Virtual Visits:
Bringing Tennessee Authors and Illustrators to Nashville's Kids
Virtual Visits is an online literacy initiative designed to bring authors and illustrators based in Tennessee to Nashville's kids. In these videos, authors and illustrators connect with Nashville children about their roots in Tennessee, share the process of creating their book, and leave kids with an encouraging message intended to spark their interest in reading, or to create a story of their own.
Virtual Visits is in partnership with The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and Parnassus Books.
Book'em is spreading the word about this online resource through bookmarks accompanying each book distributed in December. The Virtual Visits bookmarks contain a QR code which sends kids to the Virtual Visits YouTube playlist. The bookmarks will reach approximately 14,000 children.
Authors and Illustrators in this project include:
- Ketch Secor & Higgins Bond (Lorraine)
- Jessica Young (Time to Shine)
- Susan Eaddy (Poppy's Best Paper)
- Rita Lorraine Hubbard (The Oldest Student)
- Alice Faye Duncan & Mary Reaves Uhles (The Twelve Days of Christmas in Tennessee)
- Rachel Tawil Kenyon (You Know How to Love)
- Jacquese Groves (Sassy Sisters vs The Sock Monster)
We hope to grow Virtual Visits while many students remain away from school, and transition the initiative to an in-person, Title I school-based experience once it is safe to do so. If you, or a local author/illustrator you know would like to be featured in Virtual Visits, please contact Chelsea at chelsea@bookem-kids.org
Scroll down to explore current Virtual Visits or click here to visit the full playlist on YouTube.