The WRAD Part of the Writing Life, 2026 Edition

WRAD 2026 is officially a Wrap! 

World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) is a special literacy event that takes place around the globe on the first Wednesday in February each year. It's hosted by LitWorld, and originally founded by Pam Allyn. For the past several years, author Kate Messner creates a space on her website where teachers and librarians can connect with authors and illustrators who are willing to volunteer to offer free virtual book readings to young readers around the world. It's one of my favorite annual book events. 

If you missed out this year, and want to be among the first to know when I open my schedule for next year, subscribe to my newsletter and/or drop your contact info into my Google Scheduling Form.

This year I met with six schools and multiple classrooms. (I'm still gathering more specific statistics, which I'll share in my next newsletter). Even with excellent coordination, it's not unusual that one or more of the schools needs to cancel at the last minute due to weather-related school closures, illness, or other scheduling issues (for example, this year I originally had eight schools scheduled, which dropped to six before the big day). Also, some schools that hope to meet with me are unable to match their scheduling needs with my available times, and/or my schedule is full by the time they reach out, or there are members of the learning community who were absent on World Read Aloud Day, etc. 

For these schools (and now for you!) I compile some of my best resources as a stand-in for a real-time virtual author visit. These resources are of course not quite the same as real-time virtual visit, (or a full-length, personalized author visit), but they do allow young readers to connect with an author in some fashion, in honor of World Read Aloud Day. Please feel welcome to explore and share these resources with your learning community: 

***

Here is a link to a “Hello” slide deck that I shared with the schools/classrooms that I visited.

(The “speaker notes” below each slide provide my general talking points and related resource links.) 

Speaking of resources, here is the link to the plethora of Resources tab on my website.

From this landing page, you can access things like: 

1. My YouTube channel with full readings of several of my books including Lucy’s Blooms,  Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty? and First Day Jitters from the collection of stories in Oregon Reads Aloud. This is where you will also find animated book trailers and companion songs for my three most recent books, as well as some ASL interpreted readings and the companion song for Lucy’s Blooms.

2. Curriculum-Aligned Educators’ Guides for Lucy’s Blooms, Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty? , and Oregon Reads Aloud. (Most of the guides include STEM tie-ins, and for my Pirate and Cowgirl books, these guides include Readers' Theatre scripts.)

3. Lesson Plans for Sign Language Story Times, themed enrichment activities, and fun extras such as Pirate and Cowgirl Name Generators. 

I also have a couple of different “virtual-virtual,” or “self-guided” author visits via Google Slides that you/your students can peruse (the “speaker notes” below each slide provides the talking points I would typically deliver during a school visit): 

Write On! Why Writing is (Possibly) the Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Do

From "Ahoy, Matey! to “Howdy, Pardner!” How to Create Vivid Characters by Giving Each a Unique Voice

Please reach out to me directly and I would be more than happy to provide links to these virtual visits. 

Once a school or classroom has interacted with one of my books, (via the video story times, and/or virtual workshops on Google Slides on your own), I would be more than happy to respond to written questions from students. How this typically works is that the librarian or classroom teacher assigns a “post visit” writing lesson for the students where they each ask me a question (about my books, or my writing process, or my “office assistant, Pickle, etc.), and then you would deliver the full set of questions to me via postal mail or email (in one batched email from you vs. individual emails from students). After I receive the questions, I will reply to the students with a compilation response that I will deliver to you. Here is a link to some examples of my responses from my interactions with other schools. 

I hope these options are helpful resources. Please feel welcome and encouraged to share them with your families and your colleagues, and please let me know if I can be a resource to you in any other way.

Warm wishes,

Dawn

Author Dawn Babb Prochovnic Holding her latest books

Reach out via email, social media channels such as Instagram, Bluesky or my Facebook fan page, or through my contact form (at the left of this post on the desktop version), if you'd like to schedule a time for me to meet with your students in the future! 

For more posts like this, visit The Writing Life series on my blog.

Subscribe to my newsletter and never miss an update.

Disclosure: As an affiliate of Bookshop.org, I may earn a small commission from books purchased through the links in this post. 

The WRAD Part of the Writing Life, 2025 Edition

 WRAD 2025 is officially a Wrap for me! 

World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) is a special literacy event that takes place around the globe on the first Wednesday in February each year. It's hosted by LitWorld, and originally founded by Pam Allyn. For the past several years, author Kate Messner creates a space on her website where teachers and librarians can connect with authors and illustrators who are willing to volunteer to offer free virtual book readings to young readers around the world. It's one of my favorite book-related events to participate in. 

I have a Google Form for folks who want to be among the first to find out when the scheduling tool is available for  next year. 

This year I scheduled visits with six schools and multiple classrooms. Even with excellent coordination, it's not unusual that one or more of the schools needs to cancel at the last minute due to weather-related school closures or illness. Also, some schools that hope to meet with me are unable to match their scheduling needs with my available times, and/or my schedule is full by the time they reach out, or there are members of the learning community who were absent on World Read Aloud Day. 

For these schools (and now for you!) I compile some of my best resources as a stand-in for a real-time virtual author visit. These resources are of course not quite the same as real-time virtual visit, (or a full-length, personalized author visit), but they do allow young readers to connect with an author in some fashion, in honor of World Read Aloud Day. Please feel welcome to explore and share these resources with your learning community: 

***

Here is a link to a “Hello” slide deck that I shared with the schools/classrooms that I visited.

It’s not the same as a real virtual visit, but it will allow your students to connect with me for World Read Aloud Day in some fashion. (The “speaker notes” below each slide provide my general talking points and related resource links.) 

Speaking of resources, here is the link to the plethora of Resources tab on my website.

From this landing page, you can access things like: 

1. My YouTube channel with full readings of several of my books including Lucy’s Blooms,  Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty? and First Day Jitters from the collection of stories in Oregon Reads Aloud. This is where you will also find animated book trailers and companion songs for my three most recent books, as well as some ASL interpreted readings for Lucy’s Blooms and the companion song. 

2. Curriculum-Aligned Educators’ Guides for Lucy’s Blooms, Where Does a Cowgirl Go Potty?, and Where Does a Pirate Go Potty? (All three of the guides include STEM tie-ins, and for my Pirate and Cowgirl books, these guides include Readers' Theatre scripts.)

3. Lesson Plans for Sign Language Story Times, themed enrichment activities, and fun extras such as Pirate and Cowgirl Name Generators. 

I also have a couple of different “virtual-virtual,” or “self-guided” author visits via Google Slides that you/your students can peruse (the “speaker notes” below each slide provides the talking points I would typically deliver during a school visit): 

Write On! Why Writing is (Possibly) the Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Do

From "Ahoy, Matey! to “Howdy, Pardner!” How to Create Vivid Characters by Giving Each a Unique Voice

Please reach out to me directly and I would be more than happy to provide links to these virtual visits. 

Once a school or classroom has interacted with one of my books, (via the video story times, and/or virtual workshops on Google Slides on your own), I would be more than happy to respond to written questions from students. How this typically works is that the librarian or classroom teacher assigns a “post visit” writing lesson for the students where they each ask me a question (about my books, or my writing process, or my “office assistant, Pickle, etc.), and then you would deliver the full set of questions to me via postal mail or email (in one batched email from you vs. individual emails from students). After I receive the questions, I will reply to the students with a compilation response that I will deliver to you. Here is a link to some examples of my responses from my interactions with other schools. 

I hope these options are helpful resources. Please feel welcome and encouraged to share them with your families and your colleagues, and please let me know if I can be a resource to you in any other way.

Warm wishes,

Dawn

Author Dawn Babb Prochovnic Holding her latest books

Reach out via email, social media channels such as Instagram, Bluesky or my Facebook fan page, or through my contact form (at the left of this post on the desktop version), if you'd like to schedule a time for me to meet with your students in the future! 

For more posts like this, visit The Writing Life series on my blog.

The Gratitude Part of the Writing Life

One of my longtime critique partners, Sara T. Behrman, is currently preparing for the April 2024 launch of her debut picture book, THE SEA HIDES A SEAHORSE, a beautiful, poetic, and information-rich story brilliantly illustrated by Melanie Mikecz, and published by The Collective Book Studio. (Pssst...you can pre-order Sara's book now, and watch this space for an author interview as the pub date draws near!) 

Dawn Arriving at School Author Visit

Over the past several weeks and months, Sara has asked me a few questions related to my past book launch experiences, and I've done my best to respond to each question with meaningful information. Sara has been very appreciative of my willingness to share my time and insights, and I've been sincere when I've said it's my pleasure to support the launch of her new book, just as she and countless others have enthusiastically supported my own. 

It seems like a good time to take pause and share how grateful I am for the folks who have given my work a boost over the years. 

Thank you, each and every one of you! 

Some recent examples include:

*Being invited by author friends, such as Stephanie Shaw, to participate as a guest author at local schools alongside other author friends, such as Mark Fearing.

Authors Mark Fearing and Stephanie Shaw at School Author Visit

Poster in School Hallway Publicizing Upcoming Author Day 

*Being welcomed into my hometown indie bookstores such as Green Bean Books, Annie Blooms Books, and Powell's Books for book launch events, story times/book readings, panel discussions and writing workshops .

Dawn Dressed at a Pirate Leading a Pirate-y Story Time at Green Bean Books

Dawn in Front of Sign at Annie Blooms Books Announcing Panel Discussion

Dawn Teaching a Young Writers' Workshop at Powells' Books

*Being welcomed into my neighborhood library for book launch events (and to keep me supplied in books!). 

A Display Table with Dawn's Pirate and Cowgirl Books at the West Slope Library

*Having my work spotlighted as a Staff Pick by local booksellers at indie bookstores such as Powell's Books .

Dawn's Book, Lucy's Blooms, Featured as a Staff Pick at Powell's Books

Dawn's Cowgirl Book Featured as a Staff Pick at Powell's Books

*Being welcomed into indie bookstores when I travel, such as at Page1 Books in Santa Fe.

Dawn Holding her Pirate Book at Page1 Books in Santa Fe

*Having the opportunity to participate in events such as World Read Aloud Day, because of author Kate Messner's ongoing willingness to help teachers and librarians find authors (like me!) who are available to participate. 

Dawn Holding Her Books Pirate, Cowgirl, and Lucy's Blooms in Zoom Frame

*Being interviewed by fellow authors such as Robin Hall for Instagram Live Events, featured as a guest on many other authors' blogs, and featured in / interviewed for various media publications.

Dawn Being Interviewed by Author Robin Hall on Instagram Live

*Collaborating with talented musicians such as Maiah Wynne, Annie Lynn, and Marshall Mitchell to create companion songs for my stories.  

Musician Maiah Wynne, Holding A Copy of Dawn's Book, Lucy's Blooms

Pirate Alex, One of the Featured Vocalists in the Companion Song to Dawn's Pirate Book

*Having my work championed and celebrated by dear friends and colleagues, such as author Stephanie Shaw and author and founder of Baby Fingers, Lora Heller.

Author Stephanie Shaw Reading Dawn's Pirate and Cowgirl Books

Author Lora Heller Reading Dawn's Book, Lucy's Blooms

*Being invited as a guest author at special community events, such as the Treasure Hunt Adventure organized by Herringbone Books and Holiday Cheer hosted by the Oregon Historical Society.

Dawn's Books Displayed for Scavenger Hunt Event Hosted by Herringbone Books

Dawn Participating in Holiday Cheer, Hosted by The Oregon Historical Society

*Being included in book signing events with organizations such as Willamette Writers at special events such as The Portland Book Festival.

Dawn's Promo Image for a Book Signing at the Willamette Writers Booth at the Portland Book Festival

*Being nominated by my peers and honored by Literary Arts with the Walt Morey Young Readers Literary Legacy Award.

Dawn Holding Flowers and Smiling, Just Prior to Receiving the Walt Morey Award
(Photo Credit: Andie Petkus Photography for Literary Arts)

The list goes on and on. 

And then there all of "the little things" that so many different folks have done to support my work:

Showing up at book events and/or posting event details on social channels; Purchasing my books from indie bookstores; Requesting my books at local libraries; Gifting my books to young readers, teachers, literacy organizations; Writing kind notes and reviews; Offering helpful critiques; Laughing in all the right places; Making introductions to industry insiders such as agents, editors, and book sellers; Sharing pro tips. 

I'm sure I've forgotten something or someone important, but suffice it say, "the village" has really come through for me and my books.

All this said, what I'm most grateful for in my writing life is my readers. I was at a professional gathering a couple of weeks ago, and someone who owns one of my books told me that their child asks to have my book read to them again and again, night after night. That was music to my ears. Speaking of music, I've received videos from music teachers who have led their classes to make music to go along with my books. I've also received videos of children reading one of my books aloud, or repeating a phrase from one of my stories. And sometimes I receive photos of child holding one of my books, close. 

A Child Sitting on the Toilet and Holding Dawn's Pirate Book

Two Children Holding Copies of Dawn's Books

A Child Snuggled Into Bed Reading Dawn's Pirate Book

A Child Holding a Copy of Dawn's Book, Lucy's Blooms

Thank you, dear readers, for bringing my books into your homes, schools, and libraries. May you make many happy memories reading my books with the people you love.  

Find more posts on The Writing Life, here.