How do you define the word “translate”? If you currently live or have lived in a family where more than one language is spoken, you may have found yourself in the position of being a translator for a family member who needs help navigating the linguistic demands of daily living. A memo comes from school. … Continue reading The Power of the Word
Hello, Blog Readers! Thank you for being along with me on the journey to the publication of my most recent children’s book, Play Clay Hooray! As the holiday season approaches, I invite you to consider my books as delightful and educational gifts for the little ones in your life. I appreciate greatly your sharing of … Continue reading Gift the Joy of Language, Learning, and Life: Exploring My Children’s Book Series
My new book is out! If you have children ages 3-8 on your shopping list for this holiday season, this might just be the perfect gift for them. It’s also great for their parents or other caregivers, too. PLAY CLAY HOORAY! is not only beautifully illustrated and fun to read, but also includes activities and … Continue reading Unwrap Joy This Holiday Season: My New Children’s Book, PLAY CLAY HOORAY!
Hello, faithful readers! There are just 5 days left until the release of my latest children's book, PLAY CLAY HOORAY! Your support means the world to me, and I’d be grateful if you would like, comment, review, and share this excitement with your friends and family. It truly makes a difference. You can share this … Continue reading Count Down to PLAY CLAY HOORAY: Your Likes, Comments, Shares, and Reviews Requested!
We’re thrilled to announce that my latest children’s book PLAY CLAY HOORAY! will be released on November 27th. We’ve been fine-tuning the promotional text and would love for you to take a look at our current book description. Your feedback is always welcome as we get closer to this exciting launch! Discover the Joy of … Continue reading Get Ready to Celebrate: Release of ‘Play Clay Hooray!’ on November 27
Hello everyone! As I gear up for the release of my upcoming children's book, I wanted to share some valuable insights about the self-publishing journey that I’ve learned along the way. My first submission in 2019 brought a few surprises, including a detailed list of “fix-it” notes from Kindle Direct Press (KDP)—even when I thought … Continue reading Insights from the Final Steps of Self-Publishing
Building a book is like building a house. For me, first comes the story I'm going to narrate—the basic framework of my house, those pieces of wood nailed in place. Next, I share my story with my artist collaborator, Courtney Coriell Williams, and tell her the illustrations I have in my mind. When she delivers … Continue reading Building a Book
Another update about my soon-to-be-published children's book... All of the books in my Nonny Day Series include activities that relate to the story. In Play Clay Hooray! the activity is two-fold: 1) Making Homemade Play Clay, and (of course) 2) Playing With It! Included in the book is an easy recipe for play clay, along … Continue reading Reading + Activity = Language, Learning, and Life!
Delightful news! Another book in my Nonny Day Series is about to be published. Like all books in the series, this book is designed for early readers (ages 5-8), and contains nurturing tips and activity instructions. Great for homeschoolers, public or private school teachers, parents, and all adults who are interested in fostering a child’s … Continue reading Fostering Bright Futures for Children through Reading: New Book Coming Soon!
It’s not too early to start thinking about meaningful and educational holiday gifts for the youngsters in your life! If you haven’t purchased Volume 3 in my Nonny Day Series, Alphabet Excursion and Higgledy-Piggledy (perhaps because you didn’t find sample pages to view on Amazon--a story for another day!), below is what its delightful art … Continue reading The Holiday Season is Closer than You think – Shop Early for the Kids in Your Life (and their Caregivers!)
Dear Nonny's Blog readers, Have you visited NonnyDay.com recently? It's the website for my children's books: the Nonny Day Series. We've recently given it an updated look and structure, and would love for you to check it out. We plan to make additional changes to the site as we continue to publish the series. We'd … Continue reading NonnyDay.com updates – July 2022
In December 2021 I participated in an hour and a half ZOOM meeting with two educators as they led a hands-on pie-baking activity with Baranof Elementary School students and their families in Sitka, Alaska. And the wonderful part of that for me was that they were using the recipe from my children’s reader Sweet Potato … Continue reading Wonderful Thank You Gifts from Sitka, Alaska!
Last week I met via Zoom with two educators—Ms. Kari and Ms. Jasmine—plus student/family participants in a 4-H Sweet Potato Pie Making Project in Sitka, Alaska. My daughter and tech support Eve Carlisle Polley joined me. It proved to be a delightful, fast-paced hour and fifteen-minute get-together joining Sitka and Louisville (over 2,500 miles). Eve … Continue reading Nonny says Hello to Sitka, Alaska Families! (Zoom Meeting for Cooking, Chatting, and Having Fun)
Dear Nonny's Blog Readers, I'm excited to share with you the news that the Sitka School District in Alaska will be using my book Sweet Potato Pie, Oh My! as a part of a sweet potato pie kit giveaway. The school district is distributing to fifty Sitka students and their families a kit with all … Continue reading Nonny’s Books are headed to Alaska! (New Project with Sitka School District)
Today’s blog post will wrap up our story of the Flat Stanley who came to visit me in Louisville, Kentucky from my great nephew Ben’s house in Glenn Dale, Maryland. If you have not read STAN VIEWS SELF-PUBLISHING UP CLOSE (Part One) or STAN VIEWS SELF-PUBLISHING UP CLOSE (Part Two), you might want to click … Continue reading Stan Views Self-Publishing Up Close (Part Three)
Our Flat Stanley of last week’s blog post is continuing his visit with Nonny in Louisville, Kentucky all the way from Glenn Dale, Maryland. It is the Christmas season which means days and evenings are full of activities. What follows is a continuation of Stan’s journal. If you read last week’s blog post, you are … Continue reading Stan Views Self-Publishing Up Close (Part Two)
Many of you, my blog readers, are aware that I am currently self-publishing my third children’s early reader through Amazon.com. However, there’s a little guy named Stan who witnessed one of my self-publishing endeavors first-hand and up close in my home office many years ago. Actually it was on Christmas Eve in 2008. This Stan … Continue reading Stan Views Self-Publishing Up Close (Part One)
Nonny's Blog 