Celebrating National Reading Month with a Young Author

What better way to showcase National Reading Month than to highlight one young writer who was obviously inspired by creative imagination, coupled with his enjoyment during his own reading adventures?!

James, Dalton.
The Heroes of Googley Woogley.
March 2009.
Outskirts Press, Inc.
Review copy provided courtesy of author.

James and Pete return in this second work by seven-year old Dalton James! This time the father/son team travel to Googely Woogley, courtesy of their fun spaceship. Upon reaching Googley Woogley, the duo discover the inhabitants of the planet, SooDos and SooDonts, good versus evil! The two work to help the SooDos take back control of Googley Woogley.

Young Dalton has yet again provided children the chance to see how their active imaginations allowing ample opportunity to create written work that can inspire other children to try their hand at writing a book of their own!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Inspire creativity for writing projects by creating a rocket ship with your child(ren) using cardboard boxes. An example can be found here! An activity like this will encourage your child(ren) to get the creative juices flowing and inspire imaginations to get to work!
  

James, Dalton.
The Mudhogs.
October 2009.
Outskirts Press, Inc.
Review copy provided courtesy of author.

Three pigs: Piggy, Piggles and Piglet are searching for just one thing that all pigs so desperately want - mud! However, a drought has left them with a lack of rain, resulting in no mud! They try Indian rain dances, spells and even acting out rain storms. When all of their efforts fail, the three pigs decide to head off in search of mud. Traveling to the towns of Piggsburg, Hogsbreath, Swineville and Slopton provide no mud. The states of Pighoma, Snortessee, New Hog and Piggselvania provide no mud either. In a last ditch effort, they head off to different countries - Pig of Mud States, Pigsia, Hogico and Barnia. However, there's no mud to be found anywhere. Upon returning home and finding mud, the pigs learn an important message -

sometimes all you are looking for is at home if you just wait for it.

All I can say is wow, what a difference one year and more experience can make with Dalton James! Returning now as an eight-year old has really developed Dalton's writing (and illustrating)! I noticed a huge difference in the plot development and was incredibly impressed to see the development of an important message being shared with readers. Way to go Dalton! I'll definitely be sharing your work with kids - hoping your efforts pay off in encouraging their creativity and imagination to be put into their writing!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Encourage writing habits in children from an early age. No matter what the "story" looks or sounds like, allow children to feel pride in their work. Turn pages into "books" and encourage your child(ren) to read to you these books that they have created. Keep their works and encourage children to reflect back on the progress they have made over the years. From experience, having these books to look back on years later is a lot of fun!
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!