Going Mom and I have been reading more to Avery lately, and although she loses interest rather quickly, it’s apparent that her interest level is increasing. When reading to a baby or any young child, there are a few “must haves” I look for when choosing a book.
The book must have great artwork. Not like “Mona Lisa” art, but big, bold animations with bright colors that seem to jump right out at you. The words need to flow along smoothly and not have you backtracking because a sentence didn’t seem to fit right. This equals instant attention lost from Avery, and I’m sure most other little kids too.
Also, I need something engaging, something I can get into and emphasize words that need to be emphasized by changing the tone and volume of my voice. These key criteria, when combined, make for a wonderful parent-child bonding experience we should enjoy on a daily basis with our children.
Such a book meets and exceeds these “must haves”, and needs your support to help get it published. The book is called Sometimes You Need a Jellyfish, and is written and illustrated by Christopher Routly. Chris is a fellow stay-at-home dad to two boys, ages 6 and 3, and finds inspiration through is daily adventures with them.
Sometimes You Need a Jellyfish begins with two brothers packing to visit their grandparents when the younger brother reveals that he packed a jellyfish.
The story then flows along as the little brother proceeds to give reasons for why you really do need a jellyfish sometimes.
Just reading the story by myself, I found that I was instantly engaged from the beginning and each rhyme-filled sentence flowed wonderfully into the next. I imagined Avery’s eyes filling with excitement as I read through the book, changing the tone of my voice and took pleasure in the thought of her having fun and reading along with me.
With fun characters, excellent illustrations, and a catchy story that rhymes and flows with ease, this is a perfect book your kids (and you) will want to read over and over again. In this book’s case, there are not many more jellyfish in the sea. Pun intended. 😉
Christopher Routly is a fun, loving father and husband who has published several other fun children’s books centered around the alphabet. You can find out more about these books on his blog, The Daddy Doctrines.
To find out what inspired Chris to write a book about a jellyfish and to help support his efforts in getting his book, a guaranteed instant family favorite, head on over to his Kickstarter page now. While there, you’ll learn why sometimes you need to help make Sometimes You Need a Jellyfish a reality!
Make sure to stop by the Sometimes You Need a Jellyfish Facebook page to like and share with friends too!