​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
There’s nothing I love more than visiting schools and sharing my stories with students while inspiring them to express their own creativity and imagination! I offer two programs:
1. “You’re Everything Everywhere All the Time!”
30-minute program for Pre-K – 2nd grades
Repeated twice on a full day and half days
-
Meet the Author Presentation w/ Slide Show
- My journey to becoming an author
- The writing and publication process
- Finding sources of inspiration for your
imagination
-
Brain Break Activity
-
Interactive Storytime and Q&A
-
Sing-along
-
Book Signing
2. “Just be You!”
50-minute program for 3rd -5th grades repeated in three class
assemblies on a full day or one general assembly on a half day.
Impact: Encouragement to express one’s genuine personality.
Itinerary:
-
Meet the Author Presentation w/ Slide Show
- My journey to becoming an author
- The writing and publication process
- Finding sources of inspiration for your
imagination
-
Brain Break activity
-
Interactive Storytime - “It’ll be Irie” and Q&A
-
Storytelling Games
-
Book Signing
*Presentation schedule for a Full Day (4 hours)
9:00 - 9:30 a.m. - “You’re Everything!” program, PreK-K
9:45 – 10:15 a.m. – “You’re Everything!" program, Grade 1
10:30 – 11:00 a.m. - “You’re Everything!” program, Grade 2
11:15-12:10 a.m. - - “Just be You!” program, Grade 3
12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. - Lunch Break
1:00 -1:50 p.m. -- “Just be You!” program, Grade 4
2:00 – 2: 45 p.m. “Just be You!” program, Grade 5
*Schedule can be modified. This is an example
​
*Presentation schedule - Half Day (2 hours)
9:00 - 9:30 a.m. - “You’re Everything!” program, PreK & K
9:45 – 10:40 a.m. – “You’re Everything!” program, Grades 1 & 2
11:00-11:30 a.m. - - “Just be You!” program, Grade 3-5 (assembly)
*Schedule can be modified. This is an example
*Fees:
Full Day – 4 hours: $500
Half Day – 2 hours: $250
Virtual – 1 hour: $125
*Does not include travel expense.
Schools that have free lunch programs or are registered as Title 1 schools are eligible for a discounted rate. In addition, upon booking an Author Visit with me, one free copy of "It'll be Irie" will be donated to the school's library.
I do my best to work with your school's budget. There are also other ways to book me for an Author Visit, such as procuring student book sales in advance of the event day. Please contact me if interested and we can always work something out!
​
Here is a link to a site with on formation on grants and how to obtain funding for your school's Author Visit:
​
​
If you’d like to inquire about my availability for an author visit, or if you have any questions, please email on the contact page. I look forward to hearing from you!
​
​
​
​
​
​
"Donn was a fabulous addition to our Read Across America and Meet an Author events! His story reading and accompanying guitar playing thoroughly engaged the students (and teachers)! We could always depend on his enthusiastic participation and passion for the power of words!" - Cynthia Lowe - elementary school teacher - Los Angeles, CA
​
"As a retired educator, one of my favorite things to do is read to children, and one of my favorite books to read is “You’re Everything, Everywhere, All the Time.” When this book first came out, I was privileged to read it to groups of first graders at a local public school. The student discussion before and during reading was rich, but it didn’t end with our sessions. Classroom teachers kept the conversations going as students wondered and asked questions. “Which illustration does the author like best?” “Does he like to hike and be outdoors?” “How can he use his imagination to create so many different kinds of trees and flowers?"
"With the support of the school media specialist, a zoom meeting was set up with Donn Swaby in which he re-read his book, played his guitar and sang the book lyrics, and answered many of the students’ questions! What a remarkable experience! If it’s not possible for a school to host an in-person visit from Donn Swaby, a virtual visit is a great choice!" - Martha Hodgkins - retired educator - Spring Hill, FL
​
"Including your song in the end was a great closing to your story. We enjoyed both story and song! The way you expressed how our Universe is a part of us and how we are part of it at the primary level was well put." - Glenda Mendizabal - first grade teacher, Glenfeliz Boulevard Elementary School- Los Angeles, CA
​
"I enjoyed Donn reading his book and explaining important words, especially the Jamaican accent." - Ms. Goto - third grade teacher - Glenfeliz Boulevard Elementary School - Los Angeles, CA
"My favorite part was your reading your storybook. I also enjoyed your story building activities. I also learned some fun and creative ways to get my kids writing!" - Amy Cox - fourth grade teacher - Glenfeliz Boulevard Elementary School - Los Angeles, CA
​
"We loved to see and hear from an author and illustrator right here in Spring Hill! It makes books so much more real!" - K. Blanton - 4th grade teacher at Spring Hill Elementary School - Spring Hill, Florida
​
"Your visit was very fun and engaging, especially for the Pre-K class! Our students learned new vocabulary and the hand movements that went along with those words were a great, engaging idea! Our students walked away knowing they or anyone can be a writer. We loved everything about your visit!" Kristen Mitchell - Pre-K teacher - Spring Hill Elementary School - Spring Hill, Florida
​
"I thought the Author Visit was a great experience! The kids had a lot of fun! My favorite part was when the kids were able to create their own stories in different ways. I loved the book that was shared; It was very cute and kid-friendly!" - Ms. Jones - 3rd grade teacher - Spring Hill Elementary School - Spring Hill, Florida
​
"Very interesting and animated! Students loved hearing about the book!" - Ms. Casson - 4th grade teacher - Spring Hill Elementary School - Spring Hill, Florida
"Very entertaining! I loved how engaged the students were. They really loved hearing the story in a Jamaican accent! My favorite part was hearing how certain parts of the book were based on real life events. Thank you for coming to our school and sharing your story with our students!" Michelle Ladines - 3rd grade teacher - Challenger K-8 - Spring Hill, Florida
​
