Fun Author Sites

It's no surprise picture book authors have some of the most fun sites -- for kids and parents. Here are a few of my favorites:

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel. I put this one first because it's my son's favorite. Johnny K loves Bad Kitty Mad Dash, sort of Frogger with our hero avoiding kitty litter, vacuums, and Uncle Murray. He also likes Go, Cat, Go where Bad Kitty does what good kitties do, too -- runs for no reason. Great fun!

It's no surprise Mo Willems makes this list. He does just about everything right. His GoMo.net focuses on Cat the Cat and so is aimed at younger readers (and web surfers), but Elephant, Piggy, and Pigeon all pop up. Some simple and silly games that will entertain Mo's fans (and their children).

Jamie Lee Curtis has a lot of games on her site. They're mostly the same games, with mazes and matches, but for every one of her books. In other words, fans of any one book can find a character they love; fans of many books can chase plenty of their favorite characters around!

Okay, yes, this one looks more like the TV show than the original books, but it was inspired by the Rev. W. Awdry's stories. It's also a lot of fun for the little ones who can't get enough of Thomas, in visual or printed form. Games, puzzles, activities, and of course, video.

How could any list  be complete without Dr. Seuss? There's everything here for Dr. Seuss fans -- games, puzzles, sound effects, blips, bops, gar ginkers and trum tupers. You'll see his best known and least known characters. It's like the Wikipedia of children's sites -- you could get lost in there!

I found that these sites actually encouraged my son to read more, from Thomas in preschool to Nic Bruel and his chapter books now -- they do a wonderful job of promoting the authors, their books, and the joy of reading.

Check them out when you get a chance. Just make sure you have some time to spare!

Know of another fun site? Recommend it below!