School Visits:
M.O. Yuksel offers both in-person and virtual school visits. She is also available to present at conferences, workshops, and book festivals.
Her visits are designed to be developmentally appropriate for different age groups and tailored to your school needs.
- Her interactive K-1 sessions focus on story-elements and brainstorming ideas for stories.
- M.O. Yuksel's sessions for grades 2-3 focus on the writing process and the research she does for her picture books.
- Sessions for grades 4-5 focus on the different elements of the writing process such as researching, drafting, revising, and critiquing.
- Sessions for grades 6-12 include an in-depth look at the writing and publishing process.
These sessions are available to all schools and home-school groups.
Students and staff have the option to order personalized, signed books through M.O. Yuksel's local independent bookstore. She’ll provide order forms.
Testimonials:
"The students in my Children's Literature class loved M.O. Yuksel's engaging and informative presentation on writing picture books! She not only presented valuable information about picture books, but also spoke movingly about the importance of diverse books and Muslim representation. Yuksel was also generous in answering student questions and providing thoughtful responses. Afterwards, many students commented on how important Yuksel's presentation was in expanding their understanding of diverse representation. Her presentation beautifully underscored one of our main course topics--how necessary it is for children to see themselves reflected in books and for children to learn about cultures other than their own through books. We loved In My Mosque, her beautiful picture book, and we can't wait to read her upcoming books!"
Dr. Diana Ma
North Seattle College, Seattle, WA
“As a Grade 4/5 class, we first read “In My Mosque” in April 2021. The students fell in-love with the text, the visuals, and the message of celebrating Islam. A Muslim student came forward and stated that “they felt seen” when engaging with the book; they were represented in a positive, welcoming, and celebratory way. I then invited M.O. Yuksel to come and visit my Grade 4/5 class in June 2021. A week prior to Yuksel’s visit, there was a terrorist attack in a community close by; a Muslim family was murdered in London, Ontario for simply existing as Muslims. As a teacher of Muslim students, my priority was to ensure their mental-health and well-being were placed at the forefront. For this reason, I wanted to strictly celebrate Islam during Yuksel’s visit.
Yuksel entered the virtual space promptly centring the needs of students. Yuksel led an art activity that encouraged the students to draw/paint/virtually design a mosque of their own. Conversations were then held about what we see within a mosque, what we know about mosques, and what we wonder about mosques. Students’ learning was validated by Yuksel as she acknowledged that many were coming from different learning journeys and experiences.
Thank you, M.O. Yuksel, for centring students’ needs and the voices of Muslim students. Thank you for writing a beautiful story about Islam and its beautiful places of worship.”
Sara Savoia
Classroom Teacher
Simcoe County District School Board, Canada
Artwork from students of Ms. Savoia's Grade 4/5 class of Simcoe County District School Board, Canada. Thank you to Ms. Savoia, Khadijah Douglas-McLeish, Evelynn Ellis, Waylon Nickson, Emily Hearns for sharing their beautiful mosque drawings.
Some Pictures from School Visits and World Read Aloud Day:
