Children’s author and illustrator Michael Rex recently visited students at Long Elementary School during the school’s Literacy Festival to discuss what it’s like drawing pictures and writing stories for his more than 30 popular books.

“Fangbone!,” “Goodnight Goon” and “Furious George Goes Bananas” are three titles that exemplify Rex’s fun style. Many of his books are parodies of popular children’s classics, according to a news release.

During the visit, Rex taught students how to write humor and comics, signed books, and answered questions about being an author. His visit was sponsored by Long PTO.

“I think it is important for students to see people who are making a living in the arts,” Rex stated in the release. “When we are preparing kids for life and careers, it’s important for them to know that they can write and illustrate for a living, and to promote creativity.”

Rex’s visit was one part of the schoolwide Literacy Festival, which also included reading in the outdoor learning space, story time with retired teacher Deborah Nelson Linck, and a class where students used computers to make their own comic strips. In addition, every student received two free books to take home, to promote summer reading.

“The Literacy Festival is an all-day celebration of everything related to communication arts — reading, writing, listening, speaking and visual representation,” librarian Karen Czaicki stated in the release.