Reach

Elizabeth Verdick has been writing books since 1997, the year her daughter was born. Her two children are the inspiration for nearly everything she writes. Before becoming an author, Elizabeth edited books for children and parents.These days she writes books for babies, toddlers, teens, and every age in between. She especially loves creating new board books. The Happy Healthy Baby® series is designed to capture the interest of the littlest readers. Elizabeth’s Toddler Tools® series helps young children and their parents cope with those tough times and transitions that happen every day (like naptime and bedtime). In the Best Behavior® series, she helps toddlers reach new milestones and improve their day-to-day behavior.Elizabeth also enjoys getting the chance to look at the funny side of life in the Laugh and Learn® series, which helps kids ages 8–13 get a handle on the social-emotional skills they’re developing throughout the elementary and middle school years. She’s also coauthor of The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder (And Their Parents), which offers kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) their own comprehensive resource for both understanding their condition and finding tools to cope with the challenges they face every day.Elizabeth lives and writes near St. Paul, Minnesota.Marjorie Lisovskis has been writing and editing books for children, teachers, and parents for more than thirty years and has a special interest in creating books that help young children see themselves as confident, capable, and loved.Along with the Happy Healthy Baby® series, she is the co-author (with Elizabeth Verdick) of How to Take the Grrrr Out of Anger. Marjorie has two grown children and three grandchildren.She lives with her husband in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In this addition to the Happy Healthy Baby series, Verdick and Lisovskis home in on an early developmental milestone—the use of hands to reach, grasp, and explore. B&w photos of babies smiling and reaching are paired with bright yellow pages with cartoon images of little ones smiling, crawling, and playing, as well as a simple verse: “Hungry baby wants some more./ Reaching is what hands are for!” Seven tips for adults offer useful suggestions for interacting with babies (“Your hands can be a ‘baby toy.’ Demonstrate waving, clapping, and reaching”) and encouraging motor skills. Simultaneously available: Eat. Up to age 2. — Publishers Weekly