Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Le Espiritu.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My passion for early education and reading development was inspired by my time working for Jumpstart when I was an undergrad at Scripps College in Claremont. Jumpstart is an Americorp program that collaborates with local preschools to implement literacy-based lesson plans. I was able to witness the excitement, learning, and joy that is shared through a story and wanted to continue sharing this wonder of reading with a broader audience of children. The number one way to support reading development in children is by reading aloud. But especially for younger children, it’s not the straight-through reading of the book and hearing the words that is most beneficial, but rather the conversation and opportunity to actively engage in the reading and talk about the book that supports reading development the most.
Reading needs to be interactive. I know that many families are busy and may not be able to read a story to their child every day, or they don’t know about incorporating an interactive element to read alouds. Teachers are also be looking for read alouds for students to listen to or samples of interactive and shared reading. From what I had seen on YouTube, there are many read aloud channels, but all of them were straight-through, impersonalized readings of the book. There was the book taking up the whole screen, with no human interaction. Thus, I wanted to create read aloud videos that actively engaged learners and incorporated the element of human connection and interaction. Stories and books are meant to be shared together, especially at young ages.
I started MaiStoryBook, the children’s book blog, YouTube channel, and social media platform, the summer before starting my Masters of Education at UCSD. On YouTube, I share an interactive read aloud videos where I ask questions throughout the story and pause for answers, point out new vocabulary, and share main themes and ideas in order to engage children in conversation throughout the book. It’s also important to show how reading and a story can extend beyond the book. Therefore I often include a book-inspired craft to pair with the story that helps readers connect with the theme of the text and share their own experiences and connections to the story and their own lives. On the blog, for each read aloud book I provide downloadable templates for the crafts, a list of vocabulary words to highlight from the story, and themes and ideas for readers to point out and discuss. I also wanted to create a resource for parents to discover the quality and diverse books for their children, so on Instagram (@maistorybooklibrary), I collaborate with publishers, authors, and illustrators to share book reviews and recommended reads to teachers and parents. My ultimate goal is to help inspire a new generation of readers through interactive and engaging read alouds, stories, and crafts.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One struggle has been managing MaiStoryBook platform while also starting my teaching career. My first year of teaching, MaiStoryBook took a backseat as I navigated being a teacher. With late nights in the classroom, I wasn’t as motivated to post and keep up content, and it wasn’t until halfway through my second year of teaching that I was able to dedicate more of my time to the platform.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I create interactive read aloud videos, book-inspired crafts, and reading resources for children, teachers, and families with the goal to help inspire and raise a new generation of readers. My video resources focus on engaging children in conversation throughout the story, giving them an active role in the read aloud experience, and framing reading as a social activity that is enjoyed and shared with others. I started MaistoryBook YouTube Channel, Blog, and social media platform the summer before I started my Master’s program. Initially, I shared my own childhood books and library books. However, after consistent posting and quality content, I, publishers began to reach out to share review copies of books.
As I gained more traction, I also started reaching out to publishers and authors and illustrators to collaborate to share review of their books or to create read aloud videos of their stories. Today, I collaborate with a variety of major publishing firms, such as HarperKids, Simon Kids, Penguin, Candlewick Press, MacMillan Kids, Scholastic, and others, as well as with independent publishers such as Compendium and Lantana publishing and smaller publishing firms. I’ve presented at professional development conferences to share read aloud strategies to engage and boost reading development for young children, have hosted book festivals, and have collaborated with authors and publishers to host author Q&A sessions and virtual book launch events. It has been amazing connecting with the children’s book community and being able to share so many incredible stories and resources with families, teachers, and children. I also am a huge proponent of increasing accessibility to diverse reads.
My goal is also to help families and teachers curate libraries where all children are represented and can see themselves mirrored in the stories they read. This past month, in honor of API Heritage Month, I created the API Read Aloud Initiative and collaborated with publishers and authors to host an event where I shared a new Interactive read aloud video featuring a book with Asian or Pacific Islander characters or was created by an API author, every weekday of the month. I was able to share over 20 stories on YouTube, giving classrooms and families access to a vast online library of API reads. As an Asian American, Vietnamese- Filipina woman, it was a project close to my heart and I am honored to have been able to share these stories.
I also currently hold live, in-person Community Storytime events at a local Co-op, The Rising Co., every other Sunday. If you are ever in North County, come check it out! I read interactive read alouds, we play with bubbles, the parachute, musical instruments, and more!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Networking with publishers and authors has been done mostly on social media. I always make sure to tag authors and publishers in books that I promote and post, and to engage with their content as well. I started emailing the media branches of publishing firms with a small pitch bout my account and my social media following and engagement numbers to request book review copies and paid collaborations.
Contact Info:
- Email: maistorybook@gmail.com
- Website: maistorybook.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maistorybooklibrary/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maistorybook/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxuIqVlUEG8vXWRKoXX-rTw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@maistorybook?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Image Credits:
Yen Le Espiritu
