Blog Archives
What I Tell Myself About NO
![What I Tell Myself About NO by [Michael A Brown, Michelle Mathews]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51HJSvF-QJL._SX260_.jpg)
What I Tell Myself About NO teaches young readers about the value of know in a positive light. The story presents several situations where parents often tell their children no, and follows it with an explanation of why they said no. What readers learn along the way is that ‘no’ is actually saving them from danger, preparing them from rejection, and making them into better people by teaching how to bounce back.
As a parent, sometimes we say no so much it loses meaning. For me, eventually it just feels like something negative your putting in the air. But this teams teaches children, as well as parents, why no is important and how it’s a teaching tool rather than a tool for punishment. This provided a great opportunity for me to have a discussion with my child about why they hear no so much and how they should see it.
The book teaches children about the power of ‘no’ but it also teaches them how to deal with different situations and emotions, like rejection. I enjoyed the various ways in which no was used and the lyrical why in which it is all strung together.
What I Tell Myself About NO turns a negative comment into a positive teaching tool with fun and colorful art that is fit for an animated cartoon. Once again, author Michael A. Brown teaches children a potent lesson in a short but entertaining picture book.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B08KRWR4GQ
My Black Life Matters
Malik is smart. He loves school, and he runs–he has to. He is teased by kids just like him for loving learning. Malik knows this is unfair, and he is tired of living this way. He isn’t alone. His friend, Keisha, knows how he feels. She and Malik have been there for each other through many difficult days. Matt is their friend, too. Not unlike Malik and Keisha, Matt’s days are spent running from trouble in his own way. One afternoon, while the three friends are gathered at Keisha’s house, the doorbell rings and things change in a way none of them could have guessed.
My Black Life Matters, by Michael A. Brown, is the story of young Malik and his friends, three African American elementary students who explain how they deal with the abuse and bullying endured on a daily basis. Malik, Keisha, and Matt live with mistreatment on many levels, the most painful of which comes from their own peers and family members. Readers of all ages will find Malik’s story relatable, and teachers and parents will recognize many children in Keisha and Matt. They represent a large part of the African American population all of whom deserve to have their voices heard.
Author Michael A. Brown brings to light the incredibly challenging lives of children across the country. In making sure that their lives matter, he gives them voices through his vibrant and engaging characters. Brown’s book is a must-have for school counselors. Brown deals with triggering content in a tasteful way that parents and counselors can easily incorporate into important personal discussions. Kudos to Brown for giving readers a story grounded in real-life with a positive and uplifting message.
Pages: 44 | ISBN: 1735604194
Impatient Patience (What I Tell Myself)
![Impatient Patience (What I Tell Myself) by [Michael A Brown, Lovyaa Garg, Michelle Mathews]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513VsTYjdaS._SX260_.jpg)
Impatient Patience follows a little girl named Patience who is very impatient. When in line, or ordering food, or riding her bike she is a very impatient child who is about to learn why patience is a virtue. A simple and colorful rhyming book brings into focus a quality that a lot of children often struggle with. Being patient is not easy, but being impatient can bring painful consequences as Patience soon learns in this educational picture book.
Patience represents a lot of children, or all children in at least one moment in their lives, when they want everything now. With easy rhymes and repetitive words, this charming kids book also serves as a great beginners reading book.
This marvelous book shows Patience being impatient throughout the story, it then shows the consequences of being impatient, and it also shows several moments at the end where her mother is speaking to her, in very calm terms, about patience and why it is important. This was my favorite part of the book because I think this provides a wonderful opportunity to show children where their parents fit into their life lessons.
Impatient Patience easily conveys a singular but important lesson to children in elementary school with cute imagery throughout. Talking to children about patience can often be abstract, but author Michael A. Brown gives parents and teachers a fantastic tool to teach children that sometimes slowing down can be a great thing in this fast paced world.
Pages: 17 | ASIN: B08LQY4VB1
The Journey to Finding My Way
Twinkle’s Starlight follows a star on a journey through the universe to find its light. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My inspiration for Twinkle’s Starlight came from a self-reflection of my own experience. I spent my twenties studying and travelling, trying to find my place in the universe. Sometimes I looked for answers in the wrong places, but it was all part of the journey to finding my way to becoming who I am. It is, and was, an adventure of self-discovery, which I think is a lifelong quest for us all as we each navigate our way through different or similar circumstances. We all have our own light within us, and once found, we should let it shine as brightly as we can, so we can guide others when the opportunity arises to do so.
I loved the beautiful art pieces in this book. What was the art collaboration like with illustrator Carole Higgins?
The collaboration with Carole Higgins was an awesome experience. Once I had formed the script of the story, I passed the manuscript on to Carole to create the illustrations. All the artwork is Carole’s visual perception of the message found within the text, there was no storyboarding, just “this is the story, would you like to do the illustrations?” Which is a totally different technique to how Carole usually works.
On canvas, Carole would usually use a live or photographic reference for the portrait interpretation. She did an amazing job in rising to the new challenge of book illustration. Carole is an amazingly creative and imaginative artist, and the person who I have to thank for my own creativity as ‘Twinkle’s Starlight’ was the result of mother-daughter collaboration.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The main theme of importance for me is that through our individual life journeys we will encounter times of struggle, excitement, despair, loneliness, happiness, companionship and so on. But in the end, when we achieve our goals, and find where we belong, it will all be worth it as long as we don’t give up.
Sometimes other people might not be willing or able to help, or simply do not agree with the path we are on.
Sometimes you might not be willing or able to receive the help that is offered. Sometimes you might be walking with someone on parallel paths that seem the same but eventually diverge.
Sometimes you will be on the path entirely alone.
And sometimes you will be surrounded by people.
In every circumstance, it is ok, and you will find your way as long as you keep going. I would be lying if I said I had all this figured out in my own life. But that is what ‘Twinkle’s Starlight’ is all about – the journey of figuring out where you belong in life, and looking toward the future.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
As author, I am currently working on another illustrated children’s book. The availability is yet to be confirmed.
In an editorial role, ‘You Can’t Ride a Yak: Looking for yaks and finding God’s call in Nepal’ written by Sarah Reardon was recently released by Ark House. ‘You Can’t Ride a Yak,’ is the autobiography of Sarah’s journey in founding the Wise Woman Project charity organisation. It is an amazing story of strength, faith, hope, and love for both people and country. The book is available for purchase from the WWP website (https://wisewomanproject.com) and Ark House Press (https://www.arkhousepress.com/you-cant-ride-a-yak/).
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook
Twinkle’s Starlight is an illustrated children’s book that explores the effects of losing sight of self and purpose. As the star travels through the universe to find it’s light once more, Twinkle seeks help from all the planets. The moral of the story highlights that it is alright to need and seek help. However, life is a journey and seeking the right people for support is important in keeping motivated to achieve goals. It takes dedication and commitment to succeed and keep the passion alive.
The Joyous Adventures of Whizzojack
![The Joyous Adventures of Whizzojack by [David Bush, Jack Zarb Adami]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UFHSt3HVS.jpg)
The Joyous Adventures of Whizzojack by Jack Zarb Adami and David Bush, is a collection of short stories containing thirty-five unique characters. Each story reflects difficult situations the main characters are caught up in where Whizzojack comes to the rescue and ends up saving the day as best he can, while at the same time helping his town flourish. As stated in the foreword, the characters are meant to represent immigrants trying to find their place in a town, and does this well.
The imagination behind these stories is fantastic and the authors have done wonders in how they divide and tell each story. Written in easy to follow terms, you get a real sense of the creative mind that created this world, and the way the situations are described throughout which were added by the authors, add to the overall appeal and charm of how each story is told.
Immigration is a sensitive theme to have running throughout the short chapters, and I think in the majority of the stories this has been handled well howeveris some stories such as ‘Stiltman’ or ‘The Can Man’ they are portrayed as the villains because they are different. The characterization of the town, which is overall very engaging, is also shown to have corruption as suggested in a few stories such as ‘The Lineman’.
I enjoyed the aspect of recurring secondary characters like ‘Ma Mollie’ who I felt kept tying each story together. Furthermore, the illustrations created to accompany the plots in each chapter were wonderful and really help the reader to visualize the story. I think these stories would do well as a series of children’s books, especially due to the underlying educational tone of how people should be treated, even if they are different.
The Joyous Adventures of Whizzojack is a charming children’s story that teaches life lessons while also using some unique creativity to keep things consistently fun throughout this adventurous collection of entertaining kids stories.
Pages: 169 | ASIN: B09514222J
Stay on Track!
![Stay on Track! (What I Tell Myself) by [Michael A Brown]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51uWyheMcYS._SX260_.jpg)
Stay on Track! Is a colorful, and lyrical, children’s book that follows a train, and an engineer, as they shuttle passengers to Oakton Park station, learning a valuable life lesson along the way. Will Eddie the Engineer know what to do when the train takes a wrong turn? Luckily Travis the Train is there to support his friend and provide sagely advice to get them back on track.
Author Michael A. Brown adds another beautiful book to his What I Tell Myself series that helps kids understand that mistakes are normal and, while it’s okay to aspire to be like others, everyone is different and take different paths in life. The art in this book, like in many of Michael Brown’s books, is vivid, cute, and emotive. This story is reminiscent of Thomas The Train, but readers will enjoy the modern suburban feel in this story.
Kids’ books rarely surprise me. I knew that something was going to happen to challenge our character, like many stories do, but I didn’t see this one coming. I was like Eddie the Engineer, distracted by the fun time and Oscar the other Train Engineer, that by the time the turn came and Eddie missed it, I was just as shocked.
The story is easy to read, with rhymes throughout, ensuring that new readers will easily be able to follow along and build their vocabulary. Stay on Track! is a fun children’s picture book that conveys a valuable life lesson.
Pages: 31 | ASIN: B094HLM5DG
True Colors
![True Colors by [Aditi Nair, Morgan Colonna]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41W9pbRo4CL.jpg)
Crystal, a magnificent peahen in her own right, is looking for answers. She wants to know the secret to becoming as beautiful as her best friend, Alejandro, a peacock. Crystal prepares herself for a journey of self-discovery without realizing that she will meet new friends and be reintroduced to her true self along the way. From the very beginning of Crystal’s adventure, she meets with fabulous creatures who offer her words of wisdom and the encouragement that makes all the difference in her own confidence. She soon finds out that what she seeks was inside her all along.
True Colors, written by Aditi Nair and illustrated by Morgan Colonna, is the beautiful story of Crystal, the peahen, and her desire to change her dull feathers with the help of the magical green elephant. This is much more than an ugly duckling tale. Crystal, the book’s main character, learns a slightly different lesson from each of the animals she meets on her journey. The story gradually builds with each of the characters tacking onto her lesson another aspect of self-confidence and inner strength as Crystal’s story unfolds.
This book is the perfect story with which to introduce or review the concept of a central message to elementary students. Nair’s book is the ideal length for in-depth discussions and offers teachers and students ample opportunities to analyze character traits and motivations. Nair has produced a real asset for classroom teachers.
True Colors gives young readers engaging characters from which to learn some very important life lessons. This beautifully illustrated book is a must-have for teachers in grades 2-5.
Pages: 29 | ASIN: B08VFH7ZJF
Jake and the Pandemic
![Jake and the Pandemic by [Chris Hardy, Wally _LL]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bdqJ4w+fS._SX260_.jpg)
Jake and the Pandemic is a charming children’s story about a dog that shares his experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. This poignant kids book teaches readers about the pandemic and how to deal with the anxiety and the changes that it has brought. It shows the challenges that many children face, like virtual learning, but also shows how we can still help others and find joy in our new way of living.
This wonderfully illustrated children’s book will keep readers engaged throughout as they are constantly on the look out for Stuart the squirrel who makes an appearance throughout the book. My favorite was Stuart pushing the shopping cart with a nut in it. So cute!
While the book is fun and colorful it also shows many of the challenges that children face during the pandemic. There is even a very cute scene of Jake having a virtual classroom and there are other dogs in different relatable poses on screen. Again, so cute!
Throughout the story you can see other dogs wearing masks, closed stores, and empty streets. This book will help children and parents have a conversation about the challenges and emotions we face during this crisis and also shows us how to see the positive things in our new situation; like increased family time, gardening and cooking. There’s even a hidden cookie recipe in here!
Jake and the Pandemic is a wonderful children’s picture book that will keep young readers entertained while also teaching them about the pandemic.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B0946325LX
LITERARY TITAN 