“I had no idea it would take off this soon,” says Dixon, 36. “This has been a dream come true.
A.J. AND THE TALENT SHOW stars A.J., a new kid at school that just wants to be liked, but teasing by his classmates make that almost impossible. The only friend he can turn to is books, and when it is announced that the school is having a talent show, A.J. sees a way to share that reading is one of the coolest things to do.
“It’s been good to see the response from the teachers, administration and the students,” Dixon says. During his recent visit to Naperville/Aurora, IL he was interviewed by the Naperville Sun, appearing in an article on the Chicago Tribune website and in print. That along has sparked more attention about the book. “I have more schools that want me to make visits to them before the end of the school year,” he says. “This is only the beginning.”
One of the interesting things about the book which was co-written and illustrated by Mississippi author C. A. Webb is that A.J. race is not disclosed in the book. “We did this purposely,” Dixon explains. “As I said to a 3rd grader during my school visit in Oswego, IL it’s our job to tell the story, but it’s the student’s job to personalize it.”
During a recent tour stop Dixon shared that the next book in the series is “A.J. Tackles Bullying”. It will be released in August 2015.
A.J. AND THE TALENT SHOW is available on Amazon at www.tinyurl.com/ajandthetalentshow.
For more information about joining the tour or to contact Herschel Dixon about his commitment to encouraging reading, email him at herschel.dixoncmg@gmail.com or call 1.502.299.4120. For more information about the literacy campaign The Reading Den visit www.thereadingden.com.
