For Kids, Books Are Still Magical

At a time when a child’s day is filled with iPods, the Wii and Netflix, there’s still a moment in the evening, when a parent and child snuggle in bed and crack open a book, that technology goes out the window and one’s imagination runs wild. To celebrate a child’s love of reading, St. Louis County Library will host six children and young adult authors in recognition of Children’s Book Week, May 13-19.

Popular writers such as Ridley Pearson, Heather Brewer and Eoin Colfer, will personally lead parents and kids alike through their popular adventures and inspiring stories.

For young book lovers, award-winning local author Jennifer Ward will read to kids from her latest book, What Will Hatch? on Saturday, May 18 at 10 a.m. at the Daniel Boone Branch of the St. Louis County Library. For this mom of one and a former teacher, What Will Hatch?, her 17th published book, is the culmination of years of hard work and a dream of a lifetime.

“I was one of those teachers that had hundreds and hundreds of children's books in my classroom,” she remarked via email. “I fell in love with children's literature over the course of teaching. However, when the school where I taught had a real-live author visit one day – and this was the first time I had ever met a children's author in-person - that was an empowering day for me. I knew then I was going to try to get my own stories published.”

For the past 15 years, Ward has focused on creating stories ideal for toddlers and children that not only strengthen their love of reading and fuel their imagination, but grow their interest in nature and science.

“I'll play with a concept, such as animal behavior, and from there toy with how to communicate it to children in a fun and engaging way,” Ward explained. Her books include popular titles, such as Way Out in the Desert, The Busy Tree and There Was an Odd Princess Who Swallowed a Pea, as well as parenting books, including It’s a Jungle Out There! and I Love Dirt!, which both offer 52 activities that encourage parents and kids to engage with nature.

Ward’s latest book, What Will Hatch?, introduces kids to oviparous animals, or animals that hatch, such as penguins, sea turtles, crocodiles, and a platypus, in a fun, interactive way.

“It's written with simple, rhyming, pattern language in a ‘read and guess’ format. This makes it fun for little ones to join in as they become familiar with the text and also guess what might hatch from the die-cut ‘peek-through’ egg shape on each page.” Just as important to Ward as writing for kids is motivating those same kids to write themselves.

She frequently travels to schools all over the country to read her books, explain the book creation process, and encourage students to put pen to paper, especially those who struggle with reading and writing. My daughter and I recently heard Ward speak, and MJ was inspired by seeing Ward’s own writing when she was her age – which Ward admits was far from perfect – and learning how her work has evolved into a published books.

As parents, we all play an essential role in encouraging our own kids’ writing. In Ward’s opinion, letting kids simply enjoy the process is key to furthering their creativity and inspiration.

Said Ward, “Don’t be too hard on a child whose writing may be riddled with misspellings and errors. Writing is a skill, but it can also be a creative art form - and we, as parents, should be mindful to sometimes overlook the mechanics and embrace the imagination and mindfulness that went into the written piece.

"We don't want to squelch the creativity that goes into the writing process.” “If kids enjoy writing and aren't too hung up on making errors, they will be more inclined to write. The more they write, the better their writing will become over time. Encourage children to write, and celebrate their efforts, even when the writing may have spelling and grammatical errors. Have faith that over time, all the pieces will fall into place (skill-wise).”

To learn more about all of Ward’s books or to schedule her to speak at your school, visit www.jenniferwardbooks.com. For a full list of Children’s Book Week events at the St. Louis County Library, check out www.slcl.org.

Editor's Note: Also during Children's Book Week, the St. Louis Public Library kicks off its Summer Reading Club for kids, and Left Bank Books will host authors Antony John and Heather Brewer. The St. Charles County Library will host a variety of events throughout the week for kids and families, the Kirkwood Public Library will hold its Summer Reading Kidk Off on May 18, and the Glen Carbon Public Library will launch its Summer Reading Club with "Have Book Will Travel."