SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Pearl's & Ruby's
  • Politics in Practice
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

March 6, 2014 by Travis Jonker

Instagramming an Author Visit: Arnie the Doughnut Creator Laurie Keller

March 6, 2014 by Travis Jonker   6 comments

This week author-illustrator Laurie Keller (she of Arnie the Doughnut fame) paid a visit to my school. I have the photos to prove it.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Usually I put a visiting author’s name up on the marquee outside. But with knee-deep (nay, waist-deep) snow, that was a no-go. So, as a show of goodwill toward Ms. Keller, here are the giant plastic letters I would have used arranged to look like a heart.

Alright. Let’s talk prep.

Morning doughnuts for the staff? Check.

(note: this is a complete and utter doughnut re-creation – the actual doughnuts were not photographed)

(Doughnut photo: A Dozen Doughnuts from Krispy Kreme by sameold2012 via Flickr http://flic.kr/p/9HJhm4)

Bulletin board? Check.

We had students create their own Arnie the Doughnuts.

I whipped up a few giant book covers to display.

Easel ready.

Backup easel ready.

Backup projector ready.

Books to be signed ready.

Window chalk welcome ready.

It’s showtime. Laurie did a great job, starting things off with the tooth pledge from Open Wide: Tooth School Inside.

Laurie talked about her life leading up to becoming an author. Note to those doing author visits – pictures of your drawings from 1st grade are a plus.

Here she is talking about how she thought up The Scrambled States of America as she was falling asleep.

After talking about the process of writing, it was time to draw.

Laurie walked students through Arnie and an otter (from her book Do Unto Otters). I joined in. I realized in this process that otters would make the world’s worst soccer players.

Possibly the best part of the drawing segment was when Laurie showed students the secret behind cartoon expressions. A couple slight changes to eyebrows, eyelids, and mouths can create the range of emotions.

Students had a chance to share their work.

A great day. Now we get to decide how to divvy up the drawings.

Many thanks to Laurie Keller for visiting and my school district for making it happen.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

A Fuse #8 Production

Publisher Preview: Creative Company (Fall 2025)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

July Suggestions: Looking for Mock Newbery Contenders

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Politics in Practice

When Book Bans are a Form of Discrimination, What is the Path to Justice?

by John Chrastka

Teen Librarian Toolbox

DIY Teen Makerspace: Pop-Up Cards Tutorial

by Riley Jensen

The Yarn

How Colby Sharp Celebrates Reading with Students

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

9 Spanish-Language Nonfiction About Latinx Trailblazers, Identity, and Brujería

Anime 101: A Guide for Librarians and Educators | Multimedia Reviews

3 Titles About Tweens Living with Incarcerated Parents | Middle Grade Spotlight

SLJ Reviews the ClickView Database

Panels to Pixels: Manga with Standout Anime Adaptations | Mondo Manga

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pragmatic Mom says

    March 6, 2014 at 7:19 am

    My son loves this book and enjoyed your post. He’s in 3rd grade.

  2. Melissa Guion says

    March 6, 2014 at 10:18 am

    I love Laurie!!! What a great document of what looks like a fabulous visit.

  3. Carrie Gelson @There's a Book for That says

    March 6, 2014 at 11:48 am

    Love how interactive this visit was with all of the kids drawing! Looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

  4. Julie Z says

    March 6, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    This was very informative and super fun to see. Lots of prep and it looks like it turned out great. I’m inspired!

  5. Janet Tashjian says

    March 6, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    What a fun – and awesomely prepared – day! Jake and I want to come to Mr. Jonker’s class! Best, Janet Tashjian

  6. Christina Cucci says

    March 9, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    Such a great preview- we will have Laurie Keller visit NJ in April, so excited to meet her!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books 2024
    • 2024 Stars So Far
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Pearls & Rubys
    • Politics in Practice
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • Reasons to Love Libraries
    • 2025 Youth Media Awards
    • Defending the Canon:SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
    • Refreshing the Canon Booklist
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Read Free Poster
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2025


    COPYRIGHT © 2025