Author and educator Kelly Melton will host a book signing and read-aloud session for her newest book, Riley’s Big Day at The Itsy Bitsy Scholars, on Saturday.
The book is Melton’s second, following her first book, Did You Say Baby?, which explores childhood experiences. Riley’s Big Day follows Riley through her first day in an early learning environment and the anxiety many children experience. Melton planned the reading as children return to school, where some may be experiencing similar emotions. Her goal is to help children become more familiar with learning environments while fostering a love of learning and a sense of belonging.
“I feel like children can connect with these books because they’re told from a child’s perspective, and because they’re things that they can relate to,” Melton said. “They’re talking about these feelings, saying, ‘Hey, I’m feeling nervous. My eyes are filling with tears. I’m scared. I’m afraid.’ Then by the end of the day, ‘Wow. I had a great time.’”
Melton said many children experience those feelings during their first days of school. In Riley’s Big Day, Riley is starting school while her mother is launching a new business, leaving both feeling nervous. Riley becomes anxious at drop-off, afraid to be away from her mother for the first time. Throughout the day, she participates in learning activities and gradually acclimates to her new school environment.
Melton wrote the book a bit after the COVID pandemic. She, as an educator, noted that some children were born during COVID and may not have experienced more open social opportunities, as they were mostly bound to their homes.
“All those big feelings are real,” Melton said. “When they began branching off and getting back into the different environments, it was a little tough for some of them. So I wrote it, and I was thinking of them. I had them in mind, and I’m like, what if I create some literature or a story that these children can connect with, and the parents could connect with.”
Melton wants to help spark conversations in families about how to navigate those feelings. She hopes that books like Riley’s Big Day can help children and parents prepare students for their first day of school.
To that end, Melton wanted to have a reading for her book that families can attend. However, she also wants children to meet a real-life author to inspire them to write their own book one day.
“One of my professors at UWM (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) purchased a copy of my book, read it to their child, and their child wrote a book that same day,” Melton said. “They said, ‘You really inspired my child, and since they knew that I knew the author, they decided they wanted to write their own piece of literature.’”
The child made their own book out of paper and markers — which Melton called a moment of inspiration and motivation.
“That’s what I aspire to do: motivate the people so they can be an author as well. We all have that in us. We all have a story to tell,” Melton said.
The reading for Riley’s Big Day at The Itsy Bitsy Scholars will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, 3-5 p.m. at the Milwaukee Public Library-Martin Luther King Jr. Branch, 2901 N. Martin Luther King Dr. It is free to attend and open to the public.
Riley’s Big Day at The Itsy Bitsy Scholars can be purchased online via Amazon.
