Writing a Book for Aliza

I always, always want to be writing.  Or reading.  One or the other.  I've been working on the story of AJ and Zachary for almost a year now, and just this weekend about starting a new project.

Aliza doesn't really love to read.  A few times in her life she's found a book series she really likes - she loved Junie B. Jones and the My Weird School series a couple of years ago and I thought I had a lifelong reader in my house.  It was short lived, thought.  For the most part, she doesn't live for used book sales like her mother does.

I guess maybe at her age, I didn't either.  I did love reading though.  There wasn't much to pick from, so I just read my favorites over and over.  The Beverly Cleary books, the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, the Oz books, and Judy Blume.  I loved them all and read and reread them.  Of course, I didn't have an iPod.

I've given Aliza a few of the old "classics" that I know I was into when I was her age, but she just can't get hooked.  Even with some of the new titles that are out there now, she can't find something she really likes.  Harry Potter?  Moved too slow.

This weekend I realized what I should be doing to help her.  I should be writing a book for her to read.

So I told her my plan. "You need to help me come up with a good idea," I told her.  She enthusiastically agreed.

"So what subject should I write about?  What kind of books do you like?"

She assumed her thoughtful look. "Well," she began slowly, "I like books that have pictures."

Great.   I'll get going on that picture book.