Kalli Dakos is the best-selling author of over 2,000 poems about elementary school life. Her books include If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand, Don't Read This Book, Whatever You Do!, The Goof Who Invented Homework, and The Bug in Teacher's Coffee. These books are all Children's Choice Selections from the International Reading Association. Her picture book, Our Principal Promised to Kiss a Pig, (also a Children's Choice Selection) is an introduction to Shakespearean language for young children. Her book of poems, A Funeral in the Bathroom, was a Children's Choice Book Award Finalist for 2012 with the International Literacy Association. Kalli's newest book, Why Am I Blue? has just been released with Magination Press. This is a sweet story about identity and self-acceptance and about small answers to very big questions. She is finishing up a book about a bookmark titled, Get Me Out of the This Book. It is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2019. Kalli visits schools all over the United States and Canada, and has worked internationally in schools as far away as Hong Kong. As a former teacher and reading specialist, Kalli uses her educational background to design school visits that provide sound reinforcement for standards of learning disguised as high-energy fun and filled with audience participation. Her huge selection of props and toys pulls in even the most reluctant readers and writers and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Everyone becomes involved in the drama of the elementary school world. Children discover a goldmine of writing possibilities, from the pencils on their desks to the secrets in their hearts. Teachers, principals, custodians, secretaries and parents are all encouraged to read, write, and perform poetry along with the students. Kalli's books and school/conference programs are a celebration of this spirit. Visit www.kallidakos.com