National Share the Love of Reading Month

Throughout the month of February, the nonprofit organization My Own Book (www.myownbook.net) is hosting a national Share the Love of Reading event. They are encouraging every teen and adult in the United States to buy a favorite children's book, read it to a child, and give the child the book. If you send an e-mail to Kyle and Brady Baldwin at kyleandbrady@myownbook.net, the amazing young founders of My Own Book will send a bookplate for every book you give out.

Need help Sharing the Love of Reading? If you know of a child or children in need of books, e-mail Kyle and Brady at kyleandbrady@myownbook.net with your name and address (this may be a school). Please include the child’s first name and age for the personalized bookplate. They can send entire classrooms books if necessary.

This is a great project for service clubs, businesses, and schools to get involved in. If you would like to donate books to be read aloud, My Own Book will be happy to find readers for them!

My Own Book is a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading the joy of reading to less fortunate children through teens reading and letting children pick out their very own brand new books. Personalized bookplates are added to each book to solidify ownership.


I was fortunate enough to catch up with the busy founders of My Own Book, Kyle and Brady Baldwin, for an interview about the importance of sharing books and spreading a love of reading!

Why is reading and literacy so important?
Reading opens up the doors for children. Without books they cannot dream of a greater world, learn about new possibilities or explore new horizons. Books are the key to a better life.

What is your favorite part about being involved with My Own Book?
The great feeling you get when a kid hugs their book or giggles with glee at the thought that they get to keep this book and it is their very own! Book ownership empowers these children: many have grown up without a single book, most do not know the pleasure of owning brand new items.

What has been the most difficult part?
Getting schools to let us visit -- they always assume there is a catch. There isn't. We really just want to share the joy of reading with K-3rd graders.

Are there any life lessons you have learned through My Own Book?
A ton but the most important is probably the benefit we have experienced by reaching out to children and sharing the joy of reading. We have learned empathy and a greater awareness of our community.

What is your advice to other young people who want to make a difference through volunteering?
It is great! You'll meet people, develop new skills, and it will take you places you've never imagined. Follow your interests and perhaps you will discover your passion.

How can readers get involved with My Own Book?
Visit our website at www.myownbook.net. We are ALWAYS looking for volunteers to read and give out books. We are happy to ship books and bookplates anywhere in the country. You'll feel great interacting with the children and doing good in your community. Please contact us! We'd love your help in reading and giving out books!

Guest Post By Yvonne Perry

I have enjoyed much time in the classroom both as a teacher and a student, but the most fun times are when I’m able to visit a class as an author. I have written twelve stories and compiled them into a book titled The Sid Series ~ A Collection of Holistic Stories for Children. I’m hoping for opportunities to visit more classroom and share my stories with kindergarten through 2nd grade students; and now I’ve found a way to do just that without even leaving my home. Love it!

Thanks to Skype an Author Network, I can sit in front of my computer with my video camera and speak live to boys and girls anywhere on earth! All the teacher needs is a computer that has Skype’s free software that can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/yknoe4e . If you are an author who wants to do a virtual classroom visit, go ahead and sign up on Skype an Author. It’s free and you could actually be paid for speaking to groups via Skype. Librarians can find author resources to help kids get into reading books. Publishers who are looking for inexpensive ways to help their authors of K-12 books find classroom engagements will love this tool. Isn’t technology wonderful?

If the topic of my book interests you and you would like to learn more about having me visit your classroom, check out http://skypeanauthor.wetpaint.com/page/Yvonne+Perry.
Inspired by adventures I’ve had with my first-born grandson named Sidney, each story in The Sid Series (ISBN: 9780982572207) focuses on skills such as overcoming fear, being environmentally conscious, helping others, being true to one’s self, and following inner guidance. This collection of body-mind-spirit stories highlights unique lessons about love, acceptance, self-worth, caring for the body, diversity, facing fears, dealing with change, experiencing the death of a pet, using spiritual gifts, and psychic experiences today’s children exhibit.

The titles of the stories in The Sid Series are as follows:
Sid’s Fairy ~ Learning about Inner Guidance
A Stormy Adventure ~ Facing the Fear of Storms
The Pirate’s Treasure ~ Finding Treasure Within
You Can Be! ~ Understanding Destiny and Making Choices
Ask Your Body ~ Understanding the Body’s Needs
A Ghost in My Closet ~ Communicating with Angels
A Powerful Potion ~ The Power of Imagination
My Friend’s Skin ~ Accepting and Appreciating Diversity
Puppy Love ~ Dealing with the Death of a Pet
Old Things New ~ Learning About Recycling
Always Be Honest ~ Learning to Tell the Truth
Making Room for Brother ~ Coping with Family Changes
If you would like to read inside my book, please visit http://TheSidSeries.com


BIO: Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer and editor, award-winning Amazon.com bestselling author, podcast host, blogger extraordinaire, newsletter publisher, Internet marketing guru, and an outstanding keynote speaker. She is a graduate of American Institute of Holistic Theology where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Metaphysics.

Write Every Day!

One of my favorite activities is visiting schools and talking about reading and writing. Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Junipero Serra Elementary School in Ventura, California to talk to all the third and fourth grade students. They were so creative, respectful, energized and, to use one of their favorite words, awesome! :)

Often kids will ask me what advice I have for becoming a writer. My biggest advice is simple: Write every single day. Even if only for fifteen or twenty minutes. Make writing a priority; make it part of your daily routine, as essential as eating dinner or brushing your teeth. Writing a whole book may seem like a daunting endeavor, but if you write just one page every day, at the end of a year you'll have 365 pages!

Recently, my own life has gotten incredibly busy. In between applying for graduate school and international fellowships, doing radio and online interviews, working on articles for magazines and websites, and the endless everyday tasks of daily life, my fiction writing time gradually slipped away. I began to feel drained and overwhelmed. At the end of the day, I would look back at all I had accomplished and still feel like something was missing.

Then I realized: I needed to listen to my own advice! I needed to make my fiction writing -- writing that is dearly important to me -- a priority again. I have set a new goal for myself of writing 1,000 words on my new novel manuscript every single day. It's been almost two weeks, and many days I have gotten on a roll and written 2,000 or 3,000 words at a time! For me, an important thing to remember when working on a first draft is not to censor or edit myself too much, but simply to let my creativity flow. Editing comes later. I often write longhand and then transfer my writing to the computer. I find I am more open-minded and free-flowing when I write by hand.

Since I've been recommitted to writing every single day, I have felt more purposeful, happy, and inspired. And my new novel is coming along great!

Thank You, 93rd Street School!

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in "Career Day" at 93rd Street School in Los Angeles. I got to spend the day visiting classrooms and talking about my life as a writer. The kids were enthusiastic, respectful, and asked the most insightful questions, including one I'd never been asked before: "Did your mom and dad and teachers turn you into a writer, or was writing something that was always inside of you?" I had to think on that one a moment! I was definitely encouraged and supported by my wonderful parents and teachers, and I was introduced to writing at an early age because my dad is a writer -- but writing feels like such an integral part of who I am that I do like to think it would have been a part of my life regardless.

That said, I do at times feel discouraged, restless and uninspired as a writer. When that happens, talking with kids is the best way to recharge my batteries and renew my enthusiasm for reading and writing.

I am always looking to set up talks at schools, youth groups, or other organizations. I can talk for as long or short of a time period as you would like, and have experience talking to age levels from kindergarten to high school. I also love to teach fun writing workshops to schools. Plesae don't hesitate to contact me if you're interested in setting something up! E-mail me: dallaswoodburn@aol.com or visit my website www.writeonbooks.org.

Talking to Students about Writing

Last week I had the pleasure of being invited to speak to the eighth grade classes at Windemere Middle School. The students were a terrific audience -- listening attentively as I read a story from my book, asking insightful and interesting questions, and volunteering when I asked them questions. They even made a banner welcoming me to their school!

Talking to students is one of my favorite things -- they never fail to inspire me with their passion, enthusiasm, and curiosity about life. I think it is an important thing for writers -- or anyone! -- to remember: what made you fall in love with your passion in the first place? Sometimes I get wrapped up in the tedium and solitude of writing and the constant struggle to revise and make my work better. But after talking to a classroom full of kids about my writing process and what I love about writing, it re-opens my own eyes to the wonder and magic of the written word.

At the beginning of my talk, I always ask the students: "How many of you like to write?" Usually, a few shy hands raise. At the end of my talk, I ask the same question, and usually a lot more hands raise -- my own hand included. Talking to kids about my writing journey reminds me how blessed I am to be doing something I truly love.