Photos courtesy of Amy Geiger Photography

Mary Munson, MA, MS.

Where wonder and words work intertwine

Hi, thanks for popping in!

I'm Mary, I've been a teacher for ​twenty five years and children's ​writer for even longer than that.

I am excited to share my ​experience and knowledge about ​young children with you and the ​world, through my picture books.

Welcome

March 7, 2023

Gnome Road Publishing

Love Will Turn You Around

Love Will Turn You Around,written by Mary Munson and ​Illustrated by Kate Talbot is an inspiring story about ​identity and processing emotions all while exploring ​various shapes. Children will relate to Heart who wakes ​up one morning feeling all wrong. Heart’s friends ​recognize that he is not himself and they include him in ​their fun, but no matter what Heart does, he doesn’t ​seem to fit quite right. Finally, Heart realizes his true ​identity—to feel and express love. In the end, Heart takes ​what he’s learned and helps another friend who is feeling ​lost.

foundational math, Shapes and properties

Primary and Secondary Colors

Social-Emotional Development

Problem-solving

Friendship and Teamwork

It's Here!

It's Here!

The kids did a great job representing ​Love Will Turn You Around

at PJ Literacy Night!

Scavenger Hunt

How to rock an author ​visit when the book isn't ​quite out yet...

"And just like that, LOVE ​turned everything around..."

With a love of teaching and a degree in English, Mary began her classroom teaching in a ​preschool classroom in 1998. She added two master’s degrees in Early Childhood ​Development and Early Childhood Special Education and has served children with and ​without special needs for over two decades. With years of teaching and her passion for ​writing, Mary organically embeds early childhood concepts into playful stories for children.

When Mary is not in the classroom, she is in the school's greenhouse serving as the ​Nutritional Science Liaison for the farm-to-table program. She developed and hosts ​"Friday Try-Days" for all students to learn about the benefits of growing and eating ​healthy foods.

When Mary is not in the classroom, or in the greenhouse, she is in the mountains, on a ​beach with her family, or on her yoga mat.

Mary is an active member of SCBWI and Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 Picture Book Challenge. She ​has won awards for her creative writing and has been published over the years in local ​newspapers and magazines for children.

Her debut picture book, LOVE WILL TURN YOU AROUND, (Gnome Road Publishing, 2023), ​is an excellent example of how Mary combines her creative writing with her love of ​teaching.

Photos courtesy of Amy Geiger Photography

Mary Munson, MA, MS.

What's Happening

Reviews

Love Will Turn You Around

CHILDRENS ARC REVIEW FT MY DAUGHTER

📖 Love Will Turn You Around By Mary ​Manson illustrated by Kate Talbot 📖

Pub Date ~ March 7th 2023

Publisher Gnome Road Publishing

"Our Thoughts ~ we found this book to be really ​relatable and enjoyable. The Book itself was about a ​heart who didn't feel like himself and instead tried ​to be like his friends to feel like he fit in. Along the ​way he learned that it is better to be yourself and ​that loving yourself can turn your mood around. ​Very heartfelt short and sweet to the point. Easy for ​my daughter to understand she enjoyed the shapes ​and color story."

Interviews

3 Question Interview - MARY MUNSON

https://www.melissastoller.com/post/3-​question-interview-mary-munson

Events

Read Across America

Guest Author, February ​2023

Prosser Library

Bloomfield, CT

April 2023

How it All ​Began

The 2023 Valentiny Contest WINNERS!!!

March 8, 2023

I want to tell you a story.

Once upon a time, long, long ago in February 2020 when we didn’t even know the pandemic was mere weeks away, a writer entered the 5th Annual ​Valentiny Writing Contest.

The prompt that year was curiosity.

She wrote a lovely story called The Upside-Down Heart.

It was nicely written, creative, kid-friendly – in short, the judges really liked it!

But…

(you knew there was a but coming, right?)

…alas and alack, she did not make the finals because her story did not feel curious enough, and that was the point the stories were supposed to be getting ​across.

Now, I know you’re feeling sad for this poor writer who tried so hard and wrote a wonderful story that didn’t make the cut. We all know that heartache ​too well. But…

(I hope you felt that another but was coming because you know I like to tell stories with happy endings 😊)

wipe your tears, my pretties, because this is what became of that story! ❤️😊😊😊😊😊❤️

Help ​Spread ​the Joy!

Fundraising for literacy ​for underprivledged ​children.