Patricia is available from September until mid-November and March until June. The rest of the year she is working, playing, and spending time with family, friends, and critters.
Patricia is booked a year to a year and a half in advance.
Fee
Patricia’s fee is $2500.00 per day, plus travel, food, and lodging. This covers no more than three 60-minute presentations in one day or one day worth of conference activities. Please allow 15 to 30 minutes between presentations. No more than two schools per day. No evening performances. The appearance fee is due the day of her presentation. This is not negotiable. We do not accept purchase orders.
Travel
Patricia only travels by train or car. Patricia does not use the airline.
Travel by train will be first class to and from Battle Creek, Michigan. Check to be sure you have a train station in your area. We make train arrangements through our personal travel agency and payment is made directly from you to them. When more than one school is involved within a district, someone will need to be responsible to make payment to the travel agency for the entire amount, and be responsible to obtain reimbursement from other parties involved.
I will notify you when tickets have been reserved and you will have a certain amount of time (usually 4 to 5 days) to make payment directly to the travel agency. If payment is not made by the date given, the tickets are forfeited and travel cannot be guaranteed after that. Forfeited tickets invalidate your contact appearance.
Travel by car will be either Patricia driving herself, or if the distance is over 90 minutes drive time, the hiring of Patricia’s private driver. If Patricia will be driving herself, you will be sent an invoice for .25 per mile upon her return. If Patricia’s driver is hired, arrangements are made through us and you are responsible for payment to the driver directly.
If Districts are willing to work together concerning travel arrangements, tour can be piggy backed together, thereby saving costs for all parties involved.
Lodging
Patricia needs a full service hotel that includes room service or a restaurant attached to the hotel. You are responsible for the costs of breakfast, lunch, and supper. Teachers often host luncheons or take Patricia out to lunch. Oftentimes people ask about going out to dinner in the evenings. Unless the presentation is specifically part of a dinner presentation, we leave it up to how Patricia is feeling at the moment. Meals taken at the hotel will be charged to her room.
Patricia will pay her own phone costs. Reservations and payments are your responsibility. We will not hold reservations on our credit cards. It is your responsibility to confirm these reservations.
Frequently Patricia will need to arrive the day prior to her presentation. If an evening presentation is required, reservations for that night will be required as well. Sometimes early check in is required.
Cancellation
Cancellation may occur due to illness, Amtrak cancellations or delays, or weather restrictions. If cancelled, we will reschedule at the nearest available date. This may not be until the following school year.
Equipment
Patricia only needs a table for props and a microphone that is mobile. A lapel mike is preferred, if possible.
Books
We do not provide books for sale. If you would like to sell books, we suggest you go through your local bookstore or contact the publishers directly. Information on ordering books through Patricia’s publishers will be included when arranging author visit.
Patricia has carpal tunnel and we try to keep her book signing to a minim. She is happy to sign for faculty and parents, but if there is a school wide book sale dealing with hundreds of books, we prefer to use signed bookplates. Bookplates will be offered at no cost, providing they are used for book sales only. We ask that you return any that are unused.
Presentation Information
Patricia’s presentations are not that of your typical “storyteller.” Her presentations deal with not only her books, but also her learning disabilities, her family, heroic teachers in her life, and the pain she suffered from teasing. She reveals very personal emotional issues, as well as having a lot of fun remembering family.
For Schools
Patricia asks that you keep younger children (Kindergarten through second and third grade) together. Her message is the same for younger children, but the wording is geared more for their level. She asks that you limit her schoolchildren audience to less than 400. We also encourage you to invite as many parents as possible. If you plan an evening presentation, please remember that this counts as on of your presentations.
(If space is a premium, pre-k and kindergarten children may be excluded from the presentation. Patricia’s message is not particularly geared for 4 and 5 year olds.)
We suggest that kids be familiar with Meteor!, The Keeping Quilt, Thank You, Mr. Falker, My Rotten Red Headed Older Brother, and Chicken Sunday. These are mentioned during her presentation. Patricia talks about the meteor and allows the kids to touch a piece of it on their way out. Of course, the have to follow specific guidelines given during her talk. Each kid can either make a wish, or they are uncomfortable with that but are familiar with Pink and Say, they can shake the hand that shook the hand…
Patricia needs to arrive approximately 15 minutes prior to her presentation time. The presentation will last aproximately 1 hour, plus the time it takes for kids to say “hi” on their way out.
For Conferences
Patricia has two types of presentations she can give for conferences:
“The Heroes of My Life”
Patricia thanks the heroes who have made a difference in her life. She pays homage to the distinct people and their ilk who have inspired her to become the person she is today… those who continue to make the biggest difference in the world each and every day, insuring the preservation and wellbeing of our most precious resource… our children. In addition to offering a glimpse into her past, from personal triumphs (learning to read), to family heirlooms (Anna’s quilt), this presentation is aimed at teachers, parents, librarians, and men and women alike, and is intended to uplift, inspire, and acclaim those heroes, who have devoted their lives to our children.
“Tales and Talk”
Patricia brings into play the real life stories that inspired the books Meteor!, The Keeping Quilt, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She will inspire and entertain you as she regales about family, heroic teachers who influenced her life, and teachers as heroes, while also touching on her learning disabilities, teasing, and how this made her feel growing up.
If you have read and can accommodate Patricia Polacco’s requirements for an author visit, please fax the following information to (517)741-5259:
(You can also email the information to babushka.inc@verizon.net)
Organization Name
City & State
Contact Person
Phone
Fax
email
Nearest Amtrak Station (if travel by train is required)
Day(s) Requested
All request are filed by state and kept for constant review when arranging travel. Remember, tours are booked at least a year in advance. Having at least a week or more worth of business greatly increases your chances of securing Patricia.
If you are a school within 90 minutes of Union City, Michigan, please make note of that on your request.
