Susan Lupone Stonis has been a bookworm as long as she can remember and is passionate about the power of reading aloud to children. She has shared her love of reading and books with others in each of the roles she has played so far in her lifetime, as mother, elementary teacher, literacy coach, staff developer, blogger, and now author/illustrator.
Susan taught elementary school for 18 years and, following extensive postgraduate work through Lesley University’s Literacy Collaborative, she became a literacy specialist, teaching reading and writing workshops to children and providing professional development to teachers in literacy instruction. She was also trained through the Lesley University Literacy Collaborative Coaching Academy, a small cohort of educational professionals led by nationally renowned literacy expert Dr. Irene Fountas. She has now become a literacy consultant, coaching teachers in best practices in reading and writing instruction.
A mom of three and stepmom of two, Susan lives by the sea in Scituate, Massachusetts, with her husband Jon and their dog Apollo. She looks forward to collaborating with Jacqueline on their next project, a Belly Book made just for Daddies-to-be!
Susan and Jacqueline have been friends for almost 40 years, a friendship that has often been defined by the creative projects they’ve worked on together.
“When we were kids it was crafts, drawing, songs, and poems,” Susan says. “Now as grownups we continue to have so much fun making things. Actually, our Belly Book is a grown-up version of what we’ve been doing together our whole lives.”
Jacqueline Boyle is a writer, illustrator, book editor and copyeditor. Reading has always been one of her greatest joys, especially the English and Russian classics. It’s no wonder she wants to pass this love along to coming generations through the magic of in utero reading!
Jacqueline is a lifelong writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She has a bachelor’s in English from Boston College and has participated in writing workshops at Grub Street Writers, Inc. in Boston, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Mass., and the Chatham (Mass.) Writers’ Workshops.
In visual art, Jacqueline is crazy about paper of all kinds, and transforming it into mosaics and collage. She also works in oil painting and drawing, which allow her to express her love for nature and the beautiful seacoast and woods around her home in Gloucester, Mass. See what she’s up to on her personal blog!
Lesley University Shines a Spotlight on Belly Books Author
With the introduction, “Literacy Collaborative alum Susan Lupone Stonis takes leap from literacy coach to award-winning children’s book author,” this article on the Lesley University website describes how Susan’s passion for sharing her love of reading was further inspired by her work with Literacy Collaborative, a comprehensive school improvement model based on the extensive work of literacy experts Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. This learning experience led Susan to discover the rich field of research into the benefits of reading to babies before birth, and soon sparked the idea that would become the Belly Books Collection. Read the whole article here!
Shannon Mullaire of Fox News Boston Models a Belly Book
Susan and Jacqueline were interviewed by awesome reporter and expectant mother Shannon Mullaire of Fox News Boston. They talk all about the importance of starting a storytime routine before birth, and share their excitement about Belly Books.
Front-Page Article in the Scituate Mariner
Susan Lupone Stonis and Jacqueline Boyle believe the benefits of being read to can have a positive affect on a child while still in the womb. And they have written and illustrated an innovative picture book specifically designed for a mother to read to her unborn baby. “We hope to give expectant mothers a profoundly touching experience, first when they focus on all the joys they’ll share with the coming baby, and later when they watch their newborn listen wide-eyed to the familiar words,” Stonis said. “And we hope our books inspire families to embrace a literacy routine right from the start, one that continues to encourage family bonding and shared story time all throughout the child’s lifetime.” Read the entire article!
CapeNews.net: Sandwich Author Co-Creates Book for Mothers, Babies-to-Be
It’s never too early to read to your baby. That’s the message Sandwich teacher Susan Lupone Stonis and her co-author, Jacqueline Boyle of Gloucester, are sending to mothers- and fathers-to-be with the release of their first book, Can’t Wait to Show You. Read the article.
The Reading Womb 
Hi Susan,
I don’t remember reading to our children in utero, but sure did read to them as babies. It’s a beautiful way to spend time with your children. I highly recommend it.
Great website!
Love,
Doreen
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Are there any books you particularly recommend reading to babies in utero?
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HiKaty! There are many, many books that are appropriate for reading to your baby in utero. The research shows that pre born babies respond best to rhyming and rhythmic stories and that he/she will remember these types of stories after birth. There are many great collections of rhythmic and rhyming poems and some of our favorites are Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Missing Piece, and Everything on It by Shel Silverstein, or A Pizza the Size of the Sun, It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles by Jack Pretlusky, or anything by Dr. Seuss, such as Horton Hears a Who, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. It’s important that you enjoy reading the book, too, so choose something that is fun for you as well. If you check out our post from June you may find the answers to some of your other questions about reading to your baby before birth.
We are so happy to hear from you, Katy, and would love it if you could share more about your prenatal reading endeavors! Have fun!
Susan and Jacqueline
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Thank you so much for following The Write Edge! I hope you find that it becomes a valuable part of your week. Have a great weekend!
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Thank you, for the great blog!
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Thank you so much for following The Write Edge! I’m honored to be on your reading list and hope you find it a valuable addition.
As an aside, we read _The Magician’s Nephew_ to my older daughter when she was in utero. Today, as an eight-year-old, she can test as high as a high schooler on vocabulary before the words start tripping her up!
Thanks again! Have a great week!
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Thank you for sharing about your in-utero reading experience! It’s no surprise that your daughter has such an awesome vocabulary, and there is no doubt that she is going to be an amazing writer, just like her mom!
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You’re so kind. Thank you for for your generous words. Have a great day!
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A group of us are in the process of forming a Sandwich Arts Council to coordinate and foster arts here. The three components to our Council are Visual Arts and Artisans, Performing Arts, and Literary Arts. The Literary Arts group will be meeting again with a wine and cheese at Christie Lowrence’s, 8 School St, Sandwich, this Wednesday, Feb 25th, 4:30 – 6 pm. We’d love to have you attend, and please let any writer friends know. The Arts Council Formation Mtg will be Wed, Mar 4, Library, Rm 2.
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Wonderful things! More power to you both.
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