About The Author
Meet Sparkles Jones
I’ve loved to read since I was in grade school. In every town I’ve called home, I’ve had a library card. There is something wonderful about opening a book and finding yourself somewhere you’ve never been, meeting people whose lives are different from yours, and discovering how much there is to learn.
That love of reading has stayed with me throughout my life. It has also shaped my work with children and families, and it’s part of what I bring to the books I write. I want children to enjoy reading, use their imaginations, and believe their dreams are worth exploring.
Reading Is an Adventure
I love learning about different cultures, foods, and ways of life. Books let us travel to other countries without leaving our favorite chair. Through a story, we can step into another world and come back with a new idea, a new interest, or a question we hadn’t thought to ask.
Sharing that adventure with a child makes it even more special. Reading together introduces children to new words and gives them time to listen, ask questions, and tell us what they think. It also gives us a chance to slow down and enjoy being together.
I like to say, “An app cannot replace your lap.” Technology has its place, but there is something precious about a child sitting close while you turn the pages together. Those moments can help a love of reading take root long before a child can read independently.
Since 1996, I’ve worked with children through mentoring programs in my local public school system and juvenile probation. Helping young people with reading and writing showed me how much they have to say when someone encourages them. I loved helping them explore their ideas and imagine how those ideas could become a story of their own.
Helping Children See a Future
My husband first suggested that I become involved with CASA, a program that advocates for children in the foster care system. I spent five years serving as a child advocate and found the work deeply rewarding.
The children I worked with had faced difficult circumstances. I wanted to help them see that they still had a future to look forward to and dreams they could pursue. Encouraging them to imagine that future was a meaningful part of my time with CASA.
Eventually, my involvement became more personal. I left my role as an advocate so I could become the legal guardian of a child from CASA who needed care in our home. What began as my husband’s suggestion became an important part of our family’s life.
Encouraging Mothers to Discover Their Gifts
For six years, I volunteered at a Christian crisis pregnancy center in California, working with the materials and educational side of its program. Along with helping mothers prepare for their children’s needs, we encouraged them to recognize their abilities and develop skills that could help them support themselves financially.
The center offered a two-year “earn while you learn” program. Participants earned play money through their learning activities and used it to purchase needed supplies. It gave them a practical way to connect their efforts with providing for their families while building confidence and independence.
One of my favorite parts was helping a mother consider what she might be good at. Did she enjoy writing? Could she draw or design? Was there an interest she could develop into work she could do from home? Several of the women had creative abilities they hadn’t fully explored. I enjoyed encouraging them to take those gifts seriously and consider what they might do with them.
Dream Big
Through my work with children and mothers, I’ve had many opportunities to encourage someone to explore an idea or recognize an ability they hadn’t given much thought to. Sometimes, a little encouragement is what helps a person begin.
That same hope is part of why I write. I want my books to invite children into the adventure of reading and give families something to enjoy together. I hope they encourage young readers to imagine, to create, and perhaps to put their own dreams into a book someday.
Dreams can come true. DREAM BIG!
