Note: AI did *not* write this blog post. 🙂
As an avid reader myself, I have done my best to instill a love of reading in my son. I’ve read to him every night ever since his birth, and we continue that tradition to this day!
Which is why when 3 of my local South Florida author friends reached out to help me spread the word about their respective books, I eagerly picked up copies of each one – and am here to recommend them all for your child’s reading pleasure.
Book #1: Anatomy Under the Sea: The Adventures of Luna the Loggerhead is written by 9-year-old Emiliana Fuger, who my son has actually met a long time ago at FPL’s Manatee Lagoon. It’s astounding that she’s an author at such a young age, but since her mother Stefany exposed her to marine life, I guess that’s what happened when Emiliana fell in love with sea turtles.
Since my full-time PR job promotes The Palm Beaches as the Sea Turtle Capital of Florida (I work for Discover The Palm Beaches), I especially enjoy how the book infuses one of our destination’s northernmost cities – Juno Beach – in the storytelling. The sea turtle, Luna, travels to lay her eggs there. Every page teaches you about different parts of a sea turtle. Very informative!
Book #2: The Book of I Am… by Karl Wayne Gruber and John Francis Carroll is a rhyming adventure in which the two co-authors infused themselves as characters within the poetic riddles (Karl Bugg and Johnny Grasshopper). Both gentlemen are from West Palm Beach, and Karl tells me it took them years to create this book – a true labor of love!
My son especially enjoyed trying to figure out which riddle pertained to which answer, and the challenge was fun. We got to talk about each answer as we read each page.
Book #3: The Gecko in the Cinnamon Broom: Tucker’s First Adventure is by Julie Ball, one of the most loyal and dedicated volunteers with Friends of Manatee Lagoon. I met her when I used to work at the facility, and quickly came to appreciate her cheerful spirit and creativity.
The book is described as the main character, Tucker the gecko, having “a journey of joy” as he discovers unlikely friendships along the way. It’s fun that Tucker meets manatees and Florida creatures, too! My son is outgoing, but for more shy children, the strategies that Tucker uses to make new friends are great learning lessons – as part of an overall positive story line.
I hope these books find their ways into your child’s bookshelf!
Love,
Angela