Former Kumon Student Becomes a Published Children’s Book Author
Meet Jenny Luu, a former Kumon Student and now a published author! She attended Kumon alongside her sister and two cousins in a Kumon Centre in Calgary. All of them say they have benefited from the positive impacts that Kumon had given them and are now all successful in their own ways.
Although Jenny was enrolled in the Kumon Math Program at the time, she says that Kumon sharpened her mind and helped build her confidence which can be transferrable to many aspects of a person’s life.
In addition to becoming an author, Jenny is a mother of a one-year-old baby who inspired her to write this new book. In the spirit of the Summer Reading Challenge, we asked her a few questions from the perspective of a former Kumon student, author, and mother.
What were some skills that you have developed as a Kumon Student that helped you become a writer?
In addition to discovering more adjectives to describe things, it also helped me sharpen my mind and helped build my confidence as I was able to read and solve math problems that were beyond what was taught at school. I was able to practice reading, writing and math at my own pace outside of class.
What was your favorite book growing up?
I have many favorites, but two books do stand out and that I’m torn between are: Mortimer by Robert Munsch and The Twits by Roald Dahl
Are there any books from Kumon that you remember? What would you recommend?
Oh my! It was so long ago I don’t really remember but based on the Kumon reading list there are many books I recommend! Quite honestly, all of them. I remember reading many of them growing up.
Specifically, though, all the Roald Dahl stories and all the books on Level E. I grew up reading those stories in school and I grew quite fond of them.
One book I would choose for my toddler would be: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle. And one (not on the list): Press Here by Herve Tullet.
My toddler has a very short attention span, so short books with fun repetitions are great. I can see that she can get very involved with the story.
What’s your favorite genre of children’s books?
Favorite genres had always changed for me. When I was really young, I liked funny stories so contemporary fiction, then fantasy, then teen thrillers, and historical fiction. I went through a whole summer indulging in Greek mythology and “Choose your own adventure” to horror like Goosebumps books when I was 12.
What genre does your book fall into?
Fiction / toy book / baby book/ Picture book
What is your new book about?
Behold the power of a smile! The simple act of smiling has been shown to boost chemicals in our brains that produce positive emotions. Studies have found that, even when you are having a bad day, arranging your face into a smile can help you feel better immediately.
Where is Your Smile? is a fun, interactive book for babies that helps them connect, explore and find smiles together with their parents.
Jenny’s book was released on July 8th and can be found on Amazon.
If you are interested, here is Kumon’s recommended reading list: https://www.kumon.com/assets/us-en/pdfs/Kumon_Recommended_Reading_List.pd
To
learn more about our Summer Reading Challenge, click here: https://www.kumon.com/resources/summer-reading-challenge/