Let's Talk: Going to the Zoo

 

 

Lets Talk! Going to the Zoo

by Lisa Jacovsky

picture book

Harper and Emma are two best friends who first met at the pool in the summer. Emma has Autism which affected her speech. Harper became determined to find a way to talk with her new friend and learned about Autism. Neither girl would allow anything stand in their way of becoming best friends.

Now, Harper and Emma are excited to go to the zoo for the first time. This is a new adventure for them which they are going on with their daddies. Once they get there, they are amazed at the different animals they see. Then, while admiring them, a group of children come by and begin to laugh and point at Emma. She had been flapping her hands and making noises in excitement watching these new animals. Harper is confused by this but does not allow the bullying to continue. She educates the bullies about Autism and who Emma is. The bullies eventually walk away however, one little boy stayed behind. He apologized for his actions and wants to be friends. The three new friends finish their day at the zoo exploring and meeting new animals making memories with their daddies.

Book genre: children’s book

Keywords: autism, kidlit, children’s book, autismawareness, zoo, animals, zoo animals

Excerpt:

 

About The Author:

Lisa Jacovsky currently is a Doctoral Level student at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She is excited for the possibilities having her Doctoral degree will bring her. She has been in the field of ABA since 2014 where she began her career working with adults in residential group homes. She moved onto working with children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2018 and is currently working in Early Intervention. It is her experience with children that inspired her to finally fulfill her dream of writing a book. Lisa began writing short stories when she was seven years old. Writing is a passion for her and one of the many things she enjoys. Lisa lives in New Jersey where she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working on the next stories of the Rascal Cat brothers silly shenanigans.

Q&A With The Author:

Are you a Plotter (one who plans or plots out every detail of the writing process) or Pantser (one who writes by the seat of his/her pants)?

A pantser lol I usually just write when I have inspiration. Ill write and then check things over when the inspiration has gone away. I do not like to force it and tend to write when I am ready even if that means jotting notes into my phones notes app=)

What advice do you have for a new writer?

Best advice I can give is do not give and do your research. Its amazingly easy to get discouraged but there is a huge writing community out there that is super supportive. I would recommend joining all you can on social media to become a part of it too. Itll help when things do not seem to be going how you like. It will also help you to find good marketing ideas and network with other amazing authors. I have made amazing relationships with other authors who are so supportive and have the best resources. Doing your research to find that is a huge help.

Do not ever let anyone in this field or out discourage you and make you give up. You can do this and make your dream a reality no matter how long it takes.

What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?

Easiest for me is honestly doing the actual writing. Once inspiration hits, I have a direction, I can write half or almost all the books. It really depends on the inspiration I am feeling. It is so fun and amazing to just block things out and go to town writing. It is something I genuinely enjoy.

What is your favorite part of this story?

My favorite part must be when the dads come in and act silly like monkeys too. I feel like it is so relatable and such a fun way to show that no one is different, we can all look silly together. I think that really brings humor to the situation of bullying. I also love it since that is the part where the new character of Jerry realizes Autism does not make Emma different and goes to join the girls and their dad. I really love being able to open other minds seeing the positive in Autism. This was a fun part of the story to write and my favorite with how the words and illustrations bring it to life together.

Which Character was the most fun to write about? Why?

The most fun was probably Emma because she was a challenge. I really had to think back on my experience and decide about what kind of communication device I wanted her to use. What would be most relatable to others but also fit the character? I love a good challenge and I honestly love how the character came out in the book. She really is amazing and such a good representation of the potential little ones with Autism have.

Which Character was the hardest to write about? Why?

If I had to choose probably the bully. For me writing someone who can be mean is hard because it is not who I am personally. So, trying to figure out what would a bully say, how would she sound, how do I get it to read the right way was a challenge. I think it was a good challenge because it caused me to grow as a writer. Really digging to figure out the perfect way to have those words be understood and relatable.

Buy link:

Amazon

GIVEAWAY:

Lisa Jacovsky will be awarding a signed copy of the book and the first book in the series and a coloring book of the illustrations (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway