Local Authors Spark Summer Reading
It seems like the Chattahoochee Valley barely got to have a spring, and now the summer is here, bringing with it the excitement of summer reading challenges at area schools and libraries. As a mother of a four-year-old, I am always looking for books my daughter will be excited to pick up, watch intently, and eventually memorize so she can act out the story. I try to find activities with a balance between preparing my daughter to be “Kindergarten ready” and letting her enjoy her childhood imagination. Thankfully Columbus and its surrounding areas are filled with gifted artists, and two local authors have spun stories young children will treasure for summer reading and beyond.
The Adventures of Jo Jo and Ru Bear In Outer Space by Derik Allen Roberts, with illustrations by Stephen Long
Follow bouncy Ru Bear and her jumping brother Jo Jo as they start out on a swing set and, by the power of their imaginations, find themselves traveling out of the earth’s orbit to jump around on the moon, arriving home just in time to watch a gorgeous sunset. What is remarkable about this book is how the characters go from the real world into the world of their imaginations and then back to reality again, all the while appearing as the adorable bear and kangaroo for which they are named. The author, Derik Roberts, created these characters in honor of his two children and the sweet nicknames he has given them. By keeping the characters consistently in their imaginative form (as Jo Jo the kangaroo and Ru Bear the teddy bear), Roberts gives our children the opportunity to envision themselves as the playful animals on these adventures, in which ordinary places like the swing set become a launch pad, brilliantly rendered in Long’s illustrations. For more information, including opportunities to arrange an author visit to area schools, libraries, and churches, check out The Adventures of Jo Jo and Ru Bear on Facebook or email rubooksales@gmail.com. The book has been a featured title at The Kiddie Shoppe (15 West 11th Street in Columbus), a marvelous local clothing, toy, and childhood essentials store with an excellent selection and a friendly staff.
Katie and the Kudzu King, by Stephen K. Scott (author and the coordinator of annual the Strut the Hooch Parade), illustrated by Donna K. Bailey
Written with a bouncy meter and catchy rhyme scheme, this story is fun for parents to read (and for kids to repeat) while still telling a complex, imaginative story. Little Katie travels from New Jersey to Georgia for her first visit South, and, on her way to visit her country cousins, she notices telephone poles, hillsides, and fields blanketed in kudzu. After asking her relatives about this strange vine, Katie dreams of meeting The Kudzu King and his royal court, which sparks a conversation with her cousins about the origin of kudzu. The poem bounces along to a conversation with a botanist at the local agricultural college, revealing the fascinating roots of the kudzu phenomenon in the South. The cliff-hanging ending makes this book a bedtime favorite at our house, because my daughter will always come up with a different possible outcome when Katie takes a certain souvenir back to New Jersey. Katie and the Kudzu King has been a featured title at The Kiddie Shoppe, and schools, churches, and organizations can arrange for the author to make an appearance by visiting thekudzuking.com or by emailing kudzukingproductions@gmail.com.
by Molly Wright