a love of reading and fund your classroom!
The Bushel & Peck visiting author program isn't your average school visit. Our award-winning authors offer their programs at super-affordable prices. Everything is handled completely online—no checks, no flyers, no hassle. And best of all, through our classroom program, 30% of all book sales goes directly back to supporting your class!
Setting up is a breeze
1
Book a visit
First, look below for an author near you and register a day for your visit. After that, our school visit coordinator will help you every step of the way!
2
Register your class
Once you have a date for your author visit, it's time to register your class for our cash-back classroom program. This will provide you with a unique URL just for your class. Anyone who clicks this link and shops at bushelandpeckbooks.com will earn your classroom 30% back!
3
Promote the visit
Our school visit coordinator will provide digital flyers and a custom online order form, each with your unique URL already embedded, to help you promote the upcoming visit and help students order books in advance. Books are shipped directly to students' homes before the event.
4
Reap the rewards
When event day arrives, our authors will excite your kids about reading and writing! Students who ordered books online can bring them to school that day and have them signed. And when it's all over, our system will automatically tally your book sales and send you 30% back via Paypal. Easy!
Simple, affordable pricing
$50
per class
All visits start at just $50 per class!
+$50
each additional class
If you'd like to combine classes for a larger assembly, it's just $50 per extra class added. (For example, an assembly of three fourth-grade classes would be $150.)
Find an author in your area
Once you reserve a visit, our school visit coordinator will reach out. From flyers to online book orders, we'll help you the rest of the way at every step!
Meet Johan
Johan Twiss is an award-winning author who is passionate about writing clean science fiction and fantasy stories that are not only exciting, but suitable for tweens, teens, and adults alike. He has over nine published works, including his award-winning novel, Four Years Trapped in My Mind Palace, and the I Am Sleepless series. He is the recipient of the Lonestar.Ink Rising Star Award and was a finalist in the Screencraft Cinematic Book Competition.
About Johan's Presentation
“If you are trying to motivate your students . . . sign Johan Twiss up! He was the best assembly of the year!” —Kristi Wheeler, Principal, Bonneville Elementary Assembly
“Our school could not have loved this assembly more! It was so fun and engaging.”
—Mrs. Toronto, Bonneville Elementary Assembly
Johan caters school visits to the age of the students, incorporating jokes, magic tricks, art, music (he plays trombone and other instruments), and interactive stories. Johan and students will talk about being the hero of your own story and tie it into writing, the importance of reading, dealing with failure, and not giving up. They will also create a story together as a group using a story box, with students dressing their teachers up in capes and silly hats for the story. Johan will share funny stories from his youth that students help act out. They will talk about how creativity sometimes has unexpected consequences and anti-bullying. This is a student favorite!
Explore Johan's Book
“Every teen should read this.”
—HowDoesShe.com
“Splendid”
—San Francisco Review of Books
Meet Joy
J. Donnini is a children’s book author, professional daydreamer, and mother, which she considers her most important job. She spent many years studying and writing music and transitioned to strictly writing for children when her son was born in 2007. Joy’s stories focus on kindness, empathy, diversity, and love and respect for each other and this beautiful planet that we all share. She also addresses social-emotional issues, such as anxiety and worry. She has been a featured author at several reading events, book festivals, and stores, such as Barnes & Noble, where she creates interactive, fun experiences to bring children into the magical world of the storybooks she creates.
About Joy's Presentation
Ages 4 – 7: The target age of the book. I will do a classic storytelling show, followed by teaching belly breathing techniques with help from puppets which is fun and interactive for the children.
Ages 8 to 10: I will read the story followed by belly breathing techniques and focus on some creative writing.
Ages 11-13: After reading the book, I will discuss being an author and have a short creative writing session where I give them my top three tips on writing a story. This Will Pass was published by Bushel& Peck books but I have self-published 6 books so I will speak on how the publishing world has changed so much and how easy and almost free it is to get their ideas out there, at any age. I will keep this somewhat general unless someone wants more information, and I can help them of course. There are some very young authors out there already we are seeing in the industry, and I would love to help them reach their dreams.
Explore Joy's Book
A 2023 Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year
"Timely assurance of the impermanence of life’s difficulties." —Kirkus Reviews
Meet Nick
Nick Esposito is an award-winning teacher and education consultant with a passion for bringing best practices of service learning into the classroom. Nick has travelled around the world serving with different organizations for different cultures and peoples. Through these experiences he has developed the belief that educational experiences must sharpen the mind and embrace the heart. Nick has degrees from Villanova University (Journalism, Sociology, Peace & Justice), Johns Hopkins (Masters in Urban Education) and the University of Pennsylvania (Masters in Education Entrepreneurship). Nick is the ecstatic husband of the love of his life and 'Habitat Crush', Cynthia. He is also a long time hockey player, and Philadelphia sports fan. He is the proud teacher of hundreds of students, all of whom are impacting the world in their own exciting, unique, yet quirky ways.
About Nick's Presentation
Nick will use his Good Guys series and heroes from the past to teach students the important of building strong character traits like courage, kindness, resilience, and more! He'll also cover what it's like to be an author and answer students' questions about what it's like to make a book.
Explore Nick's Books
A 2023 CBC Librarian Favorites Winner
Meet Caroline
A lover of all things fairytale, Caroline Derlatka has always believed in magic. She grew up creating fantastical worlds in her head—places filled with unicorns that would give her rides over ribbon rainbows, giant hares that would lead her through cotton candy clouds, and mermaids that would swim with her into the deep. She is a constant dreamer with a million ideas and about eight hundred big plans. After living in Los Angeles for twenty years, she now splits her time with her husband, son, and cat between the shores of Flathead Lake, Montana, and the green hills of Nashville, Tennessee. When You Open A Book is her debut publication. To find out more about her other projects, which all benefit various charities, visit her online at carolinederlatka.com.
About Caroline's Presentation
Caroline will read from When You Open a Book to inspire children to see reading as a magical adventure! She will also cover what it's like to be an author and answer students' questions about what it's like to make a book.
Explore Caroline's Book
“An enchanting adventure that captures the spirit of storytelling.” —Julian Lennon
“Enter a world of winged dragons, musical sea creatures, and mice hanging stars on the moon” —Foreword Reviews (starred)
Meet Wendy
Wendy is the author of the Green and Small series and is a science enthusiast. She received a B.S. from Brigham Young University in sociology and health education and a Master of Forensic Sciences from George Washington University. Wendy enjoys spending time with her husband and six children.
About Wendy's Presentation
Travel beyond the borders of our solar system into the exciting realm of exoplanets! Wendy will share fascinating information about the more than 5,000 planets that scientists have discovered, from water worlds to planets that are literally melting! She will also cover what it's like to be an author and answer students' questions about what it's like to make a book.
Explore Wendy's Book
"Perfect for budding scientists.” —Foreword Reviews
Meet Diane
Rise Up With a Song: The True Story of Ethel Smyth, Suffragette Composer is the second picture book biography for Diane Worthey, author of IN ONE EAR & OUT THE OTHER: ANTONIA BRICO & HER AMAZINGLY MUSICAL LIFE, which was a 2020 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and won the first place 2021 Paterson Prize for Young Readers in Grades 4-6. In addition to writing books for children with classical music themes, Diane is a classically trained violinist and performs in the Washington-Idaho Symphony. She also teaches violin and viola to all ages of budding musicians at the University of Idaho Preparatory Division in Moscow, Idaho. Visit her at dianeworthey.blog
About Diane's Presentation
Diane is available to do virtual or in-person visits to musical groups, classrooms, home school groups, girl scout troops, and libraries, where she will read and answer questions about her books. She also likes to share with students about revising, telling your own story, and where to find inspiration for writing. Diane can even weave into these visits some musical activities, such as making your own conducting baton and how to conduct basic patterns to classical music.
Explore Diane's Book
"A stirring tribute to a free-spirited composer who rode roughshod over her time's constraints on women." —Kirkus Reviews (Starred)
“Brave women in history are examples that help us to be brave in the present. Learning about Ethel Smyth will be life-changing right now.” —Gloria Steinem
