“We shouldn’t let our dreams stay inside our head at night…we need to make these dreams a reality.”

Yep, that’s my boy, I thought during Ian’s remarks at his high school graduation this past June.  I was in awe as he spoke.  Not just because of his leadership role as class president or the ease in which he delivered his speech.  Any mother would be proud.

Nope, my pride went much deeper than that. Here’s a kid that certainly could have gone in the other direction, my entire family right with him, following the death of his oldest sister, my oldest child, nearly thirteen years ago.  I’m grateful that he has chosen to focus on his dreams as opposed to the nightmare that we experienced when Claire died.

“Bye momma,” she said, hugging me tight.  I watched her as she walked, no, skipped, with two other moms and their daughters off to her lodging at the Girl Scout camp.  She insisted that I take my other daughter, Kyle, to her cabin, and let her go off with the other girls.  As she turned back to me, her little overnight duffle bag swaying with her, she waved and smiled. A big, huge, proud smile.  It was the last time I would see her alive.

Claire, my precocious, vibrant, spirited, funny, purple-loving little avid reader was gone. Forever.

Those that have said time heals all wounds must never have buried a child.  Yes, time has lessened the pain, but the tug on my heart remains whenever I think of her.  My throat still tightens when I speak of her.  There was a time that I could not make it through a day without crying, the littlest things getting to me. Remnants of who she was and all that she embraced surrounded me; the music she loved to sing and dance to, her books, her treasured bear collection and all things purple flooded me with memories.

Days passed, and from my own personal trail of tears I left while on daily walks, sprung a new purpose.  My dreams were to move forward in life with my loving husband and my two other children and live.  Really live.  And, in order to do so, I felt it was important to honor Claire in such a way that was true to her.  The answer came to me six months after she died.

There was an issue of Time magazine in my plane seat pocket as we traveled to Jacksonville to attend my niece’s wedding.  As I flipped through the magazine, an article about the Texas Book Festival and then-First Lady Laura Bush’s involvement struck a chord.  Reading the piece, I was impressed that the festival not only celebrated books, but championed Texas born authors.  When reading to our children at night, I thought it important that our three little ones learn about the writers and artists that had created the books. Through this regular exercise, I knew that my home state of Ohio had a wealth of talent in our own backyard.

With tears in my eyes, I turned to my husband, Brad, and said, “This is what we are going to do to honor Claire.  We’re going to create a children’s book festival.”

Thirteen years later, the festival has grown larger than we could have imagined. Families with children of all ages will gather for the 12^th annual Claire’s Day on the grounds of our local library in May.  The children squirm and squeal in delight as they watch artists recreate their book characters, or authors read from their books.  The thrill of not only meeting our special guests, but having them personally sign their creations for children hangs in the air throughout the day.  Children dance to the fun musical performances, and little hands keep busy making crafts tied into the themes of the featured books.

Applause can be heard from a huge tent decorated with purple balloons for very special award ceremonies. The C.A.R.E. Awards (Claire’s Awards for Reading Excellence) are given to children nominated by their principals as being the most improved readers in their schools.  The recipients very often have been diagnosed with dyslexia or other learning challenges, and rarely receive academic recognition.  The look of pride on parents’ faces as their children receive these awards is indescribable.  The pure joy on the children’s faces is even more so.

Prior to each award ceremony, my husband Brad tells the story of how during our nightly reading sessions, as Claire got older, she would correct him as his dyslexic brain misread words.  Eventually she would take the book from him, and read to him. When it is time to distribute the awards, my tall husband sits on the stage to give each child not only a certificate noting their accomplishment, but a coupon to pick out a book from the huge selection at Claire’s Day.  A book they can call their very own.

Over the years, Brad and I have met many of the parents of recipients of the C.A.R.E. Awards.  They look to us with tear-filled eyes, thanking us profusely for what we have done for their children through the recognition they receive at Claire’s Day.  “My son now reads!” they say, or, “I can’t get my daughter to put her book down!”  Claire would be so proud.

It was through this celebration and remembrance of Claire that allowed our family to grieve together.  Each of us did so in our own way, and in our own time, but we gave each other the room to cry, laugh, scream and move forward. We’ve lived through some dark days, and created some beautiful happy memories together. Claire was not with us physically in our many travels and life adventures, but there is no escaping her presence. We smile at each other as we see purple clouds at sunset, or purple wild flowers along the road side, remembering our purple-loving daughter and sister. And we are grateful that her fun-filled spirit has guided us from the depths of a nightmare to the joys of fulfilling our dreams.

We’ve certainly not allowed them only to linger in our heads at night.

For the past eight years, during the week leading up to the Claire’s Day family book festival in May, the Claire’s Day authors and illustrators visit classrooms around the region as a way to enhance the students’ literary experience. These school visits include entertaining, experiential, educational presentations and story telling that encourage students to use their imagination, enjoy literature, and to pursue reading as a regular activity. Since the authors and illustrators describe their creative writing process and the process of publishing a children’s book, students also get an understanding of how a book arrives completed in their hands. In 2012, an estimated 10,000 students participated in an author’s visit at 20 schools.

This year, the authors and illustrators will visit with students from 23 local schools, including 5 Toledo Public Schools that have not previously participated (thanks to a generous grant from the Toledo Rotary Foundation). Participating schools include:

• Toledo Public Schools: Walbridge Elementary, Beverly Elementary, Marshall Elementary, Reynolds Elementary, Keyser Elementary
• Rossford School District: Eagle Point Elementary, Indian Hills Elementary, Glenwood Elementary
• Anthony Wayne School District: Monclova Elementary
• Springfield School District: Holloway Elementary
• Northwood School District: Olney Elementary
• Perrysburg School District: Fort Meigs Elementary, Toth Elementary
• Maumee School District: Fairfield Elementary, Fort Miami Elementary, Wayne Trail Elementary
• Defiance School District: Definace Elementary School
• Swanton School District: Park Elementary
• Private and Community Schools: Bennett Venture Academy, Gesu School, Grove Patterson Academy, Queen of the Apostles, Rosary Cathedral

We can’t wait to meet your students and watch their imaginations soar with their visiting authors and illustrators!

C.A.R.E. Award winners receive a certificate of achievement and a certificate for one free book by one of the Claire's Day authors or illustrators.

Claire’s Award for Reading Excellence (C.A.R.E.) recognizes students who demonstrate marked improvement in their reading skills over the course of a school year. Teachers may nominate one most-improved reader from their 1-8 grade class.

Students will be honored in a ceremony at the free Claire’s Day family book festival in front of their friends, family, teachers, and school administrators on Saturday, May 18, 2013, at the Maumee Branch Library, 501 River Road, Maumee, OH, 43537. In 2012, a record-breaking 370 students were honored with this award.

Awardees receive a certificate of achievement and a certificate for one free book of their choice by one of the Claire’s Day visiting authors or illustrators, with the opportunity to meet the author or illustrator and have it signed.

Nominations will be accepted at www.clairesday.org/care between March 15 – April 15, 2013.

Students will be honored in a ceremony at the free Claire’s Day family book festival in front of their friends, family, teachers, and school administrators on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

This award means the world to readers who have overcome many struggles to improve their skills. Show them that as their educator, you C.A.R.E.!

QUESTIONS? Contact Anne Cross, C.A.R.E. Awards Co-Chair, at: clairesdayschools@gmail.com

To read a heartwarming narrative on the origins of the C.A.R.E. Awards, in which Claire’s Day founder Brad Rubini recounts his struggles with dyslexia and his special reading time with daughter Claire, check out our blog post entitled, Claire’s Day: A Growing Legacy.

You’ll also find a story about one thoughtful C.A.R.E. Award recipient who gifted his free book to his favorite teacher for helping him learn to read in the article C.A.R.E. Awards Bring Out the Best in Us.

The Claire’s Day Authors School Visit Program connects Midwestern authors and illustrators to local schools as a way to enhance the studentsʼ literary experience. These visits include entertaining, experiential, educational presentations and story telling that encourage students to use their imaginations, enjoy literature, and to pursue reading as a regular activity. Since the authors and illustrators describe their creative process and the process of publishing a childrenʼs book, students also get an understanding of how a book arrives completed in their hands. In 2012, an estimated 10,000 local students participated in authors’ visit at 19 schools.

The $5,000 grant from the Toledo Rotary Foundation will help to cover the cost of the author’s and illustrator’s honorarium for five Toledo Public Schools that have not previously participated in this program. It will also provide $195 worth of books to each school to expose the students to the authorʼs or illustrator’s books prior to the visit.

**Update 5/8/2013: The five Toledo Public Schools that are participating this year include Beverly Elementary, Keyser Elementary, Marshall Elementary, Reynolds Elementary, and Walbridge Elementary.

“We are thrilled to be able to expand the Author School Visit Program into these Toledo Public Schools for the first time,” said Claire’s Day Executive Director Heather Gallant. “Claireʼs Day was founded to inspire all children to be lifelong readers, and we couldn’t accomplish this mission without the generous financial support from community partners like the Toledo Rotary Foundation to cover the costs of such a worthwhile learning opportunity.”

The Toledo Rotary Foundation was established to support the educational and charitable efforts of the Rotary Club of Toledo.  Foundation funding is made possible through the generous contributions of members of the Rotary Club of Toledo and its friends.

The 2013 Claire’s Day grant recipients included:

• Anthony Wayne Local Schools: Monclova Elementary
• Defiance: Defiance Elementary
• Maumee: Fort Miami Elementary, Wayne Trail Elementary, Fairfield Elementary
• Northwood Elementary Schools
• Perrysburg: Fort Meigs Elementary, Toth Elementary
• Rossford Elementary Schools
• Springfield Local Schools: Halloway Elementary
• Swanton: Park Elementary
• Toledo: Queen of the Apostles School, Bennett Venture Academy, Grove Patterson Academy, Rosary Cathedral School, Gesu School

School visits include entertaining, experiential, educational presentations and storytelling that encourage students to use their imaginations, enjoy literature, and pursue reading as a regular activity. Since the authors and illustrators describe their creative process and the process of publishing a children’s book, students also get an understanding of how a book arrives completed in their hands.

Schools had the option of selecting a $200 cash grant to help cover the cost of the author’s or illustrator’s honorarium, or a donation of books to expose the students to the authorʼs or illustrator’s books prior to the visit. This grant is made possible by charitable gifts from Claire’s Day donors and sponsors.

At the grant reception, school representatives received their award, learned more about Claire’s Day’s programs and services, and had the opportunity to brainstorm together about ways they could enhance their students’ experiences by integrating the author’s and illustrator’s work into their school day prior to the school visit.

• Have a door-decorating contest with scenes from the author’s books the week of the author’s visit to showcase their talent.
• Assign the students to write questions or letters to the authors. Some writing prompts could include:
  • What did you like about the book?
  • What would you have changed if you were the author?
  • What parts of the book would you would have liked to know more about?
  • How do you think the author came up with the idea for this book?
  • If you were going to write your own book, what would it be about? What story would you want to tell?
• Have students read several of the author’s books and then ask the students to compare and contrast the books.Ÿ
• Invite students select one of the author’s books and write an alternative ending for it.Ÿ
• Rewrite or retell the story from the perspective of a different character in the book.
• Separate out text of a book by one of the authors or illustrators and print it in black and white on a single sheet of paper. Have the students do their own illustrations based on the story before showing them the ones from the book.
• Relate the story to its historical context. What is accurate for the time period in which the story was set? How would the story be different if it had been placed 100 years in the past? In the future?
• Reinforce a science lesson that relates to the story.
  • If there are plants or animals in the story, what more can you learn about them?
  • What role does nature or weather play in the story?
• If the story includes any music or songs, play those songs for the students. Invite them to make up their own dance moves as a team and teach them to other teams in your class.
• Invite the students to discuss the relationships between characters in the story. Which characters were friends? Which characters encountered conflicts? How did they address their conflicts? Did it work? What might they have done to solve the problem differently?

What other ideas do you have? Share them with other educators on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/clairesday.

Claire’s Day: A Growing Legacy
by Tammy Alexander, Board Member of the Northern Ohio Branch of The International Dyslexia Association

Ask most individuals with dyslexia when they are most embarrassed by their condition, and it will usually be the same answer: reading aloud in front of people. Brad Rubini recalls the discomfort of reading to an audience of one: his seven-year-old daughter Claire.

Brad was stumbling over his words when reading a book to Claire during their treasured reading time. “Stop, Dad. Let me read the book,” she offered. From then on, Claire did the reading during their father-daughter reading time. Although at the time Brad felt self-conscious, it gave him the opportunity to explain to Claire what it was like growing up dyslexic. “I used to spell my name ‘BraD’ with an uppercase B and D,” said Brad, “because I couldn’t tell the difference between lowercase b’s and d’s.”

In some ways, Claire and her father were opposites. Claire was an outstanding student and loved to read, whereas Brad did not enjoy school and read his first book only after he graduated from high school. Brad fits a typical dyslexic profile. “I was not a good student. I didn’t do homework. I sat at the back of the class, and I never put my hand up.” Although he would sometimes try to take notes in class, he couldn’t make sense of his notes afterward. He would purposefully write illegibly to mask his poor spelling.

Brad learned how to cope with his difficulties by focusing on his strengths. Despite his academic difficulties, he had many gifts. He was very social and a natural leader in the playground. He loved playing sports, such as baseball, football, basketball, golf…even kick-the-can. Starting at ten years old, he also enjoyed pulling apart and putting back together all kinds of mechanical things, like bicycles, lawn mowers, and later, motorcycles and carburetors.

In high school, he earned D’s in English and his core classes. So, whenever he could, he would take Art, Cooking, and Shop classes, in which he did well because they were more hands-on. Also, “if I heard something I could remember it.” So he paid attention in class. He read CliffsNotes for his English novels so that he could understand what the books were about.

It was a struggle for Brad to get into college, but he was accepted to Northwood University in Midland, Michigan, provided that, in his first semester, he would take English and Math pre-college courses. He obtained a degree in Management and Marketing with an Associate’s Degree in Automotive Parts and Management. Now he is a successful small business owner and excels in sales. The advice that Brad gives to students with dyslexia is, “Learn to live with it. Find what you like to do, and do it better.”

Focusing on the positive is one of Brad’s effective coping strategies that not only got him through school, but also through one of the most anguishing events a parent can face: the death of one’s child. Brad’s beloved daughter Claire died tragically while at summer camp when she was 10 years old.

“Julie [Brad’s wife] and I knew we wanted to do something in Claire’s honor and memory,” Brad explained. Julie had an “aha” moment when flying to a family wedding in Florida. With tears in her eyes, she handed Brad a Time magazine article and said, “This is what we are going to do to honor Claire.” It was an article about then-First Lady Laura Bush and the Texas Book Festival, which features authors from Texas and raises money for the Texas library system. A year and a half later, in May 2002, Claire’s Day was born.

Claire’s Day, founded by the Rubini family, commemorates 10-year-old Claire Rubini by celebrating what she loved to do most: read. It is a free family annual book festival held the third Saturday in May at the Maumee Branch Library in Maumee, Ohio. Regional authors and illustrators are invited to participate – this year there were ten of them – giving book readings, book signings, workshops, and demonstrations about writing and illustrating books. Arts and crafts tables are also set up for the full day event.

The highlight of the day is the C.A.R.E. Awards, Claire’s Awards for Reading Excellence. The twist to the C.A.R.E. awards is that they recognize not those who excel in reading, but rather those who struggle most with it. Brad insisted upon that point, as he knew firsthand how tough it could be to read.

Each student who is awarded a C.A.R.E. award also receives a certificate to choose a book written or illustrated by one of the Claire’s Day participating authors or illustrators. In addition, the library has been given a grant of over $2,500 to purchase books for the library, featuring the next year’s Claire’s Day writers and artists. To date, Claire’s Day has donated $30,000 worth of books to the library system.

Using recommendations from teachers, principals from participating school districts submit to the Claire’s Day organization the names of students who show the greatest reading improvement. When giving out the C.A.R.E. awards, Brad is mindful that unlike him, these students have actually read a book before finishing high school. “When I give out awards, I think about Claire,” Brad explains, “and then, I think about these students. I am happy for these kids who will now probably have a good life” because they are on the road to reading. He is also touched when he sees these same students sitting under a tree on the library grounds and reading their book.

Why the Maumee Branch library? Brad, Julie, and their three kids, Claire, Kyle, and Ian, spent a lot of time at the Maumee branch library, whether for story time or just to get books to read. Claire was captivated by good books. In fact, she passed away the week that she was to pick up the much-anticipated third Harry Potter book. She was buried with that copy. Later Brad read the whole Harry Potter series… “no doubt slower than my kids did, but I couldn’t put it down.”

Claire’s Day became a resounding success from the start. In 2002, hundreds of people showed up and 33 deserving students received C.A.R.E. awards. Claire’s Day has grown dramatically over the last twelve years. During the eleventh annual Claire’s Day in May 2012, over 400 students received awards and roughly 4,000 children and adults attended. All school districts are welcome to participate, including schools that are public, private, charter, or religious. Some of the participating school districts are Defiance, Maumee, Oregon, Ottawa Hills, Perrysburg, Rossford, Springfield, Sylvania, Toledo Public, Washington Local, and numerous others. Enrolling is as easy as going to the Claire’s Day website (www. clairesday.org) and completing the nomination form.

“Claire’s Day is no longer just a day, but it’s a month,” Brad joked. There is a fundraiser evening prior to Claire’s Day, Claire’s Night, held in the children’s library at the Main library, as well as the authors’ and illustrators’ visits to hosting schools.

It is interesting to note how one life, Claire’s, has now touched so many. It was their love for her that caused her family to create Claire’s Day. In turn, after twelve years, Claire’s Day has touched thousands of students who have received awards and been acknowledged for their reading improvement. The library has received $30,000 towards new books that benefit their patrons. In addition, Claire’s Day has become a community volunteer event. The Boy Scouts of America volunteer their time to help set up and take down the tents, tables, and chairs. Plus, for the last four to five years, the Culinary Arts Program at Whitmer High School ran a concession stand at the event to raise funds for their program.

What is in the future for Claire’s Day? Last year, the organization created an executive director position to oversee daily operations and develop additional sources of financial and community support. Brad, a one-time president of the Rotary Club, would love to see the Rotary Club partnering with Claire’s Day as a project and expanding the concept to other areas in Ohio. After that, who knows? Is there an end to the chain-reaction effect that one life can have on so many?

Brad Rubini is clearly an inspiration. He has overcome great hurdles not only in school, but in life. He changed and molded a deep personal tragedy into an event that encourages and supports multitudes of individuals. As Claire’s Day keeps growing, its positive impact continues to touch more and more lives. For Brad, there is no better way to honor his daughter’s memory.

The full text of the article originally appeared here. Reprinted with permission from the author.

“Mrs. Elliott was a very kind teacher for helping me so much with my reading,” said Nathan. “I had the author sign the book for Mrs. Elliott because she was my favorite teacher. ”

The C.A.R.E Awards were created to recognize students like Nathan who demonstrate marked improvement in their reading skills. The awards are given to students at the Claire’s Day family book festival held annually at the public library in Maumee, Ohio, on the third Saturday in May. Students are presented with a special C.A.R.E. Award Certificate in front of the audience of family and friends. Each award recipient also receives a certificate to select a book to take home, written or illustrated by a participating Claire’s Day author or illustrator.

Like all C.A.R.E. award winners, Nathan was not initially a strong reader. His mother confided, “Nathan has struggled with reading since starting school. We moved him to Park Elementary for fourth grade. At that time, he was reading at a second grade level. By the end of fifth grade, he was reading at a fifth grade level.”

Mrs. Elliott knew that Nathan a perfect candidate for a C.A.R.E. “Nathan was working hard and listening to everything that both the intervention specialist and I recommended. As his skills in reading comprehension improved, he recognized it, and challenged himself to do more. He might not admit it, but he fell in love with reading. When a student works that hard, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to reward him.”

The award meant a lot to Nathan. “I thought it was special because I have had difficulty reading, so being most improved reader nominated by Mrs. Elliott felt really good.” His parents were pleased as well. “We were very proud of Nathan. [His reading] continues to improve, and the recognition for his achievement and hard work was a great ego boost for him. Kids that have difficulty reading do not get recognized for academic achievement very often. I think it is a very positive way to show that we all recognize how much work and effort they put forth to succeed at school.”

After receiving his award, Nathan knew that he wanted to choose a book for his favorite teacher, and the book he chose was an easy decision. “It was a book about George Washington by Brandon Marie Miller. I chose it because Mrs. Elliott is a social studies teacher and we had to write reports about people from history. I chose George Washington because her students could use the book for research about George Washington for their projects. I looked at all of the books available at Claire’s Day, and this one just made me think of Mrs. Elliott. I wanted to thank her, so I decided to pick a social studies/history book for her.”

Nathan was thrilled to meet Claire’s Day Author, Brandon Marie Miller. “It was exciting to meet the author. I have never met an author face to face before. I had only been in large groups during author visits at my school so it was interesting meeting her face to face. I asked the author to sign the book to – ‘Mrs. Elliott, the best teacher ever.’”

Mrs. Elliott was surprised and deeply moved to receive the signed book from Nathan. “She cried!” said Nathan. “I can laugh now,” chuckled Mrs. Elliott. “But Nathan is correct. I cried. I was really touched. I will always treasure Nathan’s kindness and thoughtfulness.”

Nathan’s mother was very proud of her son’s display of gratitude, and felt Mrs. Elliott was deserving of this recognition. “I had the opportunity to substitute teach in a class with Mrs. Elliott and she works very well with her students. She is encouraging, patient, and she has a great sense of humor that puts her students at ease and creates an awesome environment for teaching. If any teacher deserves to be recognized the way Nathan did for her, it is Mrs. Elliott. I think I cried when Mrs. Elliott did!”

Mrs. Elliott has been a supporter of Claire’s Day for many years, and has found the program helps her to maintain perspective as a teacher. “I think Claire’s Day is an exceptionally wonderful program,” she said. “As teachers, many times we worry about teaching them how to read, and forget to teach or show them to love reading. I can vividly remember my elementary teachers reading out loud to me, and how I could get lost in my imagination! I could’ve listened to them for hours!”

“It’s fun to see a kid get lost in a good book. Claire’s Day gives educators a day that is just about celebrating the art of being an author. It’s not about a test score, but about the hard work and dedication a student puts in to their personal best. Students get an opportunity to meet authors, see their work, and hear their stories. It is a priceless experience.”

The 12th Annual Claire’s Day is scheduled May 18, 2013. Elementary and middle school principals may nominate one child from each class, each grade level. To nominate a student from your school, contact schools@clairesday.org.

Claire’s Day guest author Paul Orshoski will give a live reading and book signing starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble on Monroe Street in Toledo. Claire’s Day volunteers will provide gift wrapping.

Simply bring a copy of the bookfair voucher, which can be downloaded on our website, to indicate that you’re making a purchase for Claire’s Day.

If you can’t make it to the Toledo store, you can present your voucher at any Barnes and Noble location to help support Claire’s Day. If you can’t make it to a store in person, you can shop online at bn.com/bookfairs between December 13 – 18, 2012, by entering Bookfair ID 10944296 at checkout.

Many thanks to Barnes and Noble for giving us this opportunity, and thank you for your support of Claire’s Day.

Cindy Zamora, Author Hospitality Chair, and Heather Gallant, Executive Director, draw a the name of a school that will get to select their author or illustrator.

The Author Visit program has been in place for eight years. Each May, during the week leading up to the Claire’s Day family book festival, the Claire’s Day authors and illustrators visit classrooms around the region as a way to enhance the studentsʼ literary experience. These school visits include entertaining, experiential, educational presentations and story telling that encourage students to use their imagination, enjoy literature, and to pursue reading as a regular activity. Since the authors and illustrators describe their creative writing process and the process of publishing a childrenʼs book, students also get an understanding of how a book arrives completed in their hands. In 2012, an estimated 10,000 students participated in an authorʼs visit at 20 schools.

Claire’s Day, Inc., strives to obtain a paid school visit for every participating author and illustrator on Friday, May 17, 2013, the day prior to Claire’s Day. Once all Friday school visits are selected, earlier slots in the week can be filled, based on author and illustrator availability. Schools are responsible for the cost of the authors’ honorarium, while Claire’s Day covers other expenses. In partnership with Barnes and Noble, Claire’s Day also offers twenty grants of either $200 cash to help defray the cost of the visit or $300 in books.

The Author Selection Gala is Claire’s Day’s method of facilitating a fair way for schools to book an author. Schools were encouraged to send up to three representatives, and at the reception each received an entry in the author/illustrator drawing. School entries were randomly drawn by Claire’s Day volunteer Cindy Zamora, read aloud by Executive Director Heather Gallant, and the school representatives had a few moments select their author or illustrator. As the authors and illustrators are booked, the pool of choices is reduced. Luckily, all of the author and illustrator choices are great!

School representatives anxiously wait for their names to be called at the Author Selection Gala.

If you weren’t able to make it to the Gala but are interested in having an author visit, you’re in luck! While all of the Friday visits are booked for Friday, May 17, we do still have some author visits available for schools earlier in that week. There are also several grants still available for schools. Contact us at schools@clairesday.org for more information!

Click here for more information about the author visits.

Click here to read more about the 2013 Claire’s Day authors and illustrators.

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