Author Leslie Helakoski, Guys Can Read to Kids Too

Leslie Helakoski (3:17) How do grownups help kids be creative? Today on Worlds Awaiting Rachel visits with children’s book author and illustrator, Leslie Helakoski, who remembers the encouragement she received from her grandmother and parents that allowed her to pursue her interest in art. Leslie’s style of illustration and storytelling often uses animals. We’ll learn how she uses animals to portray human emotions, providing a safe distance that helps the child explore real and important feelings. Helakoski is the author and sometimes illustrator of ten picture books including Woolbur, Big Chickens, and Big Pigs. Her books and illustrations have garnered a number of awards. Two new books are in the works and will be released in 2017. Guys Can Read to Kids, Too (14:50) Next, Rachel talks to library administrator and author, Tim Wadham, about how guys (fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and others) can read to kids, too! He shares his experience of reading aloud to his younger sisters, including Rachel, in their growing up years, and, also his own daughter. Tim Wadham’s latest book is “Wordplay for Kids: A Sourcebook of Poems, Rhymes, and Read-Alouds,” published by the American Library Association Editions. Casey at the Bat (24:51) Our show finishes today with an old classic by Ernest Thayer called “Casey at the Bat,” read by Shawn O’Neill, Producer at BYU Radio.