APPLY TO HOST SARA DE WAAL (IN PERSON)
Home Location: Abbotsford, British Columbia + Sioux Center, Iowa
Creator Type: Author
Genres: Picture books
Website: saradewaal.com
Tour Region: British Columbia (Metro Vancouver Region)
Target Audience: Kindergarten – Grade 5
Cost: $300* (for one 60-minute presentation)
*(The author collects $250 of the fee and $50 of the fee covers The Canadian Children's Book Centre's administration fees for coordinating Book Week).
Taxes charged on presentations: NO
BIOGRAPHY
Sara de Waal is a writer and teacher from British Columbia, Canada. She holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia and specializes in fiction writing and writing for children. Sara's first picture book, 48 Grasshopper Estates was published in 2021 by Annick Press and was nominated as a Blue Spruce Award finalist in 2022. Her second book, The Biggest Smallest Thing is forthcoming in April 2025. Sara's short story, “Cecelia and Richard” won the inaugural Bridge Prize for Fiction in 2020. Sara has worked as a writer in residence in elementary and high schools and is dedicated to developing tools and strategies to equip writers of all ages and experience levels.
PRESENTATION DESCRIPTIONS
One Piece of Chalk
(60 minutes)
To have enough time to create the chalk art within the session, this workshop will take an hour.
Target audience: Kindergarten – Grade 5
Preferred group size: 25
Maximum group size:
50 (if there's enough space for all participants to complete the activity)
Join Sara for a STEAM packed session, learning how science, art, and kindness go hand-in-hand. Sara will read her picture book, The Biggest Smallest Thing and share how she has been inspired by artists and scientists working together to make the world a better place. In the book, Muriel uses a single piece of chalk to think big and to think kind. Participants will have the opportunity, with their own piece of chalk, to draw a kind creation: a hopeful message, a spiral heart, or maybe a friendly Muriel-approved cat. Participants will experience the best kind of explosion: public art. Together, we will create something big from something small.
Required materials: one piece of sidewalk chalk per student (if the weather is bad and we can't go outside, each student will also need one large piece of construction paper).
Purple Pizazz!
This workshop can be split into two 30-minute sessions or extended into an hour with the addition of an author Q&A depending on the setting, age, and organizer preference.
Target audience: Kindergarten – Grade 5
Preferred group size: 25
Maximum group size: 50 (if there's enough space in the room for all participants to complete the activity).
Join Sara for a STEAM packed session, learning how science, art, and kindness go hand-in-hand. Sara will read her picture book, The Biggest Smallest Thing and share how she has been inspired by artists and scientists working together to make the world a better place. Both artists and scientists brainstorm through writing and drawing; one pencil, or even a crayon, could be the small seed to the next big idea. In the book, Muriel uses her favorite colour, purple pizazz, to think outside the box and to extend kindness to her friend, Mo, when he’s having a tough day. Participants will have the opportunity to use their favorite colour to create a card for someone. Guided by Sara and inspired by Mo’s and Muriel’s sketches, participants will decorate their cards with their own biggest, smallest things. They will have the opportunity to share their ideas, and they will take with them a little card that could make a big difference in someone’s day.
Required materials: pencil crayons or crayons for students to use. This session is best suited for a room with tables, desks, or enough floor space for students to draw and colour.
Molecules Working Together
To have enough time to complete both science demos within the session, this workshop will take an hour.
Target audience: Kindergarten – Grade 5
Preferred group size: 25
Maximum group size: 75
Join Sara for a STEAM packed session, learning how science, art, and kindness go hand-in-hand. Sara will read her picture book, The Biggest Smallest Thing, and share how she has been inspired by artists and scientists working together to make the world a better place. Sara will walk participants through some of the science behind the students’ creations in The Biggest Smallest Thing. This will include a participatory sound experiment and even a demonstration of how meringue is made! Sara will connect the science of molecules to the importance of working together in community. Molecules join up to make beautiful things, and as people, so can we.
Required materials: A carton of egg whites at room temperature (1/2 litre or 1 litre depending on what is available), 3 cups of sugar, cream of tartar, a large bowl, an electric hand mixer (preferably with the whip attachment), a table for demos, and an extension cord if the table is not near a plug).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
48 Grasshopper Estates. Written by Sara de Waal. Illustrated by Erika Medina. Annick Press, 2020
The Biggest Smallest Thing. Written by Sara de Waal. Illustrated by Ana Stretcu. Annick Press, Forthcoming April 8, 2025.