Written by MagicBeans and Dr. Dawn Menge
Do you remember when you were a kid and had a special event at your school? How exciting that day was? Especially if it was an author visiting with goodies, books, coloring pages or special bookmarks. You felt special! You got to be part of that experience and it was definitely something you remembered. That is why MagicBeans believes that author visits are so important when it comes to showing children the importance of literacy and reading and especially so in low income area schools. One of our amazing authors Dr. Dawn Menge was kind enough to attend a school literacy night with last minute notice because she knows the kind of difference these visits make to a child and the smile on their faces says it all. (This visit was Pre-Covid 19 and we are praying we will get to a point again where our children can experience these amazing visits in their schools again) Read her experience below:
"Attending author events can be an exhausting experience when added onto a full-time job and our other responsibilities we have in our lives. MagicBeans Bookstore was asking for authors to attend a Literacy night at an Elementary school. I volunteered to attend the event not realizing where the event was. I worked all day in the high desert of Southern California, drove to downtown LA, attended the event and then drove to Phoenix, Arizona for another author event. When I arrived at the Elementary school we were greeted with enthusiasm and whisked to the auditorium for the Literacy night introductions.
My mother who was a Kindergarten teacher for over twenty years accompanies me on many of my events. She is the person who created The Queen Vernita crowns in the backseat of a car on our way to an event over ten years ago. She is my navigator on our travels to promote The Queen’s adventures that are written about her mother who was my grandmother Vernita a world traveler.
We soon were presented to the audience where I gave a short introduction to myself and the series. The parents and students were off to other classrooms and to our table in the cafeteria. Queen Vernita crowns were made by the children of all ages. I had a reading with several young girls and then at the end we were honored by the attendees and included in the year book. For the authors that are struggling to decide if their in person events are worth the time and effort I can tell you they are. Sales are splendid but the real reason we are writing is to encourage young children to read. Our jobs are to increase literacy among our children and the sales are just a bonus."
To find out more about Dr. Menge's book collection and her work with children you can visit her at www.drdawnmenge.com
To find this book and other great self published children's books, visit our website at www.magicbeansbookstore.com When you buy a book through MagicBeans we are able to donate new books to under served children, for some these are the very first books they have ever owned. Please visit our bookstore today and help support Independence, Literacy and Giving Back!