Author Visits, Books and Illustrations by Timothy Young

Aside from being the author/illustrator of 12 published books, Timothy Young has been a toy designer, illustrator, sculptor, puppet maker, and graphic designer. His work has been seen on television, in major magazines and on toy shelves worldwide. He majored in illustration at Pratt Institute and has over 30 years experience as a professional artist. He would be excited to come to your school for assemblies, classroom, library, and art room visits. He can tailor his visits for students from pre-school through high school, with readings, discussions, drawing demonstrations and interactive activities.

Tim has visited hundreds of schools and libraries. He’s appeared onstage at book festivals, conferences and was the keynote speaker at the Maryland Association of School Librarians Black-Eyed Susan Awards ceremony in 2013. As a picture book author/illustrator, most of his assemblies have been for elementary schools, but he has also done workshops and talks with middle and high school students, as well as adults, about the process of putting together a picture book and about creative careers.

“Timothy Young's visit to our school has left smiles on our hearts forever. His presentations were engaging for all ages because of his wonderful ability to adapt them for any audience. With his kind heart and warm ways, he made everyone feel special and included. I loved how he moved around the room during his presentation so that the students in the back could get a "front row" seat to his drawing talents. Getting the teachers involved in his silly antics will always be treasured moments as well. His books were asked for before his visit, but now? They haven't had a chance to rest on our shelves ever since!”

The Mansion at Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD - June 2016

"Illustration Over the Centuries:"
Tim was asked to do a presentation on the history of children’s book illustration to coincide with their summer art exhibit; Turning The Page: Children’s Book Illustration.

Sharjah International Book Fair, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates - November 2016

Tim was excited to be invited to do 6 days of drawing and character design workshops with children from all over the Middle East at the worlds third largest book fair.

Tim has also done presentation and workshops at numerous summer camps.

“Our school was fortunate to host Timothy Young this spring. He was a wonderful presenter to all grade levels. I got terrific feedback from students and staff how much they enjoyed hearing all about his books and his journey to becoming an author. Students loved when he showed them how to find pictures in their scribbles. It was a great visit that ended all too soon.”

Tim often talks to students about the many creative jobs he has had throughout his career. Ever since he was a child he wondered who made the toys he played with, who wrote and drew the books he loved and who made the cartoons that made him laugh. He tells how he then grew up to do all of those things, from working on Pee-Wee's Playhouse and Doug to designing and sculpting toys for many different companies to illustrating magazines and other author's books. He is still designing toys such as this year's Chicken Fight Pool Game.

It was a pleasure having Timothy Young visit our school. The students were thrilled to meet him and hear how he became an author and illustrator. Our teaching staff loved how he customized his presentations to meet the needs of each grade and it was wonderful to see his books come to life as he read them aloud. I especially enjoyed working with Mr. Young and found him to be flexible, friendly and engaging throughout the entire process of booking and presenting. A genuine pleasure!

The structure for many of his elementary school assemblies is:

• 45 minutes with the kindergarten and 1st-grade classes.

• 1 hour with the 2nd and 3rd graders.

• 1 hour with the 4th and 5th grade classes.

Each assembly is geared towards the appropriate grade levels. A one-hour assembly usually consists of book readings, then a question and answer period which flows into a drawing demonstration. Tim starts by creating a brand new character explaining the process of using your imagination to guide your drawings. He then does an interactive drawing lesson in which the students provide scribbles on a white board which Tim then uses to “discover” creatures and characters hidden in them. He also brings samples of toys and other things he’s designed over his career.

“Our school invited author/illustrator, Tim Young, back for a second visit to provide student assemblies for our school-wide reading incentive program finale, and one evening presentation during our school’s summer reading kick-off event. Students, teachers, and parents enjoyed the read-alouds of his books. Students, especially, were engaged in the interactive process of creating and illustrating characters--real and imagined.”

Here are some examples of other programs Tim Young has done.

Gifted and Talented Showcase at Winters Mill High School - May 2013

"Creativity and Careers"
Tim spoke to a group of student artists and their families about his very creative career as an animator, illustrator and writer. He brought samples of some of the toys he has designed and sculpted as well as prototypes and animation models.

In Celebration of Books, Gunston Day School - October 2013

"Toys, Picture Books and Cartoons; How to make a living by not being a grown-up"
Exploring creative and artistic possibilities, Tim Young talked to high school students about some of the fun and interesting jobs he’s had and looked at some of the ways students can take their interests, abilities and passions and turn them into future careers. Mr. Young showed examples that the class examined, including hand-made book dummies and toy prototypes.

“Never has a scribble looked so appealing and held so much meaning than it did for the students of Newbury School during your author visit. What a great lesson in creativity and perseverance you communicated to the students when you showed them how to transform a scribble into a drawing. I am so thrilled to tell you that my desk is filled with happy scribble drawings.

As you know, Newbury School LOVES picture books, and your presentation of I Hate Picture Books provided an opportunity for students and staff to make life-long meaningful connections to a large array of books past and present. Many students are borrowing the picture books you have re-created in your clever story!

Lastly, your patience and professionalism in answering all of the students’ questions really resonated with the teachers! It is easy to tell that you enjoy being around and inspiring children to be creative thinkers.

Can we just put in that you are a really cool guy too?

School visit fees depend on the size of the school, travel distance and the number of assemblies. Schools that are within an hour and a half drive are $900 for the day, which includes 3 assemblies. Schools within 3 hours are $1000 per day. School visits further away may need to pay travel expenses for hotels. Flights and rental cars need to be coved as needed. We try to keep these costs to a minimum by looking for discounted flights and hotels.

Costs for visits to multiple schools over consecutive days can be lowered and travel costs split between them.

A PDF contract is sent along with a PDF book order form that can be printed and sent home with the students. These can be collected by the school a week or so before the event so that the correct number of autographed books can be prepared ahead. You can see a sample here. PDF coloring pages are also included as well as posters for all students who order books.

The only things the school needs to provide is an LCD projector and screen (if a school does not have one a program can be done without one). If the school would like to keep some drawings Tim does, a large pad and an easel are also needed.

Please contact us with any questions or special needs. We're always happy to tailor a program to fit your students and schedule. You can email Timothy Young at info@creaturesandcharacters.com

Elementary School Assemblies:

Other Presentation and Workshops:

How to book a school visit: