![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/manchester\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/3-3-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOver time, however, \u201cThe Wacky Week\u201d was consigned to a dusty closet, waiting for its moment to resurface. Watkins continued to teach and eventually spent the last 12 years helping struggling readers, but the book never left her heart. Then, last year, when her principal moved her to a new classroom, she stumbled upon it once more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI saw the book again, and I thought, \u2018I need to do something with this,\u2019\u201d Watkins said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The timing was perfect. That summer, she learned about a local class on self-publishing and decided to attend, determined to give her book the attention it deserved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By June 2, Watkins took her first steps toward publication. Inspired by local authors and motivated by the potential to finally bring her story to a wider audience, she set to work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m very goal-oriented,\u201d she explained. \u201cOnce I get my mind set on something, I\u2019m going to get it done.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a new burst of energy, Watkins rewrote sections of \u201cThe Wacky Week\u201d to bring the story up to date. She removed a few outdated elements and refined the narrative with help from her family. Her daughter-in law, Zoe Watkins, a professional editor; her son, Noah, an English major and editor by trade; and her sister and editor, Teresa Cook, lent their talents to the project to help her polish the story and make it precise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Watkins had originally hand-drawn the illustrations, she decided to use Canva \u2014 a graphic design platform \u2014 to create the updated artwork, saving time while still retaining the playful, whimsical style she envisioned for the book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love to draw, but Canva made it so much easier,\u201d she shared. \u201cIt felt like making a great big scrapbook of my story.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In just a month\u2019s time, Watkins transformed her 30-year-old classroom project into a self-published book available on Amazon. By July Fourth, \u201cThe Wacky Week\u201d was ready for purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The reception was nothing short of thrilling. Within its first week, \u201cThe Wacky Week\u201d became the No. 1 new release in children\u2019s books on Amazon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d Watkins said, still excited by the overwhelming sup<\/strong>port. \u201cPeople started sending me pictures of their children reading the book, telling me how much they loved it.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For Watkins, one of the most special moments came when a former kindergarten student, now grown, purchased the book for her own child. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to think that something I wrote for her when she was 5 is now being read by her own daughter. It\u2019s a full circle moment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Wacky Week\u201d may seem like just another children\u2019s book on the surface, but at its core, it\u2019s a unique and relatable teaching tool. The book introduces children to important educational concepts \u2014 days of the week, color words, number words, and rhyming \u2014 all wrapped up in a fun and engaging story. Beyond that, it teaches a valuable moral lesson about kindness and inclusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted my students to not only learn the basics but also learn to be empathetic and kind to one another,\u201d Watkins explained. \u201cThe central theme of the book is just that \u2014 being kind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the future, Watkins is already considering her next project. The success of \u201cThe Wacky Week\u201d has reignited her passion for writing, and she\u2019s eager to dive into another book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSummers can get a little boring now that my kids are grown,\u201d she laughed. \u201cThis gave me something meaningful to do, and it\u2019s motivated me to keep going.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n From the colorful pages illustrated in a master\u2019s class years ago to a published book that\u2019s now teaching kindness to a new generation of children, \u201cThe Wacky Week\u201d proves that dreams \u2014 no matter how long they\u2019re put on hold \u2014 can still come true. Watkins said she is grateful for the support of her family and the readers who have embraced her story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis book is a piece of my heart,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s been amazing to finally share it with the world.\u201d GN <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kim Watkins stood in front of her classroom, the old pages of a homemade book cradled in her hands. The colorful, hand-drawn pictures, carefully illustrated with crayons and pencils, glistened under the fluorescent lights. Her students sat cross-legged at her feet with their eyes wide as they earnestly chimed, \u201cRead it again, Mrs. Watkins!\u201d It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":23362,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/manchester\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/4-1-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/manchester\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2024\/12\/1-2-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n