Hi everyone,
PIRATES READ/WORLD READ ALOUD DAY, a K-8 event that features authors reading to students and answering questions will be held this coming Monday, February 1. It’s a Zoom event and I’ll be greeting my assigned students from Florida with this curtain behind me.
PIRATES READ is created by Park University in Parkville, Missouri, not far from Kansas City. I’m glad to be invited back to the event, now in it’s third year, by director, KATHY HOWE.
I remember a day after the book was published when I made one of my first of what became an annual visit to New York to meet with editors, and I went by Random House. In those days their headquarters were in an ornate old building, can’t remember the address, but it was a great place to visit. Bennett Cerf was still publisher but died a couple of years after my book came out. His son Chris was there, editor to Ted Geisel among others. I met Chris but not Dr. Seuss. My editor got me seated and sent for the young assistant who had picked my story out of the “slush” pile. I had mailed my manuscript without an agent or contact or even a name on the envelope. It was strictly an “over the transom” submission and the odds of it being chosen were like winning the lottery. When the assistant came into the office, she was thrilled to meet me. I was the very first person she had ever “discovered” and to her it was a huge deal. It wasn’t until that moment when I realized how naïve I had been and how very fortunate I was.
The idea is to read a story of “perseverance, resilience, hope, love, family, faith, courage, diversity, gratitude, encouragement or whatever (I) think will inspire K-12 students and teachers.”
I’m trying to decide which of my stories to read to my group of about 50 1st grade children. If anyone has an old favorite, let me know. So far I’ve considered the following.
Children's Author David L. Harrison's Blog 