Preschool Clues Book Launch with Angela Santomero

Angela C. Santomero is the Co-Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer for the breakthrough and award-winning Blue’s Clues. Malcolm Gladwell referred to Blue’s Clues as “One of the stickiest TV shows EVER made” in his book The Tipping Point. Angela is also the Creator, Executive Producer and Head Writer for the smash hit Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (PBS), as well as Super Why! (PBS), Creative Galaxy (Amazon Studios), and Wishenpoof! (Amazon Studios). Angela is a Founding Partner at Out of the Blue Enterprises in NYC. Described by Joanne Rogers as “a modern day Fred Rogers,” and by Fatherly.com as “the driving force behind the best educational programming for children,” Angela’s work has awarded her with a prestigious Peabody award, two TCA awards, 25+ Emmy nominations, and numerous Parents Choice Gold and Silver Awards. Angela’s legacy is forever changing the way in which preschoolers watch television by presenting them with unique, challenging programs that enable them to learn through play, humor, and respect – – changing the world one preschooler at a time! Angela blogs on AngelasClues.com and her first parenting book, Preschool Clues – Raising Smart, Inspired and Engaged Kids in a Screen-Filled World has debuted with Touchstone/Simon and Schuster.

We’ve all heard warnings about watching too much TV and compulsively checking our phones. Apple shareholders recently called on their board to look into the impacts of screen time on kids and their development. But should parents be as consumed by guilt as they are about the programs their children are watching? Like eating, media diets can be healthy or unhealthy. But unlike labeled groceries, most media content is not so easy to categorize as good-for-us whole foods or the equivalent of empty calories.

In her engaging, new book PRESCHOOL CLUES: Raising Smart, Inspired, and Engaged Kids in a Screen-Filled World, ANGELA C. SANTOMERO, M.A.—award-winning co-creator of Blue’s Clues and creator of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Super Why!, and more—takes us behind the scenes of children’s television to teach parents how healthy, research-based media actually helps preschoolers flourish academically, socially, and emotionally. Along the way, she shares how excellent educational media empowers, challenges, and builds the self-worth of children, all while making them laugh.

With endless accolades, such as the prestigious Peabody award, two TCA awards, twenty-five-plus Emmy nominations, and seven Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, Angela has a gift for creating high-quality programs. At only twenty-five years old, Angela cocreated her legendary and wildly successful show Blue’s Clues, the first preschool program to actively and consistently invite audience participation. With her first foray into the entertainment industry, Angela forever changed the way young children watched television, destroying the myth that TV is a passive medium.

In each of her shows, Angela has also striven to carry on the legacy of Fred Rogers, who helped a generation of children connect with their inner selves and each other. Angela’s passion for his work led her to team up with the Fred Rogers Company to create Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, an animated series based on Fred’s curriculum and inspired by his love of music, that teach young viewers life lessons that they will carry into their school age years and beyond.

In this passionate, practical parenting guide, Angela distills the latest research in child development and translates her tried-and-tested learning philosophy beyond her award-winning shows, straight into easy, actionable advice and exercises for parents and educators:

• Is your preschooler having trouble understanding his feelings? Play a charades game in which he has to identify a variety of emotions.

• Not sure how to handle tough conversations with your little one? Practice the four-beat pause to avoid jumping to conclusions and to answer the question she’s really asking.

• Looking for ways to model kindness more effectively? Simply holding the door open for a stranger or being cordial to your waitress are simple actions that your toddler will readily mimic.

Filled with examples of day-to-day interactions with little ones, PRESCHOOL CLUES is an invaluable guide to how quality media helps children learn—and explains how everyone can extend Angela’s successful learning techniques when the show is over.