“Jennifer and Paul had prepared a thoughtful and engaging presentation, starting with asking the children to tell them how they traveled to school that morning, showing them photos of different modes of transportation - including a rocket ship!,” noted Susanne Shulman, one of the parent volunteers that coordinated the visit. Throughout the years, veteran authors Jennifer Swender and Paul DuBois Jacobs have developed a large fan club at PS 154. Although they no longer live in Brooklyn, the wife and husband team continue to visit the school and inspire our children. Their popularity is not a mystery, especially when you hear Shulman describe the visit, “They involved the children in the reading of My Subway Ride by having them tap a beat on their legs to bring to life the rhythm of the story.”
Shulman added, “After reading the story they described their writing process, showing the scraps of paper that were the seeds of the story, describing how they refined the story…They also helped the children realize that their ideas, stories and writing are exactly how authors create a book.”
Nina Rao, another parent volunteer instrumental in coordinating the author visit, remarked “The children were very focused and the presentation seemed to greatly enhance the work they are already doing with their teachers in writing their own stories and journal entries.”
