When I read one of my stories during an author visit, I love seeing the bright eyes trained on the big screen as students sit crosslegged on the gymnasium floor. And I relish hearing the giggles when one of my characters says something silly. But hey, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, so what are ya gonna do?
Turn to technology, that’s what!
Last week via Google Meet, I shared my picture book The Trouble With Cauliflower, about a koala bear named Mortimer who’s convinced that eating “that horrible vegetable” brings him bad luck the next day. Then, by sharing a screen of my slide presentation, I showed the class of second graders the steps involved as an initial idea evolves to published book.
It felt a bit strange to hear just silence, and no giggles, since the students were instructed to mute their computers. Thankfully, one student did not follow this directive, and I could hear a little voice make comments, like “She wrote that book!” instead of my talking into a void. Thank you, young scofflaw!
During question time, I got to see those bright eyes and smiles and answer the students’ astute questions. I’m looking forward to my next virtual visit!
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