Be creative. Be you.
Big Imagination Books is a creative space dedicated to the stories of author Marni Kay. Through her writing, Marni encourages children to be creative and to develop a healthy self-esteem. Her books, Mya’s Big Imagination and Andie's Polka-Dot Dress are designed to be read aloud to toddlers, preschoolers, and primary students. Marni hopes that her books will become part of your family reading time and that they will help to cultivate a love of reading in young children. The production of both books was a family project, including illustrations by Marni's daughters.
As an educator, Marni aspires to write stories that entertain and educate. Be sure to check out the Teaching Tips and Activity Pages which accompany Mya’s Big Imagination. Activity Pages for Andie's Polka-Dot Dress are coming soon.
Read on to learn more.
About the Book
Mya loves to play dress-up. Her big imagination lets her become anything she likes—a princess, a superhero, or even a puppy! Mya’s imagination gives her new ideas every day—until one morning when it doesn’t. What happens when Mya is stuck being just herself? Accompanied by illustrations by the author’s daughter, this heartwarming story celebrates creativity and individuality. Full of the magic of make-believe, Mya’s Big Imagination will remind young children that they can be anyone they want to be, but the best thing to be is yourself
About the Author
Marni Kay has been an elementary school teacher for over twenty years and currently provides reading intervention for young children. She strives to create stories that are both entertaining and enriching. Mya’s Big Imagination is Marni’s debut picture book, inspired by her two children. When she isn’t reading or writing, Marni can be found playing the piano, skiing, golfing, dancing, or teaching Korean Martial Arts (in which she holds a black belt). She lives in Elliot Lake, Ontario with her husband and daughters.
Photo Credit: Life Touch
About the Illustrator
Fifteen-year-old Mya Kay is a Grade 10 student who has always had a passion for art. She continues to use her big imagination in her many art projects. She works with oil paints, watercolours, pastels, digital art, crochet, and embroidery. In addition to art, Mya also enjoys reading, dancing, golfing, curling, and playing the guitar. She hopes to create a graphic novel in the future.
Check out her artwork on Instagram by clicking on the button below.
Teaching Tips
For Parents and Teachers
Before Reading:
Read the title of the book to your child and explain that Imagination
means pretend or make-believe.
Encourage your child to examine the cover and ask, “What do you think this story will be about?”
Invite your child to review the days of the week by saying them with you.
During Reading:
Consolidate the days of the week by inviting your child to tell you which day is next as you turn the page.
After reading the first couple of pages, pause before turning each subsequent page and ask your child to guess or predict what character Mya will be next.
After Reading:
Ask, “Which of Mya’s costumes is your favourite? Why?”
Ask, “What are your favourite dress-up clothes?”
Ask, “Why was Mya sad on Sunday?" Explain that she was sad because she ran out of ideas for dressing-up.
Ask, “Why is Mya happy at the end of the story?” Remind your child that every person is unique and special and that they can feel proud and happy about who they are
As a drama activity, ask your child to act out one of the characters from the book without words while you guess which one they are.
Activity Pages
Free
In addition to being an enjoyable story, we also want Mya's Big Imagination to be a learning experience for your little one. That is why we included the Teaching Tips above and the following free and printable activity pages. Print these pages to accompany a reading of the book either at home or in the classroom. Enjoy!