Children’s Book Series Educates While it Entertains
“Phat Cat and the Family” is a 15-book series for children written by Allison Caldwell.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WITH AN EYE PR.
Allison Caldwell knew she would write children’s books when she was in college. She got the idea for the “Phat Cat and the Family” series 10 years ago. For her, the pandemic gave her time to develop the concept for the books.
“Phat Cat and the Family” is about Caldwell and her family and spending time between Chicago and Louisiana. It is loosely based on her experiences growing up with her grandmothers and traveling. It is a 14-book children’s book series with an accompanying coloring book. It took Caldwell a year to write all 14 of the books. The first book took Caldwell the longest to write, because there was a lot she wanted to cover in that first book.
Each book has a different theme. The first seven books go through topics that children experience in life. Those topics include tolerance and acceptance, loss and bullying. The first seven books are about 50 to 60 pages. The other seven books talk about the seven continents. The continent series books are about 30 pages.
“Ally and her friends have some really fabulous adventures, touring the world with her grandmother,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell hopes parents read the books to the children. She said they are suitable for babies to 13-years old. Each book has a “Miss Allison Asks” at the end of it, a workbook with open-ended questions to make the children think about the stories, vocabulary, and syllables from the stories, as well as games, with the intention to make the children think more deeply about the stories. In the continent series, there are math problems at the end of the book and scenarios that make the children think about distance and measurements. The goal is to get children to understand the world on a deeper level.
“I hope the books support the children in their lives. Sometimes, I think we underestimate what children go through, children are just little people, they have their own set of issues and problems every single day. Sometimes, when we read about things that happen in life, it helps us grow as individuals; it helps us solve our own life’s challenges and helps us get through the day,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell hopes that children who read the books, who might be experiencing things like a sick parent, they learn how to be a support system for their families. She wants the children to understand they can make an impact in other people’s lives.
Parent’s reaction to the books, has been very positive. They have been asking Caldwell to create book bags and dolls. While Caldwell doesn’t have that kind of merchandise available for the books yet, she is exploring having those items available to complement the books.
Caldwell said the children enjoy the so much books they are sharing them. She has heard the children are taking the books to school and their teachers are reading the books with the class. She is also getting requests from teachers and schools to do reading of the books, which is something she is receptive to doing.
For more information about the Phat Cat and the Family series, visit www.phatcatandthefamily.com. For more information about Allison Caldwell, visit www.allisoninspires.com.
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