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The Story Behind the Stories
Addi's Book of Colors
Addi's Book of Colors was the very first book that I wrote. I looked for an illustrator to draw the images but they were far too costly for my new "hobby"! I did not want to use real photos of Addi to protect her privacy. I then looked at websites that filtered the photo to make it look like a cartoon. They were cute, but didn't work for all photos. So, I decided to illustrate them myself. I have some experience with digital drawing from my teaching career. The students had great fun creating their images, so I thought I would give it a whirl. Above are the transitions of the cover of this book.
When reading the story with Addi, she quickly memorized the words and had so much fun "reading" it to me. That's when I got the idea to record her sweet voice and make that audio clip available on the book. The left and middle images above were the first published book. After working on several of the other books, I felt my digital drawing was improving so I did the revision (on the right side) and added the narrations.
Enjoy listening to Addi read this book.
If you decide to purchase the book, please leave a review on this site and on Amazon!
This book was originally created using real photos of Addi and family members to help her learn names of people that she may not see so often, especially during COVID! I created this as a board book just for Addi. When I decided to start publishing books, I rewrote this to be more general that all kids could relate and illustrated the images to keep her privacy!
This book was originally created using real photos of Addi and family members to help her learn names of people that she may not see so often, especially during COVID! I created this as a board book just for Addi. When I decided to start publishing books, I rewrote this to be more general that all kids could relate and illustrated the images to keep her privacy!
Addi, her mom, Chrissy and I had a wonderful visit to a local petting zoo when she was about a year and half. She loved seeing all of the animals and listening to all of their noises. The story of her getting lost is completely fictional! She did enjoy petting the animals and running on the paths. I hope we can visit the zoo again next summer!
On Thanksgiving weekend of 2021, Addi arrived at my house with a new shirt! We were all so excited to learn that she was going to be a big sister! I started talking to Addi about all of things that she will need to teach the new baby and of ways that she can help her mommy & daddy. "Addi's New Baby" was created! I loved the naration from Addi's color book so I tried it again with the baby book with the help of my good friend MiaClaire!
On Thanksgiving weekend of 2021, Addi arrived at my house with a new shirt! We were all so excited to learn that she was going to be a big sister! I started talking to Addi about all of things that she will need to teach the new baby and of ways that she can help her mommy & daddy. "Addi's New Baby" was created! I loved the naration from Addi's color book so I tried it again with the baby book with the help of my good friend MiaClaire!
Addi's daddy's family lives in Southern Illinois, about 6 hours away from Addi. It is sometimes hard to make the long trip down to visit as often as they would like. Fourth of July is always a great weekend! This story is all about the fun times that Addi and her family had on that special weekend.
Addi's daddy's family lives in Southern Illinois, about 6 hours away from Addi. It is sometimes hard to make the long trip down to visit as often as they would like. Fourth of July is always a great weekend! This story is all about the fun times that Addi and her family had on that special weekend.
Shortly after Christmas of 2022, my friend, Ryan Gilleland, called and asked me to write a book about the Sycamore Chamber "Walk with Santa" parade that is held each year. His company, DeKalb/Sycamore Motors, sponsors the event each year and he thought it would be great to have an Addi book about her attending the event. He plans to give out copies of my book to those who attend next year. Such fun. Thanks for the support, Ryan!
So many of children's toys today reflect the world around them. They love to pretend that they are all grown up and do what grown-ups do. Addi has a kitchen set, an art set, a guitar, a doctors kit, a dentist kit, a few cars, and numerous other playsets. It is so fun to watch her pretend and learn the vocabulary that goes with each career. Who knows what she will choose to do?
Dream big!
Addi Learns About Shapes
Addi loves to put her shape puzzle together and at the age of 3 can say and identify many of the more common shapes like square, circle, rectangle, etc. But to our surprise, she can also say and identify PENTAGON! She is one smart cookie!
Addi and her new sister Raelyn
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