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Undercover Kittens
![Undercover Kittens: A Kallie Collins Cozy Mystery (A Pet Communicator Cozy Mystery Book 3) by [Lisa Shay]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51LdGK7HAlL.jpg)
Doctor Kallie Collins is a veterinarian and truly loves her job. She does, however, possess a talent that makes her an asset to her patients as well as Medford’s law enforcement. Kallie communicates with animals. She is able to hear their thoughts and pick up on any number of clues to their conditions as well as clues that can lead to solving crimes. Her skills are unmatched, and there is no one else around who can do what Kallie does. And then… Evie Branagan shows up in Medford.
Undercover Kittens: A Kallie Collins Cozy Mystery, by Lisa Shay, is the third installment in the Kallie Collins Cozy Mystery series. Main character, Dr. Kallie Collins, prides herself on her ability to communicate easily with the animals she treats in her office. Depending on their willingness to share their thoughts, she is able to diagnose, treat, and prepare owners for their aftercare much more easily. She is alone in this field with her talents until the day she hears that another animal communicator has opened up shop in her little town. Word travels fast, and she soon begins to hear more than she wants about her potential competition.
The premise of Shay’s book is fascinating–a psychic veterinarian who can extract clues from animal witnesses to crimes. From the first chapter, Shay sets the stage and pulls readers into Kallie’s life as both a dedicated veterinarian and an, at times, not-so willing detective. I have to say it is a unique take on the mystery genre and does entertain as much as it engages readers.
This third installment of Shay’s series is a quick read with very few parallel storylines. Readers will be able to get straight to the heart of the matter as the action moves rapidly once the initial crime is committed. Kallie’s personal struggles are a nice addition to the main plot of the book. She is a relatable character with quirks that help readers get to know her and her friend circle quickly. It is worth noting that the cover and title can be somewhat misleading when it comes to the genre of Shay’s books. Both cover and title would lead one to believe that these stories are written with younger readers in mind, and that is simply not the case.
I highly recommend Shay’s series to any animal lover who enjoys a good mystery. Readers who have pets of their own will appreciate the research and detail Shay puts into her books. The cast of memorable characters makes the Kallie Collins Cozy Mystery series a must-read.
Pages: 230 | ASIN: B09NMXZS5N
Axel and Ava as Cat Sitters
Axel and Ava are so excited to find out their friend Becca just adopted a new cat. They rush over to Becca’s house to meet the new cat. When they arrive, Becca tells them they need to be patient and let the cat come to them when it is ready. She explains how rescue animals are very afraid of people to start till they know they can trust them. Axel and Ava however are impatient. When Becca runs out, they try and force the cat to play and interact with them. Axel ends up getting scratched and the cat runs out the door.
This interesting picture book by Tuula Pere and illustrated by Nyamdorj Lkhaasuren tells not only the story of Axel and Ave with the new cat but gives children a good lesson on how to act and not act around new animals. It highlights the importance first off of adopting an animal from a shelter, and then how to introduce that animal to your friends. The language used is age-appropriate for early elementary and kindergarten children. The concepts are presented in a manner they can relate to, most kids want to play with new animals and often don’t understand that what they do with their own pets is not always okay with a new one. Explaining the consequences of not listening to pet owners and following directions is done in a kind and gentle way as well. Children will follow the antics of Axel and Ave while learning a valuable lesson.
Axel and Ava as Cat Sitters is an educational picture book on the do’s and don’ts of meeting a new animal. The creative artwork adds to the charm of this insightful story. This would be an excellent book to give to a child when getting ready to add a new animal to the family or for a school library.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B09K4CXW3Z
Life Lessons For Children
Solitary Toes and Brown-Headed Cowbirds follows a pack of hunting dogs and how they react when a horse is brought to their farm. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The inspiration for Solitary Toes and Brown-Headed Cowbirds began when we lived in Catoosa, Oklahoma. We had horses and many hunting dogs. The memories of all our animals are what I want to record for the next generation of young readers.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with the illustrator Mike Minick?
Mike Minick is a wonderful illustrator. He is an illustrator and a graphic designer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mike and I are very compatible. I send Mike my manuscript which he reads and then we talk about his ideas for the illustrations. He makes many sketches, we discuss, and then he lines them up with the text. He will send me colored-in sketches during this process. Then he completes the illustrations with the text and sets it up in book form according to Archway Publishing’s guide lines. Then we send to the publisher. We spend around one hour each week talking with each other until the process is complete.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
- Life lessons for children shown through animals—team effort, helping friends, being nice to others, and learning from family members.
- Relationships between different kinds of animals.
- Learning about nature.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Chatty the Hen Pheasant (Travels With The Pack) – It became available 11/11/2021.
Desert Friends (Travels With The Pack) – I’m sending it to Archway Publishing in a couple of weeks.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website
Solitary Toes and Brown-Headed Cowbirds shares a humorous story depicting the relationships between horses, cowbirds, and hunting dogs. Geared toward first through third grade readers, this young reader’s book helps children improve their reading skills while providing knowledge about animals, nature, and life lessons.
Holy Fruit Toots Rosie!
Holy Fruit Toots Rosie! is about a curious dog named Rosie that loves to try new foods, especially foods that are not her dog food. Unfortunately for Rosie, she learns the hard way that she has an allergy to Fruity Toot cereal. The house is soon filled with the smell of fruit toot toots every time Rosie sneezes. After a call to the vet the family learns what to do and spends the day helping Rosie with her fruity toot tooting issue.
Dogs provide families with love, affection, entertainment, and sometimes worries. Thankfully in this picture book written by Christine Logan, Rosie had a mild reaction to eating something she was not supposed to have. Humor permeates this fun story as even the cat is upset by the smell coming from poor Rosie. Children will love the ridiculous images that accompany the hilarious narrative of Rosie passing gas with every activity she does. Children will be laughing all the way through this entertaining story.
Logan does a great job explaining the serious nature of allergies in animals and what to do for them, while infusing humor into the information. At the end of the story the author includes a pictorial checklist of what is safe and not safe for dogs to eat, play with, and what their poop should look like if healthy. Also included is a list of things to look for if you think your pet is sick and a reminder to call the vet if you think they are.
This comical picture book is brought to life through the fantastic illustrations of Gayatri Ray. Their rendition of the fruity toot toots will have readers doing a double take and then laughing at the fruit rings flying out of Rosie. The artwork makes this picture book come to life while allowing Logan to pass on a serious message about pet care.
Holy Fruit Toots Rosie! is an extraordinary and lighthearted picture book that children and toddlers will find entertaining and unforgettable. The important information on taking care of animals that is included is presented in an effective matter that will be remembered by children and adults.
Pages: 38 | ASIN : B09HW541G6
Oscar the Osprey: The Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights
![Oscar the Osprey: The Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights by [Edward Martin Polansky, Jean Rosow]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41OnXT23zrS._SY346_.jpg)
Oscar the Osprey follows a year in the life of a newly hatched osprey. This wonderful children’s book takes readers through a full year of life following a young bird named Oscar, with each chapter taking up a season. Oscar is different, and other birds make fun of him for it, but he learns to adapt to his impairment and survives the winter in his own unique way.
This is a wonderfully educational book that will teach young readers many things about ospreys. This is an inspiring coming of age tale that I really enjoyed because Oscar was left to overcome his inequities on his own. This conveys a fantastic lesson on self-reliance that is not often taught in children’s books. Readers will learn many things about birds, and all the educational elements are delivered within a heartfelt story that follows Oscar’s journey. Readers will immediately connect with Oscar, not only because he’s the underdog, but because of his amazing outlook on life and his amiable personality. The illustrations were all black and white sketch art that was very fitting for the story and simply charming.
Author Edward Martin Polansky has written a children’s book that reminds me of classic children’s literature stories. This thoughtful and inspiring tale educates as well as it entertains and will surely delight young readers. This is perfect for readers moving on to chapter books, or a great story to read to your child at bed time.
Pages: 50 | ASIN: B0793PK7RT
The Great Cyprus Think Tank
Larry Lockridge has a way with words and will have the reader hooked from the first page. The Great Cyprus Think Tank may appear like it is starting slow, but the reader soon realizes that the writing style Larry Lockridge applied was best suited for the book. You get to read a paragraph and enjoy the narration even before getting the full concept of what is happening. The Great Cyprus Think Tank is your ideal book if you enjoy deep stories that have real life lessons that touch on various phases of a man and different sectors in the running of a nation.
The Great Cyprus Think Tank is a great book to read if you enjoy political satire, discussions on contemporary society and insightful exploration of issues that affect human beings. The book is set in the distant future. In the book, we follow the story of Bart Beasley, a somewhat miserable Canadian author of cultural memoirs. In his misery, Bart Beasley has always wanted to go back to Cyprus. This country is special and significant to the Canadian author as it is the place where he spent his younger years and also made major memories. Bart Beasley treasured his time in Cyprus and the reader can see why. As a reader, you get to visualize the time in Cyprus and get to virtually experience the country.
The country is in the middle of political turbulence. Everything seems to be in disarray and citizens appear to be in anarchy. The social, political, economic and even environmental state of the nation is nothing but disorder. The rising sea levels are a threat to the renowned sea turtles, songbirds are being eliminated by native epicures, and Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Bart Beasley decides to create a think tank of experts. They include a zoologist, meteorologist, neurologist and others. Though professionals, these experts have some flaws, which made their characters more interesting, grounded and authentic. I loved how Bart’s mind worked. In some instances, the reader would feel that the Canadian author is trying too hard, but Larry Lockridge would soon show a different side of him that the reader never expected. Bart is an excellent main character; entertaining to follow, unpredictable, but also solid on whatever stance he took.
Larry Lockridge wrote an exciting book that will get one to think about the future, human activity, governments and how nature can be kind or cruel depending on what path humans choose. The Great Cyprus Think Tank has a lot of political themes, which was great to read especially for readers that enjoy stories on governance, civics and political satire. Larry Lockridge was also exceptional with the description of events especially when the storyline had romance and human struggles in it.
Pages: 202 | ASIN: B09FS83VWX
Birds, Who Are They?
Birds, Who Are They – A First Look by David Campbell Callender is a beautifully crafted audiobook that offers delightful insights into birds and their behavior. Before getting in touch with this book I had not imagined birds could be so fascinating.
First, we need to talk about the narration by Grace Winpenny. Her beautiful voice and interpretation take us into the journey of the book with much amazement and a curious attitude. Then there is the opening sequence, on which we learn to look at birds through new eyes. As the narrator explains their early childhood fascination with winged creatures, I felt as if I was seeing birds for the first time. The first passage is beautiful. And though what comes after is quite different, it is still amazing nonetheless. The book proceeds with interesting facts about birds, frequently comparing them to humans in their behavior. It is a curious association that makes us wonder how different could we really be from other species.
This is a short book so it is over when you least expect it. However, at its end, the sensation is that you have learned a lot in a short period of time and developed a whole new perspective and appreciation for something found in our daily lives. This book is a must for anyone who likes nature or is just curious about things in general.
Pages: 34 | ASIN: B09D8PLCCD
The Destiny Of All Dogs
The Destiny of the Wolves follows a pack of wolves that set out on a dangerous quest seeking answers to a vision that shows a bond between man and wolf. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My family and I, who always rescue animals from the streets, realize the connection that animals create with us, this loving and dependent bond. It is very visible how abused dogs walk and those who live without an owner, the way they look at you, the way they react to the approach of other dogs or people. Dogs exist today because our species has domesticated the wolf many times over the millennia, and I often say that the existence of dogs is a human responsibility. The species Canis familiaris was not made alone, the human being had a direct participation in its creation. When I see an abandoned dog I know it was because someone abandoned him and not because he was born in the wild. That was the reason I wrote The Destiny of the Wolves, because I wanted people to reflect on what it’s like to be in their “shoes”, which is the same as abandoning a child in the world, without food, without protection, awakening fears and traumas in these animals that is similar to what a human being might feel.
The characters in the story were intriguing and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
My intention when creating the characters was to bring wolves with behaviors that could resemble our dogs. Every wolf in my story is or was a dog I adopted. Its colors, ways of acting and thinking were inspired by the characteristics of my dogs. Even Finn and Felicity are my dogs and the story about them in the book is true. I found Finn half dead when I was at a bus stop and Felicity was my sister who found her, trapped in a lamppost and in the rain, freezing to death. Our dogs have a lot of personality, and even though they’re nearly 18,000 years younger than their ancestors, dogs still act with some instinctive wolf´s method.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Raising awareness about animal abandonment, our responsibility for the species Canis familiaris, awakening in the reader empathy for dogs and other animals, a reflection on them not having chosen the fate they have, but that we who choose the destiny of all dogs.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The next book to be published in English is Symbiosa and the Threat in the Arctic, which will tell the story of a young girl called Emma. She is saved from near-death by her friendship with a falcon. Her normal life resumes, but she is left with the sharpened eyesight of a bird of prey. Summoned to a mysterious winter holiday camp in the far north of Norway, Emma has the chance to strengthen her connection with her falcon and truly understand the secret union of the Symbiosa, the Sami people’s solution to all human ailments. But what Emma wasn’t counting on was a sinister underground organisation threatening the very existence of the Symbiosa. Soon she is faced with a terrible doubt: do the Symbiosa represent salvation or rather a terrible curse?
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LITERARY TITAN 