Using Books to Teach Children a Lesson

I've recently been touring The Kids of Dandelion Township written by Nicole Borgenicht and illustrated by Lisa M Griffin through The World of Ink Network Virtual Tours. This book teaches a lesson without being preachy, which is something many authors have a hard time with. I asked the author Nicole Borgenicht to a little bit about her book and thoughts on how she used her book to teach a lesson about friendship and diversity without the bunt moral sound throughout.

Using Books to Teach Children a Lesson with Nicole Borgenicht

The Kids of Dandelion Township has a plot that shows children from a variety of backgrounds who are indeed more similar with one another than they were at first aware. In a fun and natural way, the tale of Dandelion Township portrays children with common traits in a magical world. It also shares the importance of being thoughtful, investigative, creative and compassionate.

While kids always find the time to have fun they still face goals and challenges in their every day lives. The Kids of Dandelion Township uncover the mystery of how their friends throw big parties yet manage to get good grades. They also learn to complete their homework in a creative unique environment, so they are able to both enjoy their youth and do their homework assignments.

The style of this book is not preachy in any way, rather an open-hearted journey into a fantasy world where children recognize how their various backgrounds and holidays intersect. In the forest, the kids are mainly excited about seeing gifts for the holidays, but when they return from the magical land and the gifts are gone, they quickly realize the gift of their togetherness is the greatest gift of all.

While this is a magical adventure story, the children have real life feelings and thoughts with crushes, embarrassment, communication and excitement; they go through the gamut of emotions and actions. Whereby one child may be watchful and a leader, another is compassionate, and still another creative, the next intelligent and so on to varying degrees and in different ways. As with all people these are true to life traits, showing the strengths and weaknesses of every one and how a positive idea and energy can unify kids everywhere.

Through the acceptance of natural behavioral traits the kids act as all children will, by instinct and whim, and thoughts and decisions to accomplish goals and acquire what they want or need. It is this experience that resonates the value of friendship and honors a great sense of goodness shown with expressions of caring and the universal connections between all children. There is an underlying theme of spiritual and positive belief: the importance of having a kind heart, being open-minded to holiday motifs that resonate in common ways, and the natural desire to be free-spirited children. 

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It is so easy as adults to forget we are writing for children when we want to share a moral, value or lesson within our stories, but as Nicole Borgenicht as shared with us, this is possible if we keep the fun, whimsy and child-like heart and mind close to our writing. 

Thank you Nicole for sharing about your wonderful book The Kids of Dandelion Township and for being our guest blogger here today.

About the Guest Blogger: Nicole Borgenicht is a children's fiction writer. Her most recent picture book, The Bridge was published by Publish America. Some of Nicole's other kid's stories have appeared in The Los Angeles Times Kid's Reading Room section, Stories for Children Magazine and LadyBug Flights Magazine. Additional works comprise poetry and essays, short stories, one act plays or articles in magazines such as Arts and Entertainment Skyline and American Fitness.

World of Ink Network is touring author Nicole Borgenicht’s children’s chapter book The Kids of Dandelion Township, which released in April 2012.

The Kids of Dandelion Township is a story about new friends who in the process of discovering magic together, learn about their similar emotions and different cultures. All in the context of a child's day, the kids unravel mysteries of A students, and invent ways to be creative while completing their homework assignments. Preparing the way for children to receive magic, the kids of Dandelion Township wish all children will experience it one day.

Get a sneak peek of the book at http://youtu.be/rK3ChBjL5H0  

You can find out more about Nicole Borgenicht’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/6we4qlj.