Sammy teaches children:

Writing children's books has always been a dream of mine.  I have spent the last 18 years working with toddlers and preschoolers as a teacher and preschool director. I absolutely adore this age group and know deep down that kids learn the best through imagination and play. This Sammy series started  with "Soothing Sammy" - my first book (as a brand new author) and Kona's first star spotlight.

"Soothing Sammy" came to me one day while I was watching a parent struggle during their child's tantrum in the grocery store. This mom was cringing, trying to get through her shopping trip as fast as she could with a two year old screaming in the front of the basket. My heart just broke for her. I wanted to create something for kids, to teach them how to manage their feelings in a way that they would understand. I didn't want "just another parent course." I wanted kids to take ownership of their feelings and learn to express them in appropriate ways. As a result, “Soothing Sammy” was born!

After writing "Soothing Sammy," I was addicted! I found out that I loved writing children’s books and I wanted to write more! But what should I write about?

During our daily fetch game with Kona, I thought, "what if Sammy played fetch with balls that had the letters on it?" After all, learning the alphabet is a core skill for young children. That Kona girl sure does have great ideas ;) So the following year, I released “Sammy Chases the Alphabet!" I included some playful games to make teaching letters simple and fun ("The Playful Alphabet").

It was so fun watching my illustrator bring my story to life with the amazing illustrations (seriously... she is so talented.) I knew I wasn't finished writing stories, but I didn't know what to write about next. Unfortunately, that same year, an unnerving event took place. Two girls, ages 5 and 7, wandered away from their home in a dense wooded area. They were lost for 44 hours! It was devastating to watch the Search and Rescue volunteers search the woods for two days.

Magically, they were found alive! They were tired but okay. Come to find out, their parents had taught them wilderness survival skills through a local program, and it paid off. They wanted to be prepared since they lived in a wooded area. After I witnessed the adventure of these two young girls, I wanted to teach all preschoolers how to stay safe if they were ever lost. I partnered with our local Search and Rescue Volunteer team to create “The Search for Sammy: A Lost and Found Adventure.” This story talks about Sammy getting lost while he played his favorite fetch game, and explains exactly what he did to stay safe. There are some playful games in the back of the book that helps kids remember what to do to stay safe. 50% of all the profits from this book goes to our local Search and Rescue Team (did you know they are all volunteers? Amazing!).

So then there were three "Sammy the Golden Dog" books, but a full set should be four right?

So what should this next book be about? I have spent the last 10 years working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers with developmental delays. These adorable children have a very special place in my heart. I was lucky enough to work in an inclusion preschool class for a period of time, and I was always so amazed at how young children help each other out, no questions asked.

I soon released “Sammy Goes to Preschool,” a lesson on inclusion. This story talks about how although everyone is different, we all have unique strengths and we can still all be friends! Not only is this story a peek into a typical preschool day, but it dives deeper into building friendships with everyone.

When I was talking to parents and teachers of preschoolers, I asked them what skill they wish their children knew how to do. They said "taking turns" or "sharing." Understanding how to share space and toys with others is one of the hardest skills that young children learn, but as a preschool teacher, I created an awesome visual called  "my turn" cards. That's when I knew my next Sammy book would teach child how to take turns in an age appropriate way! So a year later, I released the book "Sammy Learns to Share: A Lesson in Turn Taking." Not only is this story loads of fun as we are introduced to Sammy's friend Duke, it encourages imagination, patience and yes... it teaches how to use "my turn" cards. 

At this point I thought I was done creating books, but there was one more skill that I wanted to include. Most of the books that I have read teaches children how to count to 10, but for Kindergarten readiness, a lot of schools like students to be able to count to 20. I live in an area where there are many immersion schools (English/Spanish, Spanish/French) so I decided to write a story that taught children how to count from 1-20 in English, Spanish and French! And what better way to do this then joining Sammy on one of his daily walks, encouraging children to stop and take a breath when they are out and about, living in the moment! A few months later, "Sammy's Counting Adventure" was published.

And there you have it. The current "Sammy the Golden Dog" series. I hope you enjoy these books as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Jeana Kinne

Author of "Sammy the Golden Dog"