How do you get kids to put down the screens and pick up a book WITHOUT turning reading into another parental battle?
In celebration of World Literacy Month, Team TGE was joined by Eva Amores and Matt Cosgrove, the power husband/wife team and author/illustrator duo behind the hugely popular Worst Week Ever series.
These books are packed with chaos, embarrassment, friendship, family drama and the gloriously messy realities of childhood. And, perhaps crucially so, they're also REALLY FUNNY.
So what makes a book genuinely engaging for children, particularly those children who think they’re “not readers”?
Sam and Charlene chat to Eva and Matt about the origins of Worst Week Ever, the creative relationship between an author and illustrator, working with your spouse, why humour can be such a powerful gateway into reading, and what young readers have taught the pair about storytelling.
We also tackle a question familiar to many parents: How do you encourage children to read for pleasure in a world competing for their attention with YouTube, gaming and screens — without making books feel like homework?📚 In this episode:
• The story behind Worst Week Ever
• Why humour gets kids reading
• Writing and illustrating for children
• The author-illustrator creative process
• Reluctant readers and reading for pleasure
• How parents can encourage a love of books
• Screens vs books (and why it doesn't have to be an either/or scenario)
• What young readers can teach grown-ups about storytellingIf you’re parenting a reluctant reader, an enthusiastic bookworm, or a child who would rather be gaming than reading, this conversation is for you.
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#TheGreatEqualizer #WorstWeekEver #EvaAmores #MattCosgrove #ChildrensBooks
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