Hoo Hoo Who? {A Kids Book Prize Pack Giveaway + Free Flash Cards}

**Book received for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own.

To be entirely honest, before my son came along, my knowledge of children's speech development was pretty basic. I didn't realize the ability to speak was not the only area of speech that mattered. I didn't realize just how complex speech and communication could be.

When my son was two years old, our journey with autism began. Gone were our carefree days of fun and giggles... we'd entered a world of therapists and terminology that would soon become second nature. And my knowledge of speech? It grew in leaps and bounds. I learned that while Shaun could script entire movies word for word- that speech he had was in no way functional. He had words, but he lacked communication. What most children were able to pick up by observing the speech of those around them, my son had to be taught through speech therapy. We worked many, many hours with him... flash cards, learning through play, repetition.

Perhaps one of the biggest struggles was answering questions. To this day, at 11 years old I can still see in his face as he works out in his mind what is being asked of him. For Shaun, we modeled a lot of questions, then modeled how he was to respond. It was a slow process but over time progress was made. He continued to work on the WH- questions for many years, until he finally 'graduated' out of speech therapy in the 4th grade.

Today, I'm excited to share a new book series that I think will be a GREAT benefit to children on the spectrum and/or with speech delays, 'Hoo Hoo Who?':

You’re Invited! Mouse’s Surprise Party is today, but Owl’s glasses are broken. It’s a good thing you came along! Can you use the clues to help Owl figure out which guest is at the door? Hoo hoo who could it be? 
In this catchy and interactive book, children are encouraged to take part in the story and use expressive language to respond to Owl’s WHO questions. With engaging opportunities on every page, children will be excited to read this story again and again. Who doesn’t love to yell, “Surprise!” and sing, “Happy Birthday”? The bold and distinctive illustrations are refreshing for parents, and particularly enthralling for children who will be naturally drawn to the curvy and circular shapes. 
Roughly 1 in 12 children have a speech or language delay, including author Mary Maier’s 3-year-old son Max, who is also on the autistic spectrum. Here’s an excerpt from her blog explaining the importance (and shortage) of books focusing on WH- questions: 
“Kids with language delays work on WH- questions A LOT. Many children know their colors, shapes, numbers, letters, but not the difference between who, what and where. These questions are the building blocks of conversations and are HUGELY important to language development. I started thinking, why didn’t I know about this? Why doesn’t every parent know about the importance of WH- questions? Why aren’t WH-question books as prevalent as shape and number books? So I started doing some research. I wanted to find something to help with my son’s language development. All I could find were books with the word AUTISM in bold print on the front cover. No parent wants to read their child an AUTISM bedtime story—so I decided to write and illustrate my own WH- series of books for all kids, beginning with WHO. And WHO better to go on this journey with than a speech pathologist? 
My hope is to spread the word to ALL parents (not just to those whose children have language delays), the importance of WH- questions in language development and that they can be focused on in a fun and natural way—just like all those color books.”
About the Authors: Mary Maier graduated from Miami University, where she met her husband, with a degree in Art Education. She is an avid painter with a huge imagination; an important quality when raising two wild boys. She resides in Louisville, KY.    Mary has previous experience owning a publishing company for 25+ years solely based on books about the card game bridge.    
Lauren Horton received her Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Ball State University in December 2016. Lauren was born in Muncie, Indiana, but now resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband. 

Where oh where was this type of book when my son was little!? For Shaun (also being hyperlexic), books were one of our greatest learning tools. He learned better by reading than he did with verbal prompts. A book like this that highlighted those skills that we were working on in such a fun and kid friendly way? It would have been the perfect teaching tool for him, one that I could not find at that time! Likewise, I know it will be fantastic for other kids who need that extra help too.

In my experience, kids learn best when they don't realize they are learning--- through play, through fun stories... just like this one! This goes for all kids--- whether there are speech delays or not--- encouraging appropriate communication is a must for all children. This book is not just a book for kids who need help with speech... but for EVERY child! It is a book that reminds us as parents that it's not just about a word count- how many words can my child say? But about asking those questions, encouraging kids to think about and respond appropriately. It is going to be a great addition to your home (or classroom) library, regardless of your child's development.

Want to get started? Enjoy these free downloadable 'Who' and 'Where' flashcards to practice with your children.





Learn more and connect at the links below:

Visit Building Block Press.
Building Block Press Instagram.
Building Block Press Facebook.
Mary Maier Twitter.

And one very lucky reader is going to win a prize package including a copy of Hoo Hoo Who? and a custom puzzle featuring artwork from the book. Enter using the giveaway form below:

Entry-Form