“Our students and parents are STILL raving about your visit to North Star last year . . . AND your books are being checked out like crazy by the kids. They are still so excited to check out your books since you were here and they met you!”
—Alisa Betz, Media Manager, Bend, OR
Katherine Roy is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator who loves sharing her passion for books, science, and the natural world with readers of all ages. Packed with animal science, on-location research, sketches, humor, and up-close footage from the field, Roy delivers a unique presentation on how she creates her nonfiction books from start to finish by following the WISER inquiry model and her own curiosity about the natural world. Where does wonder begin? How can research be an adventure? How can big failures while writing or drawing lead to more resilience and even bigger breakthroughs? Students will be spell-bound by the behind-the-scenes look at Roy's entire bookmaking process and fall in love with learning about science and the natural world, while teachers and librarians will walk away with new ideas for how to incorporate research, writing, drawing, and science into their classroom curriculums. Her presentations can be tailored to fit the needs of any school, library, or conference event. To request an in-person speaking engagement or workshop, please email Authors Out Loud or view her Speaking Profile. For inquire about single-session virtual engagements, please use the form on her Contact Page.
Praise for Katherine Roy’s Author Visits
TALKS
Nonfiction Safari: Sharks, Elephants, and the Wild Side of Inquiry (In-Person School Visit)
Join author/illustrator Katherine Roy for this dynamic safari through the writing, drawing, and field research behind her award winning books Neighborhood Sharks, How to Be an Elephant, and Making More. Packed with animal science, on-location research, sketches, humor, and up-close footage from the field, Roy delivers a unique presentation on how she creates her nonfiction books from start to finish by following the WISER inquiry model and her own curiosity about the natural world. Where does wonder begin? How can research be an adventure? How can big failures while writing or drawing lead to more resilience and even bigger breakthroughs? Students will be spell-bound by this behind-the-scenes look at Roy's entire bookmaking process and fall in love with learning about these extraordinary creatures, while teachers and librarians will walk away with new ideas for how to incorporate research, writing, and drawing into their classroom curriculums. This presentation can be tailored to fit all ages and the specific needs of any school, and can focus on just sharks, just elephants, just life cyles, or a combination of material.
Making More: Using Story and Science to Have ‘The Talk’ With Your Kid (Parent Night Out)
As a mother of two boys—ages seven and three—author/illustrator Katherine Roy knows how to use nature as a starting point for having ‘The Talk’ with kids on how life begins. Her new book, Making More: How Life Begins is a tool to help parents and children better understand this incredible process, and to meet a child’s questions with a shared sense of joy and wonder. In this fun and engaging evening workshop for parents, Roy will share a behind-the-scenes look at creating her book and discuss the fascinating science of sexual reproduction—or “crossing”—in living organisms. Through compelling storytelling and accessible science, participants will learn how living organisms must meet and merge their DNA to create new life, and how this process is both what makes the natural world so diverse and—by extension—what makes every human being so unique. Not only will parents leave with a better understanding of basic facts about genes, fertilization, growth, and birth across living organisms, but they will also gain ideas for how to use plant and animal examples to build safe spaces for their children to ask questions like "How do babies get out?” and “How do babies get in?” Participants will be invited to consider new approaches and activities to take this tricky topic and turn it into an easy conversation, and brainstorm how they can help harness our natural curiosity about reproduction to grow more resilient, well-informed kids. This workshop pairs well with a day of school visits.
Making More: Using Story and Science to Talk With Kids About How Life Begins (Parenting/Professional Development Workshop)
In this workshop, author-illustrator Katherine Roy will share the science and storytelling behind her new nonfiction picture book, Making More: How Life Begins. By using the book's plant and animal examples to demystify reproduction and cut through taboos, Roy will walk participants through how this tool for parents can be used as an essential resource for families and educators. During this session, participants will:
Examine the basic elements of sexual reproduction—meet, merge, grow, and change—using familiar plant and animal organisms that are native the Pacific Northwest
Explore how a storytelling framework, along with the absence of representing human reproduction, can reduce parental stress around this topic while still providing a child with accurate information on how reproduction works
Discuss strategies for how the book can be used by parents, caregivers, and educators, including sample nature-based learning activities, the WISER inquiry model, and related tools and resources to help make space for children to ask questions
The workshop will begin with a dynamic PowerPoint presentation, exploring why the book was created; sharing examples of reproduction across different organisms—turtles, trout, ferns, hawks, bumblebees, oak trees, squirrels, deer, and more; detailing Roy's writing process—from fun idioms for page headers to choosing vocabulary and meeting K-5 Science Standards; and explaining how she utilized her careful research to inform the final paintings. After the PowerPoint, Roy will first lead a Q&A with participants, and then discuss sample activities that could be paired with the book to foster nature-based learning and help build safe spaces for children to ask questions. As time allows, participants may use breakout groups to further discuss how the book and the suggested activities could be applied in their own families/professional fields.
Inquiry in Action: A Five-Part Virtual Nonfiction Workshop with Katherine Roy (Virtual School Workshop)
Drawing from her unique experiences as a field researcher, artist, and informational storyteller, author/illustrator Katherine Roy is now offering a virtual five-part nonfiction writing and drawing workshop for 4th–8th grade students. Over the course of the workshop, students will visit Roy’s studio for a rare, behind-the-scenes look at her step-by-step approach to creating nonfiction books. Each session will start with a 15-minute presentation on a new aspect of the WISER inquiry model—WONDER, INVESTIGATE, SYNTHESIZE, EXPRESS—followed by a discussion and Q&A so that students can ask for advice about their own in-progress nonfiction projects. In between virtual sessions, Roy will coordinate with the teacher/librarian as students work on creating their own nonfiction “juicy paragraph” and accompanying illustration by the end of the workshop. The final session, REFLECT, will celebrate the completed projects, and give students an opportunity to briefly share what they learned and what they’re proud of. This workshop can be tailored to the specific needs or interests of the teacher/librarian and typically takes two-three months to complete, as students will need time between sessions to complete each step of their projects and various non-school days and holidays frequently interrupt the planned schedule.