I don’t know about you, but I want children to begin a passion for reading when they can hold a book. Not just my own children, but any child I may come to impact.
To help with this goal, we started reading to our girls right after they were born. I’ve also scheduled two timeframes throughout the day for my preschoolers to sit down with a book of their choosing. Can they read? No. But can they look at the illustrations, recognize that there are words on the page meant to tell a story, seek out letters they already know, and begin to create their own story based on what they gain from when books are read aloud to them? Absolutely!
That’s why it’s important to have authors create books with this same desire to light a passion for reading in young children—authors like Valerie Doherty.
Valerie is native to the Midwest, splitting her time between Nebraska and Chicago. Through her years as a speech-language pathologist and childhood educator, Valerie took her passion for early language and literacy development and became a children’s book author. Currently, with three publications, the fun rhymes and simple words with appealing illustrations capture a young reader’s attention and holds it to the end.
Wonderful Things
This story is written in simple rhymes with an incredible message that’s truly about wonderful things. Each page is a reminder of how wonderful something so simple can truly be. It’s an easy read that is a great way to finish off your bedtime routine. Some things my preschool class (ages 4-5) said about this book were; “It was good because it had wonderful things in it” and “I liked the mountains, beach, beautiful sky, and flowers.”
The Big City Dance
What kid doesn’t like a book with talking animals doing the same things that children enjoy doing? The Big City Dance follows a mouse with a dream for something new, exciting, and fun. He finds himself in the big city where he learns to dance, something many young readers love to do and can easily relate to. Did I mention the farm animals that kids, even younger than age three, can recognize and enjoy?
Husker Game Day
My personal favorite for very biased reasons (GO BIG RED!!). As Valerie’s first publication, it was created for the biggest of Husker fans. The rhymes have a flow that leads you through one of the best days of the week—Football Saturday. With the beautiful illustrations, you and your young reader will be taken through the whole season of Husker Football. This book is a great addition to your child’s fandom library. ORDER NOW, DISCONTINUED AFTER JANUARY 31, 2021.
Valerie’s books are available on Amazon! Children deserve good books that will encourage them to keep picking up stories well into adulthood. There’s truly no risk of taking a chance with a new book when it comes to young readers. Let Valerie’s books be that next chance you take!
Thank you for the kind words. Val Doherty