WHAT WE DO
We create reading books and materials to help children learn how to read.
Our phonics books are fun and engaging and children won’t stop reading them.
They are heavily edited by the most honest, grueling editors available: children.
WE BELIEVE
We believe that phonics books need to be entertaining and exciting- igniting creativity and curiosity.
They need colorful, fun illustrations but they also need to allow for reading comprehension from the words themselves.
We believe that phonics books should make as much sense as possible in order to build decoding skills as well as comprehension and language skills.
This is challenging
Phonics books contain extremely limited vocabulary and as a result the stories are often awkward and don’t quite make sense.
However, children need materials that focus upon specific phonics skills in order to build the ability to sound out unknown words.
The challenge is to find books that make sense and exercise phonics muscles. It’s very difficult to find books that meet that criteria.
That is why Lolo Cat books were created.
We believe that reading needs to be a family affair. Children who are just learning how to read need to read with more advanced readers in order to gain new skills. Five year olds and struggling readers need support.
They can’t teach themselves how to read alone. When reading Lolo Cat books, the emerging reader will read the main text and the adult/advanced reader reads the text in the thought bubbles.
The text in the thought bubbles help build the story structure, explain unknown vocabulary words, add character development and humor.
ABOUT ANN OLIVA
Ann Oliva (Camit) started teaching on the island of Maui in 1999. She specializes in reading instruction for general and special education as well as remedial reading.
She has since moved to the mountains of Southern Oregon where she teaches in a variety of locations.
Ann’s art training was provided via the Arts Across the Curriculum teachers’ arts education program at the Maui Arts Cultural Center supported by the Kennedy Center and the Hawai’i Arts Alliance.
She is a creator of Hula Ki’i puppets and a writer with the Maui Writing Project.
She lives with her husband in Southern Oregon.