storytime

TRAD – TRUMAN Read Aloud Day Coming 9/20!

Teachers and Librarians – I’m celebrating the start of a new school year on September 20th with TRAD – TRUMAN Read Aloud Day. Sign up for a free 15-minute virtual visit during which I’ll read this heartwarming, back-to-school story (which the NYT calls “An enchanting tale of bravery, heroism and undying devotion.”) followed by a… Read more »

SYLVIE is one of the best books of 2022!

  Friends, Right before the end of 2022, we received some excellent end-of-the-year news! I’m so honored and excited that SYLVIE (from Lucy Ruth Cummin, Atheneum/Simon & Schuster and me!) has been named one of the Best Books of 2022 by The Canadian Children’s Book Centre! And we couldn’t be more excited. To find out… Read more »

GROUP HUG – A Perfect Valentine’s Day Gift!

Are you looking for a fresh & fun Valentine’s Day gift or storytime read? How about GROUP HUG from Macmillan/Henry Holt/Godwin Books, Joey Chou and me? Through a forest of friendly animals, our latest picture book encourages kindness and the contagious happiness that hugs can bring. Just add kisses! “This sweetly endearing charmer, highlighting kindness,… Read more »

School Library Journal Loves GROUP HUG!

And I’m loving their review! Thank you School Library Journal! “A group hug begins when one very kind slug hugs a lonely beetle. A mouse then stumbles onto the scene, and the hug expands; skunk, squirrel, and beaver follow, and so the comfort of a hug is shared with every animal that feels frustrated, down, misunderstood,… Read more »

Give Hugs this Holiday Season!

“This sweetly endearing charmer, highlighting kindness, is expressed in jaunty, witty rhymes that read and scan beautifully … Readers will embrace this captivating winner.” – Kirkus STARRED Review – “The economic text has a surfeit of aural pleasures, and Reidy (Truman) strikes a comic tone that never sinks into sentimentality: an overworked beaver is beckoned… Read more »

Low-Tech, At-Home Learning: TRUMAN Finger-Play

Don’t we all love the amazing, free and fun programming offered by bookstores and public libraries? What a gift. But I know that with these community mainstays closed, families with little ones are missing their storytimes. Well, here’s a fun, storytime, finger-play activity (below) to practice with your young readers and listeners. It’s based on… Read more »

The PUP 681 Curriculum and Storytime Guide is here! And it’s FREE!

Dear Teachers and Librarians, My latest book PUP 681: A SEA OTTER RESCUE STORY is based on the true story of Luna, a rescued sea otter who now lives at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. It’s a heart-filled and hopeful tale about family and love which Kirkus – in their STARRED review – calls “unabashedly… Read more »