SANTIAGO AT ST. JOSEPH

On April 25th I had my last in-person school visit of 2022-2023 school year. This time, I visited St. Joseph Catholic School in Anderson, SC and I had the chance of getting together with different age groups in two sessions. The teachers and students were so warm and welcoming, and I think we all had a nice time.

The first session was in the church’s building called The Hall. There I met with students ranging from K4 to 3rd grade. It was really nice to see them excited with the dinosaurs, as there were several kids who are true fans, just like Santiago.

With this group I mainly talked about the story behind the book, and I was able to share with them how my son’s experience (when we moved to USA) inspired me to write this story. Afterwards, we read the book together and there was time for questions. As in all my school visits, Lupe and Nico were a hit and kids are always curious about whether I made them myself. I wish I could say I did! But I can’t, haha. Still, it really makes me want to learn how to crochet dinos 🦕 🦖

The discussion about my favorite dinos also came up. I was happy to see that there are many children who also like Stegosaurus, though I must say the T-Rex is by far the most loved dino of all (at least in St. Joseph).

For the second session we met in the school’s library and I talked to students from 4th to 6th grade. With them the presentation was more about my author’s journey and the publishing process I went through with the book. The students seemed interested and they participated with questions at the end, which makes the moment more interesting.

So this is the wrap up for my in-person school visits during the school year. 🎉 🎊

I am very thankful for all the opportunities I had to meet with teachers, staff and students around Anderson SC and nearby towns. I’m grateful for the support, enthusiasm, and warmth I always received and for the love Santiago’s Dinosaurios got during its first 6 months out in the world.

By the end of May I’m having my first virtual read aloud, which I’m sure will also be super fun. I’ll be posting about that later. In the meantime, thanks so much to everyone who made all these amazing experiences possible, to my family who joined me in many of these wonderful events, and also to all of you readers who have been following my journey on my blog.

I’m truly grateful for being able to share all this with you. Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to join me in the next adventures with Santiago and my coming new book Abuelita’s Gift releasing in Fall 2024. 😊

Cover photo by Cup of Couple.