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This post is in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Riverlet Press. All opinions are my own.
Book Information
Words
Written by Katherine Davis-Gibbon Illustrated by Anne Berry Ages: 4-6 | 36 Pages Publisher: Riverlet Press (2025) | ISBN: 978-1-737957690 Publisher’s Book Summary: A multicultural group of children discovers a park where everyone’s words come to life, looking and behaving a lot like kids. Some words are kinder and more inviting, while others are pushy or prickly or odd. Not every word makes the best first impression, but as they play and share adventures, the children connect more deeply with language. They learn that words have superpowers and grow to love them for their quirks. They see that words make excellent friends, who magically appear just as they’re needed and perfectly mirror how kids feel. The more these children bond with language, the more they tap into their inner voice— and as they dare to give it expression, they gain more respect for the power of words. Author Interview
Where did you get the inspiration for Words?
As much as I love the people around me, I think of words as my very best friends. They are my closest confidants, whom I can tell anything, and my staunchest allies, no matter what. They are also, as it happens, incredible teachers. If I’m on the wrong track or feeling conflicted, I can count on words to orient me towards a clearer understanding. I wrote Words to share this message with kids. Not every child will become a writer—many will focus on other interests and pursue other talents—but the simple act of connecting with language is beneficial to everyone. Words foster friendship and help us solve problems. They deepen our capacity for empathy and give us the gift of healthy self-talk. And they are not something we need to manufacture or force or go out and get; words are already here, alive inside us. All we need to do is pay attention. What was the writing process like for this book? The first draft gushed out of me during the early days of the 2020 pandemic. I was spending all my time with my 8-year-old and 3-year-old, trying to homeschool one and entertain the other, so there were a few dark months when I had very little adult companionship. Writing, which I only did in the wee hours of the morning, was primarily where I went for attunement. It was a lonely, demanding, stressful time, but it profoundly deepened my love of language. That first draft captured Words’ arc of thought, but there were gaps to bridge and holes to fill. I set it down for a year or more; then came back to it at a time when I had more perspective and access to joy. That helped me play up the humor in the book, which is always important when writing for children. At that point, the writing was basically done, but I had this rather ambitious idea about creating a cast of word-characters that would straddle the line between text and illustration. Developing them took an additional eighteen months. What is your favorite part about writing books for kids? Broadening my imagination while simplifying my language is a very fun challenge! I also love the idea that something I create—a line of text or an image that an illustrator and I dream up together—might make a child laugh or help them someday through a difficult moment. I hope that the messages of Words and My Old Friend, Then will be memorable, entertaining, and useful for children. What are you working on right now? Discussing Words with caregivers, teachers, and therapists has raised all sorts of interesting questions about the unique challenges Generation Alpha faces in finding their voice and learning to trust it. I’ve been researching the underlying causes of this and reflecting on what we, as caregivers, can do to help kids cultivate a more positive, nurturing relationship with language. How are our politics and the way we discuss them filtering down to the youngest kids? How are children coping post-pandemic? And in this era of texting and tweeting, how do we model that words are sacred? This is such a rich topic that I have briefly pressed pause on my next children’s project (a picture book about resilience) to create a series of articles and resources specifically for caregivers: parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians. If you’re interested in checking it out, go to my website, www.riverletpress.com, and click the resources tab. Email me through the contact tab if you’d like to connect. I’d love to hear from other caregivers or collaborate with librarians on children’s programming. What is your favorite book? That is a tricky question for a writer to answer! There are so many books I love and admire. Annie Dillard is probably my favorite writer, primarily for her creative nonfiction. The essays in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Teaching a Stone to Talk are among the finest pieces of writing I’ve ever read. When it comes to children’s literature, I would have to go with The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams, or Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White. For very young children, I adore Mother Goose; Goodnight, Moon and The Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd; and anything and everything by Richard Scarry. Giveaway
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Words, signed by Katherine Davis-Gibbon. The grand prize winner will also take home a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble. Don’t miss out on your chance to win!
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