(above) ALT Grade 3 students take a picture with popular children’s author, Dan Gutman. First row: Nathaniel Chu, Jake Mazzurco, James Dowd, Rishi Dev, Alessandra Purpora, Kelly Bocket-Matthews; 2nd row: Heath Brezee, Christopher Molina, Dan Gutman, Nikhil Raju, and Phoebe Goldman.
Visiting Author Day at Angelo L. Tomaso
Mr. Dan Gutman, popular children’s author, well known for his “My Weird School” series returned to Warren Township Schools on Friday, January 31 to visit the students and staff members of Angelo L. Tomaso (ALT) School for Visiting Author Day.
The special day was coordinated together by Mrs. Susan Jackson, Library Media Specialist and the ALT Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). Gutman received a warm welcome upon his arrival. The library was decorated with Gutman’s books, student artwork, a framed illustration Gutman himself created during a previous visit and a large cut-out picture of Gutman which he referenced on his own twitter feed, “Finally I have reached my goal of becoming larger than life.”
Gutman met with each grade level during his visit to share aspects of his life, including his family, travel experiences, co-workers, his daily routine and what inspires him to write children’s books that are beloved by students, parents, and teachers.
The students were incredibly excited to meet Gutman and that became even more evident at the closing of Gutman’s presentation when he asked his audience if they had any questions. Students got up on their knees and reached their hands as high as they could to be called upon. In addition to asking Gutman questions like, what his favorite book is and why he became a writer the grade three students also shared many suggestions for future book ideas.
Ms. Christine Smith, principal of ALT enjoyed Gutman’s visit, especially seeing the excitement on the students’ faces. “Mrs. Jackson worked for months to build up the excitement for our students who were in complete awe of such a talented author! Dan Gutman was truly an inspirational model of both writing and resilience! A huge thanks to our PTO for sponsoring his visit to ALT today!”
Jackson and the ALT PTO were very impressed with Gutman’s visit on Author Day. Jackson will continue to introduce her students to Gutman’s work and authors alike who spark a love of reading in children. According to Jackson, “Dan Gutman’s motto is to Read Like Crazy, and that’s exactly what the children do with his books!”
Photos by Warren Township Schools
(above) ALT PTO members and ALT staff share a moment with Gutman. Seated: Carina Bellmann, Leslie Morales, Susan Jackson, Dan Gutman, Christine Smith, Susie Chu, Gretchen Minieri; Standing: Meredith Landau, and Pareen Mehta.
