Our elementary school students had a BLAST yesterday hearing from visiting author and children’s book illustrator Ralph Masiello! 

A professional illustrator for the past 40 years, Masiello is well known for his Drawing Book series, which provides step-by-step instructions for children on how to draw everything from aliens to unicorns, as well as his Alphabet series, which teaches kids their ABCs using fun facts about icky bugs, animal skulls and a whole lot more. 

Masiello was with us all day yesterday and presented to each grade in the elementary school library. He spoke with students about his origins as an artist, how he got started in the illustrating business, his drawing process and how he comes up with ideas for new books. 

The highlight of Masiello’s presentations, however, were his drawing demonstrations.

Masiello created original works on the spot, talking through for our students how different shapes and lines can come together to form a cohesive image and offering tips on how to stir up inspiration whether for a drawing or a story. 

The best part? Our teachers got to take Masiello’s signed artworks back to their classrooms for students to enjoy for the rest of the year - so cool! 

Masiello’s visit was made possible thanks to our district’s partnership with the Genesee Valley BOCES School Library System. By coordinating visits on behalf of its member school districts, and arranging for multiple visits to multiple districts during visiting authors’ swings through the region, SLS is able to keep per-district costs to a minimum and bring leading industry professionals to schools that, alone, may not have been able to afford to do so. 

So thank you to the Genesee Valley School Library System and of course to Ralph Masiello for making the trip to Avon - this was a really incredible experience for our students!