Blog Archives
Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of the Missing Heiress
![Skylar Robbins: The Mystery of the Missing Heiress (Skylar Robbins mysteries Book 3) by [Carrie Cross]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51asSeTYvCL.jpg)
The Skylar Robbins Detective Agency isn’t quite turning into what its creator hoped. Skylar is beginning a new semester and had hoped her budding career as a private detective would have taken off by now. After all, she solved one of the biggest cases around when the pros couldn’t. But Xandra Collins is missing. She’s an heiress, and her case just might be what Skylar needs to push her career in the right direction. There’s only one problem–the only clue Skylar has is a message that seems almost impossible to decipher. With her best friend, Alexa’s help, Skylar is going to give this case everything she’s got.
Skylar Robbins and the Mystery of the Missing Heiress, by Carrie Cross, is a fantastic young adult novel centered around the title character, Skylar Robbins. She’s your average seventh grader with all the headaches of growing up. She has a best friend she would do anything for, and she has a crush on the most popular boy in the school. What sets Skylar apart is her innate ability to solve mysteries. She outsmarts most every adult around and has made a name for herself. Being asked to join ACE (Accelerated Courses and Experiments) has given her an edge over her classmates, but she isn’t so sure about being a part of this exclusive group of high achievers.
As a mother and teacher, I love that Cross has incorporated a key character with a learning disability. The author accurately portrays Alexa, Skylar’s best friend with dyslexia. Each school day is a struggle for Alexa, and Skylar has been a huge force in her life since second grade–the two are inseparable. Skylar’s move to ACE classes leaves a hole in Alexa’s life. Facing her most difficult classes without Skylar to lean on, Alexa dreads each day. She is a relatable character and one readers will remember long after they finish the last chapter.
The mystery of Xandra’s whereabouts makes for a great storyline, and Skylar’s determination to find answers and still live a seventh grader’s life give Cross’s book an interesting element. She is a modern day Nancy Drew with all the technology to keep young readers engaged and invested in seeing her succeed.
I can’t recommend Cross’s work enough to young mystery fans. Skylar and the crew will draw readers in with their daily teen drama, but their ability to reason through situations when adults can’t will keep them hooked. I can see Skylar Robbins playing a huge part in young adult literature for years to come.
Pages: 315 | ASIN: B076GSJ95X
Ack! The Nantucket Duckling
![Ack! The Nantucket Duckling by [A.K. Spurway, Jacqueline East]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Jh1sPSH3L.jpg)
Ack! The Nantucket Duckling is a charming children’s story about a duckling that is different from the other ducklings. His beak is shaped like a trumpet, giving him a different, but distinct quack. Or should I say ack! In this wonderfully illustrated picture book Ack learns the value of being different, and accepting who he is, no matter what.
Author A.K. Spurway provides young readers with a heartwarming story of a duckling that struggles with his self-image and doubts himself. Every page has beautiful watercolor inspired images with a soft color palette that is easy on the eyes. All the little ducklings in this story are so cute. Children will have a wonderful time pointing out all the cute animals and bugs found throughout the book as parents read the story. The characters are emotive and children will be able to identify all the emotions they see throughout the story. It is not often that children’s books surprise me, but while I knew there was going to be a redeeming act somewhere in the story, I wasn’t sure where it would come from. When Wilson, Mrs. Crabapple and Ack all come together at the end, there was a real moment of suspense for me.
Ack! The Nantucket Duckling is a delightful children’s book that will teach kids about self-acceptance in a fun and entertaining way. I highly recommend this educational book to parents and teachers that want to have a discussion about self-worth and self-image. This is a wonderful story that children will keep coming back to.
Pages: 25 | ASIN: B0876LTRLD
The Tale of The Pumpkin Seed Squad – Book Trailer
Riley Chester-field Mouse has acquired both a name and some friends in this 2nd book of a series chronicling the life of the little field mouse. Through the same easy-read poetry and captivating caricatures exhibited in The Tale of the Christmas Hero, the author and artist comically relate the imaginative adventures — and misadventures — of Riley and his friends.
The tale begins on a crisp, fall morning as Riley hastens to join his friends in their newly-discovered game called football. In a flashback to the previous week, Riley recalls his disastrous introduction to the sport when he tried to interject himself into a people-boys’ game and was found to be no match for a football 10 times his size! But his inventive friend, Gus, hatched a plan to scale the game down to their level, promising to bring a mouse-sized ball to their next Saturday play date.
When Gus arrives at the field lugging a HUGE pumpkin, his friends scoff in disbelief until he climbs inside the pumpkin and proudly produces the perfect game ball — a pumpkin seed! So, then, “with walnut shells for helmets and long toenails for cleats, both teams stood ready to perform amazing football feats!!”
The game and the story play out in clever detail as each mouse team scrambles to conquer the scoreboard before the hungry little Gus devours all the delicious-tasting balls! Through a delightful twist at the end of the tale, the little mice discover friendship to be the real victor in their competition.
The Tale of the Pumpkin Seed Squad is a delightful commentary on competition and sportsmanship that will surely charm even the least of its budding-athlete readers.
Fill an Educational Gap
The Rainbow Blots teaches children about the colors of the rainbow in a fun and entertaining way. What inspired the idea behind the Rainbow Blots?
The Rainbow Blots was inspired by my son and my niece who had independently drawn little characters with circular bodies, no separate heads but with arms, legs and smiling faces. I was inspired to create characters like these for a children’s book and put colours inside the circular bodies.
There are lots of colours books and I wanted my characters to be unique. It struck me that children are rarely taught the seven colours of the rainbow in order. We teach them ‘purple’ or ‘pink’ but not indigo and violet. This has always bothered me, ever since I realised that yellow was not the second colour of the rainbow, at the ripe old age of eleven! I wanted to teach my children properly and a rainbow storybook teaching the seven rainbow colours in order seemed a good proposition and it would help to fill an educational gap.
Children learn best through play, so it was a great opportunity to have my characters play with objects that were the same colours as themselves in order to teach the rainbow colours.
The art in this book is wonderfully creative. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Victoria Mikki?
I created the overall storyboard for the book and it was important to me that each character had its own personality and physical identifier (e.g. Red Blot’s glasses or Orange Blot’s baseball cap) but Victoria brought all the characters and scenes to life. Her illustrations are so beautiful and humorous! She surprises and delights with every page turn.
I like to have a balance between not being too prescriptive but giving enough information that the illustrations returned are in line with my overall vision. For example, I asked for a Mummy Rainbow character to lower down her Blots by a ladder. I also wanted Mummy Rainbow to appear when there had been sun and rain at the same time. The double spread Victoria returned was so fantastic and inspirational for the opening scene that I knew I had to use the image on the cover as well.
Similarly, I knew what objects I wanted the Blots to be playing with. Victoria was in her element with these playing scenes. They were such a joy to receive as an author and it has been wonderful to hear the feedback from parents enjoying the illustrations and to see and hear children giggling along in delight, too!
This book serves as a great educational tool. How do you see this fitting into a students curriculum?
The Rainbow Blots is brilliant for use in kindergartens (UK preschools/nurseries) and first grade (UK reception class). For early learners, the book teaches colour recognition and helps children associate objects with colours. Rainbow colours are introduced in order and children are invited to recap the colours together. I know one second grade (UK Year 1) teacher who has used my book and song in conjunction with teaching a weather module in class. Older children can also enjoy reading The Rainbow Blots as it is written as a storybook. My six-year-old daughter enjoys reading it to herself and out loud to her toys!
Children learn in a variety of ways. The first thing my children did upon reading my book was to try and sing the colours of the rainbow in order. They couldn’t do it with the rainbow song we all knew, which had ‘pink’ in it. So, as a musician, I composed my own rainbow song called, ‘Do You Know The Colours Of The Rainbow?’ My rhyming song teaches the seven colours in order. The tune is so catchy, and children learn their colours really quickly when my book and song are taught in combination.
I have two versions of the song, with the same tune. Both can be found on my YouTube channel. The original has more of a nursery rhyme style, and I have had it animated in a 2D video featuring the characters from The Rainbow Blots. For slightly older children, there is a dancier version that gives more time to sign the song in sign language. To date, I have only had the song signed in British Sign Language, but I hope it can be translated into other languages as well to aid inclusivity and diversity and help embed a little sign language into a child’s early learning journey.
Do you have future books planned for The Rainbow Blots?
The Rainbow Blots was written as part of a series. I hope to publish ‘The Rainbow Blots Learn Numbers’ later in 2021.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook
Have fun learning the seven rainbow colours in order, with Mummy Rainbow and her Rainbow Blots. The Blots love to play with their colours and to play together as a family. Join in with their day and keep a lookout for their special trick!
I Could Never Have a Christmas Tree
BUTTERBALL’S Christmas Surprise follows a young poodle as she prepares for Christmas, gets into mischief, but does her best to ensure Santa’s visit. What inspired the Christmas theme in book three of your series?
My previous miniature poodle was notorious for wanting to play with my Christmas trees. She was fascinated with the decorations. Consequently I could never have a Christmas tree or could only have one high up where she couldn’t reach.
What was a lesson that was important for you to include in this book?
It is important to show genuine remorse when one does something wrong. It is also important for positive behaviour to be rewarded.
I appreciated the questions at the end that provided an opportunity for reading comprehension. How do you see this fitting into a teaching curriculum?
The questions are designed to test the ability of young readers to understand and retain details in the book. I think this is a good exercise in reading comprehension.
What plans do you have for Butterball the Poodle book 4?
Currently I have no plans for Butterball the Poodle Book 4 BUT I might change my mind at a later date. I have started a new series which will be on sale very soon – A Poodle called Pippin Book 1 “Pippin’s Country Adventure”.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
She helps to prepare for Christmas and sees shiny balls on the Christmas tree but Butterball cannot stop thinking about those shiny balls.
Will she make a mistake? Will Butterball get her surprise?
Join Butterball as she goes to the poodle groomer and …
Includes fun questions at the end of the story.
Critically Endangered
A Letter from a Gorilla explains the man-made dangers that gorillas face and tells readers, in a cute rhyming story, what can be done about it. Why was this an important story for you to tell?
Gorillas are the closest living relatives to humans after chimpanzees and bonobos and are among the most endangered apes in the world. Both the Eastern and Western Gorillas are critically endangered, despite having a population as high as 200,000 individuals. Human activities cause the main threats to their survival, such as poaching, habitat destruction, and disease. By educating future generations, we can help ensure the survival of these gentle creatures that are so similar to us.
What is one simple thing that people can do that will help gorillas?
Donating to conservation organizations that protect mountain gorillas is probably the most effective way to help the species. Even if we cannot help financially, we can all become more mindful of our impact on the environment and adjust our habits.
If someone wanted to take action and help gorillas in a big way, what should they do?
Some people, such as Dian Fossey, have dedicated their lives to the welfare of gorillas and paid the ultimate price. However, we can all make our voices heard to lawmakers and government officials to support conservation efforts.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
We can all make a difference in the survival of gorillas and other endangered species by educating ourselves and our children and by taking positive action to protect the environment.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
I am a gorilla, you may be surprised to learn
And, although my words may bite and burn
With this letter, your respect I hope to earn
Silverback Jeremy is a mountain gorilla who lives in Africa. If he could write us a letter, what do you think he would say?
Discover why the mountain gorilla has become critically endangered and learn what we can do to protect these noble animals in this beautifully illustrated rhyming story for ages 5+.
A Child’s Garden Of Nine Eleven
![A Child's Garden Of Nine Eleven by [RickthePoetWarrior RickthePoetWarrior]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61kCRErsvRL.jpg)
A Child’s Garden of Nine Eleven features RickthePoetWarrior’s sharp wit and biting criticism. An anthology that comments on the effects of the tragedy of 9/11 and the reactions from various groups, this book provides insights into different aspects of the horrific events that spurred the modern War on Terror.
Under the guise of silly and childish poems, written as though for children in the future, the author gives a nuanced perspective on the attacks and who suffered the most or profited at the expense of others.
The author frequently makes the point through poems such as “World Trade Center” that large corporations primarily care about the money lost as opposed to the lives and sense of security that were lost or altered permanently. In that way, he condemns those that capitalized on national loss and grief. At the same time, the book also emphasizes the tragedy of the events of 9/11 and the devastating impacts it has had on the United States as a whole. The author’s recognition of this tragedy and the legacy of 9/11 makes the anthology more tasteful and respectful than one might assume.
Pages: 33 | ASIN: B08WYM8SZS
The Rainbow Blots : A Children’s Storytime Book About Rainbow Colours and Learning Through Play
The Rainbow Blots follows a family of color blots that have a colorful day of play, educating readers along the way, until they get tired and head off to bed. Author Carlie Wright has provided readers with a wonderfully creative children’s picture book that teaches young readers about different colors and shows them how those colors exist around them.
The art in this imaginative children’s book is very cute, with vibrant illustrations filling each page. This gives kids plenty to look at as parents and teachers read the story to them. Each color of the rainbow is represented and each is given its own charming personality. Each color states what they love, and it just so happens to be related to their color, and this provides an opportunity for children to think of other things that are the same color. This makes The Rainbow Blots a fantastically engaging educational tool. My child kept giggling at all the cute things on the pages. My favorite was the orange pumpkin, so cute!
This is a perfect picture book for children in kindergarten and first grade as it teaches different colors, color identification, and helps build kids imagination. I can easily see these delightful Rainbow Blots going on many more color-oriented adventures. The Rainbow Blots is an adorable children’s book that educates as well as it entertains.
Pages: 19 | ASIN: B08TMVNP21
LITERARY TITAN 