A Squiggly Story, by Andrew Larsen and Mike Lowery

Kids are fascinated by stories- both hearing them and telling them. There is nothing better than watching their eyes fill with wonder as they sit, mesmerized, by a tale. And then, of course, there is nothing more entertaining then watching them tell you a story, be it about their day, or even just a retelling of one of their favorite books. But at some point, this love of story will likely translate into wanting to write one of their own. And some kids get frustrated by their inability to get words on paper as it’s a skill they haven’t yet mastered.

For this reason – because kids so often get frustrated when they are in the pre-writing stages- we fell in love with Andrew Larsen and Mike Lowery’s A Squiggly Story, out last week by Kids Can Press. In the story, a little boy watches as his sister writes a story and then wishes he could write one as well.  But he has one big fear- he doesn’t know many words, only letters. His sister gives him brilliant advice: write what you know. She imparts that every story begins with a word and every word begins with a letter- so start there, with one letter. And so the boy does, and the rest is history. This is a book filled with soccer and beaches and sharks and martians, and it at once both entertains and conveys a meaningful message.

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A Squiggly Story tells children that they don’t need to be a master of language to write a story. They don’t need to know how to spell. You just need some imagination, a pencil, and paper, and from there you can take off. Letters become shapes and symbols and artwork, all of which can tell a tale just as imaginative and fanciful as the greatest of words. And in this process of pre-writing, kids learn how to begin to express themselves on paper. For those of you with pre-literate little ones at home, this is a wonderful story to get these kids well on their way: not just to reading stories, but writing them too.

Want the book? Get it here! A Squiggly Story, by Andrew Larsen and Mike Lowery.  *This is an affiliate link.