Nicholas Solis is an award-winning elementary educator, as well as a writing teacher at The Writing Barn in Austin, Texas. In 2018, he was the recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Grant from We Need Diverse Books. He has taught students all over the globe—from Tanzania to Texas—and there’s one thing he’s learned from his world travels: kids are kids everywhere you go. Nick is a prolific author who writes picture books, teaching blogs, middle grade novels, and poetry. His debut author/illustrator book, THE STARING CONTEST, released with Peter Pauper Press in September 2020 and was nominated as a Redbud Read Aloud Award finalist for 2022. THE COLOR COLLECTOR, with Sleeping Bear Press, came out April 15th, 2021 and MY TOWN, MI PUEBLO, with Nancy Paulsen Books, will be released August 16th, 2022. He lives with his wife, their dog, and their son, Leo, in Austin, Texas. Learn more about Nick at nicholassolis.com.

Presentations

FOR STUDENTS

THE STARING CONTEST: Having a Growth Mindset and the Power of ‘Yet’

Venue: Classrooms, Libraries, Assemblies, or Online Presentations (45min)

In this interactive presentation for elementary students, Nicholas shares hilarious facts about eyeballs, interesting animals, and staring contests! He also shares his experiences growing up and how The Staring Contest would never have existed if he hadn’t had a growth mindset. Students will battle the book in a staring contest as he reads it aloud and see if they can beat the book at its own game. He’ll then guide them through a simple drawing exercise where they can draw the eyes in the book and show how they can change emotions by placing the eyebrows in different positions. This will be followed by a Q and A.

Venue: K-2 student with time constraints (30 min)

This is the same presentation as above, but less emphasis on growth mindset and more time spent on drawing and emotions.

THE COLOR COLLECTOR: How Being Kind Can Change Someone’s Whole World

Venue: Classrooms, Libraries, Assemblies, or Online Presentations (45min)

This presentation is all about kindness and empathy. Nicholas will share stories about his life and how he moved around a lot when he was a kid. That meant starting new schools and feeling lonely a lot of the time. Nicholas will talk about how small acts of kindness can change someone’s entire life. He will read The Color Collector and ask students to focus on how the color builds within the book’s pages as the characters begin to form a friendship. Nicholas will then share a magical coloring book that goes from blank white pages to a book brimming with colors as the students share kind words. He will then share murals other students have made using recycled bits of paper or trash. This will be followed with a Q and A.

Note: Nicholas will share an infographic with the school before his visit. It will include story analysis questions that any teacher can use when sharing the book in their class, and it will have a variety of artistic activities teachers can use in conjunction with the book. A portion of his presentation can be used sharing art the school children have created.

MY TOWN, MI PUEBLO: Respecting Our Differences and Celebrating the Things We Have in Common

Venue: Classrooms, Libraries, Assemblies, or Online Presentations (45 min)

Nicholas shares stories and slides about his experiences growing up in Austin, Texas, but also spending his holidays along the Mexican border. He will talk about what it was like living in two worlds and how he still sometimes feels like he doesn’t fit in. Nicholas will discuss how great it is when you find you have something in common with others, but also how awesome it can be to meet people who are different! He will read through the book and have kids identify similarities and differences on each page. As they share, he will complete a Venn Diagram with them to show how we can compare and contrast items while using a graphic organizer. Finally, Nicholas will show the students a variety of interesting borders from around the world. This will be followed with a Q and A.

Note: Prior to the visit, Nicholas will send several activities that students can complete before he visits. The activities will differ based on age. Younger students can complete butterfly artwork with a focus on symmetry. Older students can complete a Venn Diagram comparing themselves with another member of class. Secondary students can examine different borders throughout the world and discuss the various levels of security that occur along those borders. Secondary students can also research “sister cities.”

FOR ADULTS

Please reach out to Carmen Oliver for past topics and titles for keynotes, workshops, festival appearances, and special events.

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Availability and Honorariums