See Daryl at work         (Click Here)

“Dear Daryl,

The program was very entertaining, especially the interactive portion. I felt the segment on writing and editing was very important. The music was great and fun sing-a-longs!”

--Teacher, Califon Public Schools, Califon, NJ

View Daryl and the students performing "Do Pirates Go To School."  (Click Here)

This show is designed to accommodate children from pre-k through 8th grade. With simple adjustments to content, this presentation can be enjoyed by children of all ages. Age groups should be separated appropriately.

Daryl shows children that creativity comes in many forms, whether through music, art, writing, or acting. Today a child may see his show and leave wanting to play the guitar, sing, act, write or draw.

                                                                                                "I like when he sings."              

"I really like the interactive parts of the show."

The show is propelled along by a visually stimulating power point presentation. Daryl uses 164 graphic images to teach and entertain the children during the show. The text in the presentation has been color coded to help the kids recognize when it is time to participate.

A discussion of the bookmaking process is weaved into the presentation in various places. As Daryl does a reading of “Bill the Bat Loves Halloween,” the children learn about the illustration process called the story board. Daryl has placed the original story board illustrations over the top of each finished illustration so the children can see where the process began and compare it to the finished work.

                                                     (Click Here)  to see a video of Daryl working with the children of Califon Public School in NJ. This is an interactive segment of his show where Daryl and the students create a story together using the children's ideas.   

Daryl will select children out of the audience to join him in reading his books. He uses most of his published books during the presentation. He will make adjustments to this segment to accommodate differnt reading levels.   

Daryl also plays the acoustic guitar and sings. He uses songs that he wrote for the show that have a creative or inspirational message, such as “Reading in Bed,” “You Can Be Anything You Want To Be” and “What Do You Dream About.” These songs were created to show the children that using your creativity is an exciting adventure. “Reading in Bed” and “What Do You Dream About” are both driven forward by the use of graphic illustrations created by Manuela Pentangelo (Bill the Bat) and Traci Von Wagoner (Daddy Did I Ever Say?).

An interactive discussion about where the ideas for stories come from is part of the show. The kids will learn the story behind each of Daryl’s own stories and what sparked the ideas for Daryl’s books. In addition by using words from classic children’s songs, Daryl teaches the children how to take existing works and create something new from something old.

An interactive segment on story creation teaches the children about creating conflict and why conflict is important in a story. During this exercise the kids learn about story development and the importance of detail. With Daryl’s guidance, the children create a story using their own ideas. They are always excited to see how their ideas unfold.

Daryl also uses classic songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” “This Old Man”, and “Monkeys on the Bed” to teach the kids about music! “I always start off playing them a part of the original version and then go on to show them that by simple changes to the tempo and the arrangement, you can create a whole new feeling to a song. ”Adjustments are made to this segment to accommodate older children.

Readers' theatre is an interactive storytelling segment where some specially selected kids join Daryl in acting out Daryl’s story “Do Pirates Go to School.” This segment is adjusted to include teachers when the children are too young to read out loud.