IFLA: Books from Singapore

More green variations for the cover.

 As you can see, YT  is a very talented artist. He's done several different tones of green for the cover.  What do you think? It's a hard decision between white, orange and green. It's time to make a decision. Help!

Baby Lion's Baby Spots takes a Spot!

A couple of posts ago or so, I brought up something Clayton Morris, Alisyn Camerota and Dave Briggs of Fox & Friends Weekend discussed on their show - The Reading Program, a program in which kids are allowed to choose their own text books. I believe that it is important to let kids read what they like as it will cultivate a healthy reading habit. Well as it turns out, here in Singapore one of my books, 'Baby Lion's Baby Spots', has earned a spot on the   recommended reading list  for 1st and 2nd graders.

As I perused the list of other recommended books, I was awestruck. Books by authors like Enid Blyton, Allison Utley, Stan Berenstain, and Jamie Lee Curtis (okay, she's technically an actress but she writes as well)  were on the list and my book was along side them!  Talk about sticking out like a proverbial sore thumb. But seriously,  it is an honor to be included.

Having said that, if a child chooses to read my book because he/she likes it, that's the biggest thrill of all. Thanks be to God. Have a good day everyone.

Jeremy's Gems

Do you remember the Bill Cosby Show 'Kids Say the Darndest Things' ? Well, I would also say they do the darndest things and more. When my niece and nephews were younger they would always do and say things that would capture my imagination. Kids nowadays are a lot smarter than I used to be, that's for sure. (My 2 year old niece Ashley Flora [right] is a real fire cracker).

Read on and you'll see just what I mean.

When I was on a family holiday at a beach resort in Thailand  I spotted some bikini-clad babes basking in the sun (Well, obviously, it was a beach resort, right?). I observed from a distance. When Jeremy asked me what I was looking at, I pointed toward the beach beauties. With a shrug and a disapproving sigh, Jeremy said, "Yeah, they're pretty but when I'm a man, they'll be grandmas!"  He was only three years old at the time, believe it or not.

Aware of my family's perpetual quest to find a nice gal for me, he took it upon himself to play matchmaker on the flight home. With a glint in his eye and a cheeky grin, he attracted the attention of a flight attendant and asked,  "Do you have a boyfriend?"  My siblings chuckled uncontrollably knowing perfectly well where the direction of the conversation was headed. I slinked down in my seat and buried my face  in the in-flight sales magazine, hoping that this would blow over.

The aforementioned flight attendant was spoken for, but she invited him to the galley, and when he emerged beaming, his arms were overflowing with stuffed toys, coloring books and crayons. As he took his seat, he proudly declared: "She loves me!" Believe me, Jeremy's done a lot more classic things but I'm saving those stories for now.

So do your kids say or do the darndest things?

Writing for Kids

I've had some people ask me about the process of writing kids' books.  Well, I would say it is pretty much like a pregnancy. Yeah, what would I know about being pregnant, right? But think about it - you start by  conceiving the idea, then you get cravings during the gestation -for me it's usually potato chips or cheetos. Then you go through mood swings and finally you suffer intense labor pains  to bring your story into the world and without the benefit of a literary epidural!

So how do you figure out what kids like or want to read? It helps if you're around kids a lot so you can observe them - watch what they do, how they talk, what they talk about, and what they like to read or watch on TV. When you get signed to a publisher, a lot of your ideas may get thrown out the window. it's happened to me and others as well, but it's something you have to put up with if you want to see your story in print.

Having said that,  I believe that everyone has a story in them, be it a kids story or an adult one and it deserves to be shared in one form or another. So if you have any questions about writing for kids, please let me know and I'll try to answer them.

Reading Workshop Program

Are your kids voracious readers or are they reluctant ones?  Is picking up a book akin to a root canal for them?  I bring this up because I was watching Fox and Friends Weekend yesterday, and there was a segment about The Reading Workshop program, a program in which kids are now selecting their own books to read  in school.

One kid chose to do a report on 'Captain Underpants'. Ok, granted it's no 'Moby Dick' or 'Great Expectations', but it is humorous and kids are able to relate to it. I totally agree with host Clayton Morris who thinks that if reluctant readers can choose what to read, it may foster a love of reading.  From there they'll possibly develop an interest in the classics. Hey, imagine this - your kids will actually enjoy doing their homework! Revolutionary concept, isn't it?

When I was in school, I never really appreciated the classics. In middle school, I had to read 'Merchant of Venice' over and over again. Yes, Shylock did claim his pound of flesh - from my brain! My comprehension of 'Tess' was an utter mess, and I really didn't have a care for 'Jane Eyre'. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate them now, but I didn't then.

Kids already have their other text books to trudge through. Why not leave the classics for when they'll actually enjoy them. So do you think  letting them choose their own books is a good idea? I do.

Poopsies

When I was just a baby my big brother lent me his one and only  teddy bear. In a show of gratitude, or maybe I was just being territorial, I promptly pooped all over it. That incident scarred my brother as it did his beloved teddy. And he has never let me forget about it!

Which brings me to today's topic -  poopsies. How many parents out there are having a hard time training their kids to go poopsies by themselves. I'm asking because my cousin Gaby  is in the midst of training her youngest to go potty by himself.  Is it harder to train a girl or a boy to go potty by themselves?

Are boys more possessive of their poopsies? I know that my nephews, one in particular, enjoyed giving me  blow-by-blow accounts of their poopsie movements. Maybe it's harder to train boys because they enjoy sharing the experience. I don't know. What do you think?

So please let me know what are your preferred methods of  potty training. What works, what doesn't? Is there a need for books about potty training? Talk to you soon. D

Back to School

Summer's almost over. Well, it's over for some kids who are already back to school. I remember when the first day of school was fast approaching - I dreaded it. I didn't want to go back.  Come to think of it, I didn't want to go to school at all, ever - period!

Well, in that respect my nephew Sebastian was pretty much like me when I was a kid. He cried when he found out he would have to go to school, he cried every minute when he was at school, and he cried when he realized he would have to go back to school the very next day.

Sebbie's First Day of School was the very first book that I ever wrote and I think it's pretty much about what both of us experienced on our respective first days of school. The book sold really well, but my publisher decided against a second print run - go figure!

Can you remember your very first day of school?   Did you go through a gamut of emotions  - fear, anxiety, excitement? Are your kids about to start going to school? Are they getting anxious about it? If so, let's talk. Maybe we can compare notes to figure out the best way to make the first day of school a positive experience.

Anyway,  I have a few copies of SFDOS available so if you're a parent with a kid struggling with first school day blues, let me know and I'll send you up a copy. Talk to you soon, D

'I WANT A PET!'

When you were a kid, did you ever ask your parents for a pet? Did they grant your wish or did they shoot you down continuously? My parents did the latter. Well, I guess I sort of had a pet - kind of. We had a daschund, but she was a year older than me. And technically she wasn't MY pet, she was my sister's.

It was when I was about  18 months old that my parents discovered that I wasn't very good with animals. Apparently I was in the midst of shoving a cookie into my face when most of it fell on the floor. My philosophy has always been never let a good cookie go to waste, so I scrambled out of my high chair to pick it up, only to see Waggley, our  daschund, gobble it up.

You know what they say about taking candy, or in this case a cookie, from babies? Well, THIS baby was having none of it. Before Mom could stop me, I yanked Waggley's mouth open and attempted to retrive MY cookie. When that didn't work, I decided to get even. I grabbed Waggley's tail and clamped down on it with my teeth! Apparently I was spitting reddish-brown dog fur out of my mouth for the next couple of minutes. So you can see why my parents kept on refusing my pet requests. I was a potential Michael Vick in the making.

My upcoming book 'TSOMF" is based on my childhood quest for a pet.  And here's a sneak peak of  my main character Jeremy Alexander. I think my illustrator YT Chieu is a phenomenal artist and has captured the essence of the story incredibly well. I'm totally psyched about this story and I hope you will like it too.

Kids and Kids' Books

Hi Everyone,

I'm David but please call me Dave.

Well, I was inspired to start writing kid's stories when I used to babysit my niece Sam and three nephews Sebastian, Jeremy, and Alexander when my their parents went on their weekly Friday night dates. With four kids under the age of six, Mom and Dad really needed their alone time.

Those marathon babysitting sessions were an experience -  a roller coaster of emotions - laughter, happiness, tears, temper tantrums and endless calls to Mom and Dad, pleading with them to come home ASAP!  Ok, truth be told I made most of those phone calls.

By bed time, this frazzled uncle, would read stacks of bedtime stories until  I lost my voice. That's when my two-and-a-half year old nephew Jeremy would snap: "What's wrong with your brain? Read faster!"

After having my intelligence questioned by a toddler, I decided to come up with a couple of short, and easy-to-read-aloud stories about the Sam and her brothers. I wrote about Sebastian's traumatic first school day - it was traumatic for all of us, believe you me. I wrote about Gramps having the Grumps, an all too common occurence. And I wrote about their cousins, a pair of monkeys my big sister adopted at the zoo. Yes, I am a monkey's uncle!

Well, the kids have grown from toddlers into tweens and teens, but I'm still writing about them.  They've given me a lot of material to work with.  I've recently set up a small publishing business, Bonnie Books and I hope to publish a series of quality children's picture books.  What kind children's picture books you would like to see?  Have your kids inspired you to write picture books? Would you like to know anything about picture book publishing?  I would love to hear from you. Thanks to Clayton Morris and Today In Social Media for the great advice.