Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

For those of you who may not know, I am a staff writer for Knowonder. Knowonder is a leading publisher of engaging content that drives literacy; the most important factor in a child’s success. Parents and educators use Knowonder tools and content to promote reading, creativity, and thinking skills in children from zero to ten. Knowonder’s books deliver original, compelling stories and content, creating an opportunity for parents to connect to their children in ways that significantly improve their children’s success. Ultimately, Knowonder’s mission is to eradicate illiteracy and improve education success through content that is affordable, accessible, and effective. Volume 4 of Knowonder's story collections was published at the beginning of this month. It includes my short stories Bungling Lulu and Queensicle . As a treat for little ones, I've recorded myself reading from my story Queensicle . Kids love to meet the author. So have your child sit down in front of...

I'm excited to announce the release of Volume 4 of the Knowonder! collections, HERMAN'S HORRIBLE DAY. I have two stories in this collection. Queensicle - Laila lives in the Arctic. She's excited to see her best friend, Finn, whose family are nomadic reindeer herders. Finn has a special present for her befitting the queen of the Arctic. Bungling Lulu - Who ever heard of a clumsy pixie? Poor Lulu, just passed flying lessons, but that doesn't make her an expert. Chanting the pixie credos she tries to right her wrongs. My stories are part of a collection of 31 great short stories. Want to know what people are saying about the story collections? Here's a review posted by Barbara Bockman on her blog Stories a la Mode . Available in print and Kindle .

There are many ways to support your favorite authors. I’ve discussed this previously in the post How To HelpYour Favorite Authors/Books . Another big way is to make sure their books end up in your local library. Most libraries have an online request form, such as this one for Hillsboro’s Main library: http://www.hillsboro.plinkit.org/web-forms/purchase-req . If it isn't immediately available on the front page of the library's website, it is usually found on the 'Contact Us' tab. In order to complete the form you will need information such as, your library card #, the title of the book, author’s name and the reason why you think they should add it to their shelves. Example: The Wishing Well: Another Weaver Tale Kai Strand Second book in the series and you already carry The Weaver Or Save the Lemmings Kai Strand Main character has a refreshingly positive attitude You can even request they place the title on hold so that you can r...

Parents, teachers, caregivers. Grandparents, counselors, aunts. Lend me your ear. Knowonder, an online children’s magazine, is announcing its relaunch. It is bigger and better than ever! Promising a story a day, Knowonder is a valuable partner for parents and educators in promoting literacy. Some of the exciting features the newly redesigned site offers is: §          New stories every day §          3 new non-fiction articles each week §          8 content categories, including classic favorites, kid stories and kid art §          Contests & prizes; your opinion matters! Vote for your favorites to assure you see more like them in the future! §          IPhone app available §          Android app coming soon! I am thril...

When the box of books for my first published middle grade novel, The Weaver, arrived at my house, I tore into it and the very first thing I did was open a book and smell the pages. Ink and paper , I’d smelled them many times in my life, but it was the utmost satisfying to know this time the ink formed my words. I handed a book to my (then) 11-year-old daughter and she carefully pulled back the cover so as not to crack the spine, knowing these books were to be sent out to reviewers and contest winners. She flipped pages, admiring the chapter art, the large print and reading a few of the chapter titles. Then she looked at me and said, “This is so cool!” How do you instill that kind of appreciation for books in your children? First it is important to be clear that you don’t have to be a writer yourself. I’ve been raising kids for almost twenty years and writing professionally for seven.  All four of my kids spend many hours immersed in alternate worlds and routing for their f...

Illustrator, KC Snider, and Julie reading the contest entries Continuing my theme of children’s literacy for the Children’s Book Week blog hop, I sat down with Redmond Community Librarian, Julie Bowers. Julie and I first met when we were involved in the Redmond 4 th Grade Writing Contest. Now, who doesn’t LOVE a community minded librarian who wears really cute skirts? Julie works at the Redmond Branch of the Deschutes Public Library. Julie, I’m a huge fan of the Deschutes Public Library System , the children’s library in particular. I have four children and have found the library an invaluable resource. Thank you. Me too. I can’t imagine parenting without the library. When my son was little we used to the library for so many things – story time, books for fun, books for projects, music magazines, and movies. Our budget was tight, and I was so grateful to have this wonderful destination where we could pass a pleasant afternoon of discovery and not have to pay anything!...

To celebrate Children’s Book Week, I am focusing on the benefits of children’s literacy in order to encourage parents, grandparents, caregivers, siblings to model strong reading habits to the younger children in their lives. In my experience, children who have grown up reading, being read to and listening to audio books not only have a well-developed vocabulary, but they are also better communicators. As a writer I often hear, “Know your audience.” What this means is that if I am going to write a short story for the 5 – 8 year old crowd I have to use age appropriate vocabulary and I have to keep the storyline linear. Younger children can't follow multiple storylines within a single story. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not dumbing down to the 5 – 8 year olds. The story itself can be complex and emotional. I use this as an example because if that 5 – 8 year old continues to develop their reading skills over the years, they will eventually be reading books with a diverse cast ...

It’s Children’s Book Week! In honor of CBW, I wanted to focus on children’s literacy. I’m a firm believer that the most effective tool you can provide a child is comfort with reading. Everything we do in life, shopping, cooking, driving, learning and working requires reading and when a child develops a comfort with the skill they are so much better prepared to live a successful life. This week, I’ll be asking people from all walks of a child’s life why literacy is important. First brave interviewee is Bend, Oregon third grade teacher, Susan Deatherage. Thank you, Susan, for taking the time to talk to us about children’s literacy during Children’s Book Week. Do you celebrate CBW in your classroom?  No. I know from experience your school does have a lot of fun during Read Across America, however. Are there any other ways you celebrate reading with your students throughout the year?  Accelerated Reading program on the computer, Reading minutes at home with...