Local Bethel Park author and experienced educator Molly Nero has been
awarded the 2012 Mom’s Choice Award for her recently published debut book
Smarty Pig. This story was created to get children excited about
learning.
"Learning is not just for school, it’s for life," says Nero, author
of Smarty Pig, soon to be released through Halo Publishing International.
She hopes teachers will utilize Smarty Pig in their classrooms to inspire their
students. "It is important to help children understand that learning to
count and read is not just something we make them do at school, but lessons
they will be applying throughout their lives." She said reading to her own
children inspired her to write stories that will build self-esteem and help
young students deal with issues at school.
Smarty Pig is a story about a family of pigs who give up on school. One of the
pigs, though, loves to learn. She creates games to help others practice
skills eventually getting the family members to realize that learning can be
fun and how important school really is to their future. Reaching out to young
students, the pro-learning book is geared toward children in grades K-3.
"This book series will be valuable to teachers working to inspire learning
in children," said Halo International Publisher Lisa Umina. "Molly
knows from her own experience as a teacher how important it is to get children
excited about school."
First-grade teacher Barbara Walsh said Smarty Pig appeals to readers of all ages.
"Parents and teachers love the positive message about learning,"
Walsh said. "And kids love it because it’s fun."
Nero said she wants children to understand that school is a good place, and it
isn’t just about tests. Creative and experiential learning are essential to
development, said the author. In her second book in the Smarty Pig series, Nero
helps students who struggle with test taking anxiety in Smarty Pig and the Test
Taking Terror. Here she gives kids, parents and even teachers strategies
to help overcome test "shut-down." "These are techniques
that I have used and found to be effective to calm kids down when they are
overwhelmed dealing with a testing situation."
A native of Arlington, Texas and the youngest in a family of seven children,
Nero taught academics and music at the elementary school level after achieving
her degree at the University of Texas. Nero recently relocated to Pennsylvania
with her husband and two children, ages 9 and 15.
Smarty Pig was released in Jan. 2012 and Smarty Pig and the Test Taking Terror
was just released in March. To order the books, visit
http://halopublishing.com., amazon.com, or barnesandnoble.com. To reach
Molly Nero, call 412-722-4373.
