When I arrived at Homer Elementary in Homer, NY, the last thing I expected was to have my mind blown, but blown it was.

Sometimes, to welcome an author, a class will create pirate hats, or other costumes etc. and wear them to the presentation. I love it, and it never fails to crack me up. But the kids at Homer took this to a whole new level, all 350 of them.

About 200 were in bug masks, the other 150 in pirate hats and regalia. The picture above is only half the group, as there was no way I could fit everyone in one shot. I’m sure I’m going to be having dreams about the school full of kid-sized bugs for some time to come.

Plus, there was this amazing pirate ship in the display case as I walked in…

If you look close, you see that every single pirate on the ship is one of the students in the school. 350 portraits in boats, on the sails, and climbing the rigging. Just amazing.

What a great visit. In addition to the students and the librarian, Mrs. Little, there are many people to thank for putting this all together: Corky Wrisley, Doris Roos, Beth Mercer, Vicki Rolfe, Traci Esposito and Patricial Petrella. It was an astounding amount of work, and I am in awe.