A new and upcoming children’s book author is pumping out new books every month (like, how?!) and kids are in love with his wild tales. Who are we talking about? Michael Girgenti and his series, Strawberry Pencil Magic. Amazon just ranked one of Strawberry Pencil Magic’s books titled Splitz The Tuffa the #1 New Release on Amazon for the Children’s Music Books category. It’s so great to have an author as prolific Girgenti once a child is hooked on reading. Having a bookshelf – and actually reading from it – is important from a very young age and while we all love the classics, it’s sadly quite rare to find worthy new additions.
So what is so fun and unique here? Think: skunks rapping and otters fighting off evil fishermen to save their den. Plus, Girgenti includes different ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds so that all children feel connected to his stories. Several of his books are also written in Spanish. His mission is simple: give kids creative powers through characters that inspire them to think beyond the pages.
It all began with a cute little story, Archer Otters, published in May 2020, about a trio of sea otters who battle against an evil fisherman in an attempt to rescue their kidnapped friends. It’s just the content kids and their parents are looking for during these times. Currently, there’s a collection of 19 books.
Since the pandemic, Girgenti reads to kids as part of virtual learning opportunities and engages in classroom readings and questions with the author.
Interestingly, Girgenti hopes to one day turn his books not into movies, but into a theme park of his characters for kids and families to enjoy together!