Pirate Ship Prompts Teacher to Take Plunge, Start New Business

At first, she wasn’t interested at all. Then a wind-up pirate ship came along.

That’s when Pasco County teacher Abigail Kennedy fell in love—and soon after, “took the plunge.”

Kennedy, Pasco eSchool’s teacher of the year, has taught in the county for ten years. The English and AP Literature teacher knows her stuff when it comes to books.

But when she was first introduced to Usborne Books several years ago, she mostly ignored them, because she mostly taught seniors and didn’t have children of her own yet, she said.

After having children of her own and taking on middle school students, things changed for the Land O’ Lakes mother of two.

“The past year I’ve been intrigued with the company,” Kennedy said.

When her son, then two, received a book with a wind-up pirate ship that runs through multiple pages, she loved it. Once she learned it was an Usborne Book, she was hooked for good. 

“I finally took the plunge to becoming a consultant three weeks ago,” Kennedy said. “The timing felt right.” 

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The publishing company, which specializes in books for infants through high schoolers, provides fundraising opportunities, book fairs, Common Core Standards connections, Lexile lists in their catalogs, writing contests and more, Kennedy said. 

“It’s a parent and teacher's dream,” she said.

Kennedy enjoys exploring all types of books for her own young children because they are developing their likes and interests.

“Books help develop their imaginations, creativity and intelligence,” Kennedy said. 

Kennedy recently launched a blog on Patch to share book reviews, writing contests, literacy resources and more for children’s book fans. Check out her latest blog post about a writing contest for third- through eighth-grade students. 

For more information, contact Kennedy at readbookstokids@gmail.com, visit her website or check out her Facebook page.