HOOVER – Greystone Elementary School students enjoyed visits from some of their favorite authors, illustrators and songwriters during the annual Young Authors Week, from April 30 through May 4.

Presenters included Amy Grimes on Tuesday, May 2, and Katye Jackson Gonzalez on Wednesday, May 3.

On Thursday, May 4, children’s musician Roger Day and author K.B. Hoyle visited.

Day performed songs about insects and superheroes—and superheroes’ sidekicks.

“Superheroes need a sidekick, and if I was a superhero, I would want this particular sidekick,” Day said introducing a song about a robot.

Day performed a community concert on the evening of May 4 and again at the school on Frid ay, May 5, and students had a Skype session with author Lauren Tarshis.

Grimes is an author and illustrator, while Gonzalez is a former Greystone Elementary student who wrote about her own battle with childhood cancer, which included losing an arm before becoming a successful teacher and writer.

Her story provided a lesson in perseverance to the current GES students, Librarian Julie Richey said.

“I said, ‘Look, she did it,’” Richey said. “’She didn’t let anyone hold her back.’”

Tarshis is author of the popular “I Survived” book series and is editor of Storyworks magazine.

The writers offered copies of their books for sale and offered to sign copies.

Richey said the Greystone Elementary School has been celebrating Young Authors Week for all 11 years she has been at the school.

The school’s Parent-Teacher Association funds the effort each year.

Leading up to the week of celebration, Greystone students met a goal of 500,000 pages read.