Local Bethel Park author and experienced educator Molly Nero has been awarded the 2012 Mom’s Choice Award for her recently published debut book Smarty Pig. This story was created to get children excited about learning.
Houston, TX (USA), Thursday – April 05, 2012 — Local Bethel Park author and experienced educator Molly Nero has been awarded the 2012 Mom’s Choice Award for her recently published debut book Smarty Pig. This story was created to get children excited about learning.
“Learning is not just for school, it’s for life,” says Nero, author of Smarty Pig, soon to be released through Halo Publishing International. She hopes teachers will utilize Smarty Pig in their classrooms to inspire their students. “It is important to help children understand that learning to count and read is not just something we make them do at school, but lessons they will be applying throughout their lives.” She said reading to her own children inspired her to write stories that will build self-esteem and help young students deal with issues at school.
Smarty Pig is a story about a family of pigs who give up on school. One of the pigs, though, loves to learn. She creates games to help others practice skills eventually getting the family members to realize that learning can be fun and how important school really is to their future. Reaching out to young students, the pro-learning book is geared toward children in grades K-3.
“This book series will be valuable to teachers working to inspire learning in children,” said Halo International Publisher Lisa Umina ( http://www.halopublishing.com ). “Molly knows from her own experience as a teacher how important it is to get children excited about school.”
First-grade teacher Barbara Walsh said Smarty Pig appeals to readers of all ages. “Parents and teachers love the positive message about learning,” Walsh said. “And kids love it because it’s fun.”
Nero said she wants children to understand that school is a good place, and it isn’t just about tests. Creative and experiential learning are essential to development, said the author. In her second book in the Smarty Pig series, Nero helps students who struggle with test taking anxiety in Smarty Pig and the Test Taking Terror. Here she gives kids, parents and even teachers strategies to help overcome test “shut-down.” “These are techniques that I have used and found to be effective to calm kids down when they are overwhelmed dealing with a testing situation.”
A native of Arlington, Texas and the youngest in a family of seven children, Nero taught academics and music at the elementary school level after achieving her degree at the University of Texas. Nero recently relocated to Pennsylvania with her husband and two children, ages 9 and 15.
Smarty Pig was released in Jan. 2012 and Smarty Pig and the Test Taking Terror was just released in March. To order the books, visit http://halopublishing.com., amazon.com, or barnesandnoble.com. For additional information, visit http://www.smartypigbooks.com. To reach Molly Nero, call 412-722-4373 or e-mail mollynero@smartypigbooks.com.
Press & Media Contact:
Lisa M. Umina, Publisher
Halo Publishing International
AP #726 / P.O. Box 60326
Houston, TX 77205-0326
877-705-9647
lisa@halopublishing.com
