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Protect the Most Vulnerable
A Strange Sound follows a toad who works as a berry delivery driver, who is perplexed by the mysterious noises she hears along her route and is pleasantly surprised to discover their source. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration comes from a deep desire to nurture a love of animals in young readers. I want children to be curious, thoughtful, and compassionate. Of course, my dog, Mazzy, was my greatest muse. I adore her completely. She gives me so much warmth and saves me emotionally every single day. I wanted to share this deep connection through a spirited story, helping children discover these feelings in a fun way.
Was Mazzy the puppy part of the original concept, or did the story evolve toward adoption as you wrote it?
Mazzy was the heart of the concept from the very beginning. She is a real-life companion whom I rescued from a dangerous situation in another country. In fact, she traveled a long way, by truck, before we met. The story is a tribute to her presence in my life.
What do you hope children learn about care and responsibility from Terry’s decision?
I hope children learn not to close their hearts to those who need help. It is important to protect the most vulnerable creatures in our world. Responsibility means recognizing when another living being depends on us and choosing to act with kindness, even when it requires patience, strength, and effort. Terry’s kindness brings a loving puppy into her life, but her decision matters most because she offered help when it was needed, without knowing what would come of it.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
The next book is titled Little Differences, the first part of a two-book series. It uses funny rhymes and brilliant art by Dainius Sukys to explain the differences between animals that are often confused with one another. For example, children will learn how to tell a hare from a rabbit or a toad from a frog. Many adults who have seen the previews told me that they themselves just learned how to tell these apart. So much fun! We plan to launch it just in time for Christmas or sooner.
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It opens gentle conversations about kindness and discovery where you least expect it.
Terry the Toad is driving through a beautiful landscape when something unusual breaks the quiet. First, a great roaring sound. Then, much softer, a sweet and curious sound from somewhere deep inside her truck.
Another driver might have hurried on. Terry stops. She listens. She looks. What she finds in that still, unhurried moment brings a warmth that lingers long after the final page.
For parents, this is a thoughtful gift that creates a space for quiet sharing. For children, hearing these rhythmic words feels like a comforting embrace. Through its lilting rhyme and Terry’s observant choices, the book builds real emotional vocabulary without ever feeling like a lesson. Each repeated phrase and turned page guides little readers toward kindness and an unexpected visitor.
Open this gentle story today and let curiosity lead you both home.
A Strange Sound
A Strange Sound, by Olive Green, follows Terry the toad, a berry delivery driver who keeps hearing mysterious noises along her route: howls, whistles, snores, strange little word-sounds, and finally a roar. Each time she stops to investigate, the world around her seems full of possibilities, but no clear answer. The surprise, tucked among the berries in her trailer, is a small black puppy who has been riding along unnoticed. What begins as a playful sound-hunt turns into a gentle adoption story, with Terry naming the puppy Mazzy and realizing, almost at once, that she’s found someone to love.
The writing is sweet in a way that feels deliberately old-fashioned, with its rhymes, repeated phrases, and musical animal sounds. Some lines have a bouncy, bedtime-story charm, especially when Terry keeps deciding the noise “must be the wind,” even as the reader can feel something tender building underneath. I appreciated that the mystery never becomes too tense. Even the “scary” roar is softened by the warmth of Terry’s curiosity and concern.
The heart of this children’s book is its idea of unexpected belonging, and that’s what stayed with me most. Terry doesn’t need much explanation before her compassion takes over. She sees a little creature who is alone, small, and afraid, and her response is immediate and deeply emotional. That moment could have felt too sudden, but the artwork helps make it believable. Dainius Šukys fills the pages with odd, funny, lavish details: animals on scooters, clocks hanging from trees, a bear dodging bees, enormous berries, dreamy hills, and skies that shift from stormy drama to soft nighttime blue. The illustrations invite lingering. My child would absolutely stop me mid-page to point things out.
A Strange Sound is a tender, whimsical picture book with a big emotional center hiding inside a silly little mystery. I liked it most for its tenderness, its cozy strangeness, and the way it turns noise into connection. It is a lovely choice for children who enjoy animal stories, gentle suspense, rhyming read-alouds, and books about adoption, caregiving, or finding family in unexpected places.
Pages: 35 | ASIN : B0GMS1RRZJ
