Children’s Book Scavenger Hunt: Stop #8

Children’s Book Scavenger Hunt: Stop #8
Thursday, September 12, 2019 by pam

Willoughby is excited to welcome you to the Christian Children’s Book Scavenger Hunt STOP #8! Woo Hoo! If you are just joining us, please begin at https://lisatawnbergren.com/2019/09/childrens-book-scavenger-hunt-stop-1/ to collect the clues in order, so you’re able to get in the running to win one of three sets of books!

The hunt runs from 9/13 at noon Mountain time until 9/15 at midnight Mountain. This contest is open to international entrants.

Willoughby’s new book is Willoughby Goes A Wee Bit Batty. In this story, Willoughby meets a friend with a special need.

Back Cover Copy:

Willoughby loves looking at his fabulous treasure trove every night before going to bed. One evening, he hears a CRASH outside. A mysterious creature has flown into his back-scratching tree and needs help. What will Willoughby do? Help a new friend or protect his Treasure?

Willoughby is a young, somewhat clumsy, gentle dragon who is learning to live and interact with friends from the Meadow near his home in the Land of Dern. In this picture book series for ages 4-8, Willoughby learns about friendship, getting along with creatures different from himself, and discovers he can do things he never thought he could.

Willoughby Goes A Wee Bit Batty is different from the first two stories. In Batty, Willoughby meets a bat, Woodside, who has damaged radar, making him “blind” in a sense.

Why did I choose to include a special needs character? Special needs are a normal part of my life. My oldest daughter, Anna, is on the autism spectrum, has extreme mental retardation (she’s 28 years old, but functions at a low 18 months), a blood disorder, and a rare seizure disorder called Lennox Gastaut Sydrome, which is incurable and almost impossible to control. Anna’s seizures are not controlled. She has 2-5 every day, sometimes more, especially when the barometric pressure changes.

Anna attends an adult day care, and I’m involved with parties and crafts and other activities, so I’ve gotten to know the kids and several of the moms. People with special needs are everywhere, so why don’t we see more in stories? I’m not sure. But for me, it’s as natural as breathing to include characters with special needs in my writing. Woodside will not be the only character with a special need. We’ll meet Bart, the troll under the bridge who has Tourette Syndrome, and a few more I’m working on. And Willoughby makes friends with them all.

Willoughby is all about friendship. Showing kindness to creatures different from himself. Kids like to imitate characters they enjoy, so my goal with Willoughby is to give them a fun character they can be like, enjoying his adventures, and making the world around them a friendlier place!

My illustrator is my best friend, Kim Sponaugle. We work together on all Willoughby’s stories. For Batty, Kim realized the illustrations were a bit dark since bats are nocturnal. She wondered how she could lighten them up, aside from the moon, stars, and fireflies. She came up with bio-luminescent mushrooms, so we did some research, and besides Kim adding them to many of the illustrations, I also wrote up some information about bioluminescent things and added it to the back of the book. This was our unplanned first step into STEM. We’re hoping school/library visits will come out of it, and we’re looking forward to doing more fun things that include other STEM information in a story kids will enjoy reading over and over.

THE NEXT CLUE FOR THE SCAVENGER HUNT TO WRITE DOWN IS: it. You

LINK TO THE NEXT STOP IN THE HUNT: http://www.sarahparkerrubio.com/ccbsh-stop9/

*Extra prize! Leave a comment and let us know if you loved or hated science to be entered into a drawing for a Grow Your Own Glowing Mushrooms kit! (This drawing is not part of the final prizes for the Scavenger Hunt – it’s Willoughby’s personal prize and will be closed on 9/15 at midnight EST)

**As an added bonus, come back here tomorrow and Sunday for additional posts and prizes (not part of the Scavenger Hunt)!

Comments

Susanne From Indiana At 9/15/2019 7:46:00 PM

I liked to study/learn Science.

Reply by: Pam Halter

I think more people like science than don't. At least here! haha!

Gail Hollingsworth From Alabama At 9/15/2019 7:17:27 PM

I loved science! It was my highest ACT score. My son in law teaches 6th grade science and I’m hoping my grandkids love it as well. We have an adult special needs program and residential space here in Tuscaloosa called Eagles Wings. My husband has volunteered there.

Reply by: Pam Halter

That's great! Please say thank you to your husband. Our special needs programs really need men for the adult programs. Lots of the boys are pretty big.

Kala From MI At 9/15/2019 4:52:32 PM

I enjoyed Science. I didn't always understand it, or remember things correctly, but found it pretty fascinating.

Reply by: Pam Halter

I totally get that!

Sherri Myers From PA At 9/15/2019 2:20:29 AM

I didn't like the book science but loved nature and animals.

Reply by: Pam Halter

I totally get that.

kari jane smith From TX At 9/14/2019 11:38:31 PM

Well...my husband coached me all the way through Physics at Texas Tech. I made the 2nd highest grade in the class that summer! Yeah!!!!

Reply by: Pam Halter

Yay!!!! Physics is hard!

kari jane smith From TX At 9/14/2019 11:26:07 PM

The best words to describe how I felt is: kind of intimidated by science and math. As time has passed, I love to learn and pass on that love to children. I will look into purchasing these books for my grandkids to read...and learn! Thank you!!!

Reply by: Pam Halter

Thanks!

Rachel From NC At 9/14/2019 10:49:06 PM

So fun! Science was not my favorite class but I had a diy science kit at home I loved to use!

Reply by: Pam Halter

oh yeah - at home kits were great!

erickajen From MN At 9/14/2019 10:33:03 PM

i loved science! i loved all of school, really. i get most excited about geology and genetics right now ... cant wait until my kids get to learn about those things - and ill get to learn it from a Biblical perspective toO!

Reply by: Pam Halter

yes - a Biblical perspective makes all the difference!

Charlotte From Alaska At 9/14/2019 10:30:12 PM

I loved biology. I also loved English and Literature.

Reply by: Pam Halter

me, too!

Pam Flynn From Fort Worth, Tx At 9/14/2019 9:37:08 PM

I loved Science and still do. My granddaughter love Science too and we are always doing experiments when she visits. Soda and vinegar was fun!

Reply by: Pam Halter

Soda and vinegar! My youngest daughter did a volcano in chocolate cake when we were homeschooling. We added red food coloring to the vinegar, invited grandparents over, make it erupt and then we ate the parts that didn't have the lava on it. haha!

Michelle From Kentucky At 9/14/2019 9:36:20 PM

I like science.

Reply by: Pam Halter

me too

Dawn Crawford From Ohio At 9/14/2019 8:35:36 PM

I was back and forth on whether I like science or not.

Reply by: Pam Halter

yeah, it really depends on what the subject is.

Martha Troxel From Cedar Rapids,Iowa At 9/14/2019 5:50:30 PM

I enjoyed learning about the human body. It is an incredible work of creation by our Lord!

Reply by: Pam Halter

we sure are wonderfully made!

Andrea D From Colorado At 9/14/2019 5:01:39 PM

I love science, and for the most part always have! Trying to instill the same love in my children, but this sounds like a great addition to that attempt ;)

Reply by: Pam Halter

I thought it was pretty cool, too!

Natalie From Iowa At 9/14/2019 4:11:52 PM

I never really like science as a kid but I enjoy teaching my son science related things now!

Reply by: Pam Halter

sometimes I wonder why we change our minds about the things we didn't like when we were in school.

amy linderman From OH At 9/14/2019 4:06:32 PM

i wish i could say i loved science but i did not. it was my least favorite but funny thing is my kids love it

Reply by: Pam Halter

I think it's a good thing when our children enjoy something we didn't. It shows they're becoming their own person.

Janice D Green From South Carolina At 9/14/2019 12:33:37 PM

I have always loved science and finding opportunities for sharing about it with children - especially in nature.

Reply by: Pam Halter

yes - I love pointing out cool things in nature to my grands!

Mary McCoy From Wisconsin At 9/14/2019 11:48:35 AM

I have always enjoyed science, especially chemistry and microbiology!

Reply by: Pam Halter

One of my favorite gifts when I was about 12 was a chemistry set!

Stephanie H. From OH At 9/14/2019 10:49:44 AM

I think science was always my favorite class and my daughter's too.

Reply by: Pam Halter

My youngest daughter enjoyed doing science experiments when we were homeschooling. I did, too!

Lisa Harness From AR At 9/14/2019 9:30:35 AM

I enjoyed science.

Reply by: Pam Halter

Science really could be fun, huh?

Arletta From ND At 9/13/2019 9:04:43 PM

I was not a fan of science in school. My brain just couldn't grasp those concepts and doing experiments was not my idea of fun.

Reply by: Pam Halter

hi Arletta! It's so funny. I hated math, but I loved science. I always assumed both those things used the same part of our brain.

Jane Mouttet From NM At 9/13/2019 8:38:12 PM

Not a big science fan when I was a kid but my husband became a science teacher and my kids love science so I now am a fan.

Reply by: Pam Halter

Love always makes a difference, huh?

Sarah From Oregon At 9/13/2019 8:34:37 PM

I loved science! Until I hit highschool lol

Reply by: Pam Halter

hahaha! I loved biology until I learned Biology 2 required dissecting a cat. I couldn't do that, so I took chemistry. Enjoyed that class, but hated the teacher.

Lucy Reynolds From WV At 9/13/2019 8:34:05 PM

I loved science especially biology.

Reply by: Pam Halter

I enjoyed biology, as well. Especially botany.

Deborah D From PA At 9/13/2019 8:05:40 PM

I didn't like science as a kid.

Reply by: Pam Halter

Sometimes I think the teacher makes the difference if a kid enjoys a subject or not. And when I say that, I'm NOT including math. hahaha!

Sarah From California At 9/13/2019 6:33:12 PM

I don't remember loving or hating science as a kid, but I have a 9 year old son who LOVES science, so I am learning a lot along with him!

Reply by: Pam Halter

Yes - my grandson (age 10) enjoys science experiments!

Heather Maki From MN At 9/13/2019 5:22:23 PM

I loved science as a kid and enjoy teaching it to my children now as an adult! I love doing experiments and learning unique facts.

Reply by: Pam Halter

I enjoyed teaching my youngest daughter science when we were homeschooling, too.

Elizabeth Los From CA At 9/13/2019 4:25:55 PM

I LOVED science as a kid, especially when it came to running my own experiments, like one I did based on an oil spill. I'm hoping to spark that same kind of love in my kids.

Reply by: Pam Halter

yes - science experiments are great!

Beth Reavis From Oklahoma At 9/13/2019 3:20:27 PM

As a child, I was sort of in the middle with science. It could go either way, depending upon what aspect of science we were studying. I enjoyed the study of animals, but if it was something like levers and pulleys, not so much.

Reply by: Pam Halter

I get that. Thanks for stopping by!

Rachel Kokes From CO At 9/13/2019 3:13:50 PM

I did not love science as a kid, but boy, do my kids love it!

Reply by: Pam Halter

It's cool to see our kids become their own persons with their own like and dislikes, huh?

Julie Lavender From Georgia At 9/13/2019 2:46:50 PM

I wasn't fond of science, but received good grades. But once I married my biologist-husband, I truly fell in love with nature. And, honestly, I always loved God's beautiful creations, but was too afraid of encountering snakes and spiders in the wild until my husband came along to protect me!! haha