FAQs
FAQ's: Four Answered Questions
Why publish a book for four-year-olds?
Four Answers:
The Altruistic Answer: You know, for kids! I love four-year-olds, and I knew that four-year-olds would love Cheska's story, so I wanted to turn it into a book that I could share with all the amazing four-year-olds I knew, all those I'd ever know, and even the ones I'd never know!
The Grateful Answer: My first attempt at college didn't go well, and I became the dreaded "disappointment to my parents." After a bumpy year, I spent the summer back home, at Mom and Dad's. It was not much fun. Thankfully, the two summers after that, my big sister took me in, for which I'm eternally grateful! Repaying her kindness in kind is impossible, so I always try to do nice things for her. Four is a little, Four is a LOT was inspired by a special moment between Cheska and her two sons, and I knew she'd love to see it turned into a book. Thanks, Cheska!
The Hopeful Answer: One word—Royalties. In these uncertain times, a bit of reliable income down the line could be a life-saver, or at least a mortgage-saver.
The Pretentious Answer: A professor in college asked our Major American Authors class what books we had all read in common. The only one we discovered was not Hamlet, Huck Finn, or the Bible, but The Cat in the Hat. Classic children's books are timeless, with universal appeal. I was drawn to the opportunity to help create something like that, something for any kid to love, even long after I'm gone.
Why are you so crazy for four-year-olds?
Four (of the many, many, many, many) Reasons:
They're adorable. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen a four-year-old who was not cute, cuddly and captivating!
Developmentally, they're at a great stage. Their minds are exploding. They imagine, form memories, anticipate. They ask amazing questions like, "Mama, is four a little or a lot?" or, "Are zebras black or white?" (My niece asked me that one, as an inquiring four-year-old, wondering if zebras have white stripes on their black fur, or black stripes on white.)
They're mostly done leaking from their orifices. Pee. Poop. Snot. Spit-up. Ugh. By the age of four, you can at least start looking forward to the day when they're old enough to manage their bodily excretions on their own.
They're natural four-losophers. Four-year-olds love the number four. They love their fourth birthday. They love being four. When I share our book with pre-school classes, nearly every kid will blurt out: "I'm four!" "I'll be four next month!" "I'm four, and my sister is only three but she'll be four in the summer!" "My dog had four puppies!" I've given up trying to stop it, and simply encourage them to take turns.
What four charities does Four is a little, Four is a LOT help support?
As we four-mulated our fourlosophy, sharing our good four-tune was a four-gone conclusion, so we chose four charities to each receive four percent of our profits.
Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization that promotes early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud. For more information, visit http://www.reachoutandread.org/
826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages six to eighteen with their writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Their work is based on the understanding that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success and that great leaps in learning can happen when trained tutors work one-on-one with students. For more information, visit http://826valencia.org/
Community Kiln is the Brick Stack Arts Center's ceramics studio, with classes and workshops for absolute beginners through more advanced students of all ages who wish to actively engage in the joy of ceramics. Community Kiln is dedicated to educating and inspiring a community of artists in MetroWest Massachusetts, where students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can come together to experience, learn about, and celebrate ceramic arts. For more information, visit http://www.brickstack.org/
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is dedicated to creating safer streets and more livable communities for all San Franciscans by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. We support them through the SF Bicycle Education Fund, which provides education, training and services for residents who bicycle. Programs and projects include Freedom from Training Wheels, Bike to School Day, and Connecting the City. For more information, visit http://www.sfbike.org/
Why doesn't this Question have Four Answers?
We're devoted fourlosophers, but we're not dogmatic.
