Written By Mommy and Ella

At six, my daughter is an author and illustrator. She’s devoured books since birth, quieting down to The Poky Little Puppy, eagerly bringing stacks of Berenstein Bears and Little Critter stories, and now staying up late to finish chapter books. Transitioning to creating her own pictures books feels like a natural progression and Tim and I love reading her creations.

Ella also loves collaborative projects and her Grandma Cathy gave her some amazing albums, paper, and journals to for Christmas to record her ideas. The two even plan to write a joint story together, mailing each section back and forth throughout the year.

I love being invited to collaborate with Ella on stories.Sometimes she’s the author and I’m the illustrator or vice versa. Other times, we alternate writing and drawing, although she’s the far superior illustrator. One day, she invited me to write a story titled The Princess in the Forest and she would illustrate. This turned out to be such a fun endeavor, as she eagerly awaited each new page, added her artistic vision, then said, “What’s next?” The best part came at the end when she literally held her breath in anticipation, uncertain how the Queen would behave next.

This is a terrific activity to do with kids and can involve simple supplies, such as paper and markers, or crafty add-ons like glitter, stickers, stencils, and pipe cleaners. It’s all about using your imagination, spending time together, and reading your project together. This is a fun way to incorporate spelling words, practice rhyming, develop hand eye coordination, and simply enjoy spending time as a family.

The end result is just one of many collaborations and I can’t wait to see what we create together next!