Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nicole Selby. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nicole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

The Pages, Pens & Paws Foundation is focused on advocating for Children’s Literacy through Books, Events, and Animal Assisted Reading Programs. Our specially crafted books are filled with heartwarming, fun, and inspirational stories highlighting the world of Animal Therapy and the important role it plays in our communities. We pair our books with Animal Assisted Reading Programs & Literacy Events including educational activities based on the storyline of the book. The proceeds are funnelled directly back into our Children’s Literacy Foundation. Every book purchased helps send more children to our literacy programs!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

From an early age I developed a love of books. They captured me with their fairytales and stories of courage, transporting me to faraway places and unlikely heroes. Books provided me with the belief that anything was possible, because I had read it in a story. As I got older I realized that the literary competence I gained from reading afforded me opportunities that did not exist for those who struggled to read. I was determined to do what I could to bring that same joy of reading to young children across the world, setting them on a path for success. I got involved with Animal Therapy and quickly learned about the reading programs that played an instrumental role in changing a persons learning experience. I dove into the research side of it and quickly found out just how much animals can impact our neurological, emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. Pages, Pens, & Paws was created to blend the science and the experience together. Our mission is to bring literacy and laughter together.

I have volunteered and held a leadership role in a national pet therapy organization for over 20 years as well as working as a K9 Paramedic. These experiences have been life changing and many of the books we use at Pages, Pens, & Paws reflect these stories. My first glimpse into a reading program alongside a therapy animal was incredibly inspiring. From there I knew I wanted to do more to offer a deeper experience into the literacy component as well as the joy it brought back to the hard task of learning to read. The real life experiences were readily available and with a team of professionals we developed literacy content to pair with those stories.

The books that we use in Pages, Pens, & Paws reflect the true stories of working animals in their roles. The stories offer not only a look into the world of Animal Therapy but also heartwarming and entertaining experiences that the reader can relate to. We expand on those stories with activities and creative workshops meant to enhance the learning experience and captivate our audience with both literacy skills and the human-animal bond. Our literacy events and workshops are set up to be easily paired with a certified Animal Therapy provider to not only learn about it, but to experience it themselves while increasing their literacy competency.

Have you ever had to pivot?

In 2013 I had a devastating Traumatic Brain Injury that left me unable to work or perform basic functions. Speech, language, and vision were some of the things severely affected in my brain. This experience gave me a very personal insight into what struggling with literacy looks like. My journey to recovery was a steep slope upwards over 1.5 years and I am still left with deficits. In many ways it has given me a unique opportunity to better understand what those who live with ADHD, dyslexia, learning disabilities, acquired brain injuries both traumatic and medical, and more experience in literacy. I was determined to develop a strategy to make literacy fun using the neurological benefits researched using Animal Therapy. I created Pages, Pens, and Paws to serve that purpose.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

When the COVID pandemic was declared, we were searching for a way to stay connected with our young readers in the library programs. I had written a few stories and a chance meeting with some colleagues put them into the hands of Lacey Bakker of Pandamonium Publishing. She convinced me that these stories were special and that she wanted to be the one to publish them. The rest is history as they say, and Lacey and I have been working together for the last 5 years. Lacey has a wealth of information and brings so much value to Pages, Pens, and Paws. We are very lucky to have her on board.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pagespenspaws.com
• Instagram: @pages.pens.paws
• Facebook: Pages, Pens, & Paws