Jon Klassen Visit

This past week, we were delighted to have a visit from Winnipeg born writer/illustrator, Mr. Jon Klassen.  

Jon Klassen is a Canadian writer and illustrator of children's books and an animator. He won both the American Caldecott Medal and the British Kate Greenaway Medal for children's book illustration, recognizing the 2012 picture book This is Not My Hat, which he also wrote. He is the first person to win both awards for the same work.

This Is Not My Hat is a companion to Klassen's preceding picture book, I Want My Hat Back (2011), and his first as both writer and illustrator. Both books were on the New York Times Best Seller list for more than 40 weeks; by April 2014 one or the other had been translated into 22 languages and they had jointly surpassed one million worldwide sales. Both books were recommended for children ages 5+ by the Greenaway judges. 

The students enjoyed a presentation which included storytelling from some of his books and tips on learning how to draw. The students also practiced drawing faces based on suggestions from Mr. Klassen. Our students have already read some of his books, and thought it was pretty cool to meet the real author! If you haven't already read the 2 books mentioned above, be sure to check them out!

(Thanks to Mrs. Lowe, Grade 1/2 teacher, for arranging this visit with her famous cousin!)