Bonnie Wallace is more than a celebrity mother. She is an amazing author and podcaster, but her latest adventure is is the creation of We Can Books. In true humanitarian and author style, she believes in giving back to society in the form of individually tailored books that help children learn how to read through personal familiarity. Please read below as Bonnie walks us through her brainchild, We Can Books, as we learn more about the importance of education at all ages.

Where are you based?
I’ve lived in Los Angeles for the past dozen years. Originally from Bainbridge Island, Washington.

You are the mom of two superstars, actress Dove Cameron and singing coach Claire Hosterman. When did you first notice that these two were making a name for themselves?
I think most parents believe their kids are extraordinary. Of course! Love does that. But sometimes other people see what you see. It was clear from the beginning that Dove was going to be an actor and singer. We moved to LA when she had gone as far as she could in the Seattle area, and with some encouragement from her mentors. Within two years she had her own show, which was definitely an affirmation.

Claire’s a gifted singer and actor. She took a little more time to find her path. And once she started teaching voice, her unique, intuitive approach was so effective she was quickly successful. She’s now one of the top voice coaches in Hollywood.

With two daughters who sing, was music a big part of your family?
Yes! Their dad was a pianist, and the girls grew up singing around the piano. He mostly played classical and jazz, but he’d accompany them both on musical theatre and jazz standards. I’d come home from trade shows in New York with tapes and CDs from Broadway shows I’d seen, and the girls would memorize the entire soundtracks! I think Claire had memorized all of Jesus Christ Superstar by the time she was three. Dove did the same with RENT. Not exactly preschool material, but they loved it.

As a mom, what were some of your best practices for navigating them growing up in the entertainment industry?
It’s important for kids to understand that who they are—their value as a human— is NOT defined by their work or their success. One of the reasons I waited to move to LA until Dove was 14 was that I wanted her identity as a person to be formed outside of the industry. By then, she had a pretty firm sense of self. If you don’t know who you are outside of the recognition you receive as an actor, you can really lose your way if that recognition stops.

I also relentlessly reminded them that whatever people say about you online is a reflection of them, not you. Social media can be a cruel place for all kids, but young people in the public eye get a much more savage version of that, and they need to understand that it’s literally not about them.

Finally, I tried to be very conscious about the way I spoke about anyone’s physicality: my own, theirs, even strangers’. A single random comment about someone’s weight or appearance can be internalized and leave lasting scars. I tried (and still try!) to model positive, loving, supportive language in that area. I’m not perfect but I’m pretty good.

How did you install confidence in your daughters from such an early age?
I think modeling confidence is a big one. I’ve always been lucky to have a solid belief that I can do whatever I set myself out to do. My girls have grown up watching me follow my passions and listening to my inner voice. They’ve watched me do difficult things and persevere until I succeed. Self-esteem is so important for kids, and a lot of it comes straight from the messages they get from parents about their capabilities. A lot of it comes from their early experiences in school. This is part of why early success in school is so critical, as it sets a kid up to believe they can succeed in life.

On top of your motherhood journey, you are also an author and podcaster with an exciting new project! Could you please tell us more about “We Can Books?”
Yes! We Can Books is my great passion. It’s a fun, new way to teach kids how to read, using the latest thinking on phonics combined with photos from your child’s life. We Can is based on an idea my dad had 30 years ago. He created special, one-of-a-kind phonics books for my kids when they were pre-readers. Both Claire and Dove learned how to read on their “Claire Can” and “Chloe Can” books (Dove’s original name is Chloe) and they loved them!

His great idea—a familiar image with a simple key word—was the magic that unlocked reading for them.

If a child sees a familiar image on the page—say, their family cat, or a picture of themselves wearing a hat—and the word “cat” or “hat” is right there—that association is very strong. It’s not abstract, it’s real and compelling. And it’s fun, because it’s an image taken right from their very own world, so they want to engage with it! Then it’s not a big stretch to understand that the other words on the page (cat, hat, mat, sat, bat, fat, rat, at) are related.

Phonics has long been recognized as the best way to help a child decode new words by sound, rather than recognizing whole words. The power of association, especially for children, has always been a vital tool for learning. We Can Books uniquely combines these two powerful educational insights in a fun, effective way.

We Can Books has a book-building app that parents and grandparents can use to create unique, full color hardcover phonics books for their pre-readers. We’ve designed a series of three books that cover the basic building blocks of reading. By the time a child can get through the series, they’re well on their way to independent reading. And they’ve been given a big head start.

Because learning to read early and well is the foundation of success in school—as well as life—helping them get a strong start may be the most important thing you can do for a child. It can make all the difference.

What is phonic learning?
Phonic learning is based on learning the sounds that letters make and putting them together. “C-A-T” = “CAT.” Understanding that letters are associated with sounds give a child the tools to break down and sound out new words on their own. To literally decode them. There are countless studies that show this is the most effective way to teach a child how to read. The problem with the alternate “whole word” approach is that when a child begins to encounter new and bigger words as they get older, they have no idea how to break the word down by sounding it out. They don’t have the tools. Phonics is like having a little toolkit.

What inspired the creation of We Can Books? What was it like creating the app?
I’ve always been driven by wanting to be a force for good in the world. It’s important to me to make the world a better place beyond just making a living. To me, there is possibly nothing more important for a child than to learn to read well, because it opens the whole world to them. It gives them a sense of confidence, and strong self-esteem. And sadly, the opposite is equally true. I also wanted to create something to celebrate my father’s brilliant idea.

One day a few years ago I was sharing the story of these amazing “Claire Can” and “Chloe Can” books with my husband Simon. He was the one who suggested we design an app so that everyone could create their own special We Can Books, which is now possible thanks to smart phones, digital photos, and print-on-demand technology.

It's been a massive learning experience! We engaged a wonderful UK-based app developer and the top US-based printing partner and have had help from talented designers and friends every step of the way. Friends and family helped us beta test before we launched.

I think it took twice as long as I expected and cost about twice as much too, but I’m so excited to get We Can Books out into the world. It’s a true legacy for my dad, and I hope that thousands of families will benefit from his wonderful idea, which we’ve brought into the 21st Century.

What are the benefits of hardcover books rather than digital and the other way around?
So many studies are coming out that confirm what my own experience has always been, namely that we all learn better, and retain what we read better, when we are reading from a paper page rather than a screen. This is true whether you are a 4-year-old, a college student, or a 50-something like me.

If you are a young person in school, this can make a huge difference over time in your learning. I’m grateful that my kids grew up before screens were so ubiquitous. I think parents today do their kids a real service when they find ways to limit screen time.

We made the deliberate decision to not make digital versions of our We Can Books available because we feel so strongly that learning is best served by the physical, paper-based books.

I’m aware of the irony that We Can Books uses app-based technology to create its one-of-a-kind hardback books. But the technology is the tool behind the scenes, and ultimately serves a genuinely analog product and experience.

As the world turned digital over the past two years, how will this affect children's literacy in the future?
There’s growing evidence that a lot of kids are falling behind, which is concerning. Children really need hands-on support in the early years and moving classrooms online has been devastating from that perspective.

I think it’s more important than ever for parents to be hands-on in helping their kids learn how to read. It can be one of the most exciting, beautiful experiences of life for both the child and adult. I know I’ll never forget the magic of helping my children learn to read, or the magic of my father teaching me.

Jejune loves that 10% of your annual profits will also go to support Children's Literacy Programs. What are some organizations that you are working with?
We’re starting with three wonderful organizations: The World Literacy Foundation, Reading is Fundamental, and Room to Read. We know that we can’t reach every child directly. Giving back 10% of our annual profits to children’s literacy programs helps to bridge that gap and serves our greater mission.

Do you have any adult or children’s books recommendations for the fall?
There are so many fabulous books to read!! It’s hard to narrow it down, but for adults, I love the classic, The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, and Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, as well as The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday. Also, any poetry by Mary Oliver. I just found her book Devotions, which is lovely.

What is your motto in life?
Wow! I’m not sure I have one… but I have noticed that every one of the best things in my life came from taking a risk. So maybe something like, “Fortune favors the brave.”

To learn more about Bonnie Wallace, please follow her via the platforms below:
I’d love your readers to follow us on whatever socials they use, and to share photos and videos of their kids reading their We Can Books. You can find us here:

Website: https://www.wecanbooks.com/

Instagram: @wecanbooks

Facebook: @wecanbooks

Twitter: @wecanbooks

Bonnie’s Instagram: @bonniejwallace

Photographer: Dawn Bowery

Bonnie Wallace Is Helping The World Read