Jef Czekaj
Visiting Author/Illustrator 2010

Jef Czekaj brought art, literature, rap music, and so much fun to Cambridge Friends School. Jef is a cartoonist, children's book author and illustrator, and musician.

Jef read aloud his newest book, Hip and Hop Don’t Stop – a new twist on the fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare”, with a contest between two rap enthusiasts and a powerful message about friendship. The exuberant and colorful illustrations and a text packed with word play engaged all of our students. But Jef’s presentations were not just entertaining. He showed us how the story started with brainstorming and doodles in a notebook and then went through many careful revisions and artistic techniques before emerging as a delightful picture book.

The timing of Jef’s visit fit in perfectly with the writing and illustrating projects that are part of the fourth and fifth grade curricula. At the time of Jef’s visit, the students in the fourth grade were starting to plan their illustrations for the original versions they had written of traditional tall tales. They got lots of ideas on how to bring focus and excitement to their drawings.

Images from his visit.

Andrea Davis Pinkney
Visiting Author 2010

Cambridge Friends School welcomed Andrea Davis Pinkney, celebrated author of more than 20 books for children. Andrea’s books speak powerfully to the Quaker mission of Cambridge Friends School because they explore the courageous actions of individuals and groups in the pursuit of equality and social justice.

Andrea’s visit included three presentations to students in grades one through six. She captivated her audiences with stories from her life, excerpts from her books, and poetry and song.

Images from her visit.

Ellen Levine
Visiting Author 2009

Ellen Levine is author of nonfiction books and biographies for children. In Henry’s Freedom Box, a 2008 Caldecott Honor Book, she captured the cruelties of slavery while relating one of the most amazing escape stories from the Underground Railroad. Her books for older readers include Darkness Over Denmark: The Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews and Freedom’s Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories. Up Close: Rachel Carson is her newest title.

Images from her visit.

Emily Arnold McCully
Visiting Author 2009

Emily Arnold McCully, the author and/or illustrator of more than a hundred books for children. She won the Caldecott Medal for Mirette On the High Wire. This past year, her book The Escape of Oney Judge: Martha Washington’s Slave Finds Freedom won the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, which is given to books that promote the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and equality, as well as meeting standards for excellence in literature.

Images from her visit.

Carole Boston Weatherford
Visiting Author 2008

Images from her visit.

Grace Lin
Visiting Author 2008

Images from her visit.