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Neil Waldman, an author and illustrator for children's
books visited Citizens Advice Bureau in the Morrisania
section of the Bronx from May 20 - May 24.
As Neil met with participants from elementary schools,
the Citizens Advice Bureau after-school program, and
homeless shelters, he told stories of his youth while
growing up in the Bronx. And he also indicated that
many ideas for books that he has written and plan to
write come from the notebooks that he wrote in while
he was growing up.
 Neil's
first two morning visits included meeting with a little
over 400 students from public elementary school CES
88 and CES 90. He said that he knew that his visits
were going to be good because of the multitudes of signs
welcoming him as soon as he entered each school building.
One could feel the excitement as they walked through
the schools and saw numerous drawings by the students
that were inspired by books written and, or illustrated
by him. The young readers were astonished when Neil
mentioned that he still has the notebooks he started
writing in when he was their age.When a young reader
wanted to know how many notebooks he has, Neil answered
about 100. The audience said WOW! 
Weeks before Neil's arrival, students were given the
following books to prepare for his visit: America
the Beautiful, The Starry Night, They Came from the
Bronx, and Wounded Knee. Neil explained to
students how he got the idea for each book, how long
it took him to write and draw. He said that sometimes
he wrote first and then drew, or drew first and then
wrote. Students asked questions like, "What's the
book that you had the most fun drawing and writing;
" When you write and illustrate a story, do you
try to be optimistic about it?" and Do you set
goals?"
The
parents of the after-school participants were given
the opportunity to meet with Neil at "Family Night."
There were discussions and questions, but the most poignant
comment made was that it is advantageous to nurture
their children's interests once it is discovered.
The highlight of the evening was when a mother praised
her nine-year old daughter for persuaded her to attend,
because the daughter knew that the mother loved to write.
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Neil
Waldman at Citizens Advice Bureau
