Learn more about the creation of the Storytime Magic series.
1991-1995
The Idea
Noting the short attention span of his young elementary-school students: Bill started to add voices, sound effects, actions, props and lots of active participation while reading some of his favorite author's books - to make them even more exciting. After a while, this newly-discovered talent led to a local television program. He needed a name for the TV show; and thus Storytime Magic® was born.
1995-Present
Trademark, Performances, Publishing
Storytime Magic® Trademark is Registered; Author Concerts; Published Stories in Picture Book & Chapter Book Versions
Bill, and his wife Joanie, realized that incorporating Bill's original educational songs, and their favorite magic tricks, was the key to writing their own books. They spent years on the first book (rewrites, then more rewrites, torn up illustrations that didn't quite work, and lots of editing to make the illustrations print/eBook ready). After that, the books came easily. Joanie and Bill's many years of teaching reading made it possible to create a picture book version of each story for the younger readers. Bill's many years as a professional musician made him a natural on stage, but nothing compares to performing for kids. Young audiences are the best!
2011
And We're Off!
Finally, Joanie and Bill were both retired from teaching & counseling in elementary schools; so they began their storytelling at school assemblies as often as they wanted. Now they were able to travel and share their stories in other countries. The fun was in full swing.
"As an author, it is a joy each time I see a child discovering that magical moment when reading sparks their imagination, and the pages come alive. It is an honor sharing my love of books; a journey to enjoy for a lifetime."
Each of the "author concerts" (assemblies) are 30-45 minutes long (depending on the grade level); and every story teaches the importance of "never giving up" to reach your goals. Since there are ten stories/assemblies; the author could appear at a school ten times without repeating the same performance. Masterful "classroom management techniques" are used resulting from the author's many years of experience as a kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth and fifth-grade teacher. Every assembly (and book) is a great springboard for inspiring children to write what happens next? The author is a gifted storyteller, making his books come alive (with lots of comical voices, puppets, props, singing, magic, instruments and science experiments); incorporating interactive audience participation throughout. What a great way to inspire students' writing, creative thinking and imagination; while energizing and exciting students about the joy of reading. One of the major benefits of sharing books aloud in an animated storytelling style: is the powerful way it improves reading comprehension. Children clearly remember the details of the story because they have an emotional connection to the book. When this is modeled for children they learn to silently read and comprehend in a similar and wondrous fashion.
Contact
Please submit this form or email us for further information about our books and/or author visits.
23 Skadoo
Freddy wants to play jazz music!
Oh how Iggy loves jazz. Skoo-be-do-be dooooo! When he went up to one of the hep-cat boogie-woogie groovin’-and-a-movin’ jazz guys and asked, “Can I play?” The drummer said, “NO! 23 skadoo – bye.” Iggy needs a jazz horn; or a bike horn; or a cow horn; or a horned toad?
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Storytime Magic
Magic helps Freddy escape!
Ahhhhhhhhhhh! Freddy is really panicking now. Stuck alone in his locked classroom forever; is there any magical adventure that will free him: ghosts, Frankenstein, witches, recess, wizards, pizza? Abracadabra, alacazam, hocus pocus, presto chango, shazam, ibble-de-bibble-de?
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Kowabunga
Healthy foods help Freddy surf!
Humongous-ginormous sharks? Kowabunga! Freddy wants a super-mondo-primo-most-excellent surfboard for his birthday; but his uncle said that he was too little. Will Freddy go surfing anyway, and be turned into mashed potatoes, when a 10,000 pound whale lands on top of him?
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Bully Bubbles
Iggy stops the class bully!
WOW! YEA! For our party we are having cheese-pepperoni-mustard-mayonnaise-ant-cockroach-squishy-caterpillar-pickle pizza! The classroom bully is trying to ruin Mr. Deeojee’s (d.o.g.’s) invisible party: shhlurrrrrp! – But what can Iggy do to stop the bullying?
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Whoziwhatzit
Iggy can’t remember anything!
Mr. Babyface Boss gave Iggy’s class a free trip to Super-Fun-Amazing-Unbelievably-Fantastic Land! – But who will be left in the parking lot for three days, all by themselves, if they don’t know what a flibberflobber-whozitwhatzit-thingamabob-dittleflipple is?
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Hoopin and Hollerin
Buckaroo Billy saves his horse!
Yeehaw! Cow-tow-yipee-ky-yay! Buckaroo Billy was having a knee-slapping good time; until his low-down-dirty-rotten-scoundrel-of-an uncle decided to sell Billy’s best friend: his horse Hop-a-Long. Billy needs help from cowgirls, cowboys, cowdogs, cowchickens and cowcows.
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Gagagoogoo
Freddy and baby brother work together!
Freddy was so upset, that he jumped up and down – stood on his head while playing his guitar and kazoo – and made animal sounds: “Cockle-doodle-doo, moooooo, awooooo!” Somehow his ga-ga-googoo-ing, peek-a-boo-ing, koo-chee-koo-chee-koo-ing, burbling baby brother has to save him.
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Yetta
Yetta is too excited at her mama’s wedding!
Woosh! Flower petals are plopping all over stepdad, stepbrother, step baby, step robot, step chicken, and stepladder again. Yetta is so hyper that she's ruining everything with her jumping, running, twisting, singing, dancing and laughing in the middle of a wedding?
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Bamboozled
Freddy gets stuck in the jungle!
“Kaw-kaaaaaw, eek-eeeeeek!” The sounds of the jungle were constant: “Urp-urrrrrrrp, zzzzzzzzzz, ruff-ruff-ruff-ruff, quack-quack!” After hours of those awful noises, Freddy decided to go out into the jungle and shoosh the tiny-blue-floppy-eared creatures. That was his first big mistake . . .
Picture Book
Chapter Book
Bad Hair Day
Yetta wants to be on TV!
“WHA-A-A-A-A-T?” Yetta’s colorful-hair beads popped off in every direction: doing, ping, tink, doink, splat, OUCH – poofing up her hair like red-orange-green-blue fireworks. Yetta has no chance to be a TV star, and get a flying bicycle, if she keeps having a bad hair day.
Have you ever seen something and asked yourself – what’s that? It’s the Arc de Triomphe, the Eifel Tower, the 800-year-old Castle Cornet, really old toys, the oldest golf course in the world, a jaunting car, a weather rock and a loom. Huh? What are those?
This is a book of opposites. Have you ever played with shiny and dull 100-year-old toys from Sweden? Have you been to a McDonald’s next to a really old castle? Did they have chicken McNuggets 800 years ago? Have you ever had yucky 100-year-old walnut oil; or eaten yummy pala and mutakakku cake from Finland? Huh? What’s that?
Trolls, elves, goblins, hidden people of Iceland! Where are they hiding? What happens if they see you? Treasure?! - But is that a good thing; or a very-very bad thing? A story that happened 1,000 years ago; and yesterday! Are you next?
A to Z alphabet sounds of Africa. Have you ever wanted to go on a safari? These are the things you can see; and the sounds you might hear – LIONS, CHEETAHS, CROCODILES, baby zebras, baby giraffes, baby elephants, baby hartebeests, elands, bongos, hyraxes, kudus, and gerinooks. Huh? What are those?
Huh – what’s that? It’s a real cartoon ship, a real rainbow ship, a real peek-a-boo sign, a real gold door, a street made of water, 600-year-old food, a 750-year-old castle, an 800-year-old medieval city, 1100-year-old tower, 2,000-year-old stadium, and the oldest buildings in the world: 5,700 years old!
What is Australia and New Zealand like? Well . . . you can see kangaroos; and baby koalas, baby wombats, glow worms, water dragons, hobbit houses, emus, echidnas, meerkats, peafowls, kiwis, wallabies, and wallaroos. Huh? What are those?
So . . . what is this book about? You will see penguins “shmenguins”, whales “shmales”, bones “shmones”, seals “shmeals”, icebergs “shmicebergs”, and other stuff “shmuff”. Huh? What are those?
Have you ever seen the moo-moo-woo-woo walk? The what? Is there such a thing? Yes – but you have to travel all around the world to see it. Really? Yup!
Travel Book
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