Do you remember the book fairs at your school when you were a child? 🤔
I loved flipping through the pages of the flyer and circling which books I wanted. I couldn’t wait to explore fresh places and have new experiences (or even familiar ones) through the eyes of different people, some who only existed within the pages of those books.
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I loved flipping through the pages of the flyer and circling which books I wanted. I couldn’t wait to explore fresh places and have new experiences (or even familiar ones) through the eyes of different people, some who only existed within the pages of those books.
My son shared the same excitement and reactions as me when he started school and they announced the book fair. Can you say Christmas morning during school hours?
This month is National Reading Month. 🥳
First established in 1999 by the National Education Association (NEA) as part of its Read Across America program, National Reading Month was created to celebrate the joys of reading and to motivate children and teens to read more. The program was launched on March 2 in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Schools, libraries, and organization across the nation host engaging events all month long to make reading a fun and engaging event everyone can enjoy.
I had the pleasure of kicking off this celebration at Roosevelt Public Library in New York with 25 to 30 elementary and day care students. They laughed as my husband and I read Delectable Vegetables, discussed healthy eating, sang, and played a trivia game. Of course, Jo Jo Bean stopped by. I’ll continue celebrating with a few schools, both virtually and in-person. Author visits are one of the best part of what I do; I get to help children make the real life connections between my books and their lives!
National Reading Month is an important opportunity to recognize the value of reading and literacy in our lives, and to encourage a love of reading in all generations. By promoting reading and literacy, we can help our children expand their knowledge and vocabulary, stimulate creativity, improve their focus and critical thinking skills, and foster empathy and understanding of other cultures and backgrounds.
It’s also important to remember that reading can take many forms beyond traditional books, including online articles, blogs, ebooks, or audiobooks. In fact, in my free parent strategies guide, How to Change Your Reluctant Reader to a Bookworm, I discuss some nontraditional ways to get your child to read more. If you'd like a copy of my free parent guide, please send me an email at anniejeanpublishing@gmail.com.
Don’t think that those benefits only apply to children. We, as adults, can equally reap the same benefits from reading for just a few minutes a day.
So grab your kids and a book (in whatever form) and start reading.
Happy Reading,
Tracé
P.S. — If you’re an educator, daycare provider, or youth leader looking for an engaging activity for your group, I offer both in person and virtual author visits with Jo Jo Bean. In honor of National Reading Month, I’m offering a free 35-minute virtual author visit with Jo Jo Bean with the purchase of 20 books or more.
It’s our best opportunity ever, but don’t wait! This special offer expires on March 28, 2023. You can get the details by clicking here.
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Can I share something with you?
When my son was in pre-school, he had his go-to-books. The ones with the worn pages or missing cover. The ones he slept with. The one he chose every night, though I just bought him a new set of books from the school’s book fair. If you have children or deal with them often, you’ve experienced this multiple times.
What makes these books so special?
During a November live in 2022 on my Facebook page, my friend Andy Evans, teacher and PaperPie (formerly Usborne Books) consultant, shared a plethora of information on providing children with interactive reading experiences. Andy noted four things to connect with a child. These four things are not only great advice for interacting with children, but also a solid formula for choosing children’s books.
I hope you will use this formula each time you are looking for that special book. And during your search, please don’t forget my collection of diverse books for children ages 3 to 9 that make important life lessons and habits easy and memorable.
Until next time,
Tracé Wilkins Francis, Children's Author
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Can I share something with you?
When my son was in pre-school, he had his go-to-books. The ones with the worn pages or missing cover. The ones he slept with. The one he chose every night, though I just bought him a new set of books from the school’s book fair. If you have children or deal with them often, you’ve experienced this multiple times.
What makes these books so special?
During a November live on my Facebook page, my friend Andy Evans, teacher and PaperPie (formerly Usborne Books) consultant, shared a plethora of information on providing children with interactive reading experiences. Andy noted four things to connect with a child. These four things are not only great advice for interacting with children, but also a solid formula for choosing children’s books.
I hope you will use this formula each time you are looking for that special book. And during your search, please don’t forget my books, featuring diverse characters, colorful eye-catching illustrations, and engaging and age-appropriate stories for children between the ages of three and nine.
Tracé Wilkins Francis
Creating Diversity with social and emotional lessons that matter for parents/educators of children from ages 3 to 9.
]]>Three years ago, I did a playful photo shoot using my books as props. I wanted to do something different from the traditional author photo shoots I'd seen. On a sweltering late afternoon in July, Beth Brown of Babs Photography and I went from equipment to equipment at one of the largest parks in Long Island, and my favorite one. We giggled like two school friends as I swung, spun, and hung on the different pieces of apparatus, and she captured those moments. One child asked me if I was a kid. I’m sure she was partly confused and probably annoyed that this 5-ft 6-inch adult was taking up her favorite swing, author or not.
During this photoshoot, I was reminded about how fearless children are. When I climbed up on that monkey bar to hang upside down, a bunch of thoughts swarmed my head.
😱 What if the bar isn’t sturdy enough to hold my weight?
😱 What if I slip and fall on my head?
😱 What if I get stuck?
In order to get the shot, I had to climb those monkey bars and hang with the mindset of a child — uninhibited and unafraid. When you initially tell a child (s)he can’t do something, they won’t believe you, and will do it anyway. Which is exactly what I did, after I got out of my head, not only when I climbed the monkey bars for the picture, but also when I wrote and published my books and started a publishing company.
Is there something you’re so passionate about that it keeps you up at night? Maybe it’s writing a book, selling your custom-made jewelry, or capturing people’s most precious memories through pictures. Is the vision so big that it scares you into doing nothing? Whatever it is, don’t sit on it. Nurture that seed. Start by writing the vision, praying on it, and following it up with S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) that will bring you to where you were destined to be.
Remember, when your thoughts are keeping you up at night, it’s time to give birth.
What will you give birth to this season?
Tracé Wilkins Francis
Author and Publisher
Creating Diversity with social and emotional lessons that matter
for parents/educators of children from ages 3 to 9.
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While most of my friends are parents to children old enough to vote, I am wading in the waters of puberty in all its splendor. Don’t get me wrong, I love my middle schooler, and he has been a blessing to me and my husband. I am one of the oldest amongst my son’s classmates’ parents. In fact, I think I am THE oldest. So that should make me the wisest, right? Well, guess what? Age ain’t nothing but a number. I got married at 31 and waited to start a family five years in. By then, I did not realize that I was old. Or as the fertility specialist like to say advanced maternal age. After struggling for four years to have a child, we were blessed with a bouncing baby boy, my only. I had a great pregnancy, healthy and no complications. Being an older mother has its advantages: Although I’ll volunteer to bring all the water and fruit for the class holiday party or swim team, I won’t be winning any volunteer of the year awards. As a “mature” mom, it forces me to stay active and young. There’s a difference between “Is THAT your mom” and “Is that YOUR mom?” I will run a marathon to preserve my life so I won’t be a burden to my son later in life. Yes, I’m a planner. If you believe in horoscopes, it’ll come as no surprise that I’m a Virgo. I’ve secretly mapped out my son’s next 10 years and stashed it away in my brain’s hippocampus — don’t judge me y’all.
What I wasn’t prepared me for was the wild ride of being a middle school mom. The increase in grocery bills. The sarcastic humor. Going from public displays of affection to “stop you're embarrassing me.” Some days I wish I could get off this rollercoaster or borrow the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future and set it back to 2018 when things were simpler. But then, I’d have to relive this middle school thing all over again.
If you’re a parent to a rising middle schooler, welcome to the club. Your membership includes gray hairs, puffy eyes, unlimited wine, a lifetime supply of excitement, worries, love, and a bond with other parents who understand you, including me. Wear your accessories (gray hairs, puffy eyes, FUPA) with pride and enjoy the benefits that this club has to offer.
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