Mary Becker
Hi, my name is Mary Becker. I’m a Midwesterner at heart, a Southerner by choice, and a lifelong fan of Dr. Seuss.
Books By Mary Becker
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The Debt Monster
When you go shopping, do you find yourself trying to explain “we aren’t buying that” to your child? The Debt Monster is a thoughtful and educational story that will do the explaining for you. Join the I. O. Lots family on their daily trip to the store as they encounter the debt monster and learn a valuable money lesson. This fun, rhyming story will teach your child the difference between wants and needs, the importance of being patient in waiting until they can afford certain things, and the value of being content and thankful for what we already have. . .each other! Discussion questions that help get valuable conversations started, along with a glossary and a grade level Dolch sight word list to reinforce beginning reader’s knowledge, make this an excellent resource for both parents and teachers alike.
The Dazzling Dollar Dude
When your child receives a monetary gift, does it slip through his or her fingers so quickly that they wonder where it has gone? Join the I. O. Lots Family as they meet the Dazzling Dollar Dude, a financial superhero who has a plan that will solve that money mystery. This fun, rhyming book with colorful characters captures and holds a child’s attention, while also teaching an easy, three-step, common-sense money principle that works for both children and adults. Discussion questions that will help get valuable conversations started, along with a glossary and a grade level Dolch sight word list to reinforce beginning reader’s knowledge, (plus some homophone fun making “sense of your cents”), make this an excellent resource for both parents and teachers alike.
Auntie Bea Joyful’s Christmas Gift
Are you looking for a way to outsmart inflation this Christmas? Need help starting a conversation with your child that the holidays might be a little different this year, while also teaching the importance of mindful spending? Auntie Bea Joyful’s Christmas Gift is here to help you easily begin that discussion and help your family focus less on presents and more on activities that promote lifelong lessons of faith, thankfulness, and the joy of giving (responsibly, of course) to others. This fun, rhyming book with colorful characters captures and holds a child’s attention. Discussion questions, along with a grade level Dolch sight word list to reinforce beginning reader’s knowledge and a glossary, make this an excellent educational resource for both parents and teachers alike.
Understanding Charlie
Looking for a fun and uplifting way to help a child understand why another child acts so differently? Understanding Charlie does just that. This is a story of one family’s love for their wonderfully made child, a four-year-old boy with autism and sensory issues who is difficult to understand. Told through the eyes of Charlie and his older sister Amelia in a fun, rhyming style, the wonderful illustrations show that while Charlie may act differently, he is like other children in so many ways. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book to encourage children to share their thoughts and feelings about Charlie and his experiences. It’s also a great resource to introduce the concept of inclusion for all children, whether their behaviors are difficult to deal with or at times inappropriate.
Understanding Reed
“I know a girl I met at school, and she does not sit still.
I sometimes really wonder if she can or ever will!
She’s always, always moving, going from here to there.
At first she’s at the bookshelf, and then she’s by her chair,
But then she’s at the window, though not for very long!
And all the while she’s doing this, she hums a happy song.
But when our teacher says to her, ‘I need you to sit down,’
I can tell she’s really sad, for she begins to frown,
Because it is so hard for her to sit and pay attention,
Plus having to remember when the teacher gives direction.”
Understanding Reed follows six-year-old Reed, a little girl with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) whose seemingly uncontrollable behavior puzzles and frustrates her classmates and friends. With fun rhymes and colorful illustrations, Understanding Reed provides an easy and uplifting way to help children understand the concept of inclusion and why another child may act so differently. Discussion questions included at the end of the book encourage children to share their thoughts and feelings.
She Said He Said Series
Happily Ever After Everyone Else:
Julie’s Story (Book 1)
Take five children, one son-in-law, two grandchildren, one future daughter-in-law, one live-in elderly parent, and include them in your life and marriage. Next, add all the daily issues that may come up in this family, between sixty-six different relationships, the stress from two full-time jobs, the coordination of everyone’s commitments, the repair of their problems, and then toss in a few people from the past. Finally, sprinkle in a road trip, a wedding, and several attempts at finding time for romance and a love life. This is the perfect recipe for a panini of problems, a club sandwich of conflicts, and a BLT of breakdowns, with a side of getting into pickles. This is the life of Julie and Mike Morin, sandwiched in between generations and the pressures that come with it. Humor and hilarity make up the dessert in this story. Life’s short. Eat the dessert and read the book!
Happily Ever After the Choice:
Mike’s Story (Book 2)
Following Happily Ever After Everyone Else, the story of Mike and Julie Morin as told by Julie, this is Mike’s version of events. The Morins are navigating life sandwiched between caring for an elderly mother-in-law and facing the challenges that come with having a large family. While dealing with a smorgasbord of stresses, Mike and Julie go on the road to their oldest son’s wedding. Mike just wants to “get lucky” and have all the answers to an easier life that caters to his needs. Now toss in a college buddy and his new wife, a nun, and several other characters along the way. Follow the Morins once again as they try to figure out how to correctly digest a tray of troubles, a serving of predicaments, and a basket case of hilarity, all while Mike attempts to figure out where he will land and what he will do with the big jam he has served himself. Then learn who will live happily ever after . . . the choice!