Sands Hetherington's Blog

Thinking of taking a road trip with your kids this summer? Check out this article I wrote for the Good Men Project for some inspiration!

Excerpt:

As a children’s author, I’ve been asked many times, by friends, colleagues, and readers, what is the best piece of of advice I have for parents raising their children today. To tell you the truth, I don’t always know if I have an answer for them. What we pass down to our children—morals, values, passions—is a monumental thing. So here is what I say instead:

I don’t know if this is the best piece of parenting advice out there, but if you don’t travel with your children, you’re missing out on what made up the best memories I have of my son’s childhood.

My son John is a traveler. It all took place from the time he was three, ’til he was six and his mother moved to Cleveland, ’til he went to Germany for his junior year in high school, ’til he left for the University of Edinburgh and never really came back. Has since lived in London, Germany, Russia, Spain, Belgium, and Vietnam, and has traveled to many, many other places.

What we did together as father and son was collect waterfalls. I’m sure we saw every worthwhile one in North Carolina where we lived and saw most of the warhorses in the contiguous U.S. I took him to the Canadian Rockies and the bottom half of Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. We drove about 500,000 miles, rode planes and buses, and wore out three cars. Our red Mazda RX-7 Turbo was a real hot rod for its day and was central to our peregrinations.”

When a child finds a book that they love, he can become a reader for life. But what makes a good children’s book? What qualities should it possess to make a child hold onto its memory and message?

If you’re an aspiring author or simply someone who loves kid lit, and you’re trying to answer these questions yourself, here are some tips to help!

It’s all about imagination. Kids love to use their imagination, and their favorite books take their imaginations to new levels. Think about the most popular children’s books—Harry Potter, Where the Wild Things Are, even the Oz series—they all use enormous amounts of imagination, and kids remember them for life.

Create strong, memorable characters. Children’s fiction is not the place to play around with unlikeable, complex characterization. You need a hero, and you need a hero that your young readers will want to be best friends with. In Night Buddies, John is the character that kids relate to, but Crosley is the one that stands out to them because they want to be his best friend too!

Think about the lesson of your story. Good children’s books don’t need to end with a cheesy, “And this is what he learned,” line, but they do need to offer kids insight into some kind of moral or life lesson that they are still trying to grasp in their lives. We turn to books in order to understand something about the world we live in, whether we are reading as children or adults, and it is important that children get this from the very first books they read.

If you’re a writer, think about incorporating these tips into your own stories. Don’t forget to let me know how it goes in the comments!

Summer vacation is just about here! That means your children now have two whole months of free time ahead of them—and us parents have to find ways to keep them entertained. My favorite way to entertain kids is with books, and these classics are sure to keep them hooked!

Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry

“As the German troops begin their campaign to “relocate” all the Jews of Denmark, Annemarie Johansen’s family takes in Annemarie’s best friend, Ellen Rosen, and conceals her as part of the family.”

Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White

“Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte’s Web, high up in Zuckerman’s barn. Charlotte’s spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur’s life when he was born the runt of his litter.”

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

“Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk…and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree gave and gave and gave.”

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

“Charlie Bucket’s wonderful adventure begins when he finds one of Mr. Willy Wonka’s precious Golden Tickets and wins a whole day inside the mysterious chocolate factory. Little does he know the surprises that are in store for him!”

A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L’Engle

“Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure – one that will threaten their lives and our universe.”

What will you be reading this summer? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Children’s Book Week! This week, over 1,000 schools, libraries, bookstores, and of course authors are joining together to celebrate all of the amazing books for children there are out there!

This is the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week, which means I knew I had to do something special to celebrate. That’s why THIS WEEKEND, on May 4th, you can find me at Wonderland Bookstore in Greensboro, NC to do a reading and signing of the Night Buddies series! The reading will start at 12pm, and I will make sure to sign everybody’s books at the event. There will also be several other authors there throughout the day, so make sure to stay for as many as you can!

I can’t wait to meet you guys in person while we celebrate one of my biggest passions—getting kids to read great books! This week and this event in particular are very special to my heart, and I’m honored to be a part of the celebration.

What are your favorite children’s books? Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to celebrate them this week! See you all on Saturday!

I’ve been writing on this blog for several years now, and I’m so grateful for those of you who read it each week! But for any newcomers, I’d love to introduce myself. I’m the author of the Night Buddies children’s books about a young boy named John and his nighttime adventures with the red crocodile, Crosley.

If you’re interested more in learning about how those books came to be, watch this video I made!

I raised my now grown son, John, as a single father (you guessed it, he’s the inspiration behind John the book character as well!) I love to raise St. Bernard dogs and have a passion for getting kids to fall in love with reading.

Now it’s your turn! Tell me something about yourself in the comments. I’d love for us to get to know one another.

I’m so excited to bring you guys the news…

Night Buddies is ON SALE! Because I don’t want anyone to finish one of my books and have to go through the reader’s agony of waiting for the next, I’m offering this special deal:

If you buy any two books in the series, you’ll get the third one free!

Be sure to let me know how you like them by leaving a comment on here or on my Facebook page. Happy reading!!

From Lord of the Rings to Game of Thrones and Harry Potter, I don’t think it’s any coincidence that some of the most influential and popular books of our time are part of a series. A book series is something that can draw you in for long periods of time, and something that can keep you excited to continue reading even once you’ve finished a book.

When I first decided to write Night Buddies and the Pineapple Cheesecake Scare, I knew right away I wanted to continue writing about Crosley and John for years to come. Here’s why I think your book can benefit from becoming a series:

Your readers can grow up with the characters. If your character is ten years old in your first book, he has to keep growing up as you write. And as he grows up, so will your readers. This creates a deeper bond for the reader with your character—they always know that they can relate to their favorite character, no matter how old they get.

You can spend more time developing your characters. Thought you want to make your characters seem as real and human as possible in a stand-alone book, the more books you write about them, the more nuanced and flawed they can really become. This will in turn make them more memorable characters!

You can create a more interesting plot. The best part about a long series is when you can look back and see how the plot was being developed from the beginning. While each stand-alone book should have its own contained plot, the overall plot becomes more complex and interesting as you build it through the span of multiple books.

You’ll develop a deeper bond with your readers. Readers can’t wait to get their hands on a book they’ve been waiting on, and when it’s part of a series (and most likely scattered with cliffhangers) they’ll be even more excited to wait for the next one!

And because I know how hard it can be to wait for that next book after you’ve finished one, right now you can get my ENTIRE series of Night Buddies books with our Buy Two, Get One Free sale! Make sure you don’t miss out!

What are your favorite book series? Let me know in the comments below!

As anxiety levels in younger generations continue to climb, it’s important to help your children find a way to better understand, communicate, and cope with stress and worry—before it gets too out-of-hand. That’s where books have always come into play. Stories can help children understand and communicate feelings that seem too big to be able to talk about, and they can help you as their parents better understand what they are dealing with. Below are just a few children’s book that have the potential help your little one out of an anxious situation!

Wemberly Worried, by Kevin Henkes

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This book tells the story of a mouse named Wemberly who deals with a lot of worrying; in particular, worrying about the first day of school. It’s relatable, sweet, and can help your kids know they aren’t alone in feeling anxious about a new school, or even just a new school year!

Help Your Dragon Deal With Anxiety, by Steve Herman

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This rendition of a story about a kid and his pet dragon deals with the taboo topic of anxiety. It introduces some very valuable social and emotional skills kids can use when they’re feeling anxious themselves, but still manages to be a lighthearted and enjoyable read.

Always, by Ann Stott

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A common source of anxiety in children stems from the feeling that they have to earn the love and acceptance they want to receive. This story delves into that fear by introducing a character who feels as though his mother won’t love him unless he is perfect, and turns into a tale of unconditional parental love.

Is A Worry Worrying You? by Frieda Wolff

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This book introduces worry after worry, and then offers solutions to make them go away. It’s an excellent problem-solving story, and its solutions can apply to any of the worries it introduces when they appear in your child’s life.

Do you have any tips for easing your child’s anxiety? Let us know in the comments below!

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An author’s favorite writers can often say quite a bit about where they draw inspiration for their own novels from. For instance, the Night Buddies books are full of imaginative descriptions and witty dialogue, which is largely inspired by some of my favorite quotes from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. For instance, a quote that has long inspired my writing journey is:

“And what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversation?”

When I’m sitting down to write, I’ll often open up my Goodreads account and spend a few minutes looking through past quotes that stir something up in me. Some of them inspire me creatively, some inspire me to simply sit down and write, and all of them really make me feel something when I read through them again. I hope they do the same for you!

“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Roald Dahl

“He wrapped himself in quotations – as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors.” Rudyard Kipling, Many Inventions

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.” Mark Twain

“I hate writing, I love having written.” Dorothy Parker

What are some of your favorite quotes? Let me know in the comments or share them with me on Goodreads!

Valentine’s Day may have been last week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be feeling the love all year long! The children’s books I’ve been reading this month represent love in all of its many forms. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Love, by Matt de la Peña

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This book explores the theme of love everywhere you can find it in the world—from music to nature to our own families. The book was authored by a Newbury Medal winner, and it truly shows. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether they have children or not!

Love Monster, by Rachel Bright

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This cute story tells the story of the Love Monster, who is just trying to find someone to love him for who he is. It’s a great story to teach kids the value of true love and not judging anyone by their appearance!

I Love You Stinky Face, by Lisa McCourt

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This book is about a little boy who asks his mother if she would love him, even if he turned into a super-stinky skunk. It’s a great tale about the unconditional love of parenthood, and a perfect way to let your little one know how loved she is!

Everyone Says I Love You, illustrated by Beegee Tolpa

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This pop-up book teaches kids how to say “I love you” in different languages from around the world! Its beautiful, eye-catching design will be enough to draw you in—and exchanging “I love you”s with your child will make it an entirely worthy read.

Love is You and Me, by Monica Sheehan

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This book explains love in any and all of its forms, illustrated by the love between dog and mouse. It is one of my favorites, with a great story and cute illustrations that you and your child will be able to go back to again and again!

What was the best book you read this month? Let me know in the comments!