TALES OF THE CRYPTIDS: MYSTERIOUS CREATURES WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT EXIST, as investigated by Kelly Milner Halls, Rick Spears, and Roxyanne Young Darby Creek, September 1, 2006 I want to come visit YOUR school! Please click on the flyer, print it out, and take it to your school librarian - thanks! The easier-on-your-printer version.

Want to schedule a school visit or author talk? First, check out the Calendar page to see if the date you need is available. If it is, then contact me via email and we'll set it up from there. Thank you!

Download my Tales of the Cryptids school visits flyer here. (the black background version, .jpg) and here (white background, .jpg)

Download my special report on how to get the money to bring authors like me to your school here. And here's a report from Toni Buzzeo and Jane Kurtz on how to put on a great school visit.

Click here to view pictures from some of my school visits.

Capturing Weird, Wonderful, Magical Stories: Grades K - 6

      Freaky Facts

• There is a largely unexplored region of The Congo larger than the state of Florida where natives report dinosaur-like creatures lurking in the swamps and flying in the skies. Yes, really. 
• Nessie isn’t the only lake monster in the world. There are similar creatures reported in New York, British Columbia, China, Turkey, and more mysterious water creatures in lakes in Africa and off the Pacific coast.
• Sasquatch has been seen in every single United State except Hawaii, and in every Canadian province; plus, the creatures known as Bigfoot in the US are known by over 100 other names in countries around the world.
• In 2005, a colony of some 1,500 orangutans were found on a remote island in Indonesia, leading experts to suppose that if a colony of that size had remained secret for so long, other large primates may still be found in other remote areas of the planet. (Bigfoot, anyone?)

"Have you ever seen something you couldn't explain?"

This presentation explores some of the most mysterious stories your students will have ever heard - stories from around the world, and sometimes pretty close to home. They will hear excerpts from the book, all based on eyewitness accounts, and hear about real field research being conducted by scientists who are working to explain the unexplained. We discuss what empirical evidence is and why it's so important, and we discuss hoaxes and why some people try to trick others by presenting these fantastic creations as fact.

This presentation encourages kids to challenge what we believe is true. It’s about encouraging your students to share their own stories, ask questions, do their own research, and figure out for themselves what they think is possible. Critical thinking is encouraged.

Activities include hands-on exploration of artifacts, maps, and sharing personal experience stories.

Contact meto schedule your school visit or author talk today by using the contact information to the right, or email me from the Contact page. Thank you!

Feedback from teachers:

"That was amazing! The kids were so inspired, so full of questions. I' would never have believed they would actually volunteer to give up P.E. to talk about a book! I want you to come and give a presentation to all the teachers." - Ms. McCall, 2nd Grade Teacher, Explorer Elementary, San Diego, CA.

"The kids enjoyed this presentation so much! I love how engaged they were in everything you said!" - Ms. Endoso, 2nd Grade Teacher, Explorer Elementary, San Diego, CA.