FunReads4Kids

Since I’d Rather Eat Chocolate came into the world, I’ve resolved to lead by example and focus on growing my organic veggies. Although I’m not gonna lie, I still love a little chocolate treat!

Anyhoo, check out my celery plant. So easy to grow at home.

Step 1 - buy some celery (I bought a trimmed bunch)
Step 2 - eat the celery - sometimes I just eat a stick for a snack when I feel peckish between meals but I also love adding it to homemade soups, casseroles, stirfry
Step 3 - put the white end of the celery in a glass of water
Step 4 - let the celery start to sprout stems from the top and roots from the bottom. Then it’s ready to plant in your garden 🪴

Did you know celery is related to parsley? Celery is great for fibre, vitamins K, A, C, antioxidants, folate and potassium.

Would you give this a try?

When a child is learning to read independently, it’s only natural that they make errors - that’s how we learn, right?

It’s often suggested that children should be able to read a book with at least 90% accuracy or it’s too hard and may result in them feeling discouraged. Additionally, if a child is working so hard on figuring out the words (decoding), it will reduce their comprehension and level of enjoyment.

So with a picture book, generally speaking, if there are only 1-2 errors per page or per double spread, I know it’s the perfect level for that reader. For chapter books, if for example, there are around 80-100 words per page, you would want less than around 8 errors per page.

Reading success builds more success, so make sure your child isn’t stumbling on too many words in their book. Do you think the 90% guideline is helpful?

I love encouraging the children to interact with I’d Rather Eat Chocolate at my author incursions. One way to do this, is have the children re-tell the story using dress-up props and real veggies. Always a real hit!

Another way is to ask open-ended questions starting with words like who, what, why. These questions encourage recall of events, predictive thinking, making connections, drawing conclusions.

Do your children engage with open-ended questions when reading together?

We know there are many benefits from reading with our children on a daily basis (eg social, emotional, cognitive) but did you know that reading to our children, particularly in the first few years, makes a massive difference to a child’s language, vocabulary, and academic outcomes?

For example, an Aussie study in The Journal of Research in Childhood Education (Galea et al 2024) found children who were read just one picture book EVERY DAY, by 3 years of age had better developed emerging literacy skills than children not read to regularly. Logan et al (2019 Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics) found that children who are read just one picture book EVERY DAY for the first 5 years were exposed to 1.4 MILLION more words than children who were read to a couple of times per week.

So…. when life becomes hectic, slow down for a 10 min cuddle with your child, read a picture book (or two) on a daily basis, and know you are transforming your child’s vocabulary, language, and literacy trajectory💥

Did you know these statistics before? Would they influence you to read more regularly with your child? Share with someone you know, to help spread the word 📚😊

We had a blast sharing information with our audience members today and enjoyed answering a broad range of questions on writing, our journeys to becoming published, and the value of building your tribe to support you. Wishing everyone success in their passion for writing 😊

A huge thanks to Maria for organising this event and to Lorraine for hosting the panel.

This comment was made to me yesterday during a conversation I was having with my Accountant. He just couldn’t believe how long it takes for a book to be released into the wild once it has been accepted for a traditional publishing contract.

Of course not all publishing pathways are the same so if you’d like to learn more, make sure you book into the Speaker Series: Pathways to Publication.
📆Saturday 13 Jun
⏰1pm - 2:30pm AWST
📍Events Room, Ruth Faulkner Library, Cloverdale
(Free event however please book via the link in my bio)

Whilst from a publishing perspective it would seem that picture books are generally designed for 3-8 year olds, they most certainly appeal to younger children and older children.

Just as importantly, they should also be fun for adults to read. So I feel that C S Lewis’ quote is an absolute gem.

Yes, picture books are short but they are often a powerful read, exploring concepts using a clever combination of words and images.

I’m in my 60s and I am a real lover of picture books. As an adult, do you love picture books too? If you do, drop a ❤️ in the comments. I’d love know that I’m not alone.

Spent today hanging out with WA Authors and Illustrators.

Experienced being part of my first WIP critique group. Was feeling a little vulnerable leading into the group but really appreciated the feedback I received and was relieved to hear my rhyme and meter were on point as I’ve been working hard on honing my skills there! Now to do some edits of my new manuscript 😊

And thanks to all the info and insights shared by and