Homer's Book Series
by Teresa Smith
Teresa Smith
Creator of Homer
For 34 years, Teresa Smith shared her love of teaching with young children as a primary-level teacher. After earning a Master’s degree in Reading and Literacy, she spent her career helping children discover the importance of words and the joy of becoming confident readers.
When Teresa retired from the classroom, she soon realized that she wasn’t quite ready to leave teaching behind. Two years later, she began searching for a way to bring together three things she loves: teaching, creating art, and a character she created named Homer.
Inspired by the birth of her first grandchild, Teresa decided it was time to bring Homer out of her imagination and onto the pages of a book. She began writing and illustrating a series of easy readers designed to help children strengthen their reading skills, while enjoying the adventures of a very special little mouse.
The journey began with Homer’s Overalls. Since that first book, Homer’s world has continued to grow with new stories that introduce young readers to basic reading skills, vocabulary, friendship, character development, and life lessons all within the format of an easy reader.
To make each story even more engaging, activities are included to encourage children to think, create, and explore.
The Story of Homer
Homer first appeared in the 1990’s in bedtime stories shared between Teresa and her two daughters.
In those stories, Homer lived in an old oak tree in the Smith family’s yard. To make Homer’s home seem a little more real, Teresa’s father-in-law built a small door and ladder at the base of the oak tree. For Teresa’s daughters, Homer was no longer just a character in a bedtime story. He had a home they could see, imagine, and visit. And so, Homer’s adventures began.
For the next 25 years, Homer lived mostly in Teresa’s imagination and in the memories of those bedtime stories. Then, Teresa began sketching what she imagined Homer might look like. With each drawing, the little mouse began to come alive.
Those sketches eventually inspired Teresa to create a new kind of story for young readers, stories that were simple enough for children to read on their own, yet filled with the warmth, imagination, and adventure that made Homer special from the very beginning.
At first, Homer traveled through his stories alone, but as his world grew so did his circle of friends. Today, Homer is more than a little mouse from a bedtime story. He is a friend who invites young readers to open a book, practice their reading, use their imagination, and discover where the next adventure might lead.
