Y'all. I don't have much time to sit and read most days, so I listen to audiobooks. I typically read them at 1.5-2x speed. That sounds fast, but most audiobooks are read by the voice actors at a slower than normal rate. I listen any time I'm doing laundry, dishes, cleaning, yard work, etc. I was solely using Audible, but it's SO expensive when you're reading multiple books a month. One of my friends (shout out to Kerry!) told me about a FREE app that gets you FREE e-books and audiobooks. WHAT? I was skeptical, but it's true. All you need is a library card to use the Libby app. If your library has the book available on "Overdrive" then the book will be available to you on the app. The app could use some improvements in navigation, but it's free, so I don't complain. Very popular books might require a waiting period until an electronic copy opens up. You can put that book on hold and pick up another book in the meantime. But wait... it's not just for adults. You can find plenty of kid lit on the app, including audiobooks. My kids are currently on book #13 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. We listen to it anytime we are in the car. 

Speaking of FREE stuff... Chances are your local library is doing a lot of cool, free activities this summer. Our library is fairly rural but is part of the greater metropolitan library system in our area. Their calendar includes weekly activities for various age groups from toddler to adults. Some of the activities offered this summer for kids include an osteology museum day, Science Museum of Oklahoma day, Lego Day, an escape room, an art class taught by a local artist, a class about glass art from the Art Museum of Oklahoma, and so much more. This will keep my kids entertained while also showing them how fun the library can be. Also, they are having a summer reading event where kids earn two free books (and adults earn one book) for logging 10 hours of reading. This is a great way to avoid the "summer slide" (where children fall behind in reading over the summer).

My kids also got their own library cards last week. We have checked out so many books for them to read. One of our favorites was The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet, written by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter. It's funny, rhymes, and features poop and dinosaurs. What more could a kid ask for?

Happy reading (and saving!)

If you haven’t reviewed my previous list, check out How to Encourage Reading: Part 1. This is my second list of tips to encourage young readers.

• Talk about the books. Talk about the pictures, colors, and point out letters (pre-reader). Talk about the characters (did they have anything in common with your child, for example). If the story had a moral, talk a little about that. Ask your child what they think the story was about. For more advanced readers, ask about plot, main character, problems/solutions, etc. Tell your child your opinions too ("This illustration was my favorite because it reminds me of baking cookies with my grandma!")
• Celebrate books. For book holidays, find ways to celebrate too! Serve up green eggs and ham during Seuss week, which is the week of March 2nd. World reading day is April 23.
• Make a book nook. Set up a small closet or corner of a room that is a comfy spot with plenty of books. This will make reading both accessible and something to look forward to.
• Bathtub books. There are small waterproof books that are perfect for bath time.
• Read a book, and then watch the movie. As a reward for reading a book, watch the corresponding movie. For example, we read The One and Only Ivan as a family before watching the movie. You can also ask questions, such as: What was different about the movie? What did you like better about the book? Is that how you imagined the main character?
• Repeat. It’s completely fine for young readers to read the same books over and over. In fact, this may help build their confidence and give them extra practice pronouncing words.
• Start a book club. This works best for kids who can read somewhat independently. Aim for short, fairly loosely structured sessions to keep it fun. Serve book-themed snacks, tie in some activities. For example, you can make a simple birdfeeder after reading Gloria Whelan’s Homeless Bird.
• Try a subscription box. There are a lot to choose from, such as My First Reading Club, Bookroo, KidArtLit. They can vary by age and price considerably. Check out Crate Joy’s 2021 best book box list.
• Get a reading light. One of my reader’s likes to read in bed. There are even these cool neck lights you can get on Amazon.
• Get in character. Use silly voices for book characters, puppets, or even dress up for the part when you’re reading to your kids. Encourage them to use silly voices for their characters as they become more confident readers.
• Give the gift of reading to others. You love reading so much that you want to spread that love to everyone, right? Give books as gifts to friends, as party favors at a birthday party, for Christmas, and more. Check out this previous post for some ideas, as well as this post for our favorite books. 
• Accessorize. Bookworms need cool bookmarks. Consider giving your child a cool bookmark like this as a reward after they read a certain number of books: splat book mark, timer book mark, light bookmark.
• Buy books at the book fair. Book fairs are typically held annually at school. Children will often buy pens, sticker, and other knickknacks. Visit with your child about books they might be interested in or review the book fair site in advance with your child. Find books they are interested in. Book fairs are great because they also generate funds for schools and libraries.
• Read to a buddy. A reading buddy is a nonjudgmental listener. They can read to their pet or a toy, for example.
• Read to their sibling. Older siblings can read out loud to younger siblings. This helps both children find enjoyment in reading, helps them bond, and allows the younger sibling to see how much fun reading can be.
• Find funny books. Listen, if all else fails, get you a funny book. I didn’t plan on writing a book about potty humor, but guess what: My kids LOVE it. Hearing them laughing and enjoying books is what really matters.
• Stop at the cliffhanger. Find a book with a nice cliffhanger that your child has never read. Read just until the cliffhanger, and then let your child take over reading. They’ll be incentivized to find out what happens next.
• Invest in personalized books. There are plenty of personalized book companies out there that will make a book with a character that looks like your child and is named with your child’s name.
• Show interest. Children love attention. When they read, take special care to give them extra attention and positive reinforcement. Ask them about the book and what they liked. Show interest in books they like. For example, I don’t care for Dog Man graphic novels, but you better believe that I act like I’m on pins and needles when my daughter tells me about what she’s reading. She reads them to me, and I enjoy the book through her excitement.
• Check out bilingual books. If your child is interested in learning another language or if another language is near and dear to you, bilingual books are becoming more popular. Alternatively, you can find a book in an alternate language that your child already owns in English. 
• Play road trip games. We look for words in alphabetical order on road trips. For example, a road sign my say “Austin next right”, then “Bump ahead”. This is a fun way to pass the time while getting kids to read. From personal experience, it's best not to start this game in the middle of the Arizona desert where there are rarely signs...  
• Reach out. Ask other parents with children your child’s age for tips. I’m in several book club groups on Facebook, and I am always seeing parents reaching out for book ideas for their children. I see this often from parents of tweens and teens.
• Don’t give up. It will not happen overnight. It will take patience, but it’s so worth it once they find a book that really lights that fire for them. Try different tactics and try some of the same tactics again for different children or when they are a different age. The point is... keep trying.
  • But if you're like me, it sometimes feels like we have so much pressure as parents/caregivers to do ALL THE THINGS. Cut yourself some slack too! You do not have to do ALL THE THINGS. You do not have to try everything on this list next week. Keep it in your back pocket to help you along the way. It's a marathon, not a sprint! <3

​Happy reading!

In honor of the upcoming (official) The Toot Fairy book launch, we have a fun, farty slime recipe for you to try out! A PDF of this recipe is also found in the free printables section here: The Toot Fairy. You can also watch a video the kids and I made on my new YouTube channel (please subscribe), Facebook, and Instagram!

As mentioned in a previous blog post, having kiddos read recipes is another fun way to get them reading. 




​Make your own tooting slime with the Toot Fairy’s slime recipe!
 
Equipment:

• A medium to large bowl, for mixing
• A spoon or wooden popsicle stick, for stirring
• A narrow cup or jar, for tooting!

 
Ingredients:

• Liquid starch (Note: You can make liquid starch from corn starch using recipes online if you don’t have liquid starch)
• Water
• 2 bottles of clear glue
• Food coloring (optional)

 
Step 1. Empty both bottles of clear glue into a bowl.
Step 2. Fill one of the empty glue bottles with water. Add this water to your bowl.
Step 3. Mix together for one minute.
Step 4. (Optional) Mix in food coloring of your choice until the color is uniform throughout.
Step 5. While stirring, slowly add a small amount of liquid starch (1 teaspoon at a time) until the consistency is that of thick slime.

Reading doesn’t always require a “book”. Incorporating play is always a great way to learn, so try out some of these sidewalk chalk games. You can get a new reader reading. For a pre-reader, this can build vocabulary and help them learn to identify colors, shapes, and letters.

IMPORTANT: Make it FUN. Don’t make it seem like work. Kids do their best “work” while playing. If your child isn’t interested, let them lead the game their way. Try different things!

What you need: Sidewalk chalk, preferably of many colors. A bean bag or other similar object that you can toss and that doesn’t bounce. In a pinch, you can fill a balloon or a small Ziplock bag with sand, sugar, or salt.
​
Pre-Reader Game Ideas:

• Play copy-cat: Draw a letter slowly; ask your child to copy your actions with their chalk.
• Draw letters of the alphabet on the sidewalk or driveway. Call out a letter and throw a bean bag to that letter.
  • If your child is VERY new to letters, start out with only a few letters to build confidence. Put them in alphabetical order. Help your child identify them and play along too. “Mommy is going to throw the bag to the letter A. Let’s see if I can do it!”
  • If your child is more advanced, draw the full alphabet in random order.
• If your child is ready for easy sight words, draw those words on the sidewalk. Have your child toss a bean bag to them.
• Use the bean bag toss game to identify shapes, numbers, or colors. For example, you can draw different shapes in different colors. “Throw your bean bag to the yellow triangle.”
• Write the names of colors in chalk. Use white chalk to write WHITE. Use yellow chalk to write the word YELLOW. Et cetera.

Raising readers can be hard. What worked for big brother might not work for little brother. What worked for your daughter last year might not work the next. That’s why having many options at your disposal is important. Here is my first list of tips to help encourage reading.
​

• Receive visits from the book fairy. Check out this blog post for more information.
• Design a book scavenger hunt. Click here for my previous blog post about this.
• Incentivize it. Here are some examples, but the sky is the limit. Children have an affinity for quick wins so start low and later move on to bigger prizes for more time. This will make them feel accomplished. Or you can do a tiered approach (every 10 books gets a fruit snack, every 25 books gets a $1 at Dollar Tree, but if you hit 250 books we are going to the beach!)
  • Special mommy & me date after 25 books read
  • Ice cream cone after 25 books read
  • New book after 30 books read
  • Earn $1 at Dollar Tree for every 20 books read
  • Small piece of candy for every 10 books read
  • Six Flags after 6000 minutes
  • Build-a-Bear after 1000 minutes
  • Science Museum / zoo after 1000 minutes
• Be a good role model. Read plenty of books. Talk highly of books. Tell them about what makes you enjoy reading. Talk to them about an exciting book you just read.
• Read with and to your child often. Even if they can read on their own, children love that special time when they are read to. You can read books above their reading level to them, for example. 
• Join your local library. Visit often and make a big deal of them getting their very own library card. Plus, it’s free! AND they often have STEM classes, story times, and other events.
• Explore books. Not every reader is the same. I tried to get my kids to enjoy the books I loved as a kid, but they don’t. Are they really into dinosaurs? Get them a couple of dinosaur books.
• Try out graphic novels. Some might call them ‘comic books’, but you might get some eye rolls from your tween or almost-tween. ;) These books are incredibly useful for cultivating a love for books and are hugely popular right now. Parents, myself included, swear by them. My oldest went through a lull and has now found graphic novels, and she loves them! Publishing giants like Scholastic know just how lucrative these books are. My daughter picked out three just today while we were out shopping. Instead of a toy, she got books (and she's excited about it!!!! Eeeee!)
• Explore other options. Sometimes a novel approach can reignite a reader's passion. 
  • Try out children’s magazines. Many children's magazines not only have stories inside of them, but they can provide your child with anything from STEM activities, to puzzles, to tasty kid-friendly recipes. 
  • Try the e-book option. We love e-books, especially when we are on the go (e.g., when you are waiting at the dentist office, offer an e-book to pass the time instead of a game on your phone).  I download a lot of free e-books from The Fussy Librarian. You can sign up on their website to receive free e-books in any genre you prefer, including children's and middle grade books. Authors often use this method to build an audience, promote their book, and to get the VERY important reviews needed to be successful. 
• Leave notes. Have a family bulletin board? Leave your child notes there. Leave notes in their lunch box. Leave a silly sticky note on their bathroom mirror. When my daughter was just beginning to learn to read, she would LOVE getting notes from me so she could practice her new skills. 
• Follow instructions. This is a clever way to get them to read. Work on a craft or building project that requires you to follow instructions. For example, Kiwi Crate offers children’s craft box subscriptions and each comes with instructions. Alternatively, if you have a little chef, have them help you with the recipe by reading the instructions to you.
• Make it a habit. Whether it’s over breakfast or just before bedtime, make it a habit they can always count on.
• Chat with your child. Some children just need exposure to more words so their vocabulary can expand.
• Always have a book on hand. When you’re in the waiting room or waiting on big sister’s gymnastics practice to be over, hand out books. As I mentioned above, I always have plenty of e-books on my phone just for these moments, and I encourage my kids to read over playing any form of mindless game (seriously, why is there a game to dress up cats like they just got back from the 80s?) Keep them on hand in the car and for trips. We go camping a lot, so we always have books with us.
• Watch for events. Watch for reading and book signing events at your local zoo, library, bookstore, etc. You can often meet the author or enjoy numerous other activities with other children at these events.
• Reduce screen time. If you restrict screen time that allows for more time for reading and other beneficial activities.
• Write. Writing is an important step in development. Writing by hand also helps readers learn new words, how to spell, and more. Check out this blog post about writing books.
• Pair it with activities. Many books and publishers offer activity sheets, color sheets, and more on their websites. For example, you can check out Scholastic on Pinterest for plenty of activity sheets for their best-selling books. You can also find some activities on YouTube, such as related STEM activities. Or, if you read a book about dairy cows, why not go on a family field trip to a dairy farm.
• Replace music with audiobooks from time to time. Instead of listening to music some days, try out audiobooks. We’ve listened to Peter Pan, the Secret Garden, and even an audiobook about dinosaurs and fossils. Harry Potter is also a big favorite (and my absolute favorite Harry Potter media).
• Talk to an expert. If your child is struggling and you’re not quite sure what to make of it, talk to a teacher or other professional. Your child may need glasses or need to be assessed for dyslexia and other challenges. There are numerous resources, including school reading specialists, who can help.
• Find their reading level. Make sure you are picking books at or slightly above their reading level. If you aren’t sure what their reading level is, check with their teacher.
• Speaking of teachers… work closely with your child’s teacher for tips and any patterns they have spotted at school.

​Let me know in the comments which of these tips work well for your little reader.

Check back soon for Part 2! Happy Reading!

Confession: I have not always enjoyed reading, but I have always enjoyed writing. I've been writing stories, poems, and drawing since I can remember. While I was an early reader, it wasn't something I wanted to do on my own with my free time. I wanted to be outside playing, making up my own stories in my head. It wasn't until high school literature class that I actually found THE book that made me a reader: Sophie's Choice. And it wasn't until 2019 that I reinvigorated that love of reading by listening to Harry Potter books on Audible. That relit two things: A love of reading and a love of writing. From there, COVID gave me the extra time I needed to make something happen. Now that life is sort of returning back to normal, I have less time. Things are slowing down a bit on my writing. 

But all this got me to thinking a few months ago... maybe my kids would also benefit from writing. So we started small, and I do mean small. Like cheap, easy. I like cheap and easy. It sounds terrible, but it's easy... and cheap. You get me? I literally took some printer paper and folded it in half, then stapled it along the fold. Yes, you too can win at life by going the cheap and easy route! And those books will be so precious. And numerous. My kids have several they are still working on from time to time and many others they've completed. 

It gets your child to do many things:
1) Plan,
2) Tell a story,
3) Use their creativity and imagination,
4) Use their fine motor skills,
5) Use both sides of their brain to write and illustrate their story,
6) Give their language skills a boost.

After trying their hand at writing, you may also see that they start pointing out structure and other things they observe when they read books.

My youngest cannot write or read yet, but he can tell me a story in one of two ways:
1) He tells me and I write it down so he can illustrate it, or
2) He illustrates it and then verbally tells me about his illustrations and the story in his book. 
Amazing!

Flagrant foul? Yep. Shameless plug. Absolutely. I did just seriously use a picture of MY book above. It's what I used to give the illustrator the same vision I had in my head for The Toot Fairy. Yes, this is an abuse of power to show you illustrations to my book (that you should totally purchase). But my illustrations were cute, right? ​Almost as cute as some of the books my kids have made.

But let's just say you're feeling a little extra today. I got you! Grab some of your construction paper and all that scrapbook paper you are NEVER going to use. Seriously. You will never use it. Give it to your kids. They will think they won the paper lottery. In fact, haul in all the craft supplies you can think of and just let them dream up a beautiful story. Who cares if their cover is 3D with pom poms on it. But hear this, you and only you can prevent awful burns with the hot glue gun (and get some silicone finger covers on Amazon--trust me, those are amazing!)

But if you want to keep the book 2D, offer construction paper for the cover, white paper for the interior. Grab a laminator to laminate the cover (I got one for $13 at Walmart, and we've used it a lot!) You can even use contact paper if you wish (I only know this because Pinterest says so and someone long ago let my brother make one that was super cool).) You can fold and staple or hole punch and tie this baby together. And your child will feel absolutely amazing, like they just conquered the world by writing their very first book. Trust me. It's worth all the scrapbook paper. All. of. it. 

You might remember from a previous blog post, I mentioned Illustory. I loved the very idea that my child could create a book and then have a professional, bound, hardcover book delivered in a matter of a few weeks. So, I got one for each of my children for Christmas. My 8yo daughter wanted to immediately begin the writing process, but we had other Christmases to attend. But by the early part of January, she had completed her book. We just got it back this week. That was a long wait, but it was worth it! My 5yo son created a few weeks after my daughter, so his is still being created. 

​BEFORE:

AFTER:

Needless to say, this is my new favorite gift to give. It's affordable, and it comes with literally everything your child needs (though I strongly recommend including a picture of your child, which is optional. They put this picture on the back cover with the 'About the Author' info. It's adorable). Your child creates it. You mail it in a postage paid envelope. You wait a few weeks, and then you both get to experience the magic! I wish you could have seen my daughter's eyes LIGHT UP when she saw her very own professionally bound book arrive. It was magic! It was like Disney World in our house for a while, as she showed off her new and beautiful book.

The above product is called Illustory, but Lulu Jr also offers My Comic Book for budding comic book writers. You can order Illustory and My Comic Book on Lulujr.com or on Amazon.com.

H​appy reading (and writing!)

​It’s a cold, dreary day today, so we had a book scavenger hunt. Maybe you remember doing these types of scavenger hunts in your school library. There was a particularly hard set of questions that required us to use the card catalog indexing system. *shivers* We had fun memories back in the stone ages, right?
Here are some of the scavenger hunt prompts I used with my kids that I tailored to our own book collection. You can create your own scavenger book hunt with books you own.

• Find a book with more than 50 pages.
• Find a book with an animal main character.
• Find a book written by Dr. Seuss.
• Find a rhyming book. Show me some of the words that rhyme together.
• Find Hop on Pop. What are the two big words his dad can read?
• Find I Wish You Happiness. How many dogs are in the book? How many cats?
• Find Ten Little Lady Bugs. What animal came along as the ladybugs were climbing up the tree?  
• Find The Gruffalo. When the mouse meets the fox, what kind of food does the mouse claim is the Gruffalo’s favorite food?
• Find Snuggle Puppy. In the picture where momma puppy is baking, what ingredients are on the table?
• Find a book that starts with “Once upon a time.”
• Find a book with a super hero in it.

Need some more ideas? I’ve also created a FREE PRINTABLE book scavenger hunt. Just click below to download the PDF. Have fun inspiring your young reader!

So many updates to give:
1) The Toot Fairy: It's in pre-order status. This is your chance to get it hand-signed by the author (me). I'm only having books shipped to me that were pre-ordered and that I'll be donating to libraries and schools.
2) A Splash of Sass - Sassafras Gets a Puppy: Illustrations have begun, and already we have 2 finished interior illustrations. As a chapter book, this will have line art illustrations for each chapter, plus full color cover. Watch for sneak peeks on my social media 'stories'.
3) How Zebras Lost Their Colors: This one heads to illustrations next, after Sass is complete. It'll be another picture book, which means full color illustrations. 
4) The Bravest Bug and Wishing Stars: These have been out of editing for a while, but are not yet lined up for illustration work. It may not happen this year because clearly I have my hands full already.
5) The Third Path: This is my YA novel. I'm in love with the story. I cry at least twice every time I read through it. I'm partial, of course! I spent the whole past weekend (while hubby took kids camping) doing edit revisions based on the great feedback I got from Jennifer Rees. Y'all... she loved my story, my "voice", and my writing style. I cannot wait to see where this one goes. If it goes no where, I'd still be happy!
6) The Spelling Bee: Not sure whether I'll pick this one back up or not. It's a cute story, but I'm not in love with it. I may come back to it one day and start the edit process with it <3

Our local school held a Donor’s Choose fundraiser last year to purchase a vending machine. But… it’s not just any vending machine, it’s a BOOK vending machine.

1. What inspired you to write this book?  
After 10+ years of writing about sustainability and climate change issues for governments, international organizations and the private sector, I felt it was time to add a new audience to my repertoire. And being a mom to two curious young boys over the past six years has given me daily practice in explaining my work and why it’s important.
 
But if I had to pinpoint my proverbial “light bulb” moment for developing my book series, it was probably when my oldest was about 3 or 4 years old. At the grocery store, I was explaining to him why I wouldn’t buy him a cheap, plastic toy (“…because it will break, end up in the garbage, and maybe end up in the ocean where a whale might think it’s food, and eat it. And that would make the whale sick.”). 
 
What amazed me is how easily he followed the logic. He just got it. And I realized then that we shouldn’t be waiting to talk to young kids about our environmental challenges. 
 
Then I hit Google and Amazon in search of books that could help me with these conversations. What I quickly discovered is that there is no shortage of environmental children’s books for ages 8+, but that far less was out there to help start conversations about environmental challenges with our little ones. 
 
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. So, I decided to write the children’s books I was looking for. 

2. What’s your professional background?  
I’m a former Canadian journalist who has spent the last decade writing about forest protection and climate change for international organizations including the United Nations, the World Bank Forest Funds and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. I’m committed to promoting better ways of living on this beautiful planet—one audience at a time.

3. My children love Jefri! He is absolutely adorable. What made you pick an orangutan to be your book’s star character?  
I knew I wanted my first book in the series to be about trees, and after my World Bank mission to Sumatra in 2019, I knew I wanted my main character to be an orangutan. They literally have everything to lose by tropical forest loss. And since they share so similarities to humans, I thought an orangutan would be the perfect animal to underscore the ways in which we are all connected to trees. 

4. Jane Goodall endorsed your book, which is incredible! What did that mean to you?  
Everything! She is the one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) global name in nature conservation. She is strong and gentle, wise and kind. Her message of hope continues to inspire. Her tenacity, her grace-- she’s a hero in every sense of the word. The day I received her endorsement, I wrote “the best thing that could have possibly happened to my book just happened.” And that’s the truth. Her endorsement is literally the best thing that could have ever happened to my first book.

5. This is the first book in the series. What other books are you writing or planning to write?  
Book 2 “What the World Needs Now: Bees!” is finalized and people can already pre-order it on EnvironmentalKids.com. We will start shipping printed copies around the 22 February 2021.
 
Book 3 “What the World Needs Now: Less Plastic!” is written and being illustrated as we speak. Pre-ordering will start (again on Environmentalkids.com) mid-March and we will start shipping Book 3 on Earth Day (22 April).
 
Book 4 “What the World Needs Now: Cleaner Energy!” will be released end of June.
 
And that’s all that is firm in the series as of now! My aim is to have at least five books completed and on sale by the end of 2021. The other goal for 2021 is to develop and release French and Spanish versions of all the books in the series.
 
Once the series is established, I plan to work with education professionals to develop curriculum based on the book series that we would make available to educators around the world.

6. What do you hope to accomplish through your book series?  
To know about the climate crisis is to be profoundly scared by it, no matter how old we are. Many of us are grappling with a messy mix of emotions when it comes to the state of our planet-- anxiety, grief, ambivalence, hopelessness, numbness, or a mix of all of the above.
 
And as parents, educators and caregivers to young children, many of us don’t know where to begin to talk about our most pressing environmental challenges. How do we start these conversations without scaring our kids or leaving them feeling hopeless? (I wrote a blog about this too: https://www.cherylrosebush.com/blog/psychology-and-the-climate-crisis).
I’ve developed this book series to give parents and educators the right, age-appropriate starting point in these conversations. The series is designed to lay the foundation for future learning on the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. But for our littlest kids, the connection starts at a much simpler point: their first job is to fall in love with nature - because you don’t protect what you don’t love. The books support engaging with our kids on how we can better respect and care for the only planet we have.  

7. I was so impressed to find out your book was eco-friendly and carbon balanced. Can you tell us more about it?  
Thanks! Yes, all of the books in the What the World Needs Now series adhere to the highest standards of eco-printing:

• Printed on 100% recycled material
• Printed with vegetable-based inks
• Coated in biodegradable lamination
• Printed with 100% renewable energy sources

 
To offset emissions generated from manufacturing and shipping, the book series contributes to the World Land Trust. Adhering to these eco-standards means this book isn’t the least expensive one
you could buy, but it is a book you can feel good about buying.
 
Achieving these standards of eco-printing was a must-have for me. I simply had no interest in developing an environmental children’s book series that didn’t walk its talk.

8. What can children do to help the environment?  
The same things we can all do! One of my favourite quotes is from Maya Angelou “Do the best you can until you know better. And when you know better, do better.” So, whether you are 4 or 84, when we learn about the problem with plastic, or pesticides, or palm oil (the list goes on and on), the best thing we can do is to look for better, more sustainable alternatives. We don’t have to change everything overnight, but we do need to do better once we know better.
 
And what’s really important to communicate to our kids is that it’s not all up to them. None of this (ie our environmental challenges) is their doing, but we will need their help to change things for the better.  

9. For children who are interested in reading more about protecting the environment, what books or magazines do you recommend?  
The Jane Goodall Institute has been running an amazing global youth initiative since the early 1990s called Roots & Shoots. The program has developed so many wonderful resources to help children foster a deep connection with the natural world.
 
One of my favourite children’s books underscoring our connection with nature is The Great Kapok Tree- A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest. It’s so beautifully written, and it just celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2020.

10. If a parent wants to talk to their children about climate change and other environmental issues, what resources do you recommend?  
In 2020, ClimateMama.com founder Harriet Shugarman released a book “How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change” (endorsed by Al Gore!), which is a great resource for parents, educators and caregivers.
 
Renowned Climate Psychologist, Dr. Renee Lertzman, did an amazing TedTalk in 2020 called “How to turn your climate anxiety into action” that I HIGHLY recommend watching. In 2020, Dr. Lertzman also launched a new initiative called Project Inside Out, which has developed great resources on climate awareness and action.
 
The WWF also has good resources available on their online education platform: https://www.worldwildlife.org/teaching-resources
 
Another great idea for parents and educators is to follow nature conservation leaders on their social media platforms, all of whom have initiatives to engage with. Dr. Jane Goodall has a new “hopecast” podcast; any one of Sir David Attenborough’s amazing documentaries, including his latest Netflix doc A Life on Our Planet; Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project; the Kiss the Ground movement, to name only a few. 

Looking for some books for your loved readers for Christmas? Here are some tried and true favorites that my family loves. Honestly, this was a hard post to write because we really love a lot of books that didn't make the list!
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Numbers: 10 Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
The illustrations are beautiful. The meter and rhyme make it easy to read and remember. Plus, some versions have lady bugs built into the book to give an extra tactile boost.
Alphabet: ABCs by Dr. Seuss
Seuss silliness, rhyme, and helping to identify the letters and their sounds.
Colors: Colors by Pantone
Pantone is a leader in paints so they know colors. And guess what, there are a million shades of blue, which I wanted my kids to understand. We have spent HOURS with this book. With each page we talked about the color, but we talked about every picture. If there was an animal, for example, I also asked what animal it was and what sound it made. We also used it to learn letters to words. At the back of the book are several different pictures the children like to find/point out. The book has been worth its weight in gold.
Days of the Week: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Seriously, the genius of adding holes in the book as the caterpillar eats through the days of the week...

​As part of a recent change in vision for my social media pages, I’m going to be Inspiring Young Readers. Here is my first blog post to help inspire your littlest young readers.  

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Tooth Fairy, and by now you’ve heard of my forthcoming book, The Toot Fairy. But have you heard of the Book Fairy? It’s a genius idea, and I just have to share it with you!
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The idea is that the Book Fairy visits children to leave gifts of books on special occasions. The Book Fairy may leave the book wrapped on a nightstand with a small note, for example. Like most fun family traditions, it’s ultimately up to the creativity of the Book Fairy themselves…
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Imagine you child is preparing for their first dental visit. They are nervous or not sure what to expect. Poof! The Book Fairy leaves a book just for them! They wake up to find their new book on their nightstand and eagerly run to you to read it with them. The note reads, “Sweet dear, I heard you have your first dentist appointment soon. I thought you might enjoy this book! Happy Reading, the Book Fairy.”
The Book Fairy might visit with a special book for holidays and birthdays, as well as to celebrate milestones. Here are some times the Book Fairy may want to visit:

• Birthday
• Before first dentist appointment (e.g., The Tooth Book)
• Before/shortly after a new sibling arrives
• Loss of a loved one
• New pet (e.g., how to care for them)
• Before the first day of school
• About the tooth fairy
• Tying your shoes
• Potty training
• Flower girl / ring bearer
• First communion
• Baptism
• Before a Disney vacation
• To help with a new fascination (e.g., dinosaurs)
• Just for fun!

Imagine how exciting books will be to a child who is receiving them from none other than the Book Fairy! I absolutely love this clever family tradition. Does the Book Fairy visit your family? I'd love to hear what you think in the comments!

I've been incredibly excited for November to be here. First off, it's my birthday month! Woo! 

In more exciting November news: Editing for The Third Path (with the EDITOR OF THE HUNGER GAMES!!!) begins November 15th, and illustrations for The Toot Fairy begin with a different illustrator, Daniel Wlodarski, not long after that! 

Other updates:

• As of tonight, The Bravest Bug has finished the editing process.
• I had planned to work on The Spelling Bee next, which is another rhyming book. I'm quite burned out with meter/rhyme right now, so it's going to be delayed for the foreseeable future.
• Lisa D., my children's book editor, has been absolutely amazing. We're going to start on our fifth book together, and it's called Wishing Stars. I wrote this book about a week ago. This one is personal and heartwarming... and has no rhyming and meter to contend with (thank goodness).

If I don't get around to another blog post this month, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and are able to spend time with your loved ones. I wish you many blessings and a safe and happy November!

We can all agree that 2020 has been a hard year. But, when there are hard times, there are opportunities for growth. Let's say that many of us are getting so many opportunities for growth this year, myself included. However, there is always good! I want to share some of the good, bad, and ugly going on right now. 

The good: My YA novel was set up to go to editing, so I inquired with my children's book editor who to consider. I inquired with five editors on Reedsy, based on her recommendation. Starting November 15, I will be working with Jennifer Rees, THE FORMER EDITOR OF THE HUNGER GAMES. Yes, I freaked out. Now, I'm not going to say that my YA novel is near Hunger Games level, but my editor IS. I'm so excited to learn anything I can from her.
Additionally, my middle grade chapter book (Sassafras Gets a Puppy) is contracted with Aleksander Jasinski (https://www.artstation.com/alexjasinski). I am hoping to snag him for my next picture book (How Zebras Lost Their Colors) as well, which just finished up in editing. 

The bad: There have been some setbacks on my first book. I am looking to pivot and keep marching ahead. The Toot Fairy has been delayed until further notice, but I am hoping it'll release next year.  

The ugly: By ugly, I mean ugly crying. My mom, who inspired me to chase this dream, passed away September 16, 2020 after an illness that stretched over 7 years. She leaves behind a legacy of love and education. She was a teacher for over 20 years, and she worked very hard to ensure all her children were able to go to college. I will miss her terribly. I so wish she could have seen a published book, but she knew I would do anything I put my mind to. She was proud of her children, and I was proud to have her as my mother. 

Illustration work is coming in for The Toot Fairy, and I cannot wait to share with you. Here is a tiny peek! Once the illustrations are finalized, I'll be able to submit the book to a print shop. That will several, long weeks... especially during COVID. During that time I hope to start posting Pinterest projects, coloring pages, etc. 

A big thank you to my fearless friends who gave me feedback on my YA novel, tentatively titled The Third Path. The children's book editor I've been working with and love so much is not specialized in YA / YA fantasy, so I'm currently seeking out a good editor for this book project. 

The first chapter book (Sassafras Gets a Puppy) will be the next book to get illustrations. My second picture book is currently in the middle of edits. And let me tell you, a good rhyming book is incredibly hard to pull off. I can tell a story and rhyme, but keeping it in perfect meter is a lot harder than I realized.

Book updates:
1) The Toot Fairy is in the illustration phase, but Brittany has given me several sneak peeks in the past few weeks. This is the first book that I expect to launch this year. This one will be self-published so that I can retain all creative control.
2) I have an early reader chapter book that is currently in the final stages of editing. I hope that it can move to the illustration phase in a few weeks. I am using the same editor for all of my children's books. We really hit it off, and she is amazing!
3) I have three more picture books that will move to the editor after the chapter book is complete. One is about a spelling bee, another about a brave bug, and the third is about how zebras lost their colors. I expect these will likely come out in 2021. Waiting is hard!
4) My YA novel is hovering around 63k words, and I've sent it to several friends to get feedback. I'm not quite ready to send it to an editor yet, but I hope to find a YA editor and have it sent out to them by the end of the summer. My children's book editor has spoiled me, but she's given me a list of referrals to consider for this project.

Other updates: 

• I have started a group on Facebook to help provide feedback and help me launch my first book. They are amazing and have been so helpful!
• Since I'm self-publishing many, if not all, of the books I'm writing, I have also started the process to open an LLC with a law firm. I'll be revealing the name of my publishing imprint once it's approved.
• I've been researching marketing approaches, as well as ways that I can give back to teachers with COVID going on.