Guest Blog by Melody McAllister @mjmcalliwrites
Denis Mathew is an author for teachers. He loves sharing the message of his books to students, but he also helps other children’s authors get their messages to students. He speaks the language of an educator as he has been a Speech Pathologist in the public school system for years for all grade levels. His name is Dennis Mathew and his books are My Wild First Day of School and Bello the Cello. [tweet]He advocates for diversity in books because he knows how important representation matters as a Man of Color himself.[/tweet] His heart is probably the biggest I’ve ever come into contact with, and in fact, he calls me Sister, and I am sure he is my Brother.
A Man of Many Talents!
Author, Educator Dennis Mathew is also a husband, father, and musician. He wants to help others find their song! His passion is helping others self-reflect through social emotional learning, language, and conflict-resolution issues. When I first met him in a fun, live book chat I host weekly, we instantly connected. Turns out he has presented to over 30,000 students worldwide! He’s helping other authors do the same as he loves sharing his message with young people.
As an author, he says of the writing process, that even when we publish books, we still find ways we think our stories could be stronger. He writes his stories for teachers to empower their students and find a way to begin, what some might find, as hard conversations. I truly believe his stories are for such a time as this.
Here is a great description of his award-winning book, Bello the Cello:
“What’s my song?”
“Will I fit in?”
These are the questions we find a young Cello named Bello asking himself as he tries to navigate the novelties of his first day at school. When inspiration from the magical sounds of his new classmates mixes with the encouragement and the gentle nudge of other whimsical characters, Bello arrives at the discovery of his gift, the magic of his song.
Connect With Dennis!
Doesn’t Dennis Mathew sound wonderful? Wouldn’t you love for him to come to your school or classroom this next school year for an author’s visit (virtually most likely)? I hope you’ll take a moment and look this author up. He autographs the books that he sells from his website and they are all reasonably priced! You can also follow him on Twitter at @storiesbydennis and Instagram @booksbydennis. Whether you add his books to your teacher or children’s library, they will be a welcome addition and help you open your heart more to yourself and others.
1 thought on “Author @storiesbydennis is Helping Students Find Their Unique Song”
Thank you for introducing this author to me!