Reading at Home is Important

Dancing with a reader at Family Literacy Day

Last night I was the keynote speaker for the Dubois County Family Literacy Day. It gave me a chance to talk to parents about the importance of books in the home and how they can interact with their kids using books. I'll share a bit of it here. This is a talk I love to give!

This is how I often find my girls

Reading is mighty important!
• It builds listening, memory, and vocab skills.
• Reading fosters imagination.
• It helps kids learn about the world around them and lets them travel anywhere and be anybody.
• They figure out how to see things from another's perspective through books.
• Reading helps kids to sort out their feelings and to understand others. They relate to characters in books and are right there with the character as he or she figures out problems.
• Reading shows kids that there can be answers to problems in life.
• Reading creates a stronger foundation for school success.

So what can you do to help your child?

And I find them like this

• Let your kids see you reading! If you haven't read a book for fun in years, try it! Go to the library and challenge your librarian to find a book you'll love.
• Have comfy spaces in your house for reading, writing, and drawing. And fill your house with books that kids can easily access at their level.
• Read with your child. Even if they're old enough to read by themselves, find a story like THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE, and read it out loud together as a family. Have your older kids take turns reading too. Read a short chapter each night after dinner before any TV gets turned on.
• Download free activity kits and discussion guides for books, like the Storytime Kit for PENGUIN CHA-CHA.
• Interact with your child as you read books. Discuss the issues in the book and ask your child what they would do in that situation. Get into the habit of using books to discuss good decisions with your child now, and when your child is a teen and facing decisions with bigger consequences, you'll be glad that you have that habit.
• Read funny books together and laugh!

I've been interviewed a bunch lately after the release of PENGUIN CHA-CHA:

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast:

A Visit with Author/Illustrator Kristi Valiant

Newspaper story in Evansville Courier & Press:

Kristi Valiant turns a love of drawing into a career

The Library Police Podcast:

Featuring Jay Asher, Kristi Valiant, and Bethany Griffin

Elizabeth Dulemba’s Blog:

PENGUIN CHA-CHA by Kristi Valiant 

Writing for Kids (While Raising Them)

The blog of author Tara Lazar:

From Illustrator to Author-Illustrator: Kristi Valiant’s Process

Celebri-DOTS:

My round penguin became a Celebri-DOT

Kathy Temean’s Blog:

40-question interview and step-by-step process of creating an illustration

Wendy Martin’s Blog

Cha-cha along with illustrator Kristi Valiant

Sometimes books aren't the only things in our book tubs

November is PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) and I've come up with a few fairly good picture book ideas. One of my favorite ideas involved a fabulous name for a new character. It's one of those names that defines a character and then the story flows so well from just that name alone. Well, a quick online search revealed that the name was already a trademarked name for a product, so nope, I can't use it. Bummer.

Now I'm off to work on more picture book ideas!