Sue Fliess

Mary Had A Little Lab came to me in a dream—really. So when I visit schools and talk about this book, I tell them that they can dream up any story they want—or any machine they’d like—the only limit is their imagination. The title of my new bookcame to me in a dream—really. So when I visit schools and talk about this book, I tell them that they can dream up any story they want—or any machine they’d like—the only limit is their imagination.

Whatever assignment you give, you may want to ask the students to do presentations when they are finished. This gives them a public speaking opportunity where they’ll have to clearly explain something in multiple steps: how the leprechaun may be lured, how he might enter the trap, what will keep him there. Every trap is sure to be very different! Emphasize that there’s no wrong way to make a leprechaun trap, so every effort is commended.

I have a confession—or five—to make. I do not have an MFA in writing. I am not going to get an MFA in writing. I did not major in English. I thought about it and majored in art instead. Then changed it to a minor and majored in marketing. I don’t have a degree in education and was never a teacher. I have not read all the classics. And some of the ones I did read might possibly have been the Cliff’s Notes version. (remember those…pre-Internet?)

The idea of writing a book – a whole entire book! – can be (and usually is) overwhelming – no matter what your age. But if you do it as a team, it can take the scariness out of it – and actually be really fun. Whether you have a writer or a reader, this is a fun exercise to spark your child’s creativity. All you need is a pencil, some crayons, paper, a straw, a hole-puncher, some string and imagination.

Okay, so maybe I get overly giddy about writing parodies, but for me they are just so much fun! I’m not sure what inspired me to write my first parody song, but once I did, I was hooked. Essentially, I like to take popular songs and change up the lyrics to make it about writing or poke fun at part of the writing journey. I think it’s cathartic to me to be able to express some of the less appealing parts of being in book publishing or being a writer. Humor gets me through the rough patches, and I

To believe in magic fills the heart and mind with wonder. As a child, I always imagined I wasn’t alone and believed that some kind of magical creatures must exist. Were there aliens? Beings that we couldn’t see, but lived among us? So tiny we didn’t know they were there, or so big that our Earth could fit on their fingernail? I thought anything was possible.

Not that you needed a good reason to talk about the importance of libraries, but just in case you were looking for one…is the rhyming story of a young Hippo girl and her Dad going on an outing to their local library to find great books.

Reading to your child every day is easy when you have a stash of wonderful books on hand. To help you build a library of winners, we asked children's writer Sue Fliess, author of the new picture book, Shoes for Me!, to list her all-time favorites. Enjoy!