Today, I have a special guest post from Margo Dill, author and publisher at Editor-911 Kids, and Fred Olds, author of the Read Aloud Stories with Fred Collection. Margo and Fred share their experiences finding problems to write about that kids will relate to. Take it away Margo and Fred!
Whether you’re a children’s writer, reader, parent, grandparent, librarian, or teacher, you’re probably reading kids’ books. And you’re often reading them to the children in your life or checking them out before kids read them to make sure the content is all right. You are also a critic, looking for books that will keep kids’ interest and stop them from wanting to spend so much time with “their screens.” One way to make sure that kids will keep coming back for more books is to find stories with problems that kids can relate to.
In Read-Aloud Stories with Fred, Vols. 1 and 2 Collection: 7 Children’s Tales in One Book, we wrote stories full of problems that both children and adults could enjoy. (Several adults have said that “The Hobbling Hermit” is their favorite story of the whole collection! And what a problem both the hermit and the mouse have in that story!)
Take for example the two Sammy stories, “Sammy and the Cross-Eyed Crow” and “Sammy and the Royal Rabbit.” Sammy is a young boy who lives in the jungle and can talk to animals (which is what every kid wishes he or she could do!), but the problems that arise in these stories are ones that you could have on a farm in the Midwest or a city block in New York City. In “Cross-Eyed Crow,” Sammy has to decide if he should listen to his mom and go straight to his aunt’s house or help a friend in need, even if he’ll have to face the consequences of breaking his mom’s rule.
This is a complex problem that kids could face on the playground. Imagine you’re a kid in third grade: My teacher told me that I’m never to leave the blacktop during recess, but I can see that my friend fell down and is at the bottom of the hill. My teacher is on the parking lot. What do I do? I’ll have to leave the blacktop to help.
Every day, no matter our age, we are faced with difficult choices. What Fred did in the Sammy stories is take the sticky situations out of the regular “school” or “home” setting and put them in the jungle to make the story exciting, but still relatable!
It’s up to us as adults, when we finish reading a story with children, to help them make the connection between the story world and their lives—which is an important comprehension skill. We can ask questions like, “Have you ever faced a problem like Sammy?” or “Do you think Sammy made the correct decision? Why or why not?”
In Read-Aloud With Fred books, we designed the book to include questions at the beginning of the stories to help kids focus on a certain element of problem solving when they are reading or listening to these tales. For example, at the beginning of the story, “Ben and the Bully Billy-Bob,” the story question asks, “How would you stick up for a friend or sibling in need?” That’s a very relatable problem that kids are faced with most likely multiple times a day--how do they stick up for themselves or others?
If you’re a writer, make a list of problems that you faced when you were a kid or that you know other kids faced, and then brainstorm what you can do with the story problem to make it unique while keeping it relatable. If you’re a reader (parent, teacher, etc), then help kids make the connections between the story world and their own lives. And who knows? A character like Sammy may just help them solve a real world problem some day--that’s the magic of books!
Margo L. Dill is the publisher of Fred’s Read-Aloud Stories with Fred short story collections through her independent, female-owned publishing company, Editor-911 Books. She is also the author of “Looking Inside,” a short story included in Fred’s collection of Vols. 1 and 2. Margo has a master’s degree in elementary education from Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, and is the author of four children’s books.
At 92, Fred Olds is a children’s and mystery writer with two children’s series currently published, Read-Aloud Stories with Fred, and the Perky Pet Problems picture books. He lives in Central, IL, where he is dedicated to his wife, Jean, and his family of children and grandchildren. Fred is also a veteran and retired from the Postal Service.
Find out more about Editor-911 Books at this link.
Learn more about Margo, Editor-911 Kids, and Fred and his books at the links on the blog tour below.
Blog Tour Calendar
--- Blog Tour Calendar
June 7th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of this incredible blog tour. Find out more about the authors, their touching books, and enter to win books for yourself. Become an active participant in the tour, and you can win a gift card.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
June 8th @ Lisa's Reading
Visit Lisa's blog where she shares a guest post about clean, sweet, books and how to find them (and why kids will love them too).
June 8th @ Pages and Paws
Come by and read a review of Read-Aloud Stories with Fred
June 9th @ Create Write Now
Mari shares a guest post today about tackling the stigma of mental illness.
https://www.createwritenow.com/
June 11th @ Pages and Paws
Come by to Pages and Paws again and read a review of Only My Horses Know
June 13th @ AJ Kormon's Blog
Join us at AJ Kormon's blog where you can read a guest post about finding problems kids will relate to. A must-read post for children's book authors!
June 14th @ AJ Kormon's Blog
Join us again at AJ Kormon's blog today where you can read a review of Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
June 15th @ Lisa Haselton's Book Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa as she interviews author Fred Olds about his book Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection.
June 16th @ Words from the Heart
Linda reviews the book Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection by Fred Olds.
https://contemplativeed.blogspot.com/
June 17th @ Literary Quicksand
Join Jolissa as she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred Collection by Fred Olds.
http://www.literaryquicksand.com/
June 18th @ Words from the Heart
Linda shares a guest post about tackling Christian themes in secular books.
https://contemplativeed.blogspot.com/
June 20th @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra as she features Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
http://www.astorybookworld.com/
June 21st @ Lisa Haselton's Book Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa as she interviews author Cinda Bauman, author of the book Only My Horses Know.
June 23rd @ Bring on Lemons
Visit Crystal's blog today where she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
June 26th @ Shoe's Seeds and Stories
Join Linda as she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com/
June 28th @ Jill Sheets' Blog
Visit Jill's blog where she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
http://jillsheets.blogspot.com/
July 1st @ What is That Book About
Michelle shares a guest post about following your dreams at 92. What an inspiring story!
https://www.whatisthatbookabout.com/
July 2nd @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue's blog where she reviews Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
July 6th @ McFly's Book Bliss
Join Marisa as she reviews Only My Horses Know.
July 9th @ Strength 4 Spouses
Join Wendi at her blog Strength 4 Spouses where she shares her review of Read-Aloud Stories with Fred and Only My Horses Know.
https://strength4spouses.blog/blog/
July 10th @ Shoe's Seeds and Stories
Visit Linda's blog again where she shares a guest post about finding a good critique group.
https://lschuelerca.wordpress.com
July 11th @ Strength 4 Spouses
Join Wendi again at her blog where she shares a guest post about the importance of communicating in families.
https://strength4spouses.blog/blog/
Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card by leaving a comment on any of the blog posts in this tour then filling out this form.
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