Children's Author Literacy Specialist Writing Teacher
Judy Bradbury writes books that open minds and hearts, initiate conversations, and expand possibilities.
Judy’s Children’s Books
The Cayuga Island Kids
chapter book series
The Cayuga Island Kids chapter books engage 1st-to-4th graders with exciting backyard adventures that demonstrate leadership skills and the power of information literacy. Five big-hearted friends follow clues, find answers, and puzzle out solutions. Above all, they are kind, helpful, smart, and resourceful kids who have tons of fun together.
Book 1, The Mystery of the Barking Branches and the Sunken Ship, takes place during summer vacation. As the Kids hunt for a certain kind of tree, they unearth a cannonball. Thus begins the adventure for these inquisitive fact detectives who discover that the island they live on is home to both history and mystery.
Award-winning Book 2, The Adventure of the Big Fish by the Small Creek, begins with the Kids rescuing a mallard caught in plastic. How they bring the community together to build a recycling bin big enough to hold plenty of plastic makes for a lively adventure and the realization that although we are each just one person, together we can make a BIG difference! Brainstorming, teamwork, community involvement, and recycling themes.
In Book 3, The Case of the Messy Message and the Missing Facts, Julian experiments with recipes for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Then glitter pens go missing at school. Clues point to a suspect, but when the Kids encounter misinformation and disinformation, the consequences of jumping to conclusions becomes crystal clear.
Join the Cayuga Island Kids in their backyard adventures in this trio of engaging chapter books that encourage growing readers.
Click below to learn more and to access Educator Guides and activities.
Award News
Book 2 in the Cayuga Island Kids series, The Adventure of the Big Fish by the Small Creek, was awarded the Ben Franklin Silver Award for Young Reader Fiction, 8-12 years!
Judy’s Professional Services
School Visits/ Writing Workshops
With over twenty years of experience teaching from preschool through graduate level, Judy is comfortable working with students of all ages.
Professional Development and Parent Programs
As a literacy specialist, Judy enjoys interacting with educators on a variety of topics related to literacy and children’s literature.
Educators' Guides for Children's Books
Judy enjoys developing Educators’ Guides for children’s books created by other authors and illustrators.
Editorial Services
Judy has years of experience working with aspiring writers and enjoys guiding them as they hone their skills, from identifying genre and age range to crafting and revising text.
Visit Judy’s Blog
Visit my Children’s Book Corner blog where I interview authors and illustrators and offer suggestions for using their books to connect social-emotional learning to curriculum in Grades Pre-K—8.
The Pie That Molly Grew
by Sue Heavenrich, illustrated by Chamisa Kellogg; Sleeping Bear Press, 2023.
Molly plants a seed, nurtures the growing vine, observes the bees that carry pollen from flower to flower, harvests a (huge!) pumpkin, and bakes a pie she shares at an outdoor gathering in this jaunty STEM/STEAM picture book that uses “The House That Jack Built” rhyme scheme.
Light Comes to Shadow Mountain
by Toni Buzzeo; Holiday House, 2023.
Set in the mountains of eastern Kentucky in the 1930s, this Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection explores the onset of efforts to spread electrification to rural America. This novel not only sheds light on the importance of electricity, but through story expertly drawn, it exemplifies the importance of having convictions grounded in facts while also respecting others’ beliefs, and the value in seeking to understand both sides of an issue when forming an opinion or landing on a belief.
Garvey’s Choice: The Graphic Novel
by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III; Wordsong, 2023.
This graphic novel illustrated by Theodore Taylor III is an adaptation of Nikki Grimes’ highly acclaimed, award-winning novel in verse about a middle school boy who, with the help of his friends, is figuring out who he is and what makes his heart sing as he struggles to connect with his father.
The Christopher Counts Series
(McGraw-Hill)
This four-book series includes the titles:
- One Carton of Oops!
- Double Bubble Trouble!
- A High-Fiving Gift for Mom!
- Doggone Lemonade Stand!
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