et ceteras
Welcome to et ceteras, a blog featuring posts about Joann, animals, childhood, The Mollys B. (her latest book coming out soon!), and writing in general. An insight to her writing, Joann shares thoughts on topics regarding her inspiration, ethics, companionship with animals, and imagination. Check back often, or subscribe to receive the latest updates by email!
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Research shows that the love of reading starts early for children who have books in their lives and adults to share them with. It also shows that those children often grow into more successful adults themselves. Beyond supporting language, cognitive, and emotional development in young learners, the skill of reading fosters creativity and imagination and exposes children to diverse cultures, traditions, and perspectives.
Winnie-the-Pooh
November was National Picture Month – thirty days of celebrating that magical art form. One of my favorites is “Finding Winnie” by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall. It’s the true story of the bear that served as the model for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories, the first written in the 1924 by A. A. Milne.
REMEMBER THE SMELL OF BRAND-NEW CRAYONS?
Not too long ago I talked about a few of my favorite fiction picture books. Today I want to talk about a non-fiction favorite: “THE CRAYON MAN The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons” written by Natascha Biebow and illustrated by Steven Salerno. It’s the story of Edwin Binney, who with his cousin, C. Harold Smith, invented the Crayola crayon in 1903. Besides being gorgeously illustrated, it’s a super cool biography full of fun facts and leaves readers asking, “Where would we be today without crayons?”