School and library visits

I love to visit schools and libraries to share my love of all things children's books and illustration! Feel free to email me and I can send you a PDF and more details. 

My school visits are designed to encourage participation, to be both fun and inspiring, as well as educational. School sessions can include illustration and/or writing/creativity activities, alongside a reading, Q&A, and associated craft, adjusted for class/grade level. 

I have illustrated more than 15 children’s books, including the best-selling Breathe by Becky Hemsley, I Don’t Like Birthday Parties by Maureen Gaspari, and two books with renowned celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss. My debut author- illustrator book, Gertie is Not All Dogs (Clavis Publishing) is scheduled for publication in April 2024. 

I am autistic and happy to talk about what this means for me personally, and how it affects my illustrations and creativity. I hope this will raise awareness of autism and also inspire others!

School visit sessions may include:

Reading of Breathe together • Find the hidden butterfly in each illustration • Discuss ways of finding calm with a focus on the senses • Explore sensory toys and how they make us feel • Being autistic and what it means for me, how and why the butterfly is a symbol of autism • Illustration/creativity as a calming activity and how to use it yourself

Reading of Starlight together • Find the hidden word ‘love’ in each illustration • Being autistic and what it means for me, and how I relate to the book’s character • Character in books, how to imagine and create unique and interesting characters • An Illustrator’s Job • What I do each day, materials I work with, and how I learned to illustrate • How to observe people and animals, and objects, so you can draw them • Can anyone be an artist? (Yes!) • Watercolour activities Please contact me for more information and to book.

Please contact me via email siski dot kalla at gmail dot com for more information and to book. I can provide an order form for books if parents/the school would like to order copies, too.