Route 19 Writers

 

Reluctant Readers and The Doodles of Sam Dibble

By Judy Press

In elementary school I was the class comedian. I had a short attention span and blurting out a funny comment was a great way to gain attention and distract from schoolwork. In high school I excelled in art and in college and graduate school I earned a degree in art education. I had found my true calling! Over the past twenty years I wrote twelve art activity books for Williamson Publishing (an imprint of Ideals Publications.)

Sam Dibble is a student much like myself. He struggles in school and at home. It’s Sam’s doodles that help him to thrive and succeed, in the same way I found art. The “Doodles of Sam Dibble” series is geared to ages six to ten. Sentences are short and easy to read, perfect for the reluctant reader.

When I submitted a hard copy of my manuscript I broke the cardinal rule to NEVER submit with illustrations. I rationalized that in my case it was okay since Michael Kline (mikey@dogfoose.com) had illustrated several of my art activity books and I felt his work was a perfect fit to convey Sam’s personality through his doodles. My gamble paid off and Penguin sent Michael a contract to illustrate all four books! Today is the official release day for the first two books in the series, here’s how you can find them: 

“The Doodles of Sam Dibble” can be found on Amazon: (http://www.amazon.com/The-Doodles-Sam-Dibble-1/dp/0448461072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359035570&sr=8-1&keywords=the+doodles+of+sam+dibble) and on Barnes & Noble: (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-doodles-of-sam-dibble-1-j-press/1111945496)