The New Celebrity

This student won a trip to an author visit
with me at a silent auction last year.  He chose
to visit Jon Klassen!

Living in Los Angeles, one of the things my friends from elsewhere often ask me is, "Have you seen any celebrities?"  Of course I always answer with the slew of names that I've acquired in the 5 years since my relationship with LA began.  However, there has never been a celebrity that I've gone gaga for as much as I have with some of my favorite authors.

I guess I'm just still that nerdy little girl I have always been, but I get jumping-out-of-my-boots excited when I see or meet someone whose book has changed my life.  Imagine, someone once sat in their office, room, a cafe, etc. and wrote words or drew pictures on a piece of paper that can make me laugh, cry, and ponder.  They don't get paid millions of dollars.  They don't have their name and face plastered on a cereal box.  They just do what they do best, send it out into the world, and hope people like it.

My mission?  To help the next generation join me in celebrating the new celebrities, people who write and illustrate books.  Whenever I meet an author/illustrator and get a book signed, I put the photo of us in the front of the book and bring it to school.  My students and I read the books over and over again.  We talk about the books.  We look at websites.  Sometimes we even write letters.  These authors and illustrators become the celebrities of our classroom.

Last year it was Jon Klassen, author and illustrator of I Want My Hat Back, who became our biggest celebrity.  We read I Want My Hat Back who knows how many times and we jumped on Extra Yarn when it came out.  This year, we added Klassen's characters to our classroom walls.  And this past Tuesday, when I told my kids that Jon Klassen would be celebrating the release of his new single Super Bowl win movie children's book, This is Not My Hat, well, we showed up!  There were 18 kids in all, including siblings.  Lots of parents filled the room and we definitely were the biggest group there.  I beamed as kids showed up, running up to me saying, "I saw him! I think I saw him!"

We listened to Jon read the new book and the sibling of one of my students held the book for him as he read.  When Klassen asked if anyone had questions, I couldn't help but burst with pride as my students and their parents asked many questions.  They kept looking back at me with these big, silly grins on their faces.  "That's really him!!"

After the reading, we basically sold Skylight Books out of most of his books.  Some kids didn't even get a copy.  But they stood in line and found something for him to sign.  Jon was lovely enough to take a minute away from the huge line and get a group picture with us. (With camera flashes going off from all the parents, it felt like paparazzi!) Words can't describe the feeling I had walking back to my car Tuesday night.  Or Wednesday morning when they all rushed into the classroom to see if I had posted the group picture in the book (I did) and to show me their signed copies.  They kids who didn't make the event were  high-fiving their friends and wanted to know when we could read the book.

One of my favorite moments was the day after meeting Jon Klassen, when one student said, "Meg! Meg!  When is the next author coming??" Yep, the new celebrity.  My mission has begun!

The sibling who got to hold a book for a real celebrity!

Slightly blurry, but I think it captures our excitement!

Thanks Jon Klassen!