What Inspired Daphne's Data: A Conversation with the Author

One of the things that we often hear from our clients is "I wish I had learned these skills earlier." At Storytelling with Data, we teach workshops to individuals and organizations about how to communicate effectively with data. However, when you think back, we don't really get exposed to data storytelling or communicating with graphs very much in school. Simultaneous with that was watching my kids grow and start school, seeing the homework they came home with, and there was this idea in my head ever since having kids that I think: "They develop language at such a long young age, and it's by repetition and being immersed." Their minds are like sponges when it comes to being able to read and write and carry on a conversation. It really seemed to me that we could be taking the visual language of numbers and graphs and teaching that a whole lot sooner.

One core concept I think or core skill that any good analyst, or any good person working in the business world, has is the ability to ask good questions and then understand how to get answers to those questions. I think this applies for analysts who are working with data day in day out but also for executives who need to know when to question and how and who to go to for different things. Kids have this innate curiosity; they ask questions about everything. "Mommy, how did this happen?" "Mommy, what's that?" Every two seconds one of my children was asking me a question. I think it can get a little annoying, but if we can teach them how to hone their natural inclination to ask questions, right because their way of piecing in the puzzle of how does the world work and what's my place in the world, that if we can teach them how to hone that and know instead of incessantly asking questions you do keep asking questions but also think about which are the most interesting questions or which ones could we collect information and answer ourselves or talk to other people as a means of testing assumptions.

We can teach this all at such a young age, and it would be so impactful when it comes to developing foundational skills that will serve kids as they grow in school and in basically any field. I think this could be really empowering. When you think about it, data is all around us. We are constantly collecting and analyzing data to make informed decisions. Whether we're talking about business intelligence or personal health and wellness, data plays a critical role in our lives.

As someone who has worked with numerous clients and seen firsthand the importance of effective data communication, I am excited to share my new book, Daphne's Data, which teaches kids the basics of visualizing data through storytelling. The main book is a story, a fully illustrated picture book that focuses on Daphne, a dragon with a unique talent in drawing data. What draws her more than anything else are numbers and graphs.

In this story, Daphne gets into an argument with her brother about the importance of these skills. He tells her "that's not dragon-y enough." So, she leaves her cave in search of a place where she can be herself and goes on an adventure to different places, meets different creatures, and helps them solve problems or challenges they're facing by collecting and then drawing data. These are really pictorial forms of graphs that a child looking at it is not probably going to realize that they are looking at a graph.

What I hope readers will take away from this story is the importance of using data to tell a good story. Whether you're an analyst, an executive, or just someone who loves numbers and graphs, understanding how to communicate effectively with data can be a game-changer. By teaching kids these skills early on, we can empower them to make informed decisions and drive positive change in their lives and the world around them.

Daphne's Data: A New Era of Data Storytelling for Kids

I am thrilled to introduce Daphne's Data, a new book that teaches kids the basics of visualizing data through storytelling. This fully illustrated picture book follows the adventures of Daphne, a curious and determined young dragon who loves nothing more than drawing numbers and graphs. With her unique talent, she sets out on an exciting journey to explore the world of data and learn how to use it to tell compelling stories.

The story begins with Daphne's argument with her brother about the importance of learning data visualization skills. He tells her "that's not dragon-y enough," but Daphne is determined to prove him wrong. She leaves her cave in search of a place where she can be herself and goes on an adventure to different places, meets different creatures, and helps them solve problems or challenges they're facing by collecting and then drawing data.

Throughout her journey, Daphne encounters various obstacles and challenges that test her skills and determination. But with each success, she becomes more confident in her abilities and learns new ways to visualize data that tell a story. From bar charts to line graphs, pie charts to scatter plots, Daphne's adventures teach kids the basics of visualizing data through storytelling.

One of the unique features of Daphne's Data is its accompanying graph glossary. This section provides an overview of each of the four main types of graphs that appear throughout the story: bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, and scatter plots. Each graph type is explained in a clear and concise manner, making it easy for kids to understand how to read and create these visualizations.

I hope readers will take away from Daphne's Data a new appreciation for the power of data storytelling. Whether you're an analyst, an executive, or just someone who loves numbers and graphs, understanding how to communicate effectively with data can be a game-changer. By teaching kids these skills early on, we can empower them to make informed decisions and drive positive change in their lives and the world around them.

Daphne's Data is more than just a book; it's a call to action. It encourages kids to think creatively about how they can use data to tell stories and drive positive change. Whether you're reading this book with your child or using it as a tool for teaching data literacy, I hope you will join me on this exciting journey of discovery and exploration.

Daphne's Data: A New Era of Data Storytelling for Kids

In today's digital age, we are constantly collecting and analyzing data to make informed decisions. Whether we're talking about business intelligence or personal health and wellness, data plays a critical role in our lives. But how many of us know how to effectively communicate this data to others?

Daphne's Data is a new book that teaches kids the basics of visualizing data through storytelling. This fully illustrated picture book follows the adventures of Daphne, a curious and determined young dragon who loves nothing more than drawing numbers and graphs. With her unique talent, she sets out on an exciting journey to explore the world of data and learn how to use it to tell compelling stories.

One of the key benefits of Daphne's Data is its ability to make complex concepts accessible to kids. The story is designed to be engaging and entertaining, making it easy for young readers to understand the basics of visualizing data through storytelling. Whether you're reading this book with your child or using it as a tool for teaching data literacy, I hope you will find Daphne's Data to be an invaluable resource.

But Daphne's Data is not just about teaching kids how to visualize data; it's also about empowering them to make informed decisions and drive positive change in their lives and the world around them. By learning how to communicate effectively with data, kids can develop critical thinking skills, become more analytical thinkers, and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.

Daphne's Data is part of a new era of data storytelling for kids. It encourages kids to think creatively about how they can use data to tell stories and drive positive change. Whether you're an analyst, an executive, or just someone who loves numbers and graphs, I hope you will join me on this exciting journey of discovery and exploration.

What is Data Storytelling?

Data storytelling is the process of using data to tell a compelling story that informs, educates, or inspires others. It involves collecting and analyzing data, and then using visualization techniques to communicate insights and findings in a clear and concise manner. Data storytelling can be used in a variety of contexts, including business intelligence, personal health and wellness, education, and more.

At its core, data storytelling is about using data to drive positive change. By sharing stories that are grounded in data, we can inspire others to take action, make informed decisions, and drive progress towards our goals.

How Does Data Storytelling Work?

Data storytelling involves several key steps:

1. **Data Collection**: Gathering relevant data from various sources.

2. **Data Analysis**: Analyzing the collected data to identify patterns, trends, and insights.

3. **Data Visualization**: Using visualization techniques to communicate insights and findings in a clear and concise manner.

Daphne's Data: A New Era of Data Storytelling for Kids

As we move forward in this new era of data storytelling, it is essential that we empower kids with the skills they need to navigate this complex world. By teaching them how to visualize data through storytelling, we can inspire them to make informed decisions and drive positive change.

In Daphne's Data, I aim to introduce kids to the basics of visualizing data through storytelling in a way that is engaging, entertaining, and easy to understand. This book is designed to be a starting point for kids who are curious about data and want to learn more about how to use it to tell compelling stories.

By reading Daphne's Data, kids will gain a deeper understanding of the world around them and develop critical thinking skills that will serve them well in all areas of life. They will also learn how to communicate effectively with data, making informed decisions and driving positive change in their lives and the world around them.

What Can Kids Learn from Daphne's Data?

Daphne's Data offers kids a wealth of learning opportunities, including:

* **Data literacy**: Kids will learn the basics of visualizing data through storytelling, including how to create bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, and scatter plots.

* **Critical thinking skills**: By analyzing data and creating visualizations, kids will develop critical thinking skills that will serve them well in all areas of life.

* **Problem-solving skills**: Kids will learn how to approach problems and challenges by using data to inform their decisions.

* **Communication skills**: Daphne's Data teaches kids how to communicate effectively with data, making informed decisions and driving positive change.

By reading Daphne's Data, kids will become more confident and capable in their ability to navigate the complex world of data storytelling. They will also develop a deeper understanding of the importance of data literacy and critical thinking skills in all areas of life.

Conclusion

Daphne's Data is a new era of data storytelling for kids. It encourages kids to think creatively about how they can use data to tell stories and drive positive change. By teaching them how to visualize data through storytelling, we can empower them to make informed decisions and drive progress towards our goals.

Whether you're an analyst, an executive, or just someone who loves numbers and graphs, I hope you will join me on this exciting journey of discovery and exploration.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat inspired you to turn your attention to children's book with your new book dhany trw's data what was the motivation behind it yeah one of the things that we often hear so I run a company called storytelling with data uh where we teach workshops to individuals and organizations uh about how to communicate effectively with data and one of the things that we often hear is oh I wish that I had learned these skills earlier and when you think back we don't really get exposed to data storytelling or communicating with graphs very much in school and so simultaneous with that I was watching my kids grow and start school and seeing the homework that they came home with and there there was this idea in my head ever since having kids I think which is they develop language at such a long young age and it's by repetition and being immersed and the their minds are like sponges when it comes to being able to read and write and you know carry on a conversation and it really seemed to me that we could be taking the visual language of numbers of graphs and teaching that a whole lot sooner because one core concept I think or core skill that any good analyst any good you know just person working in the business world has is the ability to ask good questions and then understand how to get answers to those questions and I think this applies for the analysts who's working with data day in day out but also you know for an executive who needs to know when to question and how and who to go to for different things and kids have this innate curiosity they ask questions about everything I actually I was in New York City with my family a couple weeks ago it was our last R of Summer before school started back and I was walking with my daughter and my son was in front of me and and my other son and every two seconds one of them was asking me a question mommy how did this happen Mommy what's that mommy over and over and over again which I think is fantastic I mean it can get a little annoying right but if we can teach them how to hone their natural inclination to ask questions right because their way of piecing in the puzzle of how does the world work and what's my place in the world that if we can teach them how to hone that and you know instead of incessantly asking questions you do keep asking questions but also think about which are the most interesting questions or wh which ones could we collect information and answer ourselves or talk to other people as a means of testing assumptions we we can teach this all at such a young age and it would be so impactful when it comes to developing foundational skills that will serve kids as they grow in school and in basically any field uh which I think could be really empowering yeah that's wonderful and you know I read the book and I thought it was amazing and Dean is very curious uh dinosaur maybe can you share with us she's a dragon she's a dragon yeah that is that is true that is true Deanie is a very curious Dragon maybe could you share with us a bit about the story and the characters what can you know readers expect what can parents expect uh their kids to take away from it so the the main book is a story a fully Illustrated picture book and it focuses on Daphne she is a dragon with a unique talent in that she really loves to draw and the thing that she loves to draw more than anything else is data and so she gets uh in a bit of an argument with her brother about this to you know he tells her well that's not dragony enough and so she leaves her cave in search of a place where she can be herself and she goes on an adventure and she goes to some different places uh meets different creatures and in every case helps them solve a problem or a challenge that they're facing by collecting and then drawing data uh really pictoral forms of graphs where a child looking at it it's not probably even going to realize that they're looking at a graph uh and I won't ruin the ending but it's a happy one where Daphne finds her place and recognizes that her unique talent is actually what makes her really powerful and special and then to further learning the story is accompanied by a graph glossery at the end of the book that where there's a page devoted to each of the four main types of graphs that draws in her adventures bar charts line graphs pie charts and Scatter Plots so each of those talks more about what is this when would you use it what sort of questions can you answer with it uh gives examples from Daphne's journey and then also has an activity for kids where they can collect data about themselves and use it to draw the given type of graphwhat inspired you to turn your attention to children's book with your new book dhany trw's data what was the motivation behind it yeah one of the things that we often hear so I run a company called storytelling with data uh where we teach workshops to individuals and organizations uh about how to communicate effectively with data and one of the things that we often hear is oh I wish that I had learned these skills earlier and when you think back we don't really get exposed to data storytelling or communicating with graphs very much in school and so simultaneous with that I was watching my kids grow and start school and seeing the homework that they came home with and there there was this idea in my head ever since having kids I think which is they develop language at such a long young age and it's by repetition and being immersed and the their minds are like sponges when it comes to being able to read and write and you know carry on a conversation and it really seemed to me that we could be taking the visual language of numbers of graphs and teaching that a whole lot sooner because one core concept I think or core skill that any good analyst any good you know just person working in the business world has is the ability to ask good questions and then understand how to get answers to those questions and I think this applies for the analysts who's working with data day in day out but also you know for an executive who needs to know when to question and how and who to go to for different things and kids have this innate curiosity they ask questions about everything I actually I was in New York City with my family a couple weeks ago it was our last R of Summer before school started back and I was walking with my daughter and my son was in front of me and and my other son and every two seconds one of them was asking me a question mommy how did this happen Mommy what's that mommy over and over and over again which I think is fantastic I mean it can get a little annoying right but if we can teach them how to hone their natural inclination to ask questions right because their way of piecing in the puzzle of how does the world work and what's my place in the world that if we can teach them how to hone that and you know instead of incessantly asking questions you do keep asking questions but also think about which are the most interesting questions or wh which ones could we collect information and answer ourselves or talk to other people as a means of testing assumptions we we can teach this all at such a young age and it would be so impactful when it comes to developing foundational skills that will serve kids as they grow in school and in basically any field uh which I think could be really empowering yeah that's wonderful and you know I read the book and I thought it was amazing and Dean is very curious uh dinosaur maybe can you share with us she's a dragon she's a dragon yeah that is that is true that is true Deanie is a very curious Dragon maybe could you share with us a bit about the story and the characters what can you know readers expect what can parents expect uh their kids to take away from it so the the main book is a story a fully Illustrated picture book and it focuses on Daphne she is a dragon with a unique talent in that she really loves to draw and the thing that she loves to draw more than anything else is data and so she gets uh in a bit of an argument with her brother about this to you know he tells her well that's not dragony enough and so she leaves her cave in search of a place where she can be herself and she goes on an adventure and she goes to some different places uh meets different creatures and in every case helps them solve a problem or a challenge that they're facing by collecting and then drawing data uh really pictoral forms of graphs where a child looking at it it's not probably even going to realize that they're looking at a graph uh and I won't ruin the ending but it's a happy one where Daphne finds her place and recognizes that her unique talent is actually what makes her really powerful and special and then to further learning the story is accompanied by a graph glossery at the end of the book that where there's a page devoted to each of the four main types of graphs that draws in her adventures bar charts line graphs pie charts and Scatter Plots so each of those talks more about what is this when would you use it what sort of questions can you answer with it uh gives examples from Daphne's journey and then also has an activity for kids where they can collect data about themselves and use it to draw the given type of graph\n"