Little Honker and the Swinging Tails

Kids Have the Answers!

I write for young readers. I taught high school for 40 years. Why the shift? I wanted to encourage young people to read. How do I keep my inner kid alive to do that? If you write for young readers, you need to be around young readers! Spending time with my youngest granddaughter helped, but I needed more. So, I decided to volunteer in an elementary classroom as often as I could. I was fortunate to be able to volunteer in an art room with one of my former students as the teacher. It was a chance for creativity, talking to kids, and most importantly, listening to them. They burst with ideas, enthusiasm, and are willing to experiment. Just what my eager mind needed. Because I listened to a third grader, my third Little Honker book was born. When my audience asked me what Little Honker was going to do next, I asked. "What do you think he should do next?" The winning answer was "Start his own band!"