Children’s author to give special reading at Analog Books Halloween event

By Trevor Busch LETHBRIDGE HERALD on October 30, 2021.

Local author and illustrator Constance Douglas will be performing a special reading of one of her children's books during a Family Halloween event at Analog Books on Sunday. Submitted photo

LETHBRIDGE HERALDtbusch@lethbridgeherald.com

Local author and illustrator Constance Douglas will be performing a special reading of one of her children’s books during a Family Halloween event at Analog Books on Sunday.
“They’re not usually open on Sunday, but they’re going to have a special event for Halloween,” said Douglas. “There will be costumes, and prizes, and treats.”
The event is from 11-4 p.m. on Sunday at Analog’s 322 6 Street South location. Masks and proof of vaccination will be required to attend.
At 2 p.m., Douglas will be performing a reading from her latest book, “Angie Quinn’s Amazing Adventures with Shnoogy and Kruddy”, which was released this spring.
“I’m going to come in full costume, and likely have puppets with me at this event,” said Douglas. “Shnoogy and Kruddy are an unusual new way of introducing children to the world of their feelings. Shnoogy is their positive, and Kruddy is their negative, in a way that children can see them, engage with them, and open up the lines of communication for kids. Which I feel is really important right now especially in these stressful times, for children to be able to communicate what they’re feeling, and have a tool to be able to do this.”
Douglas is known as “The Shnoogy Lady” among the youthful reading public.
“It’s just a really fun, light story, but throughout the story, Shnoogy and Kruddy play a part in sharing choices and voices that the characters have along the way of their adventure. It’s going to be fun, because it’s going to be colourful, it’s going to be read with voices, there’s going to be puppets there for them to relate to and see. It will open up a door for the children to even start communication with their mom and dad about having a ‘Shnoogy’ and having a ‘Kruddy’. Having the ability to choose, and discovering that they’re not alone, that we have these feelings, and just open up a window for them to start to engage and perhaps communicate what they’re feeling.”
Pandemic restrictions have remained a stumbling block in getting the book’s message out to the public, and Douglas hopes Sunday’s event will bring some added exposure.
“The Lethbridge School District’s head of councellors had asked me, invited me, the last two years to bring this in as a pilot run to introduce children to their emotions at a very young age from kindergarten on up. Each time just as I was getting in the door – kids love it, I have been in schools – COVID has shut me out. I’m struggling with a way to bring this to families, and bring this to children, in what I hope is a means to cope with what they’re dealing with.”

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