School Visit Day

Our festival is a two-day event. On the Friday before the festival, we send visiting authors to local schools, dependent upon funding. We try to reach as many Title One schools as we can, with free books included.

Because school budget cuts and library funding cuts make it difficult for schools to afford author visits, we think School Visit Day is the most important part of our festival. Meeting a working author/illustrator is one of the greatest motivators for getting kids excited about reading and about creating their own stories.

If you'd like to be a sponsor for School Visit Day, please contact us at PoulsboKidsBookFest@gmail.com

Author Rosanne Parry visited Xalilc Elementary.

Staff at Island School on Bainbridge are about to eat some bugs, thanks to Mary Boone, author of Bugs for Breakfast.

Students at Vinland got to hear all about writing nonfiction from author Karen deWitz.

Suquamish Elementary got a visit from Karen deWitz, who shared her guidebook about all the critters you find on our local beaches.

Indigenous author, Andrea Fritz, came down from Victoria to visit students at Wolfle Elementary.

The bug-eating continued over at Wolfle Elementary, where author Mary Boone talked about writing science-based books.

The following schools received a free author/illustrator visit in 2024:

TITLE ONE Woodlands Elementary, Bremerton – 3rd and 4th graders (125 free books)

Kristin Varner, Author/Illustrator

TITLE ONE Suquamish Elementary, Suquamish – 3rd and 4th graders (114 free books)

Karen DeWitz, Author

TITLE ONE Wolfe Elementary, Kingston – 3rd graders (73 free books)

Andrea Fritz, Author/Illustrator

TITLE ONE Wolfe Elementary, Kingston – 2nd graders (44 free books)

Mary Boone, Author

TITLE ONE Chimacum Elementary, Chimacum – 3rd-6th graders (200 free books)

Lily Lamotte, Author/Illustrator

TITLE ONE Quilcene K-12, Quilcene – 3rd -5th graders (42 free books)

Lily Lamotte, Author/Illustrator

TITLE ONE Ordway Elementary, Bainbridge – 3rd and 4th graders (132 free books)

Rosanne Parry, Author

TITLE ONE Suquamish Early Learning Center, Suquamish – Head Start Kids (54 free books)

Andrea Fritz, Author/Illustrator

Vinland Elementary, Poulsbo – 2nd -5th grade assembly

Karen DeWitz, Author

Island School, Bainbridge – all school assembly

Mary Boone, Author

Blakely Elementary, Bainbridge – 3rd and 4th graders

Rosanne Parry, Author

Xalilc Elementary, Bainbridge – 3rd and 4th graders

Rosanne Parry, Author

Hilder Pearson Elementary, Poulsbo – 1st and 2nd graders

Nora Nickum, Author

The following schools received a free author/illustrator visit in 2025:

TITLE ONE Suquamish Early Learning Center - Head Start Kids (57 free books)

Toni Yuly, Author/Illustrator

TITLE ONE Ordway Elementary, Bainbridge - 4th Graders (67 free books)

Dan Gemeinhart, Author

TITLE ONE Suquamish Elementary, Suquamish - 3rd graders (62 free books)

Sonja Thomas, Author

TITLE ONE Woodlands Elementary, Bremerton - 3rd graders (66 free books)

Ben Guterson, Author

TITLE ONE David Wolfle Elementary, Kingston - 3rd graders (62 free books)

Lynn Brunelle, Author

Island School, Bainbridge - K-5th grade

Ashely Erdely, Author

St. Ceclia's, Bainbridge - K-5th grade

Ashely Erdely, Author

Xalilc Elementary, Bainbridge - 3rd and 4th graders

Dan Gemeinhart, Author

Blakely Elementary, Bainbridge - 3rd - 5th graders

Sonja Thomas, Author

Vinland Elementary, Poulsbo - 3rd-5th graders

Ben Guterson, Author

Richard Gordon Elementary, Kingston - 3rd-5th graders

Aron Nels Steinke, Author/Illustrator

Hilder Pearson Elementary, Poulsbo - 3rd-4th graders

Aron Nels Steinke, Author/Illustrator

Poulsbo Elementary, Poulsbo - 3rd-5th graders (25 free books)

Kristin Varner, Author/Illustrator