Lisa Katzenberger, author of of “It Will Be OK: A Story of Empathy, Kindness, and Friendship” and “National Regular Average Ordinary Day,” speaks before students and staff at Tarkington Elementary School. Her visit was one of four across the district over the past few weeks.
Students and staff at Tarkington, Twain, Field and Riley Elementary Schools recently had an opportunity to hear from Lisa Katzenberger, author of “It Will Be OK: A Story of Empathy, Kindness, and Friendship” and “National Regular Average Ordinary Day,” as part of a weeklong visit across Community Consolidated School District 21.
During the roughly 30-minute meet and greet, Katzenberger engaged students with interactive storytelling sessions, insights into the writing process, and shared a video made by a friend that highlighted a “love letter to your library.”
“I have been writing for many years, but a shift in my focus happened when I had my own kids,” Katzenberger said. “When I started reading to them and taking them to storytimes at our local library, I fell in love with picture books. To connect with kids, I think about my five year old self and what kind of stories I liked to read or topics I wish were available to me as a child, like social-emotional learning.”
Students were also able to ask questions of Katzenberger, including “is being an author hard?” and “is being an author fun?” to which she said “it is both!”
“We were delighted to welcome Lisa to our schools, where her storytelling ignited the imaginations of our young learners,” said Amy Breiler, director of teaching and learning for literacy. “Her visit truly brought the magic of literacy to life, inspiring students to embrace their creativity and develop a lifelong love for reading. It’s experiences like these that reinforce the importance of literacy as the foundation for all learning.”
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