All Categories - amyhouts.com

New Releases! Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, and Fables

4/5/2021

Last year, from January through May of 2020, I worked on a challenging (but fun!) writing assignment--and I love the finished product! I retold 60 fairytales, folktales, and classic stories as easy readers working on assignment for a South Korean educational publisher, Compass Publishing (www.compasspub.com). They publish EFL (English as a Foreign Language) books for students learning English. The boxed set of 60 books is available on their website. I gave art direction for the books as well, so it's been especially fun to see the illustrations. The books were also animated (very simply) and are available on YouTube. I downloaded the covers to my website. Click here to see the collection. I worked with great editors and had a positive experience.

Crawdads

3/16/2021

My neighbor saw a crawdad in her yard. It had about 30 babies. She let it go. It burrowed down into the mud, by a drainage ditch. The babies followed her down, and then went back inside, underneath her tail. We live in Northwest Missouri. Do you have crawdads where you live? We don't see them very often, but have noticed more holes--very muddy here. Lots of rain lately!

Board Games

2/14/2021

Happiness is when your granddaughter likes a board game you have created so much she plays it by herself. And then her brothers start playing, too! Can't wait until we can play it together! It's been too long.

Story Time at Ashland United Methodist!

2/3/2021

So excited to announce that Ashland United Methodist Church is reading my book, God's Protection Covers Me, for their story time! And my good friend, Sharman's, daughter, Emily, is going to read it. What a blessing!

Missouri Life Magazine

1/12/2021

Thank you, ⁦Missouri Life Magazine, for including my picture book, God’s Protection Covers Me in your “More Great Reads” section! ⁦

My Gift to You

12/23/2020

My gift to you is a free cooperative board game I created called BEFORE THE BLIZZARD! A Winter Holiday Game. Enjoy! Encourages empathy, helps to develop critical thinking skills, fine motor control. Great for families, teachers, grandparents. Download PDF of the game board, rules, and game pieces here: https://www.houtsandhome.com/before-the-blizzard-freebie.html. Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Giveaway: Three Signed Copies of My Picture Book!

11/16/2020

My picture book, God's Protection Covers Me, was released by Beaming Books last year, but is an important reminder in this moment when families are struggling with illness, job loss, and stress. I would love to get my book into the hands of families, churches, and preschools, so I've decided to give away 3 signed copies on Goodreads from November 15-December 15. If you have young children in your life or would like to give a copy to your church nursery or public library, please enter! And please follow me if you have a Goodreads account. Click here to enter.

Great news! God's Protection Covers Me has won two awards!

Second place for the Christian Market Children’s Book of the Year from the Advanced Writers & Speakers Association.
Second place in the Faith and Fellowship Book Festival Angel Awards, children's division!

"Acknowledging the good you already have in your life is the basis of all abundance." Eckhart Tolle

Amy Houts is an award-winning author of over 100 children’s picture books, cookbooks, and board games that feature early learning concepts, family themes of love and friendship, and holiday celebrations. Amy’s numerous short stories, articles, and poems have appeared in Ladybug Magazine, Highlights Hello, and Pockets Magazine. Her books include: The Giant Book of Bible Fingerplays for Preschoolers (Group Publishing); Think Like a Scientist (Pearson Learning Group); and Dora the Explorer Safety (Learning Horizons).

A Water Leak

11/9/2020

I snapped this photo looking out our front door! The water department came to fix a leak and brought this digger. I don't think I've seen one this close. I sent the photo to our grandchildren. They loved it! Three men worked for awhile, but they finally fixed the leak!

Breakfast in a Muffin

9/14/2020

My granddaughter started preschool.

What a different school year! Our grandchildren are happy to be back at school. Everyone is wearing masks--teachers, staff, and students. No drinking from the water fountain or sharing supplies. I'm thankful they are taking precautions, and I'm praying for everyone to stay healthy and safe.

Favorite Oatmeal Apple Walnut Muffins

My husband and I started a healthy eating kick over a year ago. He was experiencing some health issues. It was time to rethink our unhealthy lifestyle. So, he bought a Fitbit and started exercising. I revamped our menus. And it worked! We still enjoy eating dessert, but I make healthier desserts, lower in fat, sugar, and refined flour. I enjoy baking muffins (instead of cupcakes) with fruit, nuts, and whole grains. Fresh and dried fruit make muffins moist and sweet. Nuts add crunch and flavor. Whole grains add texture. Healthy ingredients make these muffins more filling and more satisfying, too. I wanted to share our new favorite with you. It's brimming with nutrition--it's breakfast in a muffin, a perfect way to start a busy school day or break for mid-morning coffee.

1 scant cup milk or almond milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 medium-large apple
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups 1-minute oats
1 1/4 cup unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup broken walnuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tin or line with muffin papers.
Measure milk. Add vinegar; set aside for 5 minutes.
Core the apple. Grate into a cereal bowl; set aside.
Measure oil, brown sugar, and egg into a large bowl. Add milk mixture and stir. Measure oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt an cinnamon. Stir just until mixed. Fold in nuts and grated apple.
Spoon batter into muffin tin. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from muffin tin and cool on wire wrack. Serve with butter.

Yield: 12 muffins

Do you have a favorite muffin recipe? Take a picture and tag me on Twitter or Instagram @AmyHouts.

Book news! So excited to be one of the featured children's authors in this new book, WRITING & SELLING CHILDREN'S BOOKS IN THE CHRISTIAN MARKET, by award-winning author Michelle M. Adams and her literary agent, Cyle Young.

Let's end with a school-related quote.

Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom. -- George Washington Carver

Amy Houts is an author of over 100 children’s picture books, cookbooks, and board games that feature early learning concepts, family themes of love and friendship, and holiday celebrations. Amy’s numerous short stories, articles, and poems have appeared in Ladybug Magazine, Highlights Hello, and Pockets Magazine. Her books include: God's Protection Covers Me (Beaming Books); Think Like a Scientist (Pearson Learning Group); and Dora the Explorer Safety (Learning Horizons).

August 18th, 2020

8/18/2020

The Missouri Ladies Military Band in front of the Capitol before the suffrage parade, March 3, 1913. Courtesy, National Woman's Party at Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment giving women in the U.S. the right to vote! I have a special interest in women's voting rights--suffrage-- because of a local story related to Maryville, Missouri, the town where we have lived since 1990. But I wasn't always interested in suffrage. I didn't even know the meaning of the word.

Years ago, I found out that my friend, Mary, was interested in women's voting rights. So, when I saw a headline in the newspaper related to it, I cut out the article and mailed it to her. Even though we live hundreds of miles apart, Mary is my closest friend. We often email several times each week.

In 2013, it occurred to me that I should start reading the articles I was sending Mary before mailing them. One in particular caught my interest. It described a trip that a local ladies marching band had taken a hundred years earlier to a suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. I was hooked. I spent the next 7 years writing, revising, and submitting a manuscript featuring this fascinating event.

While there was interest in the subject from both agents and editors, and I was nearly awarded a contract (twice!) I ultimately decided to publish it myself. My plan was to release it March 3, the day of the parade. When that date passed, I set today's date, August 18, as the release date. Due to delays, the pandemic, and issues beyond my control, my book has not gone to print--hopefully it will by the end of the year. I'll share the book cover soon!

So, as we enter this contentious election season, being able to vote is more important than ever. It took many years, hard work, and dedication by both women and men to gain the vote. And while this was a huge victory for women, it didn’t include women of all races. It took many more years for Black, Native American, and Asian Americans to gain suffrage. Despite this, and despite the fact that people are still being disenfranchised, this is a day to celebrate!

Amy Houts is an author of over 100 children’s picture books, cookbooks, and board games that feature early learning concepts, family themes of love and friendship, and holiday celebrations. Amy’s numerous short stories, articles, and poems have appeared in Ladybug Magazine, Highlights Hello, and Pockets Magazine. Her books include: God's Protection Covers Me (Beaming Books); Think Like a Scientist (Pearson Learning Group); and Dora the Explorer Safety (Learning Horizons).