Welcome to my newsletter. Here are some highlights from the past couple of months.
Writing - Keen Read
Reading - TPT
Life - Thumbs
I've been busy writing more books for kids. I've launched a new chapter book label called Keen Read. My Chipry Chapters books are aimed at younger readers where as the Keen Read books are high interest, low literacy readers. They are written for teens but at an eight-year-old reading level.
The first book in this series is inspired by a story I helped one of my 13-year-old students write last year. I figured that if she was interested in the topic, then maybe others her age might be.
The paperback editions of the Keen Read books are large print in a dyslexic-friendly font and include the reading level and word count in the blurb.
I've also published two more picture books in March. The Ticklish Turtle was inspired by a local coffee shop called Ticklish Turtle. I was sitting in there with my mum and my daughter for lunch and story ideas began swirling around. It explores themes of friendship, safe touch and consent.
Once I'd finished that story, I decided to give another local cafe, Badger & Hare, a story, too. This one is about friendship, tollerance, and has an inapropriate poo (what more do kids want?)
I've ordered paperback editions, and once they arrive, I'll take a copy to each cafe as a gift. If you want to see how that goes, follow me on Facebook and I'll post photos there.
I work as a teacher's aide at a special school during the week and my day to day experiences often provide me with story ideas.
I've even expanded on some of my picture books to create PowerPoint editions and printable teacher resource packs. That started off as a fun way to help the teachers at my school but I've now added the packs to a website called Teachers Pay Teachers so they're available worldwide.
I use Australian English spelling but the content is accessible to all English speaking classrooms. The work is mostly aimed at my students, so ranges from pre-kindergarten to grade one. If you're a teacher, or have any teacher-friends, check out my store on Teachers Pay Teachers.
I've been so busy writing lately, that I've been neglecting my garden and the weeds are trying to take over. I have one patch of African daisies that looks like a paddock of long grass. I've lost that battle but I'm trying to win the war. I have better luck with my indoor plants because they don't get so many weeds, but the carniverous plant I bought in December just shrivelled up and died. Maybe it was actually a cannibalistic plant and ate itself?
Do you have a green thumb? Mine feels mostly green but a little black and blue.
