Mr. Catalanotto was educated at the Pratt Institute and began his career in the 1980s painting jackets for young adult books, and illustrating for newspapers and magazines. In 1987 he was asked to illustrate All I See by Cynthia Rylant. He then went on to write several picture books, the first being Dylan’s Day Out, which was published in 1989. He has since published over 40 books, 14 of which he also wrote, including Emily’s Art, Ivan the Terrier, Matthew A.B.C., Question Boy Meets Little Miss Know-It-All, and Monkey & Robot.
All sessions are completed in the classroom during regularly scheduled language arts sessions.
Day 1
Group Assembly – Mr. Catalanotto talks about the process of writing and illustrating books and prepares the 3rd grade students for their first workshop.
Modeling and Brainstorming Mr. Catalanotto will work with the students to model writing and illustrating a picture book. They will brainstorm a storyline as a group and students will be able to use this one or they may create their own.
Day 2
Storyboarding – During this visit Mr. Catalanotto works with the students on the storyboarding process. He gives tips on sketching and organizing pictures to create their story
Day 3
Write Story from Storyboards – Students begin writing their stories from their simple drawings/sketches with Mr. Catalanotto.
Day 4
Rewriting and Editing – The students are taught simple tips to add detail and richness to their stories.
Day 5
Illustrating Your Story – Peter will show basic tips and techniques to help the students improve the way they see and think about drawing and illustrating a story.
Day 6
Evening Publishing Event – The 3rd grade students, along with Mr. Catalanotto, will share their finished work with their families.
Delaware Township Partners in Education 