Become an Author/Illustrator Team

{Connor reading the book we wrote/illustrated together}

TIP: Write and illustrate books with your kids; it's a great way to bond over a common goal.

I have a dream of becoming an author of at least one children's book. The problem is that I don't have any fabulous ideas and I'm not a great writer. Plus I think it would be cool to illustrate my own book, but I'm not good at drawing or painting or collage or computer graphics.

So, I decided to adapt my dream and make it come true at home with my own kids. I have a long mental list of bedtime stories that my kids love to hear. They love them because they're true stories from my life. A few of them have become real favorites because they have humor, sound effects, a real climactic moment, or suspense.

I typed up one of our favorite Mommy bedtime stories and had my oldest son help me illustrate it; his drawings are much more interesting and colorful than mine. Now we are united as an author/illustrator team. We're working towards our very own Caldecott Medal!