Suzy Davies's Blog: Book News - Posts Tagged "kidslit"
A Good Children's Book Asks Questions, and Provides a Satisfying Ending.
If you ask me what makes a good children's book, my answer is that good kids' books are fun and educational with wonderful artwork. But, there is more!
It is my belief that good children's books arouse wonder, and thus curiosity in the reader, and just like in Alice in Wonderland, little readers become "curiouser and curiouser."
Children delight in treasure hunting, and the journey in a good book is a bit like a fabulous treasure hunt, with clues, and lots of exploration. Inevitably to find answers to the "clues" or "signposts," young readers will try to work things out for themselves, reading the story along with the illustrations that will provide a visual guide.
Along the way, readers who are supported by older siblings, parents, and significant others will ask the question, "Why?" and good books always involve engagement with others and good conversations. I always map out my books so that they pose questions to the reader.
Children's books that arouse curiosity are a good thing since scientists, artists, businesspeople and inventors of tomorrow will have curiosity in bucketloads!
Good kids' books provide a safe rehearsal for negotiating difficulties and obstacles that we all meet on the journey that is life. They instill good values in children, showing them how to make friends, and to value things that make a successful and happy life.
Social and emotional learning is valuable in books written for children since research shows that this kind of learning is just as important as other kinds. I like to foreground characters in my children's books who inspire kids and act as good role models.
The emotional atmosphere of a book is so important. A positive mood and a happy ending satisfy kids that all will be well in the end. A satisfying ending for me is one in which the characters are good and true; finding their own answers and their OWN path, and being true to themselves.
It is my belief that good children's books arouse wonder, and thus curiosity in the reader, and just like in Alice in Wonderland, little readers become "curiouser and curiouser."
Children delight in treasure hunting, and the journey in a good book is a bit like a fabulous treasure hunt, with clues, and lots of exploration. Inevitably to find answers to the "clues" or "signposts," young readers will try to work things out for themselves, reading the story along with the illustrations that will provide a visual guide.
Along the way, readers who are supported by older siblings, parents, and significant others will ask the question, "Why?" and good books always involve engagement with others and good conversations. I always map out my books so that they pose questions to the reader.
Children's books that arouse curiosity are a good thing since scientists, artists, businesspeople and inventors of tomorrow will have curiosity in bucketloads!
Good kids' books provide a safe rehearsal for negotiating difficulties and obstacles that we all meet on the journey that is life. They instill good values in children, showing them how to make friends, and to value things that make a successful and happy life.
Social and emotional learning is valuable in books written for children since research shows that this kind of learning is just as important as other kinds. I like to foreground characters in my children's books who inspire kids and act as good role models.
The emotional atmosphere of a book is so important. A positive mood and a happy ending satisfy kids that all will be well in the end. A satisfying ending for me is one in which the characters are good and true; finding their own answers and their OWN path, and being true to themselves.
Celebrating the warmth of friendship, the river of life, the magic of adventure and scrumptiousness of Cheese, especially delightful when it is shared!
So, I have just launched my middle grade adventure book, “Housie Mousie and The BIG Cheese.” What gave me the idea for this new escapade?
I was inspired of course by the literary great, Kenneth Grahame, and the gorgeous hardback, with a dust cover, of “The Wind in The Willows,” that my dad gave me when I was young. I spent hours as a child pouring over the pages. Of course, the river and the animals seemed very real to me because dad and I loved to spend afternoons fishing and messing about in boats. It was all so enchanting whatever the season, with the music of the water, and sometimes, cool sunlight casting rainbows that rippled to the water’s edge. Nature offered its bounty to me.
The children’s TV programme, “Tales of The Riverbank,” also inspired my book. Especially the music that introduced the programme - I can still hear it now - so enchanting, and comforting.
More recently, I read E. B White’s tale - “Stuart Little.” So, I decided to make the lead characters in my book a mouse and a rat, and, of course, adopted the sailing theme that echoes White’s original story.
There are echoes of that fabulous cheese series - “Wallace and Gromit,” especially the humor of the characters and the way that they get in and out of a few scrapes on their fabulous journey to Half- Moon End and beyond to The Big Cheese Hill.
Housie, of course, has an obsession for cheese - just like Wallace:
Wallace: “No cheese Gromit - not a bit in the house!”
Housie: “I can’t stop thinking about cheese!”
However, Housie learns from the wise and serious Ratty in my tale, that the moon is probably NOT made of cheese after all, whereas, of course, for Wallace and Gromit, the moon was most definitely made of their Yorkshire favorite - Wensleydale - which, incidentally, is mentioned in “Housie Mousie and The Big Cheese” as one of the most FAMOUS cheeses in the whole wide world.
My own life most probably answers the question - why this story - set in one of the prettiest areas in my native Great Britain.
About The Author
Suzy Davies was born in Reading, England. Brought up in a dual-language family, she was fascinated by language and wrote from an early age.
Her early childhood was spent in Aber in rural Wales, where she went fishing with her dad along the river, and went walking along country lanes with her grandmother. When the family relocated, they often went on holiday to Aberystwyth, Wales or to Longlevens, Gloucestershire, where Suzy’s paternal grandad lived. Suzy visited Stroud, Cheltenham and the surrounding area.
Suzy lived in Cheltenham for a year or so in her adulthood, and she revisited the picture postcard beauty of The Cotswolds - animals and nature - which she celebrates in this book.
Suzy is a former certified teacher, and she specializes in teaching literacy. She is also a certified life coach, with counseling skills. She understands the importance of engaging characters to inspire kids and she likes to make her stories emotionally satisfying - warm, positive and encouraging, with a happy ending.
Book Blurb
Housie Mousie and Ratty Rat, two adventurous rodents, living in a barn boot, embark on a thrilling journey to participate in THE BIG CHEESE RACE, a prestigious event in The Cotswolds. Along the way, they befriend a cast of animal characters, including beavers and a mischievous dog, while uncovering a plot to steal the coveted BIG CHEESE. With courage and teamwork, they thwart the thieves and share their winnings with new found friends, ensuring a happy ending filled with friendship and cheese.
I was inspired of course by the literary great, Kenneth Grahame, and the gorgeous hardback, with a dust cover, of “The Wind in The Willows,” that my dad gave me when I was young. I spent hours as a child pouring over the pages. Of course, the river and the animals seemed very real to me because dad and I loved to spend afternoons fishing and messing about in boats. It was all so enchanting whatever the season, with the music of the water, and sometimes, cool sunlight casting rainbows that rippled to the water’s edge. Nature offered its bounty to me.
The children’s TV programme, “Tales of The Riverbank,” also inspired my book. Especially the music that introduced the programme - I can still hear it now - so enchanting, and comforting.
More recently, I read E. B White’s tale - “Stuart Little.” So, I decided to make the lead characters in my book a mouse and a rat, and, of course, adopted the sailing theme that echoes White’s original story.
There are echoes of that fabulous cheese series - “Wallace and Gromit,” especially the humor of the characters and the way that they get in and out of a few scrapes on their fabulous journey to Half- Moon End and beyond to The Big Cheese Hill.
Housie, of course, has an obsession for cheese - just like Wallace:
Wallace: “No cheese Gromit - not a bit in the house!”
Housie: “I can’t stop thinking about cheese!”
However, Housie learns from the wise and serious Ratty in my tale, that the moon is probably NOT made of cheese after all, whereas, of course, for Wallace and Gromit, the moon was most definitely made of their Yorkshire favorite - Wensleydale - which, incidentally, is mentioned in “Housie Mousie and The Big Cheese” as one of the most FAMOUS cheeses in the whole wide world.
My own life most probably answers the question - why this story - set in one of the prettiest areas in my native Great Britain.
About The Author
Suzy Davies was born in Reading, England. Brought up in a dual-language family, she was fascinated by language and wrote from an early age.
Her early childhood was spent in Aber in rural Wales, where she went fishing with her dad along the river, and went walking along country lanes with her grandmother. When the family relocated, they often went on holiday to Aberystwyth, Wales or to Longlevens, Gloucestershire, where Suzy’s paternal grandad lived. Suzy visited Stroud, Cheltenham and the surrounding area.
Suzy lived in Cheltenham for a year or so in her adulthood, and she revisited the picture postcard beauty of The Cotswolds - animals and nature - which she celebrates in this book.
Suzy is a former certified teacher, and she specializes in teaching literacy. She is also a certified life coach, with counseling skills. She understands the importance of engaging characters to inspire kids and she likes to make her stories emotionally satisfying - warm, positive and encouraging, with a happy ending.
Book Blurb
Housie Mousie and Ratty Rat, two adventurous rodents, living in a barn boot, embark on a thrilling journey to participate in THE BIG CHEESE RACE, a prestigious event in The Cotswolds. Along the way, they befriend a cast of animal characters, including beavers and a mischievous dog, while uncovering a plot to steal the coveted BIG CHEESE. With courage and teamwork, they thwart the thieves and share their winnings with new found friends, ensuring a happy ending filled with friendship and cheese.
Book News
"The Flamingos Who Painted The Sky," our new picture book is NOW fully available to bring in #Christmas #sunshine, #flamingo #sunsets, and #happiness #worldwide Illustrated by the talented Shirin Mass ...more
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