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Accentuating the Positive
Dr. Qooz Author Interview
Chasing Scaredy Away empowers children to conquer their fear by showing how Zora the zebra overcomes her own. How do children develop a fear of the dark and how can parents help overcome it?
Children develop fear of the dark from what they hear from electronic media, friends, and parents. Accentuating the positive, pointing out early that there are no ghosts, monsters and boogie man and explain light chases the imagined creatures away.
Your books always have bright and clean art. How do you choose which animals to incorporate into your story?
The animals in Dr. Qooz’ stories all have personalities of their own. These personalities are matched to the story for best inevitability.
What can readers expect in the next installment in your Fargone series?
The next Fargone story will be about individualism of the child and how important it is to be you and not what your friends declare they want you to be. Fat Harriet the Hippo is accosted by a new classmate, Weezy the Weasel, that wants to do a makeover.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Chasing Scaredy Away is a picture book with a positive solution to help your child’s night fears. Zora has a history of being a fraidy-zebra. A simple shopping trip creates an imaginary monster that comes home to frighten Zora that night. Mother Zebra shows Zora a solution for dissolving her night fears, chasing scaredy away, and leaving Zora empowered and unafraid. Reading a children’s book with facts the child can use and depend upon for the rest of the child’s life will help your child overcome their fears and move on.
Sasha and His Red Leash
![Sasha and his Red Leash: A picture book about safety and fun for dogs lovers (The secret Diary of a Lucky Pup 1) by [Yossi Lapid, Joanna Pasek]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51h8bw4jD9L.jpg)
Sasha and His Red Leash is the first installment of Yossi Lapid’s “The Secret Diary of a Lucky Pup” and introduces young readers to a cute little dog named Sasha as he interacts with his loving family. Of particular focus in the book is his relationship with the red leash his Big Boss Bob puts on him when Sasha is taken for a walk.
Joanna Pasek does a wonderful job of illustrating this delightful children’s book; the charming pastel watercolor illustrations throughout create a world with calming and serene imagery. Yossi Lapid is able to educate young readers about the importance of keeping their dog on a leash by using Sasha’s dislike of his red leash to spark conversation about keeping beloved pets on a leash while outdoors in order to keep them safe. This instruction is done in a child-friendly, participatory manner that presents different scenarios involving Sasha and asks readers for their input on Sasha’s safety. Sasha and His Red Leash is a fun and educational book that is a great story time addition for young readers who are between preschool age and 2nd grade.
Pages: 25 | ASIN: B0852C55DV
Where Are We?
Where are We by Dr. Quooz is a fun and informative children’s adventure book. This book follows many animals and a magical bus on an imaginative journey to Paradise, learning all sorts of interesting things along the way.
Where are We is yet another adorable and charming addition to the Dr. Qooz series of books In A Field Trip to Paradise the author teaches children about different dinosaurs as they go back in time. There is a list of fun facts at the end of the book that explains the various things the animal friends encountered along their journey. This will help to build their vocabulary and understanding of how things work. I haven’t read any other children’s book where we encounter both dinosaurs and a space shuttle. I also found the book to be a great explanation of what imagination is, and it can be an introduction to pretend play, or even using imagination during lesson plans for children to also “travel” to places like the animals did in the book. This is a great novel for parents and teachers to share with their chilren.
Pages: 43 | ASIN: B07MB2LYXS
A Strong Foundation of Trust
A Circle of Trust teaches kids and parents about the importance of creating a safe place for open communication. Why was this an important topic for you?
This book has a dual purpose, to enlighten children on the importance of trust and open communication as well as to educate parents on the vital need to create a safe space for children to open up from a young age. This book is also excellent for strengthening bonds between parents and children as they read it together and implement the lessons learned in the story. I feel it’s so important to build trust and create a safe space, to be able to speak openly with our children. We want children to feel safe and come to us whenever something is bothering them. By starting this practice at an early age, it will come more easily for children to talk without fear, or shame, or worrying about being judged. Building a strong foundation of trust with unconditional love and giving them the ability to speak openly, will play an important role in shaping their core values, which are instrumental for any future relationships whether personal or professional.
What has been your favorite reader reaction so far to your Honeycake series?
Every single reader has told me they wished they had these books when they were growing up, or while they were raising their young children. I feel so honored by the outpour of gratitude by my readers for creating a children’s book series with characters that reflect their household of mixed ethnicities and giving the term “Honeycake” as a way to represent who they are.My favourite reaction is from a reader named Gaby Murillo who lives in Santiago, Chile. “Hi!!! I JUST READ YOUR BOOKS AND LET ME TELL YOU, YOUR BOOKS ARE PURE GOLD! THEY ARE SUNSHINE AND HONEY AND WARMTH AND ALL THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE IN A FEW PAGES. THEY MADE ME FEEL SO COZY INSIDE! AND TOOK ME BACK TO THE BEST MOMENTS OF MY CHILDHOOD FOR SOME REASON! MY ADVICE: The whole world MUST read your books! This is the kind of books that could help make this world better. I don’t even have kids but I swear I will read them in my class at the church, they are about 4 – 8 years old and I’m sure they will love it as much as I do right now. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS WORLD BRIGHTER!”
In this book you introduce the idea of A Circle of Trust with no beginning and no end. Why do you feel this is an important idea for kids?
The circle is a symbol that is recognized around the world, in marriage the exchanging of wedding rings signifies everlasting love. Teaching children the meaning of the circle symbol will help you communicate that your love is unconditional and it will never be broken. You’re also making your child feel safe and secure, and building a strong relationship between you and them. This gives children confidence and security which will lead them to open up freely when something is bothering them. Children’s relationships shape the way they see the world and affect all areas of their development. By building a loving, open, and honest relationship with your child, you’re helping shape the adult they’ll become and give them a strong foundation for the rest of their lives.“With “A Circle Of Trust” there is no beginning and no end, which signifies that your love for one another is endless and will last forever.”
This is getting to be one of my favorite children’s series. What is the next book in the series and when can readers expect it out?
Thank you so much, what a beautiful compliment. I’m truly grateful for your continuous support in the Honeycake book series. Coming December of 2020, Book 5 – “Honeycake: Counting All My Blessings”. This book teaches children the importance of gratitude and how to focus on what matters most in life.Teaching and showing gratitude is also a great way to find balance in the materialistic culture we live in today. Nala’s Uncle JD and Auntie Reilly are celebrating the birth of their newborn son. But when baby Milo receives so many new presents and all the attention, Nala becomes very angry and green with envy. With the help of her grandfather, Nala learns the importance of gratitude and that being thankful for all the wonderful things she has in her life, equips her with a powerful tool to make those icky feelings of jealousy from the “Green-Eyed Monster” disappear.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Amazon
![Honeycake: A Circle of Trust by [Medea Kalantar]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51QFYgdUp7L.jpg)
In the fourth installment of the delightful Honeycake series, Nala goes into her papa’s office without permission and breaks his favourite mug. Nala panics and hides in her bedroom.
With the help of her parents, Nala learns a valuable lesson of trust and how to have an open and honest communication in a safe space.
Nala also learns that trust takes a long to build and can easily be destroyed in a split second!
With A Circle of Trust there is no beginning and no end, which signifies that your love for one another is endless and will last forever.
Literary Titan Book Awards June 2020
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and imagination of these talented authors.
Gold Award Winners
Silver Award Winners
Belonging by Benjamin Anderson
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information and see all award winners.
From Tree to Twelve
From Tree to Twelve by Dr. Quooz is an adorable counting book for children that follows a little boy and his monkey friend as they count from one to twelve on a road trip adventure. This book immediately captured my child’s attention with its bright colors and cute monkey. This educational children’s book becomes more than a simple counting book by showing kids how these numbers come together in simple math equations. Throughout the book kids are given examples of numbers, how they appear in our lives, and gives them bright objects to count.
The book is written in a way that is easily understandable by younger children and makes it a fun read. Additionally, it is beautifully illustrated and grabs the attention of children. Not only does this book teach valuable math skills, it can also help develop other areas of thinking. For instance, teachers and parents could use this book to teach about various colors, explore words, or even use it as a jumping-off point to teach about time. Overall, I would highly recommend this book for children, parents, and teachers.
Pages: 15 | ASIN: B07PPTR8CN
Learn To Read From Sounds
![Learn to Read from Sounds by [Barnes Florence]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41sTOlpDJJL.jpg)
Learn to Read from Sounds by Florence Barnes is an enriching children’s book that aims to help young kids learn how to read using the phonics system. It also includes an insightful question and answer portion at the beginning to clarify frequently asked questions regarding the phonics system and its effectiveness. This book serves as a very useful tool for teachers or parents looking to teach a child how to read. This is due to the numerous exercises on reading using the phonic system in the book. The reading exercises are also fun and are suitable for children.
Although I found this book to be educational and informative, I thought that the book was a little plain. I thought an addition of brightly colored illustrations or animals would help capture children’s attention. Otherwise this book does an excellent job of relaying educational information in a straightforward and easy to understand manner. I think that this book will significantly help children, or really anyone, who is learning to read. If you’re looking for a book that stays focused on the material then Learn to Read from Sounds is a perfect choice.
Pages: 60 | ASIN: B07P6MVW6M
Seeing is Believing
Dr. Qooz Author Interview
What do you find is a common misconception kids have about problems with their vision?
The MOST common misconception kids have about their vision is they don’t believe they have a vision problem. This is because they have nothing to compare bad vision to.
I thought the scenes with Tode at the optometrist were very cute. Do you have a favorite scene from the book, Sight to See: Seeing is Believing ?
My favorite scene of Tode at the optometrist is when Dr. Kitty asks Tode to come into his office and Tode thinks he is in trouble and explains, “I didn’t pull Krissy’s tail, I just held on and she drug me in here!”
This is book two in your Fargone series, what can readers expect from book three, Where Are We?: A field Trip to Paradise?
Book 3 of the Fargone Series, “Where Are We?: A field Trip to Paradise” defines a common state of boredom, where everyone wants to be on the greener side of life, a place more exciting than where they are. This historical history lesson, takes the entire class on a field trip that is only 10 feet from where they started from but 151 million years…
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![Sight to See: Seeing is Believing (Fargone Book 2) by [Dr. Qooz, Irena Urosevic]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51SsNpwhHML._SY346_.jpg)
A children’s book with a message to parents and young readers. Tode the Turtle is one out of every five children that will have a learning disability because of a correctable handicap, that he nor his parents know that he has. Discover the ease of correcting this universal plague in minutes as this beautifully illustrated story comes to life.
LITERARY TITAN 