Last night, I was at a 4th of July party, relaxing by the pool and enjoying small talk with another mom. This new acquaintance was intrigued by my just released book, Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore, available in the App Store for iPad. The nice lady, a mother of eight-year-old triplets (God bless her!) had never seen animated children’s books on the iPad. One of her children, an avid reader, wandered by and she introduced me as a writer/author of a book, and asked me to show it to him. I, of course, was happy to oblige.
The boy listened and read along with the story, but he didn’t smile or laugh or emote in any way. Page after page, I became worried that the boy stood there only to be polite. Occasionally, he’d glance up at me to see why I was staring at him (awkward!) and then he’d turn back to the narrated story and read along. Really, I was dying inside for his reaction, absolutely any reaction from him would ease my growing level of concern.
When the book finally ended, he looked up at me and simply said, “Can I see more books you wrote?” And then he turned to his mom and asked if she could buy him my book.
Young readers who are engaged, don’t necessarily wear their emotions on their sleeves. As a parent myself, this is good to know in the types of selections I help my own young reader make. But also, this boy reminded me why I strove to become a published author in the first place. I didn’t write for the reaction to my stories, rather, I wrote so that my words would be enjoyed while learning lessons along the way. This young reader enjoyed my book in his own way, for that–I am now sure. Mission accomplished!
Have a child aged four to eight? Check out Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore in the App Store on iTunes. Click here.</a
Tonia Allen Gould 