Imagination Soup

Happy almost summer! Now both you and your kids will have time to read more! But what books, and how can you set yourself up for success?

1) Allow choice of reading materials
2) Provide bounty — aka. LOTS of books. Where are lots of free books? The library, of course!
3) Make sure kids have plenty of time to read.
4) Make a cozy reading spot where books are visible and accessible.

Download the kid-approved, teacher-recommended book lists for each grade here: https://imaginationsoup.substack.com/p/downloadable-summer-reading-lists. (Link in profile.)

Want activities to do with TOVA’S SWEET SOLUTION? Download this free 5-page educator’s guide from !

https://www.redcometpress.com/picturebooks/tova

Did you know that I support authors like you with marketing and publicity—as little or as much as you need?!

Whether you want to book more podcasts, get more reviews, or increase your author brand visibility, I can help.

Abby Cooper, author of IT’S A MOM, shares, “My book was much more visible across social media. It also received more reviews by reputable book bloggers and Instagrammers!

Melissa’s expertise in so many valuable areas really sets her apart from others. She brings knowledge from so many areas of writing/publishing/marketing. It feels like whatever you need, she’s got you covered!”

Let’s set up a free 15-minute consult to talk about how I can help your next book launch be successful!
https://imaginationsoup.net/imagination-soup-consulting/ (melissa at imaginationsoup.net)

Grateful that Betsy Bird shared about TOVA on her blog! Thank you!!

TOVA’S SWEET SOLUTION is a new picture book about food allergies, growth mindset, and problem-solving written by me, illustrated by , and published by .

Have you read it yet?

In a word: Hilarious. But I have more words— relatable, genuine, and sweet. I totally love this tongue-in-cheek book! It’s the perfect gift for moms and moms-to-be. Set up like a how-to book, the surprise is that it’s not for caring for a baby, but for a new mom.

Moms need tummy time. (My favorite illustration shows an exhausted mom lying on the couch.) Moms need round-the-clock care. Moms need socialization. And be warned, moms can be fussy!!(This author explains that this is normal because sometimes moms just need a good cry.)

IT’S A MOM is written by , illustrated by , and published by .

Would you give this to a mom or mom-to-be?

Some books just beg to be read aloud — and this one is perfection!

With a fun, cumulative structure, a puffer fish sets off a chaotic chain of events after surprising a squid, frightening a turtle, disturbing a dolphin, and spooking a shark... Everyone is disturbed.

Who can help set things back to calm and quiet?

Another reason this book is fabulous is the illustrations, which convey humor and pandemonium.

THE QUIET OCEAN (5/5/26) is written by , illustrated by .cushman, and published by .

My TOVA’S SWEET SOLUTION book launch/storytime last Sunday at bookstore exceeded all my expectations!

It was such a fun celebration, as you’ll see from these photos.

I have so many people to thank for helping create this festive, joyful experience.

Thank you to all my friends who showed up to support me! Wow. I feel so blessed.

Thank you to The Bookies for hosting me.

Thank you to for these incredible photos that captured the joy of the event.

Thank you to for the yummy treats.

Thank you to Courtney at for the info and gift certificates!

Thank you to my husband, Jeff , for his cheerleading and encouragement.

THANK you to and for bringing this dream to life.

If you missed the party, I’ll read you the story over video chat. :) Or come to your kids’ school. Or video chat with your kids’ school. (I’m flexible like that.)

If you still haven’t bought the book, what are you waiting for? It’s almost food allergy awareness week. Read this to celebrate! (And to increase empathy and kindness for your food allergy friends.)

If you want to add snacks, this book pairs well with persistence and gluten-free food. Just saying. (Anything by is my favorite.)

Cheers to TOVA being in the world!🥳

What are children’s book author school visits like?Inspiring, fun, and motivating—for everyone involved!!

Last week, I visited St. John’s Lutheran school in Denver, Colorado, for my second author school visit. What a great group of students and teachers!

We had fun talking about growth mindset involved in writing and publishing. Then we read TOVA’S SWEET SOLUTION with lots of interactivity, connected the social-emotional aspect of having food allergies, talked about ways to be kind to our food allergy friends, and brainstormed problem and solution stories.

“Students were talking about Melissa and her book, Tova’s Sweet Solution, throughout the day. She was enthusiastic and interacted with the students throughout her presentation, keeping them engaged.” - Judy Ripke, Librarian, St. John’s Lutheran

If you’re a librarian or teacher and want to schedule an author visit with me, please reach out. https://imaginationsoup.net/melissa-taylor-author-school-visits/ (link in bio)

Check it out—my first-ever school visit for my first-ever picture book! (TOVA’S SWEET SOLUTION)

Which weird face is your favorite? 😂 (My former principal used to always comment on my wacky faces when I taught. Who knew!?)

My focus for this visit was to do an interactive storytime and help kids practice problem/solution story structure. We did a lot of making connections with sign language and voting with raising hands since there were 150 kids.

Thanks, Amber at Littleton Academy, for having me! Thanks, , for setting this up and delivering all the books. What a wonderful experience!

If you’d like me to inspire your kids with a story and a storytelling, word play, or growth mindset presentation, my school visit information is linked in my bio. https://imaginationsoup.net/melissa-taylor-author-school-visits/

Thank you, Book Break!

BookBreak | Watch Code | Discover BookBreak Elementary School Author Talk Series