Blog – Page 4 – Aimee Reid

Lisa Dalrymple Connects Across Generations

January 7, 2014 by Aimee Reid

Lisa Dalrymple has lived with chickens in South Korea, cats in Scotland, lizards in Thailand and her two sisters in England. She has never EVER lived with a Polar Bear. Lisa wrote her first mystery adventure book for kids when she was 10 years old. She sent it to Grolier—the encyclopaedia company—to see if the editors wanted to publish it. (They didn’t.)

Since then, though, Lisa has published three books. Two of them are about polar bears, and one is about a skink! Lisa lives with her husband and three children in Fergus, Ontario.

Welcome, Lisa. Please share about your experience of being read to as a child. What positive memories do you have?

I know I was read to often as a child. I’m certain because books were always a part of our lives, because the stories we shared are still on my parents’ shelves and because my parents now share these same books with my own kids whenever we take them for a visit. Yet I don’t have any one particular memory of these interactions. Reading together was just something that occurred daily and so became a part of my childhood and who I am.

I do remember the thrill of visiting my own Nana & Grandpop, of finding the books they had saved that were my Dad’s when he was little, and of cuddling up in their front ‘box room’ (as we called it in England) to enjoy their copies of the Enid Blyton books we didn’t have at home.

What are your favorite aspects of sharing good books with kids?

I love sharing stories, particularly my own stories, with a group. There is no greater delight than seeing the looks on kids’ faces as they’re pulled into one of my books and that moment in time when we’re all connected through written words and spoken language.

I love how a story itself comes with no restrictions about who can experience it, that there needs to be no concept of difference or sameness, of gender or age between listeners. Recently, I was asked to present to a group of adult writers at the WordSpring festival of the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick. The weekend started off with an evening in the very well-appointed salon of the Shadow Lawn Inn. Many talented authors shared their newest creations of historical fiction, literary fiction, and some very (ahem) grown-up poetry. I was the last reader of the evening, and I was feeling completely out of place with my brightly-illustrated picture book, nervous that the members of the audience would wonder why I was reading to them.

I began to present in the same manner that I read to every audience, regardless of age. I held up the full-size artwork so that everybody could see it, and I “performed” the story as I always do (just not very often in high heels). It was truly amazing to see the transformation in front of me. I wonder when was the last time many of the audience members had experienced a picture book being read out loud. As I looked into the faces of each of the listening adults, I saw in their eyes the same delight that comes to children engaged in story-time. It was a magical experience that illustrated for me just how much stories—and the remembrance of growing up sharing children’s books—can have an impact on all of us.

Please share your thoughts and tips for sharing good books with children.

When people ask me the age range for my books, I tend to say something along the lines of: children up to about 8 will especially enjoy them. No child is too young to share a good book. Even if a child can’t yet comprehend the entire context of a story, or if an infant doesn’t understand all the words, there is a special connection in sharing that snuggle time and of interacting with the images on the page and the cadence of the text.

I’m a particular sucker for good picture books with meter or rhyme. Often these books read like a song (or a nursery rhyme) and I think the youngest audiences sometimes enjoy these stories all the more. Because they can be easier to remember, the words often root themselves in young children’s minds, assisting them in making that connection between the letters they have seen repeatedly on the page and the words they hear spoken every night. These early books can help to create that magical space where a child doesn’t necessarily learn how to read but rather absorbs that knowledge through a kind of osmosis.

Thank you, Lisa!

What about you? What memories do you have of books that generations of people have enjoyed? Please let us know below.

If you’re in the mood for some fun stories that feature unique animals, check out Lisa’s books: If It’s No Trouble–A Big Polar Bear, Bubbly, Troubly Polar Bear, and Skink on the Brink.

Lisa’s book Skink on the Brink was a Canadian Toy Testing Council Recommended Read for 2014 and recognized as one of the Best Books for Kids and Teens in Fall 2013 by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. It also won the Writers’ Union of Canada’s Writing for Children award in 2011.

You can visit Lisa online at www.lisadalrymple.com.

Don’t miss out! If you’d like to receive more of Lisa’s tips for sharing good books with kids, sign up for Aimee’s newsletter below. Lisa will be sharing a “Make Your Own Polar Bear” craft.

Rob Sanders Shares about the Sweetness of Knowledge

December 13, 2013 by Aimee Reid

Rob Sanders is a teacher who writes and a writer who teaches. He’s also a natural storyteller who keeps his friends laughing.

Rob and I met at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference in Los Angeles a few summers ago. Since then, we have been friends and critique partners. I’m delighted that Rob is the first author to be featured on Good Books to Share.

Welcome, Rob! Please share about your experience of being read to as a child. What positive memories do you have?

I don’t have memories of my parents reading aloud to me, but they took me, my brother, and my sister to libraries frequently. Our church had a large library and often sponsored reading contests, and our family frequented the public library in our hometown. My sister and I have realized as adults that a mother with three kids in a hot, un-air conditioned house in the summers of the 1960s might have had ulterior motives for taking her kids to the library (for instance: air conditioning and other adults who frequently said, “Shhhhh!”), but whatever the motive, my parents instilled a love of books in me early on.

My most vivid memory of being read to as a child was in third grade. My third grade teacher, Mrs. Henley, began on the first day of school to read Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder to our class—one chapter at a time. We would beg for more as we sat around her chair on a rug in the front of the classroom, but she stuck to her guns, and only read that one chapter a day. Needless to say, we couldn’t wait for the next day’s installment.

When we finished with that book, Mrs. Henley planned a field trip for our class (the first field trip I remember). On a Saturday, with the help of our parents, Mrs. Henley took the class 60 miles from our home in Springfield, Missouri to Mansfield, Missouri. There we toured the home and museum of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We saw Pa’s fiddle, Ma’s teapot, and Laura’s handwritten manuscripts. Soon everyone in the class was rushing to check out Laura’s other books. I read the entire series that school year.

By the way, when I was in my hometown for a book signing last year, who do you think stood in line for an autograph? Mrs. Henley. Forty-five plus years after listening to her reading in class, Mrs. Henley purchased my book to read to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Please share about your experiences of being an adult and reading to a child or children. What are your favorite aspects of sharing good books with kids?

One of my elementary ed courses was a Kiddie Lit class. We learned about children’s literature, developed techniques for reading aloud to children, and even wrote, illustrated, and bound our own children’s books. I’ve used those lessons in every job I’ve had since then—first as a religious education director in churches, then as an editor and educational consultant, and now as a school teacher. (Yes, my work life has come full circle, and I’m back in the classroom.)

What I enjoy most about reading to children is creating experiences—memorable and meaningful events that make a lasting impression on children. I remember a few years ago I read Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco to my class of fourth graders. There’s a recurring line in the book—“Honey is sweet, and so is knowledge, but knowledge is like the bee that made that sweet honey, you have to chase it through the pages of a book.”

After reading the powerful story to my students, I closed the book, and picked up a bottle of honey. I stepped to the closest child and squirted a dab on honey on her finger. As the golden honey sat on her index finger, I said, “Honey is sweet . . .”, and the child spontaneously replied, “. . . and so is knowledge.” Emotions flooded through me as I looked at my student and continued, “. . . Chase it through the pages of a book.” Then she licked the sweet honey from her finger.

The process continued from child-to-child, with each student replying, “. . . and so is knowledge.” When I had gone to every student, we sat silently on the carpet (an unusual occurrence in a fourth grade classroom). No one wanted the moment to end or the magical spell to be broken.

Throughout the school year, when learning became difficult or morale sagged, I would say, “Honey is sweet,” and my students would reply, “and so is knowledge.” Then we could chase after knowledge a bit more.

Please share your thoughts on and tips for sharing good books with children.

Read what you love. Only read books to children that you truly love yourself. Your authenticity will shine through, and children will have the opportunity to not only connect with a book but with you, the reader.

Read dramatically. Reflect the pacing of the story through the pacing of your reading. Let your voice become a whisper, a roar, a chortling laugh to correspond with the emotions of the book. Change your accent, your inflection, and your facial expressions to match the story and its characters.

Read with emotion. Young children are learning to read words. Then students start to read for meaning. But the all-important component of reading for emotional impact and satisfaction is not something easily taught. It has to be modeled.

Once, after a read aloud, a student said, “Mr. Sanders, that was like a movie in my head. How did you know that book was supposed to sound like that?” The question itself was more valuable than any answer I could give. My challenge to that student and his classmates was for them to begin to let texts become so real to them that they could read and make others see movies in their heads.

Thanks, Rob!

How about you? Do you have good memories of a teacher who read to you? If so, share a comment below.

If you’re looking for a rip-roarin’, merry-makin’ Christmas movie to play in your head this season, you can’t go wrong with Rob’s book Cowboy Christmas. Click here to see more!

Watch for Rob’s new books: Outer Space Bedtime Race (coming from Random House Children’s Books, Spring 2015) and Ruby Rose On Her Toes (coming from HarperCollins, Winter 2016).

Connect with Rob:

Web site: www.robsanderswrites.com
Blog: wwws.robsanderswrites.blogspot.com
Twitter: RobSandersWrite
Facebook: RobSandersWrite

Don’t miss out! If you’d like to receive more of Rob’s great ideas for sharing good books with kids, sign up for Aimee’s newsletter below. He’ll be sharing some cowboy cookin’, cowboy writin’, and even musical and theatre ideas!

Good Books to Share

December 13, 2013 by Aimee Reid

I don’t remember when I learned to read. At some point, the squiggles in my books transformed into letters. Then they became words that created page after page of stories.

What I do remember is the parade of characters that populated my childhood: a little bird on a hunt for his mother, a mischievous cat with a preposterous hat, dogs racing to a party in a tree. Even a spot-juggling animal with a winsome knack for entertainment.

These books and many more came to me from the Random House Beginner Book Club. I remember the feeling of anticipation that washed over me as I slid a new book out of its cardboard packaging.

Beginner Books from Random House

Books became treasures that still line my shelves. Even before I could read, they captivated me. I listened with glee for the sound of the Snort in Are You My Mother? I cringed when I thought that all of those car-racing dogs were about to have a huge pile-up.

One book I read repeatedly was Come Over to My House by the inimitable Dr. Seuss. It featured children from exotic locales all warmly inviting the reader to visit. I chimed in on the refrain: “Come over to my house. Come over and play!” I pored over its illustrations of children in other countries and imagined myself as a visitor in their captivating homes. What would it be like to travel on streets of water or sleep on a wooden pillow?

This is the power of books. This ability to transport us. We imagine ourselves bigger. We imagine the world bigger.

Mysteriously, the world grows smaller at the same time. We learn to care. We discover that others whom we’ve never met feel as we do.

Now I am a children’s author with the very same publisher that brought me my first childhood books. I still love a good story. Like nothing else, stories move us. They inspire us, challenge our preconceptions, and help us to imagine the world as we want it to be.

In these pages, we will celebrate together the many ways that children’s books bring good to the world. We’ll hear from people whose lives have been touched by the wonder of books, and we’ll talk about how to make sharing books with kids a life-affirming experience.

As a child, I knew I couldn’t actually visit all of the places portrayed in Come Over to My House. But how the world has changed since then! With a tap of a finger, we can video-chat with friends on the other side of the globe or read the thoughts of a stranger who lives continents away.

I hope that when you visit these pages you will feel as though you are dropping in on a friend. Come over to my virtual house. Put your feet up. Find a cozy blanket. Sip some tea or munch on a favorite childhood treat. Let’s listen to each other’s tales of finding good books to share.

How about you? What are some of the first books you remember?

Are you interested in giveaways and exclusive content from children’s book creators? Sign up for my newsletter below. There will be craft ideas, recipes, tips on creating memorable reading experiences, sneak peeks into the making of some wonderful stories, and much, much more.

Lisa Dalrymple Connects Across Generations

Rob Sanders Shares about the Sweetness of Knowledge

Good Books to Share

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