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 Lisa
Shulman
Biography
“I was painfully shy as a child,” Lisa remembers.
“So I spent a lot of time by myself. My friends were
characters in books, and in my own imagination. I remember
making up stories in the car, or at night before I fell asleep,
and feeling like I couldn’t wait to write them down.
Even now when I write, I love the feeling I get of living
someone else’s life.”
Lisa taught preschool and elementary
school for many years before turning her talents to writing
for children. She enjoys telling students stories about her
childhood, such as the time in fourth grade when she submitted
her first book for publication and received her first rejection
letter. Now a full-time writer for children and adults, Lisa
lives in Sebastopol, California with her husband, twin daughters,
and assorted pets.
Honorarium
$600 to $900 per day, depending on location, plus travel and
expenses
Program description
Lisa uses slides, props, and personal anecdotes to show how
stories evolve from real life. She'll give your students a
behind-the-scenes look at the life of a working author as
she discusses the writing process and the important roles
that imagination and reading play in her work. Lisa will also
share some of her earliest childhood writing in the hopes
of inspiring young authors to believe in themselves and to
see that we all have something to say.
Size and number of
groups
Preferred group size ranges from 15 to 200 students. Lisa
can give three presentations a day, with an additional short
presentation for kindergartners if they are not included in
a larger group. School visits can also include a Writer's
Lunch, in which children interested in writing are selected
to have lunch with Lisa and chat about writing.
Number and length
of presentations
Full day: three presentations (30-45 minutes each, depending
on the age of the audience) plus additional kindergarten talk
(see "Size and number of groups"), and Writer's
Lunch if desired.
Half day: 2 presentations (30-45 minutes).
Age or grades of
groups I prefer to work with
K-6 (but not all together)
Equipment needs
- Carousel slide projector (if outside
the SF Bay Area)
- Screen
- Microphone
- Rolling projector cart
- Long extension cord
- Room that can be darkened
- Table
 How
to Order Books for a Visit
Order
from this booklist 
 Titles
in Print
Old MacDonald Had a Woodshop
Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
(Penguin & Putnam, 2002)
"This delightful twist on the classic
song (with loads of fun sound effects) is a must for do-it-yourself
children."—School Library Journal, starred
review
“A terrific idea measured and mitered to a tee, building
a perfectly
crafted book.”—Kirkus
- International Reading Association
Notable Book
Over in the Meadow at the Big
Ballet
Illustrated by Sarah Massini
(Penguin & Putnam, 2007)
The annual ballet is coming up, and everyone in the meadow
is getting ready. Trouble is, the little swan with the starring
role isn’t quite sure she’s ready for the stage.
But with the help of her teacher, Miss Faye, the nervous swan
spends every spare minute rehearsing and when her moment in
the spotlight finally arrives, a star is born.
The Matzo Ball Boy
Illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger
(Dutton, 2005)
“…a delightful fractured version of the Gingerbread
Boy.” —Booklist
“Shulman combines a favorite
story with dashes of silliness and broad
strokes of Jewish-centric humor to make this an offbeat complement
to
the holiday library.” —Publishers Weekly
- 2006 Notable Children's Book of Jewish Content, Association
of Jewish Libraries
The Moon Might Be Milk
Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
(Penguin & Putnam, 2007)
Wondering what the moon is made of and receiving different
answers from Cat and Dog, Rosie gets a delicious answer from
Gran after she puts together an assortment of ingredients
and bakes the perfect batch of moon-shaped cookies for all
to share.
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