For the Love of Books!
Several years ago I started a tradition of reading stories to my grandchildren over Skype, and it’s been fun. But the best of all is when they request my book, Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya: Love is Patient. Since the oldest was the model for it, she says it’s her book, but the other two enjoy it as well, and I can’t wait to have an entire collection of books written by their grandma. But it’s not just that book they enjoy; they love anything I read to them!
A recent study out of the University of Nevada at Reno discovered that a child who has more than 25 books in his or her home is equal to a year of education, and a child who has read or been read 500 or more books equals 3.2 years of education! I’m going to shoot for the 500 or more books, and I know my daughter would agree.
It’s easy to impart the love of reading to your preschooler. Reading books aloud builds vocabulary, comprehension, attention, and a love of books. Be sure to use a lot of drama, excitement, emotion, and inflection as you read to hold their attention. And ask lots of questions as your read through the book.
Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, always keep books handy. My daughter encourages reading by letting my granddaughters take books in the car and to their naps and quiet times, rather than toys. She’s a wise mom, and the girls look forward to “reading” books anytime they can.
Put books in the car, in your bathroom, in every room of your house. And when a child says, “I’m bored,” respond with “read a book” to help them know that they never, ever need to be bored if there are books around.
Model the love of reading by letting your child see you read…and not just on technology. Let them see you hold a book, flip a magazine page, or read a paper. And then talk about what you’re reading. And if you’re reading on your Kindle, be sure to tell them you’re reading a book and share a little about it. They won’t know unless you tell them. Why would a child want to read if she never sees you read?
Make reading a social event. Go to the library or bookstore regularly. Take your child to the library’s story time, or start one yourself. In your mom’s group, be sure to include a reading time, or if you have a play date with other moms, take time to read a book. And don’t forget to give books as gifts.
Read constantly. Read signs, posters, billboards, menus, recipes, instructions. Play games as you’re driving, like “Who can find the letter “S”?” Give your child notes, even if she can’t read them yet. Write letters to her. Create a reading culture, and your child will learn to love the adventure of reading.
What are other ways to impart the love of reading? I’d love to know!
A Deeper Look
Today I’d like to give you a deeper look into Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya, my debut illustrated storybook for children, ages four to eight. It’s the first book in my Love Series Storybooks about 1 Corinthians 13.
What’s more fun than going on an exciting adventure with a friend to a far-away place—and explore an interesting culture while learning how to love others as God does?
This beautiful watercolor picture book tells the story of a little girl and her family who travel to Kenya, Africa, to visit missionaries and the Maasai tribe. Lexie learns to be patient meets a mischievous boy who becomes a bully to her.
In the book you’ll also meet:
- Mutaka–a Maasai boy who bullies Lexie
- The Bordens—Missionaries to the Maasai—Mr. and Mrs. Borden and their two boys, Jesse and Trevor
- Lexie’s family—her father who travels around the globe helping missionaries, her mother and her little brother, Cori
- The Maasai—an African tribe in Kenya who have many interesting cultural uniquesses
- A sneaky snake—and more African animals.
With The Love Series, children and adults can snuggle up together and learn how to live out 1 Corinthians 13 principles while they enjoy adventures around the globe. I hope you’ll find your new friends to be a special part of your lives!
Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya is available on Amazon now!
And please leave a review of the book. It’s really quite simple. Just tell others what you liked about the book…the characters? the illustrations? Lexie learning to be patient? The lesson in bullying? The sneaky snake?
What do you think of this book? I’d love to know!
Just Playing Around
When I’m with my granddaughters, one of our favorite things to do is to go to a playground. Their imagination goes wild! Swings let them fly like birds. Slides let them soar like a dolphin in the blue ocean. Monkey bars let them be monkeys swinging in trees. Rings and balance beams let them be acrobats in the circus. It’s great to watch them have fun, use their amazing imaginations, and be creative in their play.
My very favorite playground is my imagination. For me, there’s nothing more exciting than dreaming up a lovely setting or a compelling dialogue or discovering a character’s new perspective that changes her life. When I write, I’m definitely in one of my favorite play places, and when I’m done “playing”, I feel like I’ve had a fun afternoon at the playground.
I’m tired but happy. I’m satisfied and energized. I’m content.
When we use our imagination, creating makes us feel alive, and when we fully access the possibilities of it, it’s a blast. We hear sounds and see details that we might not ever see otherwise. We smell the rain coming and taste flavors we might never taste with our tongue. We feel the leather or the rough homespun cotton of an Irish immigrant. We hear conversations that make a difference in the lives of others.
Our mind’s eye becomes vibrant with the details and scenes and characters and plots that challenge our fingers to virtually fly over the keys, trying to keep up with our excited creativity. We enjoy the journey so much that it doesn’t matter if our stomach is growling or sweat forms on our brow or our girlfriends are e-mailing. We are in the zone. We are playing in God’s playground.
We’re giving birth to a story, and we know it’s God leading us to write it down. For those of us who are not writers or haven’t yet experienced such elation, don’t worry. We writers are not crazy. You’re not crazy. We’re all just unique. And that’s okay.
Whether you’re a four year old on the playground, a fourteen year old in English class, a forty-year-old beginning writer, or an eighty-four year old seasoned author— allowing the imagination to play and creativity to grow will open your world to an exciting new life. And even if you’re not a writer, creating a new recipe or building a new wood project can give you that creative excitement and play.
So no matter where you are in life, go and play in the playground of creativity. Let your imagination soar and let inspiration and creativity flourish. Make time for it. Develop the skills to grow in your creativity. Let the childish play begin, and see what God might do.
What’s your favorite playground? I’d love to know!
Celebrating the Adventure
There are so many things to celebrate as I launch my first indie publishing adventure. Most of all, I want to celebrate YOU—all those who have stood with me, encouraged me, read my blogs, and spurred me on. It’s been a long and winding road, but you have been there, and I appreciate it more than you can ever know.
The work of writing is often a lonely one, but when people like you connect with me—whether through a blog post comment, a FB “like”, a retweet, or personal interaction of some kind—well, that makes my day, week, and sometimes my month! Thank you.
To my husband who gives me the space and time to keep on keeping on. Thank you!
To my illustrator who made the story come alive with her beautiful art. Thank you!
To my designer who puts it all together into a wonderful thing called a book. Thank you!
To my picture book critique group who massaged the story over and over again until it was just right. Thank you!
To my writing colleagues who faithfully gave me honest feedback, even when that feedback was tough. Thank you!
To my friends and family who have inspired me, cheered me on, and never given up on me. Thank you!
To all who encourage me through their texts, emails, or social media contacts. Thank you!
To all you non-writers who just don’t get why I spend my days and years creating “stuff” without criticizing. Thank you!
To everyone who doesn’t say, “Why aren’t you published yet?” Thank you!
So now, if you haven’t had a chance to check it out, here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Lexies-Adventure-Kenya-Love-Patient/dp/0692686630/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460662300&sr=1-3&keywords=Lexie%27s+Adventure+in+Kenya (There’s also a hardback and ebook edition). I hope you and the children in your life enjoy it, and I’d be so honored if you would pass on the word and write a review.
Thanks again! What do you think? I’d love to know!
Support an Author
I recently chatted with a friend about the release of my first picture book, Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya: Love is Patient. She said, “I want to support your work, Susan. What a great book! What can I do to help?”
I was tongue-tied. Besides stating the obvious, “Buy my book!” I just wasn’t sure what to say. After pondering that conversation, I now have a lot of ideas about how to help your author friends, and for all you bookies out there, here’s what I later told her:
- Buy the book. Well, duh! But today, it’s not that simple. Consider pre-ordering the book, and be sure to buy it new. Buying a used book doesn’t count as a sale for the author. And to make it easy, here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Lexies-Adventure-Kenya-Love-Patient/dp/0692686630/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1460662300&sr=1-3&keywords=Lexie%27s+Adventure+in+Kenya.
- Buy the book as a gift for someone. Birthdays, holidays, baby showers, engagements, weddings. You support your author friend and give a special gift to a friend. That’s an awesome two-fer.
- Find the author’s Facebook Fan page and click “like”. You make a personal connection and help grow your author’s numbers, which is critical for the author’s future book sales. Here’s my page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSusanGMathis/
- Follow your author friend on Twitter. Those crazy numbers do matter, and besides, your author may have some interesting things to tweet. Here’s my Twitter page: https://twitter.com/@SusanGMathis
- Write a review on Amazon.com and then copy and paste it on Goodreads, the author’s website, CBD.com, etc. It only takes a few minutes and it’s one of the most helpful gifts you can give an author.
- Talk about it and share the news. Share any news the author mentions on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. Mention that your friend’s book is great or it would make a great gift or whatever.
- Share blog posts. Help the author by sharing a blog post about the book. Also, don’t forget to comment on blogs. Too few readers ever do.
- Attend a book release party or any author event. If you’ve already purchased the book and hear about a book signing, go and ask the author to sign it. It’s a lonely world out there, and authors love to meet their readers.
- Request a copy at the library. Libraries often purchase books their patrons request.
- When you visit a bookstore, ask where the book is located rather than finding it yourself. If they have it, face the book out to make sure it’s noticed. If the store doesn’t have it, suggest they carry it, touting the author and the book.
- Read the book in public. Take it with you when you visit a friend, on a plane, at the doctor’s office…wherever. People notice what people read.
- Leave it visible in your home for your friend’s to notice.
- Connect authors to people who can help them. Media contacts such as TV, radio, magazine, or other such personalities can boost an author’s visibility quickly. If the author is a children’s author, connect them to teachers or children’s pastors. A word to the wise: be ready with a specific statement about the book not just “My friend wrote a book.” Read the back cover copy and use that to describe the book to your contact—that’ll make them interested. You’ll build a special relationship with the author if you take the time to do this.
I hope this helps you, not just for my books, but also for all the authors you will meet along the way. Your author friends will love you for it!
How do you help authors? I’d love to know!
The Plunge into Publishing
Indie publishing has become quite a phenomenon, and I never thought I’d give it a go. But after lots of research, I’ve decided to take the plunge.
Several years ago I wrote a children’s picture book series called The Love Series. I had spent nine years teaching and then five years writing missions curriculum. I was doing my capstone project for a university degree, and I wanted to write something to help young children discover God’s beautiful and diverse world while learning a 1 Corinthians 13 principle.
So I dusted off that project, and I edited and edited and got lots of feedback from my picture book critique partners and other publishing colleagues. Then, after searching for an illustrator, turning down two artists, and finally finding the perfect person to illustrate my book, I began the journey of publishing.
What was truly a blessing is that my artist was right under my nose all the time! I’ve known April for over 20 years, and she grew up as a missionary kid so she has the same heart for the world as I do. We were a perfect match, and I was once again reminded how God works in such beautiful ways.
I chose my granddaughter as the model for the main character, and what fun that was to see her act out the different scenes in the photos I gave to April to work from. And then I got to watch my artist illustrate the scenes so beautifully. April’s work exceeded my hopes and expectations, and her beautiful watercolor illustrations are just perfect for the book.
Needless to say, I’m beyond excited to send it to our designer, and I can’t wait watch it come to life, little by little. In a few weeks, our very first picture book will become a reality and be available on Amazon as well as through Ingram. Want to know more?
Lexie’s Adventure in Kenya: Love is Patient tells the story of a little girl and her family who travel to Kenya, Africa, to visit missionaries and the Maasai tribe. When Lexie meets a mischievous boy who becomes a bully to her, she learns that “love is patient.” With The Love Series, children can learn how to live out 1 Corinthians 13 principles while they enjoy adventures around the globe.
I’ll be sharing more about this fun adventure in the weeks to come, and I hope it will bless you as it’s blessed me.
What new projects are you working on? I’d love to know!