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Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales 1-3

By Cheryl Carpinello

Ages 4-8, Early readers, Picture book, Read aloud, Beginner readers, Emerging readers, Kids & Nature.

Since I started writing my Tales & Legends, some earlier stories that I wrote waited for me to remember them. After a couple of years doing medieval workshops for elementary schools and the Colorado Girl Scouts, I realized I was leaving out an important group of potential readers: Readers who were just starting on their journey into the world of books. With children and now grandchildren of my own as well as my background in education, I knew the importance of starting these young readers off on the right foot. So, in between my Arthurian Legend stories, I took a closer look at two picture book stories I had written several years earlier. These became the start of what’s turned into the 3-book series Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales. There are six stories total published under the titles Grandma’s Tales and Grandpa’s Tales. Readers get to choose who appears on the covers: a grandma or a grandpa. I added Grandpa’s Tales after a gentleman told me that he’d love to buy for books for his grandkids, but he wasn’t a grandma! I took care of that in about three weeks!

Books 1-3 are crafted with repeating phrases and colorful pictures that will delight toddlers, preschoolers, beginning readers, those facing hurdles in reading, and even adults encountering memory problems. In addition to repeating phrases in all of the stories, different stories challenge readers to demonstrate their comprehension, introduce decision making, encourage imagination, and invite readers to look at the natural world around them in different ways. Reading the stories aloud to younger kids also helps older readers develop their skill in reading out loud.

Purchasers of Tales 1, 2, or 3, can choose who appears on the cover: a Grandma or a Grandpa!

Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales 1: Wild Creatures in My Neighborhood & What If I Went to the Circus

Wild Creatures in My Neighborhood…Who lives in your neighborhood?

What If I Went to the Circus…What decision would you make?

These stories ask readers to take a closer look at the world immediately around them. They also challenge them to remember what they’ve read and to begin the process of decisions-making as a small boy tries to decide who or what will be a good playmate.

Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales 2: Singers of Songs & The Not Too Stubborn Humpback

Singers of Songs…Does your toddler know these insects?

The Not Too Stubborn Humpback…Even big kids are just kids.

These stories introduce readers to a very small critter and a very large one. New for Book 2 are pages for the youngest listeners/readers to add their illustrations making each story uniquely their own.

Grandma/Grandpa’s Tales 3: Vampires in the Backyard & A Fish Tale

Vampires in the Backyard…Bet these will surprise even the adults!

A Fish Tale…A true story? Maybe.

Continuing to challenge readers, one of these stories introduce readers to an extended metaphor which will keep them guessing until the end, while the other lets them decide what is true.