Award-winning television and film writer Patricia Rust shares with us her passion for children’s literacy in her delightful book, The King of Skittledeedoo. Written for preschoolers to be read to or for early readers (up to age eight) to read to themselves, The King of Skittledeedoo is written entirely in rhyming verse, which is a great way to get children to pay attention to the letter sounds that make up words. The book also introduces children to words they may not recognize yet, such as, “preening,” “amuck,” “girth,” and “beseech,” to name a few. This combination of rhyming verse and new vocabulary words makes The King of Skittledeedoo a perfect book to read aloud to your grandchild, placing emphasis on the rhymes and explaining the definitions of the new words. The King of Skittledeedoo tells the story of a stately king who loses all of his supposed stateliness — his crown, clothes, jewels, etc. — when a tragic fire burns throughout the kingdom. Left with only a towel, he tries to calm his kingdom’s people down by letting them know he is in control, but without his usual garb, his people don’t recognize him. So they put him to the test and ask him to prove he is their king by adding simple numbers and spelling words such as “potatoes,” “mother,” and even, “Skittledeedoo.” When he fails miserably, two children decide to bring him to school, believing that whether or not he is their king, he, like everyone, should know the “three R’s.” The tale ends happily, of course, but we’ll leave it up to you to discover the ending for yourself. The literacy message is clear, yet isn’t preachy. Along with writing for TV and film, Patricia Rust is a contributing writer to the Kids Page of the Los Angeles Times, and is the founder of Power for Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps spread the word about the importance of children’s literacy. You may also recognize the whimsical, cartoon-like illustrations of San Wei Chan, an award-winning animator and illustrator for Warner Brothers Studios, where he worked on beloved shows, such as Looney Tunes. The King of Skittledeedoo, a full-color, hardcover children’s book, makes a nice gift, and when you order from her website (see “Click Here” link below), Patricia Rust is happy to personally inscribe your copy!