Surprise Visitor During my Author Visit at a Local School

 

You can't see it in this photo, but in a few moments, there will be a surprise visitor in this room. I was doing this author visit - the first visit this school had since the pandemic began. Talk about pressure. I told the kids "hey, you're welcome that I stopped by and got you out of class." 

"Ha ha ha," laughed the teachers. I think they liked the change of pace more than the students. 

I was nervous, but not frozen. I soon got into the rhythm and turned my talk into a conversation. We swapped stories about Leonardo da Vinci.

Then, in the corner of my eye. I saw it - fluttering wings. A little creature sailed to the floor. It was a grasshopper, or katydid. I walked over to it and none of the kids moved. They barely even reacted. We were all quite calm. 

"Let's put this outside," I said. A teacher walked over, scooped it up, and set it free.