Book Birthday Blog with Kathleen Marcath

 

Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

 

Congratulations to Kathleen Marcath on the release of My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere with Me: Coloring and Activity Book

 

  

This book is a companion to your award-winning debut picture book My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere with Me. What inspired you to create the new book?

Absolutely! Children loved the original story so much that I wanted to create an activity-packed companion, enabling them to dive even deeper into the world of their monster truck. This 77-page My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere with Me: Coloring & Activity Book combines coloring, drawing, mazes, memory games, writing, and even a little math, utilizing American Sign Language number handshapes instead of traditional numbers. I designed each page to challenge and delight children ages 3-9—sparking their imagination, problem-solving skills, and language development.

Please describe the process to create this fun companion book. Were there challenges?

The biggest challenge was simply getting started. With the encouragement of my coach, Sue Mohr of The Inner Vizion, I set a  deadline and that gave me the push I needed. I began sketching ideas in Canva, pulling together activities I thought children would enjoy, a little writing, drawing, mazes and puzzles.

Once the framework was in place, I teamed up with graphic designer Praise Saflor and Alexa, who transformed those rough concepts into polished, engaging pages. For the final touches, I called on my “grammar guru” friend, Nancy Rudnik, to review the text, and we arranged the activities and coloring pages so they flowed naturally. Seeing the illustrations originally created by Isaac Liang and Pardeep Mehra repurposed in this new format brought everything full circle.

It was a journey with lots of moving parts, but the structure, teamwork, and child-centered focus kept it fun from start to finish.

 

What inspires you to write?

Children inspire me! Their excitement for life, their imaginations, and their faith that they can do anything—it’s contagious. I never want them to lose that. My goal is to help every child experience inner joy and peace in who they are, while also giving them tools to discover their potential and soar.

You’ve assembled an award-winning team to work with. Please describe how you found this amazing group of professionals and the work they do in collaboration with you to create ASL material.

When writing for children, I’ve learned the best approach is to ask them directly what they enjoy. During my author visits, students shared wonderful suggestions, and several of those ideas made their way into this activity book. To keep myself accountable, I worked with my coach, Sue Mohr of The Inner Vizion, who gave me the encouragement and deadlines I needed to bring this dream to life.

For design, I turned again to Praise Saflor, the graphic designer behind My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere with Me, and her assistant, Alexa. They brought my ideas to life with skill and creativity. Praise has a special passion for children’s books and a gift for designing engaging, lesson-filled storybooks. And when it came time to choose the cover, my grandson, Dylan, settled it in an instant—out of four designs, he pointed straight to his favorite. No hesitation, no second guessing. The bold orange background? Turns out it’s one of his school colors—kids always know what they like!

 

What’s next for you? Any events coming up, or new books in the works? Where can we find your companion book?

The My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere with Me: Coloring & Activity Book officially launched on September 15, 2025, and I’m thrilled with the excitement it has already generated! Readers can find it on Amazon or directly through my website at https://www.aslpicturebooks.com/, where I also share a free ASL Starter Kit, resources and an active blog full of stories, insights, and tools for families and educators.

Looking ahead, I’ll be continuing author visits with schools and libraries this fall, and I’m also pouring energy into new ASL-inclusive projects. While I’m not ready to reveal details just yet, I can promise they will celebrate ASL, foster inclusion, and spark joy for children and families everywhere.

More about the book . . .

This fun-filled 77-page coloring and activity book is the ideal partner to the award-winning picture book My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere with Me – Illustrated in American Sign Language. With activities ranging from mazes and matching games to number recognition and ASL handshapes for telling time, it offers engaging challenges for children ages 3–9. Every page is designed to cultivate creativity, enrich problem solving, and support language development, making learning an adventure.

Published by: ASL Picture Books LLC

More about the author . . .

Kathleen Marcath, founder of ASL Picture Books LLC, is the author of the award-winning My Monster Truck Goes Everywhere with Me – Illustrated in American Sign Language, recipient of a Kirkus Star and Kirkus “Best Indie Book of 2021.” Her work champions literacy, inclusion, and the Deaf community by opening doors to the beauty of ASL in homes, classrooms, and storytime corners. Kathleen’s vision is rooted in her conviction that ASL is an untapped resource with limitless potential—a gift waiting to transform how children learn, connect, and thrive.

 Instagram: @aslpicture books 

Facebook: ASL Picture Books 

Website: https://www.aslpicturebooks.com/