As America's Oldest Children's Bookstore, we are proud to support our local schools, teachers, and librarians by providing FREE events featuring authors and illustrators to encourage reading, inspire writing, and coordinate fun!
School events with authors are private events, but interested readers can order a signed book through Once Upon A Time. Please place your order at least 24 hours in advance of the event, unless otherwise noted.
If you would like your school to be considered for author or illustrator visits, please fill out the Google form here or the PDF here or contact Maureen at Events@onceupona.com.
Want to be notified of exclusive educator events, sales, and more? Sign up for our educator newsletter here.
School Visit with Tom Watson
Private Off-Site Event
Author Tom Watson will be visiting schools with Once Upon A Time Bookstore. If you would like a book signed and personalized, please order at least 24 hours in advance.
About the Book: Perfect for fans of Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the Stick Dog books, Tom Watson's hilarious series continues with Stick Cat: Two Cats to the Rescue--a backyard adventure involving a curious baby, two daring cats, and a pack of hungry pups!
Millie needs Stick Cat's help.
When little Millie wanders off, Stick Cat needs to get her back. It's a rescue mission with too many obstacles to count. There's a runaway butterfly, a pole-vaulting adventure, and a growling beast in the woods. Yikes.
And, of course, there's Edith. Oh, Edith.
Will Stick Cat be able to navigate around her wacky plans, fragile ego and peculiar ways? Just when he's doubting his chances, five familiar dogs burst onto the scene to help this rescue mission succeed.
About the Author: Tom Watson lives in Chicago with his wife, daughter, and son. He also has a dog, as you could probably guess. The dog is a Labrador-Newfoundland mix. Tom says he looks like a Labrador with a bad perm. He wanted to name the dog "Put Your Shirt On" (please don't ask why), but he was outvoted by his family. The dog's name is Shadow. Early in his career Tom worked in politics, including a stint as the chief speechwriter for the governor of Ohio. This experience helped him develop the unique, storytelling narrative style of the Stick Dog books. More important, Tom's time in politics made him realize a very important thing: Kids are way smarter than adults. And it's a lot more fun and rewarding to write stories for them than to write speeches for grown-ups.
Want to stay updated about our latest events?
Staff Picks
This utterly charming debut by Julie Abe will win the hearts of young readers and parents alike with its tale of a semi-magical witch sent on a quest to earn her Novice Witch rank. With a “wink” to angel Clarence of It’s A Wonderful Life, who was sent to earth to get his wings, Abe’s young Eva Evergreen has her mission “to always do good”, for her adopted village of Auteri and to guard and protect the village from the all-dreaded Culling. With only a minimal amount of magic in her arsenal, she uses her strong mechanical and repair abilities to make up for what she lacks in powerful magic. Eva calls on her new found friends of Auteri in this race-to-the-finish adventure that has more story left to tell. This will be one terrific real aloud as well as an accessible tale to delight newly independent readers. Julie Abe is an author to watch!