West Hempstead Resident Releases New Children’s Sing-Along Book

Learning has never been this fun and easy for kids.

West Hempstead resident Marylyn Varriale has released a new read-along, sing-along and play-along book titled “When Simple Was Hard to Do.” The book is aimed at kids from pre-k to first grade and teaches them that learning new things in life "usually goes from difficult to easy, and a little practice can make things easier and fun."

Varriale is a musical teacher, composer and educator of more than 30 years. She said she came up with the idea for the book when she was doing work as a teaching artist, writing a song based on what she observed about kids learning.

The book comes with a CD that kids listen to after they read the text of the book for the first time. When they listen to the CD, “suddenly their eyes light up and they recognize it, and they start to sing it," Varriale said.

By repetition, Varriale said that kids learn easily to remember words that are significant.

“I just thought it was a significant book in the sense it’s a learning concept that if fun,” Varriale said. “And I’ve used kindergarten teachers who actually have given feedback on it, so I know that it works.”

Reviews for "When Simple Was Hard to Do" have been very positive, with the book receiving five out of five stars on Amazon.

"Bravo! I adore the brilliant, bouncy, fun song and characters--and the vitally important life lesson," says Dr. Marie Carbo. "As a former elementary teacher and creator of a national literacy program, I can say unreservedly that this book is an absolute treasure."   

This is the first book of this kind that Varriale has released, but she said it definitely won’t be her last.

“I would say that this would be the beginning of more to come, because I have a lot of material," she said. "Some have been published but others not yet. So I would like to follow up.”

An author’s night for Varriale and her new book will be held at the West Hempstead Library on November 21 at 7 p.m. 

For more information, visit Varriale's website and the When Simple Was Hard to Do website.