Todd Nichols children's author
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Hmm...I can do a lot with that nickname

11/10/2017

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So I had my main character. With a cool nickname that I could do a lot with. I mean, really–Peas? It writes itself, doesn't it? Now, I know what you thinking. You: Okay, Mister Think-You-Are-So-Clever Writer, so you're telling me filling your book with potty humor is a good thing? Don't you know we're tired of our kids reading Captain Underpants all day long and want them to read something without talking toilets and poopy underpants? I hear you. And, no, I don't think a book filled with potty humor is a good thing. There has to be more to your story. But I also do think that some potty humor is a way to relate to reluctant readers, especially boys. (I have one at home–a reluctant reader–and trust me I can't tell you how many times he has read the Captain Underpants series. But he READS that series. And I want kids who are reluctant readers to READ. Let me say that again: I WANT RELUCTANT READERS TO READ! I don't think I need to tell you how important reading is. But as a classroom teacher, I can't tell you how many reluctant readers enter my classroom every year. And how hard it is to get a book in their hands. So, yes, I will have a character with a nickname that sounds like a bodily function we all do if it will GET KIDS READING. (Author confession: I do find it kind of funny.) And so that's what I did. I used the nickname Peas to riff on the other peas. The one with two e's that's not a vegetable at all. Has nothing to do with little green spheres and jolly green giants. Ho-ho-ho! No. The one with the two e’s has to do with a certain bodily function we all do, but it’s not like I want to spell it out for you. Here’s a clue: it has to do with yellow streams and “Don’t eat the yellow snow!” 
​
(Can I tell you that when I did a reading a little while back at my town library that the kids we literally on the floor laughing at that last line!)
​So I knew I had done something right! Or is that write?!
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  • About
  • Blog
  • Short Stories
    • The Umbrella Incident
    • Byron's Bath
    • Whisper Voice
    • P & H Ch. 1
  • Tweets
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  • Contact