Blog Archives
Captain Fantastic
I’ve Got You is a fun space adventure that explores fear and helping friends overcome it. Why was this an important theme for this book?
For me, it was super important to get this book out during Covid-19 as I wanted to help any children feeling lonely and to make sure they never felt alone! It times of trouble we must stay together and look after those in need the most.
This is book one in your Captain Fantastic series. What can readers expect in book two?
The next book is ‘Captain Fantastic and the Chocolate Planet’ and will be ready for Christmas 2020:
“Good grief,” cried the captain “we’re space monster stew!
Or perhaps it’s an ogre, a witch or some new
Strange kind of monster, a space ghoul or mummy.”
“Captain,” said Winston, “I think it’s my tummy!”
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Winston is one of the bravest dogs in the universe. He’s travelled through space and battled monsters with his best friend, Captain Fantastic, but there’s one thing that still scares him.
Come along on this adventure to find out what makes Winston tremble, and discover how Captain Fantastic comforts his loyal space dog so he’s once again a happy, waggy-tailed space hero.
First in the exciting new series of intergalactic adventures, based on the awesome and educational Captain Fantastic parties.
“In this lovely story about friendship and fears is an important message about being there for each other and being able to face our fears when we have someone to face them with. Now more than ever, this is an important message for children – I’ve Got You is like having a hug delivered in the form of a storybook.” Dr Gummer, Good Play Guide
Frankie Stealing Socks
Frankie the Ferret is a children’s picture book that teaches kids about the joy of having a ferret as a pet. What inspired you to write a story about Frankie?
Frankie the Ferret was our beloved pet for nine years and as my children were more active outside of our home, Frankie and I developed a special bond. This book outlines what it was like in a day of a ferret. Since most children have dogs or cats, I felt it would be nice to show everyone what a pet ferret is really like. My grandchildren did not get the chance to meet Frankie, they asked many questions about him so I wrote this book, dedicated it to my grandchildren so that they would see what Frankie was really like.
There are so many funny scenes in this book. My favorite was the scene of Frankie stealing the socks. What was your favorite scene from the book?
Frankie stealing socks is my favorite scene too, it was so cute to see him dragging the socks out of the laundry basket and running backwards dragging the socks with him. He loved to hide them under the couch, he always had quite the collection. We always knew where to find our socks if they were missing! Eventually, we bought him a few pairs of socks that he could call his own.
This book is dedicated to the memory of Frankie the ferret. Do you think ferrets are a good pet for children to have?
Ferrets are a great pet for children but not the younger ones. They are very smart, lovable and very funny but like all pets, they are a big responsibility and a lot of work to take care of. They are little escape artists so their time out of their cage should be inside a ferret enclosure with their toys, water, food and kitty litter pan to keep them safe.
Do you have other books planned featuring Frankie?
At this time, there is no sequel book about Frankie in the works.
Author Links: GoodReads| Twitter | Facebook | Website
Do you want to meet him? Then let’s go!
The Magical Mistake
The Magical Mistake is an adorable children’s book about a farmer who participates in his towns Annual Harvest Tasting only to find a magical cursed berry, supposedly ridded from the land, in his harvest cart. Before he’s able to remove the berry from the cart the Mayor has already begun tasting it. With the towns Mayor cursed by a magical berry farmer John must rush to find a cure.
Kaavya Shah provides young readers with a delightful story that helps build their vocabulary by introducing new words, in an easy to understand context. The glossary provided at the end of the book helps provide everything readers will need to get a full understanding of new vocabulary words and how to use them. With only two characters in this story, there is still quite a fantastical world created here. The supposedly cursed berry is not what it turns out to be, leaving readers with a bit of a mystery, but this opens the story to a continuation in a series that could explore further what this berry is. I would have liked to have seen farmer John come up with a solution to the curse, or at least provide a little backstory to the berry. As it is, it seems that the problem at the heart of the story seems to just resolve it self. Every page of the book is brightly colored and accompanied by cute vector art that suited the story well. The Magical Mistake is an entertaining story that will also build young readers vocabularies.
Pages: 28 | ASIN: B08BW511YD
What I Tell Myself About Talent
What I Tell Myself About Talent is a fun children’s book that places exploration and self actualization center stage. What are you good at? What’s your talent? How can you ever know until you try. This book helps kids make the connection between their current talents and their future jobs, whether it’s an innate talent or something they have to work at. Rather than telling children to be one thing or another, What I Tell Myself About Talent let’s readers know that it’s okay to not know, and exploring the possibilities is part of the fun.
Michael Brown has once again created a book on a topic that I have rarely, if ever, read about in a children’s book. Talent, and how to find it in everyday places with a little exploration, is accomplished in this book with simple rhymes and vibrant illustrations of diverse children doing different activities. This picture book will encourage readers to get out into the world and try things out. It will open their eyes to the idea that they can continue to do the things they like even into adulthood. From doctors to construction workers Michael Brown makes it clear that going out and finding what your good at is part of the fun. The ending of the book has Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which is a great opportunity for further discussion beyond the book. What I Tell Myself About Talent is a great way to start a conversation about finding talent in everyday activities.
Pages: 30 | ASIN: B08CBQR6XJ
The Not-So-Haunted House
![The Not-So-Haunted House by [Colonel Carney, Anne Hurst]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51NlvzeGjiL._SX260_.jpg)
The Not-So-Haunted House is a charming children’s book that tells the story of a farmer who thinks his house is haunted. He sleeps in the barn to avoid all the spookiness going on in his house until one day his friend comes over and shows him that the scary things in his home were really just normal sounds a house makes.
Colonel Carney does a fantastic job of simplifying the fear that children have of the unknown and presenting it to them in a way that is easy to understand. The story is told through simple lyrical rhymes that are effective in capturing the attention of young readers. I loved the bright illustrations on every page which always had something on the page for children to point at and engage with the story. This book will help parents and teachers have a conversation about fear. It shows how many of the things we are scared of have explanations as long as we are brave enough to look for them. I found many of the farmers expressions to be laugh-out-loud funny and, although it’s a ‘haunted’ house, there’s really nothing to fear here except a fantastic book.
Pages: 29 | ASIN: B08BXTSBCC
Water at the Top of the World: A Story of Legends and Learning
A charmingly illustrated children’s book about inclusion and peace-seeking in a world of colliding mythology and science. Enjoyed by religious and non-religious parents and children alike, this book is a great point of entry for discussions on diversity of thought and commonality of human experience.
Honeycake Book Series
Medea Kalantar is a multi-award winning author of a delightful children’s book series called Honeycake. The Honeycake books teaches valuable life lessons on diversity, kindness, mindfulness, trust and gratitude. With all the negativity in the world, the Honeycake series is a glimmer of hope and positivity which exactly what the world needs right now. Honeycake books will enlighten, empower, educate and entertain children and their families for generations to come.
The Boy in the Blue Boots – Trailer
A boy named Henry is seeking adventure in his life as the middle child. There is a new baby in the house and his older brother has begun preschool. Henry’s shoes are not holding up to his toddler lifestyle. One day at the park, his older brother tells Henry about the magical blue rain boots that take him on adventures. Will Henry be able to get his own spectacular shoe experience?
LITERARY TITAN 