Holidays

Well, I am sure that everyone has been quite busy preparing for the holidays.  I, for one, love to go to the library for the quiet, the words and pictures surrounding me, and the smell. Yes, the smell of a library is so, well, unique.  The print I guess. In any case, it is a solitude that soothes.  There I found holiday reading for my children, and myself. 

The picture book Amazing Peace by Maya Angelou may speak to adults more than young kids, but I was so moved by it.  What a powerful writer!  But I guess I shouldn't underestimate the power of poetry with kids. My daughter is 4 and she understands a lot of poetry as long as it is read with "voice." 

On a lighter note, Corduroy's Christmas by Don Freeman is a fun lift the flap book sure to entertain even the squirmiest child! 

My suggestion, go to your local library to find holiday books from your heritage.   I found The Wee Christmas Cabin, an Irish tale re-told by Margaret Hodges.  I am going to read it to my daughter's class this week!  Ask the librarian to help you with a book search if you don't know how to do a detailed search. 

Have fun reading and Happy Holidays to you!

MEO

Consulting

In the near future I will be offering tutoring on a consult basis.  I will meet with parents to discuss the areas of concern for their child and then create a reading program for that child. The parent or caregiver will implement the plan.  The parent will be able to call for questions M-F, and then meet on a monthly basis, or more if necessary.  This alleviates the problem of hectic schedules and the cost of a weekly tutor, and of course I am able to work from home and stay with my three young kids. 

Welcome!

Thanks for supporting me while I travel down the road toward my dream of being a published author.  The best part of this is journey is when I get an idea. I have to travel with paper and a pen to write them down. I wake up at night with a new character in my head. My teachers always told me, "To be a better writer, you have to read a lot." They were so right. I read A LOT of kids books. I sometimes think, 'uhhg, how did this story get published?' and other times I know that I am holding true literature.   On this journey, I have realized that there are 2 things that make a truly great picture book and that is the illustrations (obviously) and in most cases, dialog. Read Duck on a Bike by David Shannon out loud. Use the illustrations to assist you in choosing their voice.  It is so much fun and so entertaining to the child you will read it to. The Story Chair is where I plan to share great books with you and the lives of the people who write them.  I will also share my journey on my way to publication, and I promise, we will get there. Oh the places you'll go!