Award-Winning Picture Book Helps Children to Ease Their Bedtime Fears

No matter our age, we all struggle when faced with fears and Author Alicia Lloyd has written a picture book for children of all ages, and accompanied by soft and atmospheric illustrations portraying thrills and chills that capture the imagination of children in the dark hours of night.

"When the Monsters are Quiet" (published by Halo Publishing, Int. - http://www.halopublishing.com), is a fun way children can start to become proficient readers by reading about one of their biggest worries- bedtime. This book is a reminder never to be afraid of your monsters and has helpful hints for parents to help their children by exploring with early reading strategies at home. This fun book is told from the perspective of a young boy, who hears noises that trigger the scariest images of monsters wondering around his house late at night, until he discovers they are the sounds of his mother getting ready for bed.

"All children at one point in their lives hear unfamiliar and scary noises while trying to drift off into sleep. As soon as they get scared, they start thinking of all these scary things that can happen," says Alicia. "The main message is just to remember that noises can just be familiar noises, like in this case, your mom going to bed. Being afraid of monsters is common, however; I am hoping my book sends the message to never be afraid of their monsters, no matter what their monsters may be in life."

Alicia Lloyd's picture book "When the Monsters are Quiet" is the winner of the 2015 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award. The purpose of the award is to stimulate an interest in reading in students from Preschool to Grade 6 and expose them to quality literature. Each year the committee prepares three lists, one for preschool students, one for primary students in grades K-3, and one for intermediate students in grades 4-6. Teachers promise to read to or have their students read at least four books from the appropriate lists. In March the students vote for their favorite and the winner is honored at the Book and Author Luncheon at the annual KSRA conference in October 2015.

"I feel extremely honored and thankful for winning this award," says Alicia. "I was shocked at first and just happy to be nominated, but winning wasn't something I expected and I'm ecstatic that so many kids liked my book. The greatest gift is hearing the experience some children have had with my book. I love hearing how they take it to school with them and read my book to their class. My favorite part is hearing how they aren't afraid of bedtime anymore."

Besides helping children deal with bedtime fears and build self-confidence, Alicia Lloyd's picture book helps build upon 1st grade reading levels with phonemic awareness and reading comprehension strategies within the context of the story and in the back of the book parents will find helpful tips so their kids can become star readers.

"My hope is Alicia's book becomes better known through this award so it can help parents and kids work together to become better readers and writers," says Halo Publisher Lisa M. Umina.

You can purchase "When the Monsters are Quiet" through Amazon, B&N and Halo Publishing, Int. website. The book is available for Kindle and Nook, and available in 40,000 databases in over 100 countries.

Biography:
Alicia Lloyd is a student at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and is working towards her Bachelor's Degree in Early Grades Preparation (PK-4) and Special Education. She has a strong passion for working with children and loves to write! She is also a member of the International Literacy Association.

In October 2015, Alicia Lloyd will be out speaking at local libraries in the Oxford, PA area, reading to young children and will be sharing monster tips on her Facebook page.

She invites anyone to contact her through her email: neverbeafraidofurmonsters@yahoo.com or her book's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/whenthemonstersarequiet. Contact the author to share any experience, discuss readings and signings, and get signed copies.

When the Monsters are Quiet by Alicia Lloyd, illustrations by Amy Rottinger, publisher Halo Publishing, Int., ISBN: 978-1-61244-219-8, Price: $11.95

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