Pierceton Elementary School hosts children’s book author Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen November 6 and 7. Along with student presentations at Pierceton and South Whitley elementary schools, a free evening seminar is open to the community at 6 p.m., Thursday, November 6, at Pierceton Elementary School. 

Van Frankenhuyzen will share the unique way her books were written with the students and suggest that there is no one way to write a story. Before her visit, she will send the schools a seven-minute video with unbelievable footage of Jackson, the Great Horned Owl. During her school visit, she will share many stories about her family’s extraordinary relationship with Jackson. She will present a PowerPoint featuring the animals they have cared for over the years, blending lessons in natural science, writing and interactive storytelling. Her motivation is to give children confidence in reading and writing with an important emphasis on journaling.  

The evening event includes a discussion and visuals about her work with bees. Her books are available for $18 each during the event and she is happy to sign them.

Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen and her husband Gijsbert have spent the last 20 years rehabilitating orphaned or injured animals. Her training as an animal technician enabled them to raise and release a wide assortment of critters, from foxes, fawns and raccoons to skunks, opossums and owls. Van Frankenhuyzen kept journals of their experiences with the menagerie of creatures and tapped those journals to write “Adopted by an Owl,” “Saving Samantha,” “Kelly of Hazel Ridge.” and “Itsy Bitsy and Teeny Weeny.”

Today, Robbyn visits schools, zoos and nature centers talking about the value of journaling, the joy of story telling and the importance of protecting our natural world.