My favorite time of the day was storytime ….

When I was little, my dad would put three boys into bed and read to us. And later, it was my turn to tuck two boys into bed. For nearly 10 years, I pulled the covers up to their chins, turned the lights down low, and told a story or read a book until they nodded off.

There’s something magical about storytime with kids. Describing far-away lands, adventures and daring heroes stirs their imagination.

When you see the spark in their eyes and hear, “Read it again!” you’ve connected. I hope storytime produces wonderful memories for you and your family. And I hope the children in your life connect with ABCs and 123s books.

Here's our mission ...

Once we sell 1 million copies, we’ll donate a truckload of free books. Our goal is to donate $10,000 worth of books!

We'll support local libraries, daycare centers and children’s literacy causes, such as Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Julia Witherspoon’s Cops ‘N Kids Reading Center, the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, First Book and others.

I grew up in and raised a family of (mostly) boys, so a "boys book" came naturally. While writing, I also discovered studies that show boys may have a more difficult time learning the alphabet and reading:

• Reading comprehension differences between boys and girls can be found at preschool. Studies find differences in favor of girls in nearly 40 countries.

• Some research says boys’ reading levels may not catch up until about age 15.

Using boy's names for characters, I created ABCs and 123s for Boys to be more engaging . If your little boys are engaged, maybe it will nudge them on their reading and counting journey. Note: The book's multi-cultural characters and names can be enjoyed by boys and girls alike.

As a new author, there are a lot of people who helped on this journey. First and foremost is my wife. And there are many others who reviewed preview copies, tested pages with their kids, provided input for characters and more.

Thank you: J. O'Brien, J. Anderson, F. Meier, C. Petzke, C. Baker, J. Cooper, C. Cauffman, S. Felix, T. Simpson, K. Gueldenzopf, and C. Replogle.