STOP PRESS! A new phonics story book on the way.
I am currently in the process of writing and illustrating a new phonics story book. It is entitled 'Zara the Zebra with Horizontal Stripes'.
WATCH THIS SPACE!
My Series of Phonics-Focussed Stroy Books
I thought I'd list all of my phonics story books titles. Here they are in the order that they should be read:
1. Sammy and Susie Visit the Seaside
2. Anthony Comes to the Rescue
3. Titan the Time-Travelling Tiger
4. Idris the Invisible Imp
5. Penelope the Purple Pig Finds a Pal
6. Neville the Nibalong is Scared of the Night
7. Jack's Temper Tantrums
8. Edmund the Excitable Elephant
9. Harriet the Happy Hippo
10. Rory Runs Away
11. Maximus the Marmalade Monster
12. Dilys, the Dinosaur that Dribbles
13. Great-Grandma's Garden Gets a Makeover
14. Oscar Goes Online
15. Ulrika and Unwin the Untity Twins
16. Lucy Gets Left Out
17. Florence the Fire Engine Saves the Day
18. Brian's Birthday Bash
19. Elaine Never Listens
20. Jeremy the Jolly Juggler
21. Joan Moans and Moans and Moans
22. Who Ate the Pie
23. Aimee, the Cheeky Parakeet
24. Morgan, the Very Short Pirate Braves the Storm
Mid West Book Review
This American organisation publishes reviews of books they think worthy. Here is their review on one of my previous children's phonics story books, "Neville the Nibalong is Scared of the night".
Neville the Nibalong is Scared of the Night: the /n/ sound Gloria Eveleigh, author/illustrator http://www.gloriaeveleighphonicsstorybooksforsmallchildren.com Xlibris www.xlibris.com 9781514447246 $21.62 pbk / $4.99 Kindle amazon.com
Sixth in a creative phonics series for young children, "Neville the Nibalong is Scared of the Night" is a fantasy phonics story to teach children the sound of the letter /n/. Curiously illustrated with small orange mini-dragon-like creatures called Nibalongs, the story unfolds in prose poetry, with the letter "n" emboldened throughout to encourage familiarity. Neville plays with his friend Nathan in the dark, but he is "niggled" because he is scared of the dark. So one day Neville and Nathan decide to wake up in the daylight and see each other for the first time! They are horrified at the sight of each other's noses. Against a backdrop of real daylight photo-forest scenes, Neville and Nathan meet a newt named Norman, who leaves because he doesn't like their nasty, nobbly noses. Next they meet a nightingale named Nancy who also flies off because she doesn't like their noses. Next they meet a dog named Nigel who barks and chases them. finally the two Nibalongs decide that they have been naive about preferring the day to the night. They are yawning and tired and relieved when darkness comes. determined to stay awake all night, they nevertheless are asleep when the sun rises, having learned two things: "Firstly, they never again want to wake up in the light. Secondly, they will never again be scared of the night!" "Neville the Nibalong is Scared of the Night" is a delightful, enticing story that effortlessly teaches young readers all about the sound of "n," while also inviting a fun, playful learning phonics experience.
Ric Bratton, This Week in America presenter, interviews me on 8th August 2018
I republished my book, Sammy and Susie Visit the Seaside, with Book Venture. The retail price of the book is now much more affordable. The marketing plan included the radio interview with Ric Bratton. Click the link below to see and hear it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN3k92BfzCY
Link to my Youtube Video
My Previous Books
This is the first book I wrote
I have written, illustrated and self-published 24 phonics-focussed story books for small children. Each book focuses on a different phonics sound that is emboldened throughout its pages. This enables children to recognise the shape of the letter/s and the sound it/they make.
Children learn 42 phonics sounds to enable them to read fluently. This seems like a mammoth task for any child learning to read for the first time. I hope my books will make the task a little easier and a lot more fun.
Parents can read my books to children as young as 2 years old. This age group loves the brightly coloured illustrations, and many are happy to repeat the particular phonics sound after and with the reader as s/he reads the engaging stories to them.
As children get a little older, they learn to recognise the shape of the emboldened letter/s and start to associate the appropriate sounds with those letters. After learning the first 6 phonics sounds many children will be able to read basic sentences.
As children learn more phonics sounds, their reading skills develop and eventually they are able to read the books themselves.
Teachers can use my books in the classroom, and children can use them as take-home readers, to consolidate what they have been taught.
That's the theory over. You can take a closer look at some of my books on my website at: http://www.gloriaeveleighphonicsstorybooksforsmallchildren.com
Leave a message on the form below if you would like to buy my soft-back books at a significantly reduced cost of £5 each.
US Book Review for Sammy and Susie Visit the Seaside
Today my review is not about my novel "One Small Step - surviving childhood abuse" but about the very first phonics story book that I wrote, and recently had republished by a new publisher who is able to decrease the retail price. The same publisher conducted a marketing campaign on my behalf, which included the radio interview that you'll find on my 'Previous Books' page:
book review by Jordana Landsman
"But more than anything, Sammy and Sue want to learn to swim in the sea."
Kids love repetition. They relish the same stories and refrains over and over (and over) again. If the material rhymes or alliterates, they don’t just love it, they sing it. Repetition helps kids learn, reinforce, control, anticipate. Parents might think one more rendition of a favorite stanza will send them over the edge of sanity, but kids just say, “Read it again!”
This diminutive book effectively taps into kid rhythm with its lilting, letter-“S”-centric story about a brother and sister who visit relatives at the beach and dream of learning to swim. Ending each page is the soon-familiar refrain, “Sammy and Susie want to learn to swim in the sea.” Any conversational child worth her weight in giggles will join in the recitation before the book ends and may even continue chanting the refrain long after reading time ends. Children may not even notice how the book stuffs its sea-faring self with a solid stockpile of “S” words.
There is a lot for parents and kids to enjoy here. The supersized “S” supply solidly supports pre-literacy awareness of letters, which is valuable to young children who are learning the alphabet and beginning to recognize the configuration of words on the page. The story also, on a simple, kid-appropriate level, creates a conflict that must be resolved. These kids want to swim! The seashore is great, there’s a lot to do, but they have a goal. They need a grownup’s help. They are motivated, adventurous, and excited to learn this new skill and engage more deeply with the joys of the beach.
Small, memorable, sneakily educational books like this are often winners with little kids, so often adults cram books full of words and complex ideas, wanting to tell everything to captive little ears. But captive little ears don’t need intense narratives; they need a simple concept with short, happy, memorable bursts of language that they can access, understand, and enjoy. The smallest, most basic books can galvanize a young imagination. Give a kid the spark, and his mind will run with it.
Illustrations are an important part of this equation. Sammy and Susie’s happy-faced, cartoonish images are simple but engaging, casting family beach days as whimsical and bright. Kids like looking at other children’s faces, and as Sammy and Susie smile out from among their beach toys, young readers perceive the characters’ enthusiasm. For children who may not yet have visited a beach or have been frightened by early visits, the visible pleasure Sammy and Susie take in their seaside escapades may have a positive effect on their feelings about the beach.
Other positives may rub off on young readers as well. Learning to swim is a rite of passage in childhood, and it often launches with fear and skepticism from the child. But as young readers see Sammy and Susie’s happy faces and absorb the urgency with which this duo wants swim lessons, even the most water-resistant little landlubber might open her mind to the possibility that learning to swim could be a desirable and fun activity to undertake. Sammy and Susie want to learn to swim in the sea; maybe I can learn too!
Anthony comes to the Rescuse is the second phonics focussed picture story book in my series. It focusses on the short /a/ sound. Anthony is an ambulance man in Andover. He attends Alice when she chokes on some apple and has an asthma attack. When he arrives, Alice has almost recovered but is still distressed, so Anthony takes her on an adventure in his ambulance to cheer her up.