A to Z Mysteries Illustrator John Steven Gurney

Every year in the school library, we host a guest author. The kids (as well as the teachers) inundate me with suggestions. Can we get J.K. Rowland (no, she lives in England). Can we get Shel Silverstein (no, he’s dead). Can we get Eric Carle (no, he’s too expensive). Can we get Steven King (no…well, just NO).

We need to choose someone who lives within driving distance of our school. Some have stretched that to lengthy road trips (bless their hearts). We give an honorarium, but do not pay for hotels or meals. We need someone whose books are in paperback. Someone whose books are suitable for grades kindergarten through 5. Someone who is not annoying to the librarian (wait, did I say that out loud?).

This year, we had John Steven Gurney, who illustrates the A to Z Mysteries and the Calendar Mysteries (by Ron Roy). He has written and illustrated a picture book, Dinosaur Train, and easy chapter book graphic novel, Fuzzy Baseball.

We read many of his books with the kids and had them create literary response projects. What a blast!