The Missouri Reader Vol. 39, Issue 1 | Page 12

There are clues in the poems in The Hidden Bestiary of Marvelous, Mysterious and (maybe even) Magical Creatures about which creature BBB is searching for and whether the creature is extinct, endangered, or never existed. The illustrator, Laura Francesca Filippucci, who lives in Milan, Italy,

has hidden hun-

dreds of animals

throughout the

book. There are 47

animals hiding on

the cover alone!

You can meet Basil

B. Barnswhitten in

person on my

website at www.judyyoungpoetry.com, and he has been known to show up at schools across the nation!

Julie: At the beginning of this article, I told the readers about you visiting our school. Tell our readers about your school visits and how they can see you in person in their very own schools. What do you offer to kids and what do you offer to teachers?

Judy: I love to visit schools and inspire kids from K-12 to read and write. When I visit a school, I’m usually there the whole day, seeing students in grade level sessions. I have several different programs each with grade level variations so the content matches my audience. My programs focus on different themes, such as writing poetry, fiction or how to get ideas; however, all discuss the writing and publication process, and with some programs, we write poems or stories together. I also offer poetry writing workshops for students, parent night events, and professional development programs for educators about teaching poetry or fiction writing. You can read about all my programs at www.judyyoungpoetry.com.

It’s easy to schedule an author visit to your school. Just contact me through my website, and I will answer all your questions about setting up a school visit.

Julie: I certainly thank you for taking the time to chat with us and helping us to get to know you better. As we wrap this up, would you like to share any parting words with us?

Judy: It’s been a pleasure, Julie. In closing, I just wanted to tell you to be on the lookout next August. That’s when my first novel for children, entitled Promise, releases! So, go to my website, or like me on my Judy

Young Books Facebook page,

and you’ll see updates about

Promise and other aspects of my

writing.

Julie: Readers, I hope you have enjoyed getting to know a highly acclaimed, award-winning author from right here in Missouri! Check out Judy's books and contact her for a school visit. I'm sure you will not be disappointed!

12

See highlights from some of Judy's school visits!

Click here to read fun facts about Judy!