Nouns

Camile Ellis came up with the idea to create a children’s book that teaches kids about nouns while watching her friend struggle to impart the concept to her young son. “He didn’t seem to really understand, and I thought, ‘Why not do a children’s book about the parts of speech?’ Nouns with Glitch uses storytelling to teach the concept of nouns in a very basic way,” says Ellis. “I believe parents are the first teachers children will ever NOVEL NOUNS BY STACIE GAETZ | PHOTO BY SERGEI BELSKI have and this book is ideal for use in guided reading. The vocabulary is simple with a few complex words to build children’s repertoire of words and to spark curiosity, which I hope will lead to discovery.” She says after reading Nouns with Glitch, children will learn about nouns and how they are used in the book and will also be able to identify nouns both in written and spoken language. The protagonist, a cat name Glitch, is Ellis’ pet in real life. “The characters and events are real,” she says. “I am happy I decided to use Glitch as the main character. He came into our lives during the pandemic and he has been a wonderful addition to our family. It was almost therapeutic when he joined us.” She adds that Nouns with Glitch is written for children between the ages of five and seven but can be beneficial for older children as well. Ellis started writing the 26-page book in late January and it became available on Amazon in May. The book is the first in a series of eight that will cover the parts of speech in the English language. “I plan to publish verbs and adjectives together,” says Ellis. “The one on verbs will be Scratch, Purr and Roll – A Book About Verbs and the one on adjectives will be Glitch’s World. I haven’t settled on the topics for the other five.” Ellis has lived in Airdrie since 2019 when her family moved to Canada from the Caribbean. She has an 11-yearold son named Tyler. She currently works in childcare and says she has been writing for years but Nouns with Glitch is her first published piece. She is also an experienced teacher with a specialty in literacy and elementary math. Ellis worked with an illustrator from India who she met through Fiverr, an online freelance services marketplace. She says every picture was carefully created to give young readers the best visual appeal so that they can get some context to the vocabulary and also have fun. “I believe the illustrator did a superb job,” Ellis adds. “I believe his drawings will create wonder in my readers, which is what I want to achieve ultimately.”

“Storytelling helps (children) make She recommends parents use the book in guided reading and says it is designed so children can read it themselves. connections while learning concepts “I believe storytelling is a great way to help children learn whatever you want them to learn,” she says. in real-life situations” “Storytelling helps them make connections while learning concepts in real-life situations.” life