There are so many things I love about Jann Fujimoto. I remember way back when our kids were in elementary school wishing I was as on top of things as she was. Because we both love to read, she and I have talked about so many books throughout the years and I love her perspective. We’re friends on social and I love following her family’s adventures, especially when they involve food. As a HUGE Alabama fan, I have mad respect for how involved she is with Indiana University (my parents’ alma mater) and The Marching Hundred. And I love how passionate she is about her work.

I have a special place in my heart for speech-language pathologists. Two of my children needed early intervention and one of them still receives services in school. When Jann talks about her work she literally lights up. As the owner of SpeechWorks LLC and an avid reader, she was a natural choice for What the Boss is Reading. I know that by the time you’ve finished reading this post, you’ll not only have found several books to add to your TBR, but you’ll love Jann almost as much as I do.

Meet Jann Fujimoto:

I’m a wife, mom to two teens, enthusiastic volunteer with the Indiana University Marching Hundred Alumni Band, and the Chief Garden Officer of the Fuji Farm (otherwise known as the backyard garden).  I grew up in Indiana and Hawaii and have also lived in Washington, Texas, Tennessee, and Illinois.  Wisconsin is the longest place I have ever lived.  

At work, I’m Jann Fujimoto MS, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist and owner of SpeechWorks.  SpeechWorks has been helping children become confident communicators since 2013 and has been providing online speech therapy services since 2014.    

How did you become an SLP?

I was a Spanish major in college.  I really enjoyed language and linguistics, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it.  Speech-language pathologists need a master’s degree, and I wasn’t all in about the field, so I worked in government and not for profit organizations for a few years while doing some job shadowing of speech-language pathologists along the way.  My husband was separating from the Army, so I gave him a list of cities with graduate schools and he worked with a headhunter to find a role outside of the Dallas area, which had a few graduate programs.  My graduate program at the University of Texas at Dallas allowed students like me who did not have a bachelor’s in Communication Disorders to take their leveling courses while in graduate school and had a fall and a spring cohort.  Many programs require their graduate students to have all of the undergraduate classes completed before even applying and only have one cohort per year.   

Do you mostly read for pleasure or do you mostly read for professional development?

Both.  I listen to most of my professional reading through Libby or Hoopla.  Whenever I go on a trip, I always have something to read and this is where my Kindle is handy.  To me, what defines a vacation is if I was able to dig into a book.  If I didn’t, then it’s a trip. 

What are you currently reading?  Thoughts on it?

Usually I have one audiobook and one regular book going simultaneously.  I did this as a kid, though it was two paper books.  Nowadays, I could probably get through more if I dedicated all my attention to one book, but having the audiobook option is so helpful to access books when driving, gardening, or doing chores.

What is your favorite genre?

Mysteries with a female protagonist by female authors were my jam for a while – Goldy Schulz series by Diane Mott Davidson, China Bayles mysteries by Susan Witting Albert, and Anna Pigeon series by Nevada Barr.  When I’m not reading or listening to business related books, memoirs and biographies are what I find most interesting lately, especially when read by the authors like Anthony Daniels, Ali Wong, Tiffany Haddish, Anna Kendrick, and Julie Andrews.

Have you always been a reader or did your love of reading come later in life?

I’ve been reading since I was 3 years old and have always enjoyed the places I could go through books.  Books are such an interconnected part of my life that I can often recall what I was reading at different times of my life – book reporting on The House with a Clock in Its Walls just before a cross-country move as a kid, listening to John Grisham books on tape (which seemed really new at the time) during a cross-country move with my husband, bonding over Janet Evanovich with our first pediatrician when she did the baby’s newborn well check at the hospital, reading Handmaid’s Tale after the birth of our second child (perhaps not the best timing), and enjoying A to Z Mysteries via audiobook during an East Coast road trip as a family.

Do you have a favorite author?  Favorite book?

Is there a book that you feel has changed your life?  

The play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.  Reading that play in my college comparative literature class made me realize that people had professions helping others with their dialects.  I moved from Indiana to Hawaii as a tween and became keenly aware of how people sounded when they spoke.  The play formally introduced me to the field of linguistics, and I signed up for a linguistics class the next semester.  It was fulfilled a social science requirement and had a small class size (my personal requirement).   That Linguistics 101 course led me to a minor and ultimately the field of speech-language pathology.  I re-read the play once a year. 

Is there a book you consistently recommend?

It’s usually whatever I am currently reading.  The Tattooist of Auschwitz is one that I’ve been recommending lately.  It’s based on a true story and led me to finally read Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning.

How do your reading habits influence your children?

For us, reading is a habit and it’s something we enjoy.  We make time and put effort into things we enjoy, and my kids see that I still make time to read – whether it’s reading a few minutes each morning when the house is quiet, listening to an audiobook while doing chores, or lounging in the hammock with the Kindle.   

Are there favorite stories you read with your kids when they were young?

• A to Z Mysteries
• The Magic Tree House (audiobook) Series – the author Mary Pope Osbourne reads the stories and it really is like storytime!
• The Important Book – I love the message of this book by Margaret Wise Brown, the same author as Goodnight Moon, and think it’s one that everyone needs to hear.
• Little House series – my daughter and I would read a chapter together every night

Libraries seem to be a favorite spot.  Has that always been the case?

Libraries have always given me the freedom to do my own thing.  At school, I loved that I didn’t have to read what the class was reading but bemoaned that we could only visit the library once a week.  My dad took me to the library regularly as a kid.  For the longest time, I thought the “Pedestrian Xing” sign just outside the library’s front door said “Presidential Xing” and thought they had a special crosswalk just for the President!  Obviously, I needed to spend more time learning how to read, but within the walls of that library’s children’s room, my reading levels progressed from Curious George to Little Women.  

In the summer of 2018, I visited all of the Waukesha County libraries and it was really a treat to see the variety of layouts and offerings each library has.  (You can see her adventures here:  https://lakecountryfamilyfun.com/author/jann-fujimoto/ ) 

I know how much you believe in the importance of reading and introducing reading early to children.  Any specific tips for parents?

Read, read, and read some more!  Your child will benefit from consistent daily reading with quality time with caregivers, introduction to literacy skills, and increased attention spans.  Traditional books, graphic novels, comic books, ebooks, and audiobooks expand the variety of ways children can enjoy reading. 

You Love Her, Too, Right???

I told you you would love Jann Fujimoto and I wasn’t lying. She is passionate about her family, her work, and (OF COURSE!!!!) reading. She can talk books like nobody’s business which is why I was so excited to interview her for my blog. So many books she recommended here are in my 4 and 5 star list so be sure to check out her books and authors. And if you ever need a speech-language pathologist, you know where to look!

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