Emma J. Virján is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator living in Austin, Texas. Titles for her Pig in a Wig early reader series are quite long – What This Story Needs is a Pig in a Wig, What This Story Needs is a Hush and a Shush, What This Story Needs is a Munch and a Crunch, What This Story Needs is a Bang and a Clang and What This Story Needs is a Vroom and a Zoom. Titles for her Captain Cat early reader series are a little shorter – Captain Cat and the Pirate Lunch and Captain Cat Goes to Mars. Because Emma likes to draw so much, she has also illustrated If This Bird Had Pockets, a Poem in Your Pocket Day Celebration, poetry by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. Emma loves visiting schools, libraries and cafeterias. Her funny, engaging presentations include book readings, Q&A, pictures of dogs and lots and lots of drawing. Students learn about the writing process, the benefit of a story arc, how to develop a character, ways to generate story ideas and how to draw using shapes. Emma’s presentations are for elementary and grade school students.
Presentations
My Name is Pig, I Wear a Wig
A reading of PIG IN A WIG stories, highlighting language patterns/rhyming words and discussions about story arc and character development. This presentation includes creating a word bank of rhyming words from the story, audience participation in a read-aloud and drawing demonstrations.
Pig Can Write and So Can You
The focus of this presentation is on encouraging students to write their own stories, using PIG IN A WIG as a writing prompt. The session includes learning to draw PIG IN A WIG and using those drawings to help students write their stories, with emphasis on character, story conflicts and resolutions.
What Does YOUR Story Need
Idea generation and writing prompts are the focus in this presentation, including reiteration of the elements of a story—character, setting, plot, conflict and its resolution—by looking at those elements in PIG IN A WIG. The session includes drawing demonstrations and audience participation.
Website
Availability and Honorariums
Please contact Carmen Oliver for rate information and availability.
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