Happy Friday, Everyone!
Welcome to season five, episode eight of "Chatting with the Constantins." We have a special episode for you today. Destiny and John Constantin sit down and chat with Educator, Children & Young Adult Author Kelly Leslie. The Canadian author discusses the inspiration behind her young adult novel, "Chances Are." Chances… Are is an inspiring young adult novel full of adventure about self-discovery, overcoming obstacles, great characters, and a blossoming romance. In addition, Kelly shares her passion for writing and teaching. Finally, she discusses her children's books that hold a special meaning and feature characters with special needs like autism and anxiety. These books are created with children with special needs in mind, so they can have literature they can relate to and teach children about people who may be different but are still an important part of the community. Kelly Leslie writes with passion and with the goal of raising awareness for individuals with special needs. Her stories are meaningful, inspiring, and relatable as she crafts characters who experience obstacles and go on a journey to overcome them.
Thank you for joining, and we hope you enjoy this episode!
Learn more about Kelly Leslie's young adult novel, "Chances Are.." and read Destiny's review on our website. Also, if you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, please send us an email through our website or a direct Twitter message.
Kelly Leslie's Biography
My name is Kelly Leslie, and I am a retired Principal with 30+ years of experience in the field of education. During that time, I developed an affinity for children with special needs and continue to strive to highlight the importance of recognizing all our strengths. To that end, in my retirement, a valued colleague-friend and I co-created an organization entitled Believe Beyond Bounds to showcase children and young adults with special needs.
In a further attempt to continue to impact young children, I have created some children's picture books. I believe it's never too early to teach our children about positive differences, acceptance, kindness, and inclusion. It is this belief that inspired me to create the Hannah Series and the Bruno Series, picture books for children aged 4-8. It is my hope to focus on the incredible strengths showcased by children with special needs and, through this, continue to support all children, as well as provide resources for both parents and educators.
I have recently had the pleasure of co-authoring an SEL (social, emotional learning) curriculum resource for K-3 teachers with Joyce Tam. We have developed an easy-to-use resource that incorporates all 6 of the picture books, focusing on (positive) Differences, Acceptance, Kindness, and Inclusion - The DAKI. Our hope is to support educators in facilitating social-emotional growth in the classroom. In addition, to help create a climate where students will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of self while supporting one another in a collaborative learning environment.
I have also published my first YA novel, Chances Are... my hope with this novel is to impact our young adult audience with a message around learning to appreciate your personal strengths, be unapologetically yourself and your own best friend, always.
Author Website: https://sites.google.com/view/klesliebooks/home
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