Interview With Author & Early Years Educator Dr Helen Bradford

1. What inspired you to write this book?
I was looking for a fun, meaningful folktale from Hawaii in which to incorporate the mathematical concept of ‘one less than from 5 to 0’ for three-to-four-year-old children.
 
2. What exactly is it about and who is it written for?
A newborn gecko has five reasons why he is afraid to sleep at night. His kind mother gently helps him to overcome his fears one by one until there are no reasons to be afraid. He finally falls asleep in his gecko nest.
 
3. What do you hope readers will get out of reading your book?
The book is designed for parents and educators to read with children aged 3-4 years old. It is hoped that children will be drawn to the story first, then practice counting down the reasons why the gecko should not be afraid to sleep one by one. Sometimes young children are afraid of the dark, and getting to sleep can feel quite hard! Hopefully it will encourage them to talk about their own experiences of falling asleep.
 
4. How did you decide on your book’s title and cover design?
We have an amazing illustrator called Adeeba. She designed the cover. As for the title, this is taken from the original folktale.
 
5. What advice or words of wisdom do you have for fellow writers – other than run!?
Make sure your story makes complete sense - remember who your audience are and fill in all the gaps for them. What information do they need to understand and follow your tale?
 
6. What trends in the book world do you see -- and where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
Books, especially children’s books, need to stand out. Technology is somewhat taking over. The illustrations need to be strong and authors need to find ways to engage their audience, for example through encouraging their interaction with the story. Our books ask questions along the way and ask for children’s ideas, for example. This enables them to think and predict outcomes for themselves.
 
7. Were there experiences in your personal life or career that came in handy when writing this book?
Definitely. I started my teaching career 30 years ago with 3-4 year olds. I have always been involved in the 0-5 age range since then. Now I have a one-year-old grandson who keeps me sharp with, for example, age-appropriate language!
 
8. How would you describe your writing style? Which writers or books is your writing similar to?
Creative. [At Camathories we need to weave a mathematical concept in a realistic way within folktales from around the world. This can be easier said than done, and we need to keep the authenticity of the story intact. We must also pay attention to the culture of the country. There is a lot of research involved even before we put pen to paper, metaphorically speaking!] I would say Eric Carle is a huge influence for me. He always got his message across succinctly and effectively. His language speaks to children in a way that draws them in and keeps them hooked until the end of the story.
 
9. What challenges did you overcome in the writing of this book?
At Camathories we need to weave a mathematical concept in a realistic way within folktales from around the world. This can be easier said than done, and we need to keep the authenticity of the story intact. We must also pay attention to the culture of the country. There is a lot of research involved even before we put pen to paper, metaphorically speaking!
 
10. If people can buy or read one book this week or month, why should it be yours?
It is a delightful bedtime story for young children. They will definitely identify with the baby gecko, the main character. Try it and see!
 

About The Author: Dr. Helen Bradford is a passionate lifelong early years educator. Her area of expertise is early years language and literacy development (0-8-year-olds). She has lectured at the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, and the Institute of Education at University College London.  Dr. Helen is a member of CAMathories’ Education Team, designing the curriculum for CAMathories™, and is a writer of the Folktale Mathematics™ Series of Books. She is currently the Chief Education Officer of CAMathories Company

 

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Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.