Continuing our series on children’s book authors series, we’d like to introduce you to Sheila Welch. She’s written and illustrated 15 books for children of all ages. Here she tells us about some of her books for Kindergarten to Grade 3.
By Sheila Kelly Welch
Have you ever met and talked with an author and illustrator of children’s books? Well, here I am!
Creating Stories that are Relevant to Kids
As a mom, grandmother, and teacher, I've interacted with thousands of kids, and I draw on that experience to write and illustrate for children of all ages. When I was a brand new teacher, my teenaged students read on a second grade level. They were not interested in the "baby" books available, so I created a serialized story with teen characters just for them.
Books are Part of School Reading Programs
Since then, I've written and/or illustrated many magazine stories and fifteen books. Your child may have already read Horses of the Air, Leaping Lena, or Lazy Bones Jones, which are part of school reading programs. So I'll introduce three of my other books for children in Kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Is that Your Sister?
Is That Your Sister? by Sherry Bunin and her daughter Catherine is a true story told from a six-year-old’s perspective about the adoption of a younger sister. My own family was formed through adoption, so illustrating this sweet but honest story was a lot of fun. I used soft pencil to create lots of detail and expression. Appropriate for second and third graders, the story focuses on acceptance and family love.
Little Prince Know-It-All
Little Prince Know-It-All illustrated by Lynne Cravath is a colorful early reader published by Golden Books. My most popular book, it’s a humorous look at sibling rivalry. When Prince Caleb and his little brother, Know-It-All Omar, each get a pet, Caleb is sure his parrot will be the cleverest creature in the kingdom. She will talk! Or maybe not. Kids enjoy this story especially if they happen to have a know-it-all sibling.
Something in the Air
Something in the Air written by Molly Jones, published by Our Child Press, is an engaging tale about Ben, a young dog who’s raised by a mother cat along with her two kittens. Ben’s "sisters" tease him for having big feet and not washing his ears. But in the end, they discover the importance of working together as a family. I loved illustrating this book, having drawn animals ever since I could hold a pencil. Readers in second and third grade will enjoy discovering a small mouse in many of the full color illustrations.
It’s been fun meeting you! In my next guest post, I'll write about some of my books for fourth through 5th graders. Please feel free to ask questions or make comments.
If you are a children’s book author and would like to tell our readers about your book, please contact asa (at) k5learning (dot) com.
