It on the inside cover of the books I bring. The spelling will be legible & correct and I can call up each student by name. Day of Visit and Now I Want A Book/After the Fact Orders: It never fails, once students and teachers see the assemblies and that others are getting books, they realize they forgot to order their books! No problem! Schools have a post-visit book sale for 1 week after the visit. All order slips are sent together in an envelope I provide and I will personalize, autograph, group by teacher and ship, freight-free, to the school. And again, I always bring plenty of extra books to offer to those ready to purchase.

CONTACT INFORMATION Timothy D Thomas 390 South Tyndall Parkway #294 Panama City, FL 32404 (850) 628-1897 manateegiftshop@gmail.com Please feel free to contact me by phone or email. I'll happily and promptly answer your questions.

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