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| Michelle Nelson-Schmidt |
On Tuesday, August 28, children’s author/illustrator
Michelle Nelson-Schmidt will visit the students and faculty of Haywood
Elementary School in Brownsville, Tenn., kicking off her first week of school visits for the 2012/13
school year. Nelson-Schmidt will be reading and sharing from her newest book,
Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster.
Traveling with
her is a very hairy green and worrisome Whatif Monster who communicates his
thoughts by whispering them to Nelson-Schmidt, who then relays them to the
students.
“In general, my presentation has a lot to
do with hard work, perseverance and following your dreams! I love what I do and I want to encourage
everyone I meet to find their special and unique talent whatever it may be and
go after it with everything you’ve got! The
World needs you to,” says Nelson-Schmidt.
An experienced speaker, she inspires
students with personal stories and shares her artwork while actively engaging
her audience.
Following art school, Nelson-Schmidt spent
10 years working as a graphic designer for Georgia Perimeter College. During
this time she began painting pet portraits as a creative outlet and selling her
work at local festivals.
After painting animal portraits for about seven years, Nelson-Schmidt began creating her picture books, Dogs, Dogs!and Cats,
Cats! Since publication in September 2011, both books made children’s book
publisher Kane Miller’s Top 25 best-sellers list, selling more than 3,500 of
each title in just three months.
About her newest title she said, “I thought,
‘There is still a lesson to be learned from the Whatif monster. Why don’t I let
him come to life and teach that lesson himself?’”
While Jonathan James and the Whatif
Monster is geared toward children, Nelson-Schmidt said it deals with two
emotions everyone can relate to: fear and anxiety.
If you would like your own autographed copy
of Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster, contact Haywood Elementary School
((731) 772-0732) no later than Wednesday, August 29. All purchases will benefit the school’s
library.
I am SO excited to meet the students in Brownsville! What a perfect place to kick off an amazing year for me! Thankyou for having me, Brownsville!! And thank you Sonia for a lovely article.
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