Eagles great Brian Westbrook was among the authors who visited Gladwyne Elementary School second graders during the week of May 1, 2023, for Authors' Week.

He was joined by his co-author, local TV sports reporter Lesley Van Arsdall. Van Arsdall and Westbrook wrote "The Mouse Who Played Football," the story of a perseverant mouse who stars in the "MFL," even after many coaches tell him he's too small to play, mirroring Westbrook's own life story. 

The students listened intently as the authors read the book and answered questions, showing their understanding of the book's message. Van Arsdall and Westbrook also answered questions from student interviewers, sharing insight on topics such as how long it took them to write the book and how many rewrites it took. Westbrook also shared that he owns horses and enjoys watching basketball as well as football and then posed for photos for students and staff (you can see those in the gallery below). 

Also during the week, students heard from authors Jeanette Fournier; Mary Kate Bolinder, author of "North America" and "Rainforests of the World;" Diana Rodriguez Wallach, author of "Small Town Monsters" and Jenna Beatrice, author of "The Loud Librarian."