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Contact
Follow Jody on Twitter @jodywrites4kids
Email Jody at jodyjensenshaffer @ gmail.com, or fill out the form below. NOTE: Please check your SPAM folder, if you haven’t heard back from Jody within one day!
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author visit, early reader, fiction, nonfiction, picture book, school visit2026-2027 Author Visits
Whether in-person or virtual, exploring fiction or nonfiction, Jody inspires! She loves talking with kids about reading, writing, and books! Just reach out, and she’ll make it happen. Scroll down for pictures and endorsements!
For kindergartners and first graders, Jody shares how books can bring joy, heal hurts, and become friends. For second and third graders, she focuses on taking a great idea, forming it into a story, and then sending it into the world to become a book. Jody explores the writing process with fourth and fifth graders, and gives students a sneak peek into the world of publishing, where students become agents and editors. For second through fifth graders, Jody shares how fun, exhilarating, and oh so cool nonfiction is! Q&A follows each fun, interactive presentation. Want Jody to focus on something else? No problem! Just ask! Printable page 2026-2027 Author Visits with Jody Jensen Shaffer
Looking to include Show Me Finalist Porcupine Had a Fuzzy Sweater in 2026-2027 visits? Let Jody know!
Options:
Title: SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE BOOKS!
Audience: K-1
Length: 30 minutes
Title: HOW A STORY BECOMES A BOOK
Audience: 2-5
Length: 45 minutes
Title: ROCK WHAT YOU WRITE
Audience: 4-5
Length: 45 minutes
Title: CREEP, LEAP, CRUNCH! NONFICTION IS COOL!
Audience: 2-5
Length: 45 minutes
Questions? Want to customize? Focus on a specific book or writing topic? Just ask!
Pricing for library or classroom visits
IN-PERSON FULL-DAY:
3-4 Sessions
$1,800. Up to four schools may share the day, as long as travel time allows.
IN-PERSON HALF-DAY:
2 Sessions (must both be AM or PM)
$1,000
IN-PERSON PUBLIC LIBRARY VISITS, LITERACY NIGHTS, WRITERS’ WORKSHOPS:
One hour $500
Two hours $750
Feel free to coordinate with another school or library in your town!
Travel fees apply to all visits (mileage, airfare, hotel, meals, etc)
VIRTUAL AUTHOR VISITS:
$450 for one 30-minute session
$1,000 for four sessions
NOTE: Jody will send a contract to confirm all details. Fees are payable the first day of her visit. For an assemby, Jody prefers a group size of no more than 175 students and charges the half-day rate. Questions? Email Jody at jodyjensenshaffer@gmail.com.
Think you can’t afford to bring an author to your school? Here are some creative ways others have done it! Successful Author Visits (And How to Pay for Them) and 35 Ways to Fund Author Visits
Endorsements:
“Our students and staff LOVED having Jody visit our building! Her interactive, thoughtful presentation helped expose students to the writing process and her kind, easy-going nature made her visit a breeze! She is welcome back any time!” – Megan Bright, Librarian, Lillian Schumacher Elementary, Liberty Public Schools
“Jody presents very engaging material, teaches them about the writing process, and students love her books!” – Liz Vannelli, Kellybrook Library Media Specialist, Liberty Public Schools
“The kids loved Jody’s visit. She was engaging and funny. Even a teacher came and told me that Jody was her hero!” Debbie B., Librarian, Rose Acres Elementary, Maryland Heights, MO
“Jody is friendly, approachable and she shares her experiences as an author in an encouraging way that inspires the students to write their own stories. The 3-5 group loved the interactive demonstration of how a book gets a publisher.”
“I loved her interaction with students during the publishing process skit. She was an all around amazing presenter…I wish we had had more time for her to keep talking about her books. The kids loved listening to her stories.”
“I loved how she interacted with students. They really liked her and she was very sweet with them. I loved when she brought students up with props to act out a scene. Very fun!”
“We enjoyed how personable Jody was and how she interacted with the students. We also enjoyed that she was local!! What a great experience for our kids!”
“I like the way she explained the publishing process by having students come up and play specific roles. Because they were part of it, they were very engaged!”
#KidsNeedMentors video in Maryland Heights, MO
https://drive.google.com/file/d/11DTufchzIF2myV_RY7Mh72OvLVzFafQa/view
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author visit, fiction, nonfiction, picture book, school visitA CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK
- Iowa Goldfinch Award finalist 2021-2022
- Alabama Camellia Award finalist 2021-2022
Illustrated by Daniel Miyares
Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin, Feb 20, 2018
ISBN: 9780399173882
FREE Download A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK Discussion and Activity Guide
A plucky pebble shows true grit as he travels the country trying to find out if he fits in with any of his famous rock-formation relatives.
Rocky comes from a long line of rock stars! Uncle Gibraltar, Aunt Etna, and Great-Grandma Half Dome are just some of the legendary rock formations he calls family. It’s no wonder he wants to matter in a big way too–but it’s not easy trying to get a foothold. Rocky gets tossed by The Wave and driven away at Devil’s Tower–but he’s determined not to allow these pitfalls to chip away at his confidence. Rather than feeling crushed, he keeps on rolling, hoping to become the rock-star he knows he’s meant to be.
Read the complete Kirkus review here
“Young readers will root for this less-than-pint–sized hero while he makes the most of his own personal talents…
Replete with wry, comic references and infused with a sense of adventure, this is a lighthearted tale that readers will certainly not “take for granite.” (Picture book. 4-8)”
Read the complete Publishers Weekly review here
“…Shaffer (Prudence the Part-Time Cow) comes up with lots of ways a rock can travel and uses every geological pun she can think of (“It was clear the two of them didn’t share the same sediment”). Rock hounds and teachers doing earth science units are a natural audience. Ages 5–8”
Let’s Talk Picture Books review here
Read. Learn. Repeat. review here
More reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal!
“Miyares’ vivid illustrations, painted in watercolor and acrylics, give this story momentum—paneled sequences depict stages of Rocky’s journey—and reflect the grandeur of many of America’s geologic marvels. An afterword on rock types and formations creates a natural segue for discussions on geology or geography, while the encouraging message of dreaming big grounds the playful story.”—Booklist
“Word play is peppered throughout the text. . . . The illustrations . . . depict amusing scenes of Rocky’s perilous journey and some impressive spreads of the majestic rock formations. This title may be a jumping-off point for a group discussion of perseverance in the face of obstacles as well as an introduction to famous rock formations.”—School Library Journal
Interview on Writers’ Rumpus here!
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earth science, fiction, picture books, rock cycle, rock pun, rock sciencePRUDENCE THE PART-TIME COW
- Missouri Show Me Award finalist 2019-2020
- Florida Literacy Association’s Children’s Book Award nominee 2018-2019
- Missouri’s choice to represent the state at the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. on September 2, 2017!
BIG NEWS! I’m selling personalized and autographed copies of PRUDENCE THE PART-TIME COW for $15 (S&H included, US only)! Just email me, and I’ll get back with you! Thanks so much for your support!
Illustrated by Stephanie Laberis
Henry Holt, June 13, 2017
ISBN: 9781627796156
Download the Discussion & Activity Guide PDF
Print the Prudence Coloring Page
Prudence looks like a full-time cow—she wanders through pastures, she swats flies, and she lines up for supper. But Prudence is a part-time cow—she is also a scientist, an architect, and an inventor, studying and building and dreaming and creating. To the other cows in the herd, Prudence is a bit too part-time. She’s just too different to be part of the herd. At first Prudence tries to fit in, suppressing all her scientific smarts and imaginative inventing. But in a moment of inspiration—Cow Power!—Prudence realizes how to show the others that she can be a part-time cow and a full-time member of the herd. Funny and sweet, this is a story for anyone who’s ever felt a bit different.
July 11, 2017 Celebrate Picture Books
“Jody Jensen Shaffer’s moooving and funny story of a cow with a scientific bent will delight kids. Little ones who think differently will empathize with Prudence’s wish to be herself while also fitting in with the herd. As the cows stand around in a pond and huddle under a tree, Shaffer offers a wink to the crowd mentality and peer pressure that can foster inaction and clone-like behavior. Prudence makes a gentle, but determined role model as a thinker who won’t be cowed by others’ opinions. Prudence the Part-Time Cow would be a wonderful addition to school and classroom libraries as well as to home bookshelves.”
https://goo.gl/3t4Skq
May 1, 2017 Publisher’s Weekly
“Shaffer (The Way the Cookie Crumbled) creates a sympathetic outsider in Prudence, whose dedication to self-betterment—and the sciences—should resonate with any reader who feels pigeonholed or underappreciated.”
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-62779-615-6
School Library Journal
“K-Gr 2–Prudence looks and acts like any other cow, but in reality, she’s only a part-time pasture resident. A lifelong reader, she is also a scientist and architect, and she peruses the pages of Bovine Engineering in her spare time. The rest of the cows don’t see her as “normal” and certainly NOT “part of the herd.” Prudence calculates water temperature and wind speed while standing in the pond, counts the calves as they leave the water, and comes up with inventions to help her friends, but the other cows insist, “She’ll never be one of us.” Colorful digital art with cartoon humor gives readers plenty of visual clues while Prudence suffers humiliation and attempts to establish her place. It takes a bit of “Cow Power” as Prudence harnesses her creative strengths to find her role among the other cows. Readers will appreciate her newly expanded role and her determination to be a full-time member of the herd. VERDICT A recommended general purchase for libraries with budding scientists and persistent, late-night readers. This tale speaks to creative minds just trying to fit in.”–Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano Independent School District, TX
May 15, 2017 Booklist
“Most of the time, Prudence doesn’t mind being a cow—grazing, lolling in the sun, and sleeping in the barn are all okeydokey—but the rest of the time, Prudence is eager to study her surroundings and build contraptions. The rest of the herd doesn’t have much patience for Prudence’s inventions, since her experiments often lead to mild mayhem in the barn. Soon, though, the other cows mock Prudence for her curiosity and odd devices, and the pink-coiffed bovine starts feeling downtrodden. She has a eureka moment, however, when she realizes she can build some contraptions to solve problems around the pasture, and the rest of the herd starts appreciating Prudence for her scientific mind. Laberis’ energetic, stylized illustrations of candy-colored, cartoonish cows perfectly capture the comical contrast between Prudence’s oblivious experiments and the subsequent havoc she wreaks on her fellow cows. Comics-style speech balloons and over-the-top reactions add to the levity, and the ultimate message of valuing differences is a great one. This merry, animated picture book will have storytime listeners rolling in the aisles.”
— Sarah Hunter
https://www.booklistonline.com/Prudence-the-Part-Time-Cow-Jody-Jensen-Shaffer/pid=8755019
May 11, 2017 Jen Robinson’s Book Page
“Libraries looking for pro-STEM books, especially pro-STEM books with female characters, will definitely want to give Prudence the Part-Time Cow a look. Recommended!”
http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog/2017/05/prudence-the-part-time-cow-jody-jensen-shaffer-and-stephanie-laberis.html
May 2, 2017 Unpacking the Power of Picture Books
“This is an original take on a non-conforming cow, incorporating elements of peer-pressure and bullying, expressing individuality, and adding a dose of STEM topics into the mix. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Prudence and her herd are cows you’ll want to meet.”
http://unpackingpicturebookpower.blogspot.com/
April 11, 2017 Little Crooked Cottage
“Snappy text + humorous details in the illustrations + a message of individuality (with some girl… er… cow-power thrown in) = a satisfying read.”
http://thelittlecrookedcottage.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-little-crooked-bookshelf-two-for.html
Kids Author Stays Busy During Fall, Winter, January 2019, Courier-Tribune
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cow, fiction, picture books, self-acceptance, STEMFiction
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early reader, fiction, picture booksChildren’s Author
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author visit, Children's Author, early reader, fiction, nonfiction, picture books, school visitWrite What You Know (Unless Your Mom Knows Better)
You’ve probably heard the adage, “Write what you know.”
It’s good advice for those wondering if they have anything worth writing about. The point is that the people, information, places, and conversations you’re involved with are fair game for writing. Any topic can be made interesting, compelling, even fun or funny, if your treatment of that topic works.
But you might also want to write what you don’t know. Say you’d like to put something together about aliens invading earth, or weasels doing war dances, or tadpoles. But you don’t know the basics of how those things work. (Even in fiction, the reader expects some semblance of reality, whether or not that information makes it into the book.) What do you do? Ask an expert. Like my mom.
Let me explain. I didn’t grow up on a farm, but farm animals and farm scenes creep into my writing. Who can resist a wet-nosed calf or a litter of pink piglets? How do I get information about how farms work? I ask my mom. She’s my go-to farm girl, with loads of information on chickens and eggs, animal husbandry–that’s about animals having babies, to you and me–milking cows and other farmy things.
So today when a critique member (Hi Laura!) wisely asked how all the farm animals in my book were miraculously born in the spring, I called Mom.
“Hi, Mom. Are farm animals usually born in the spring?”
What followed was a story about the hows and whys of animal life on a farm, with a sidebar about the size of chicken eggs.
[In case you’re wondering, the answer is yes, farmers plan for their animals to be born in the spring. Who wants to tromp through the snow in the middle of winter to check on a newborn goat when you can simply separate potential moms and dads until it’s warmer?]
So, I’d modify the standard adage, “Write what you know” to “Write what you know (Unless Your Mom Knows Better),” or unless you have other experts who can fill you in.