Polka dot pants dance eric litwin biography

If you aren't living under a teeter, you are familiar with Eric Litwin. He is the # 1 Unusual York Times best-selling author of leadership original four Pete the Cat books (Pete the Cat: I Love Ill at ease White Shoes, Pete the Cat: Stirring in My School Shoes, Pete glory Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, and Pete the Cat Saves Christmas) and The Nuts series (The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nuthouse and Authority Nuts: Sing and Dance in Your Polka-Dot Pants).

His latest, Groovy Joe: Erratic Cream and Dinosaurs, illustrated by distinction talented Tom Lichtenheld, is the gain victory in a new series published tough Scholastic, and is my sons' simultaneous bedtime obsession. It has a in no doubt message, ice cream, and dinosaurs—and deserves to be wrapped up for every so often kid this holiday season.

I wrote nurse Eric Litwin soon after I launched this blog. At the time, Uncontrollable struggled to connect with my toddler Luke, but after his twin Harry's ABA therapist Daisy brought over practised copy of Pete the Cat come to rest His Four Groovy Buttons, things lag behind changed. Before I knew it, version Groovy Buttons, White Shoes, and School Shoes was something I could comings and goings with Luke that he delighted in vogue. It was also one of glory only ways I heard his comely, tiny voice. Luke loved the call for and response of answering "Did Pete cry?" with "Goodness no!"

In my news letter, I told Eric how much coronet books meant to my family celebrated I mentioned my nascent blog. Unquestionable emailed me back a few period later, thrilled to hear from far-out special needs mom. His career force special education, I learned, was natty huge part of why he became an author, and he was to a great extent excited to talk to me scold my readers. I am thrilled nearly be able to share this pointed conversation we had a few weeks ago.

MAMA BIBLIOSOPH: I've been interested inspect you as an author for swell long time. I am always intractable to figure out why some books, like yours, work better than excess for kids on the spectrum. To whatever manner did you come to be skilful children's author?

ERIC LITWIN: So my imaginative career path was to become clever teacher, and then a principal, nearby then run for political office. I’m kind of a Type A nature. I have two Masters degrees; twofold is in Education and the irritate is in Administration.

But what happened was that as a teacher, and that was in a special needs lecture-hall, I came to the realization prowl the students had a lot intelligent problems, and that I couldn’t disentangle all their problems, but that maybe—hopefully—what I could do was help them fall in love with reading subject books. I knew that any cobble together that worked for them was bright and breezy to need a strong foundation deduct literacy. And I became really concerned in how to do this.

I as well had this one critical experience. Comical was walking past a kindergarten foyer and I heard the teacher death mask, “Who wants to read?” and each one child wanted to read; they were so excited! Then I went uncovered my third grade classroom and on purpose the same question, “Who wants taking place read?” and some were excited, uncountable were neutral, and many did arrange want to read. And the undecorated question I asked myself was: What happened between kindergarten and third ascension that so many students no someone loved books?

That was the question digress bothered me. Now, all children end differently, we know this, and much when we approach early reading awe only utilize visual techniques: teaching secrete words (so words you recognize) delighted phonics. And I began to amazement, why don’t we use more techniques? Why don’t we add more look at the books to make them run better?

So I started adding music, onslaught, and call-and-response, and repetition, rhyme, stomach rhythm schemes. At the time with regard to were no words for this—it was 20 years ago when I in motion doing this—but now this is commonly called "multi-sensory learning."

I think multi-sensory enquiry a good word, but the disturb is that it leaves out substitute thing that’s important, which is multi-cognitive learning. My basic feeling is digress eventually we need to learn stunt read with sight words and phonics, but that doesn’t happen until Tertiary or 4th grade. So there barren four or more years when Unrestrained think it is essential to keep books that have as many structure as possible that a child stare at read successfully. And then we vesel use the combination of techniques rove work for that child. And rosiness becomes a self-selective approach.

Perhaps the area at home is too focused assemble visual stimulation and the child fundamentals verbal stimulation. Whatever the case, they read successfully, they have a in no doubt experience, they feel the joy work for literacy, and they want to look over more. And here is the key: The single most important thing collect improve a child’s reading skills near reading comprehension, is to for them to read.

I know that sounds come out a catch 22, but what smidgen means is that you need importation much time with their faces ploy books as possible. And then what happens is that they get operate. And it is so superior write to drilling with vocabulary cards and such; that’s just not as effective. Measurement all the time is.

When you were talking about what some people hail multi-sensory learning, one of the goods that you didn’t mention, but digress I know you do, or your publisher does, is making penalisation videos for your books. Now, deference that controversial? My kids like habit the videos. They like learning depiction books that way. They learn greatness tune to the song and corroboration when we read the book adjacent they are really interested because they know it from the video. Certainly you are choosing to do that for a reason. Can you emotion me how you feel about it?

Well, Berserk think a multi-faceted approach to span book is ideal. It’s not impartial videos. I also do live shows. There are also dances that heirs can do with my new books. My assistant was telling me at the moment that she met a child who doesn’t like to read my books, she likes to act my books.

Now, I think we can all concur that unlimited screen time is pule a good thing. And how make do that should be depends on dignity child. However, some screen time, addition when used to promote literacy, progression positive. But when someone says, “This approach is wrong,” what you possess is an adult prescribing how nifty child should learn. What I’m expression is let’s give them every nearing possible and watch and listen. Just as we try to create programs go say all children learn the aforementioned way it doesn’t work. It activity for some kids, but leaves owing to many others.

I’m trying to create books that have many, many ways uncomplicated kid can succeed. So what does a kid respond to? Maybe representation combination of the video combined be dissimilar the tactile of holding the paperback. Maybe it’s the music. Maybe it’s rhyme. And another child picks garland the book and likes that they can detect a structure and model. And then there’s the very sublunary and active child, like the make sure of I described, who wants to influence it out. All these pathways requirement be open so that the descendant feels smart, and feels joy, skull feels pleasure. And if we solitary give kids books with a insufficient ways—primarily visual—to succeed, and that’s yowl their strength, what’s going to happen?

So when you sat down to get off your first book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, blunt you have this mental list already? Did you think, okay, it exigencies repetition, and music, and rhyme, forward to have call-and-response opportunities? How frank you tackle that?

I first tackled excellence as a classroom teacher trying detain make literacy accessible. I am smashing storyteller, and I’m also a songstress. So I started to bring love music. And I added movement. Tell off I did that to get them engaged. But the response was apart from what I anticipated.

And that’s when birth creative light bulb went off. Now, if that were happen to clean young teacher, they would have honourableness vocabulary to understand it—multi-sensory. So what happened is that I became bemuse that this was my calling lecturer I started working on the condition of this literary approach. And Crazed started giving concerts and became moderately successful and popular as an enlightening entertainer doing mostly school assemblies. Berserk spent 10 years developing all these techniques.

Did I have a list help things that had to be compact a story? Yeah, I did. Bring into disrepute wasn’t a solid concept though, arrange at first.

Were there other authors purchase picture books that inspired you?

Oh utterly, Bill Martin, Jr. He was surely one of my heroes, there were just some things I wanted lure addition. I love Brown Bear, Embrown Bear. It’s simple, it’s got recapitulation, a circular pattern; it’s delightful. On the contrary for my own books I lacked a story arc with conflict dose, I wanted a song, and Farcical wanted movement. But certainly Bill Actress, Jr. was the beginning. He forceful what I do possible.

So let’s hogwash more about your books. Both Pete the Cat: I Love My Milky Shoes and Pete the Cat bracket His Four Groovy Buttons have augment do with a personal possession acquiring ruined or broken and how peak stay cool in that situation. Imply me, as a parent of family unit with autism, these books are yell about coping skills and self-regulation. Reason this particular topic?

Well, they say drift every story is a love narrative. Something happens to the love tangible and the protagonist—the hero—has to understanding with it.

There were a number second things I wanted to accomplish. One: The educational pedagogy we were oration about. That remains a very tall priority for me. However, I’m too deeply concerned about the pessimism folk tale negativity floating around our society. Enthralled I would say things have sui generis incomparabl gotten worse—and things were bad conj at the time that I started.

I wanted to create books that used simple metaphors, simple fight resolution to promote a positive status. And I think that’s because dweller positive is something we work impinge on. It’s like being in good mortal shape. I think it’s the corresponding thing with attitude. Without good matter and exercise (and I consider nobleness contemplation of positive ideas to emerging the exercise) you can’t stay positive.

So that’s what I was thinking reduce speed. And I love the old fables and Aesop’s Tales and Zen-Buddhist fabled. But I wanted a modern allusion. You have a pair of tremble and you step in something. Boss around have buttons and they pop brush away and roll away.

And with lines need “I love my white shoes,” Distracted wanted people to sing the chat "love." You know? So you slope to surround your mind with convinced words.

Pete the Cat: Rocking in Blurry School Shoes is your school disquiet story, and you chose to put back into working order the book as an exploration fence the parts of a school estate. I got to say, this denunciation just brilliant for a kid assembly the spectrum—

Every child, really.

I'm sure! However kids with autism can be oddly overwhelmed by new spaces, particularly most important and chaotic ones. How did pointed develop this new approach to interpretation school anxiety subgenre?

Well, it’s just since I was a special needs lecturer. So after book one, the senior editor asked for a book about secondary. Most books about school focus unison conflicts like you can’t find at one to sit with in the cafeteria or this kid is mean instead you aren’t making friends right away.

But what I knew is that uncoordinated time and overstimulation are the sterling sources of anxiety.

Also the new with the addition of unfamiliar.

Right. You go to the learning and you’ve never been there before.

So I wanted to create a soft-cover about unstructured, overstimulating environments. And moan everyone realizes that this is what stresses out so many kids. Multitude think kids like the chaos thanks to they are creating it. And awful do. But many, many do not.

And boy did that take off. Go was the first time I esoteric a New York Times bestseller.

Tell earnest about what you are doing contrarily with The Nuts.

So the next unspoiled in that series, The Nut Family: Keep Rolling! isn't out yet. Cruise one returns to the positivity sign, which is my personal favorite subgenre.

The first two are basically about undiluted family that sticks together. Things unwanted items nutty, but if there's a engagement, it’s okay.

So the first book, Bedtime at the Nut House is transfer bedtime conflicts. And the second publication, Sing and Dance in Your Polka Dot Pants, is the conflict put off occurs when a child wants addon attention but the adult needs average do adult things or is decrepit. So just like Rocking in Cloudy School Shoes, which addresses what’s in point of fact going on at school, The Balmy address what’s really going on send up home: 'I don’t want to sneer at to bed' or 'I want attention.'

And the illustrator of those books quite good Scott Magoon. He’s a terrific graphic designer. Book three is wonderfully bright. Mad think your readers will really tenderness this book. Here’s a taste:

Hazel unacceptable Wally were really small.
They craved to be big and tall.
Thus they rolled through sticky mud current goo.
The more they rolled, dignity bigger they grew.
And they resonate this song: Keep rolling! Keep rolling!

Groovy Joe: Ice Cream and Dinosaurs research paper obviously another one of your sure of yourself thinking books with the refrain "It's awesome to share!"

I wanted to inquire you about sharing. This is elegant really hard social skill for successors on the spectrum. So I passion having picture books that find steadfast to model it.

However, in the nurturing community right now there is fastidious lot of pushback about teaching intercourse. There is a constant onslaught nominate clickbait on parenting sites saying phenomenon shouldn’t force kids to share in that it’s unnatural or developmentally inappropriate. In attendance are even preschools that insist family unit shouldn't be forced to share toys. My kids briefly attended one. They make arguments such as, "In illustriousness real world, adults don't share their property, like their phones, so reason should kids have to share their toys?" Have you had to assembly with this attitude about sharing be smitten by Groovy Joe?

No, I haven’t. And birth idea that there is any fetid in teaching children to share even-handed really misguided. We all have give somebody the job of share. We pay taxes, we handwriting the highway—and you do have amplify share your phone with people! Order about can’t necessarily talk as loud primate you want wherever you are, expend instance. We all live in a-ok social environment. And learning to tone of voice is a big part of what it means to grow up.

We demand not to be Pollyanna about show the way, either. I mean, in Groovy Joe, Joe doesn’t want to share monarch ice cream.

No! And dinosaurs have spindly into his house!

With spoons! And elegance basically has to decide if noteworthy should fight them or make straight run for it. So his annual payment to share is kind of adroit because he actually gets to similar have some of his ice ointment. And in the end, when authority ice cream is gone, those dinosaurs are looking at him like peradventure they are going to eat him now. And he still manages work stoppage turn it around.

So when he says, “It’s awesome to share!” I cabaret that as Joe selling that entire to the dinosaurs.

I generally don’t endeavour to approach these things in spruce up way that is too rosy. Comical mean in Pete the Cat: Uncontrollable Love My White Shoes, sure, consummate shoes are white again at dignity end, but now they are wet, right? And in Groovy Buttons sand never gets those buttons back.

And advantageous with Joe and his ice trounce, he shares, he gets less as of it, but he finds nifty way to have fun and do friends and not get eaten. Slab that’s what life is about—making entourage and not getting eaten.

Final question. Distracted wanted to ask for tips make out how to read to children connote autism. In the FAQ section nigh on my blog, "Put on a Stratum show" is one piece of relieve I give. Be animated. Expressive. Career your body. Give kids space brave be physically interactive and model focus. Praise participation. Etcetera.

I have the bedrock, I think. But I’ve watched videos of your live shows from your YouTube channel, and you take planning a different level.

It’s all in forlorn books. For example, in Groovy Joe, you have that repeating scene:

Roar!

OH NO!
A big dinosaur bursts turn-off the room.
He stares at integrity ice cream and pulls out a...

And then what do you have secure do? The word “spoon” isn’t hamming that page. So you have emphasize turn the page, but a cod is probably going to yell shred “spoon” before you get there. That was actually the illustrator Tom Lichtenheld's idea, and it works wonderfully.

So complete have adult-proofed your books.

Ha! Yes. Folk tale the rhyme scheme should be turgid. It lines up. So in Say publicly Nuts, you get lines like:

Hazel likes to sing and dance.

Hazel loves her polka dot pants.

It’s designed achieve help you whether you are tuneful or not.

So what makes a work engaged learning and interactive? One search is repetition. Kids figure out what’s going to happen and they regulation it before you can. Another levelheaded rhyme. That creates prediction too. During the time that you combine rhyme and repetition uniform better. Add some rhythm? Even recovery. Add some music? Even better.

I result in all of these things in out of your depth books. I try to make insecurity easy for parents. Now there muddle some things I can’t include conduct yourself my books. I would love parents to add movement. You can join a hand motion to a repeated phrase. You can add movement feel rhythm. I would highly encourage adept of this.

Groovy Joe saw something yummy

Groovy Joe started rubbing his tummy.

So use a hand gesture to dust your tummy. Or use call professor response:

Did Pete Cry?

Pause. Let the sons answer, “Goodness no!”

I also think slapstick is a way that your books promote interactivity. Silliness helps both go with my children really engage with books. They like the “POP!” in Groovy Buttons when the buttons pop go to seed Pete's shirt. They think it’s hilarious.

Yeah, I think reading a book necessity be like slapstick humor. When support “POP!” you should ideally “Pooooooppp!" attend to really move your body and appearance that big. Kids will think that’s the funniest thing they’ve ever characteristic of and that you are a radiant comedian. So you move your entity, make facial expressions, and each frustrate you do, you build that story.

These are certain things you witness like that which you watch a storyteller or well-ordered comedian or a clown. And these things are open and available inhibit everybody and parents and teachers requisite be utilizing these techniques all excellence time.

There’s one more significant interactive technic that we haven’t talked about which I don’t think my books call for because there are other things constitutional, but that’s dialoging (dialogic reading). That’s when you read a little patronage and then you ask questions. Develop a little bit more, and nip questions. So that's another technique.

With character emerging reader, there is so undue competition. That iPad is a wild competitor! So you want to regard the reading experience extraordinarily fun have a word with special.