Author Archives: Terri Schlichenmeyer OW Contributor

Your Daddy is the King of the House.
He’s the smartest person you know. He can run fast, jump high, and his words make things happen, he’s strong, cool, and funny; he’s always making you laugh. And in the new book “My Daddy Rules the World,” words and pictures by Hope Anita Smith, you’ll read all about him.

Everything has a price.
You say you’ll never sell your granddad’s watch, your dream car, or that collectible you coveted because it’s priceless – until it’s not, because everything is for sale. But in “The Cook-Up” by D. Watkins, it may cost your entire life.

He got more.
There was a time in your life when just noticing that was reason to throw a tantrum. It was enough to make any adult near you want to run away. But now that you’re all grown up, “He got more” means more – and in the new book “The Broken Ladder” by Keith Payne, you’ll see how it might affect your life.

Your feet sometimes have a mind of their own.
You see your favorite foods, and they carry you toward lunch before you even realize you’re hungry. When you’re faced with danger, they take you in the right direction, away and safe. And when you read “Super Freak: The Life of Rick James” by Peter Benjaminson, your feet just gotta dance.

You got this.
You know what’s up. You’ve been schooled and you know how things work, how it is, how it goes down. You can do it, no problem. You got this – except when, as in the new book “Jake the Fake Keeps It Real” by Craig Robinson and Adam Mansbach, art by Keith Knight, you don’t.
Jake Liston plays the piano.

It wasn’t where you put it down.
The last time you saw it, it was over there where you laid it. You remember doing that; you even gave yourself a brain-nudge so you wouldn’t forget but now it’s not where it should be, and that bugs you. Now, as in the new novel “Finding Gideon” by Eric Jerome Dickey, you’ll have to chase it down.

Each Sunday, your family has a routine they follow.
Everyone gets up early to the smells of a good breakfast that Mama makes; she serves all your favorites before you go to church to raise your voice and praise God. Church is also where people can go to pray. Some people get saved there. And in the new book “Early Sunday Morning” by Denene Millner, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, some people get a dose of confidence.

Eight courses.
You seriously doubted if the food was ever going to stop coming, though you hoped it wouldn’t: you’d tasted all your favorite dishes, and then some. It was a meal fit for a King or Queen. Or maybe a president, and in “The President’s Kitchen Cabinet” by Adrian Miller, you’ll read about First Family feasts.

Mama calls you her little ducky.
She says she loves you and you really know it. You know because she takes care of you, makes sure you’ve got snacks and toys, teaches you, and keeps you safe. Mama loves you very much, and in the new book “Love Is” by Diane Adams, illustrated by Claire Keane, you’ll see how love works.

So, have you heard the one about…?
Of course you have. You’re all over social media. You know what’s going on; sometimes it feels like you’ve heard it all, and maybe you have. Now in “Flying Lessons & Other Stories,” edited by Ellen Oh, you’ll hear it from a different side.
When your family gets together, what kinds of stories do they tell about you? Are they embarrassing or funny? Do you remember them, or was this something that merely lives in family lore? And doesn’t everybody have stories like that?
Says Oh, “… no matter what, our stories are unique, just like we are.” And so she presents ten of them.