Blog Archives
Creating Cultural Awareness
Mangrove Sands, The Enchanted Seaworld and Beyond follows 4 children that go on a magical adventure and make new friends while learning about the Muandik aboriginal tribe. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
My inspiration for book two came from the island I live on on South East Queensland is surrounded by aboriginal people, history and artifacts. I was privileged to work with my good friend Leonie Watson, Elder of the Muandik Tribe, with Closing The Gap, at our local island Primary school.
There is certainly a need, in Australia, to educate both indigenous and non indigenous children about their land, language and heritage.
What research did you do for this novel to get it right?
There was quite a lot of research into writer protocols and approvals addressing Australian Aboriginal tribes and cultures. My good friend, Leonie Watson, Elder of the Muandik Tribe provided books specifically relating to the Muandik tribe.
I also did further research into some Aboriginal Dreamtime stories.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One of the most important themes is creating cultural awareness, inclusion and education, particularly the Australian Aboriginal culture. This begins in early childhood education and it is my hope that teachers world wide include this book in their classroom for 8-12yr olds.
What is the next book in the series that you are working on and when will it be available?
A third book of the Mangrove Sands series ‘The Epic Journey’ is currently in production with my publisher. There is a fourth book in process and will go far beyond the earth we know and take us to the origins of The Enchanted Seaworld.
Currently i am writing and illustrating for my 1yr old grandson, inspired by becoming a first time grandmother. Many little life lessons and humour in these books. I’m not sure when I will publish these I’m just enjoying writing them at present.
Author Links: Austin MacCauley | GoodReads
Based on an island in South East Queensland, Australia, four children, who attend the same island state school, are all miserable at home and school until Parlow, the pelican, comes knocking on Tommy’s window one night to offer him a better life. Tommy thinks he is dreaming as do his friends—Maria, Dino and Jake—who all have an out of body experience and are taken to an enchanted underwater sea world beneath Mangrove Sands, where they meet talking animals who have their own language and become the children’s tutors, mentors and friends.
Through an enchanting underwater sea world of magic, adventure and humour, Mangrove Sands aims to provide hope and inspiration to children around the globe facing adversity.
Diversity and Unity
A to Z of Mini Muslims: An alphabet book exploring all about Islam and being a Muslim teaches children the alphabet and the teachings and principles of Islam. Why was this an important book for you to write?
This lovely children’s book- A to Z of Mini Muslims: An alphabet book exploring all about Islam and being a Muslim was important for me to write as I wanted to promote young children’s religious worldviews and help dispel myths and stereotypes about the religion of Islam and who Muslims are. I wanted to also show diversity and unity through which students can be connected. I wanted to educate young children and even adults who are not familiar about the Islamic faith to empower them and to encourage and motivate them to learn about Islam in a meaningful way. My three children were the source of inspiration for writing this book. They always questioned who Muslims were and what is Islam and so I decided to write a children’s book that explored these basic foundations and principles of Islam through a fun and engaging alphabet book. Moreover, I ensured this book connected to their cultural background and hence themes of Afghanistan were embedded through the beautiful illustrations such as the three young girls dressed in their Afghan clothes on the front cover, or the Afghan flags shown on different pages. Therefore, I wanted to write this important book for children to be proud of their faith, culture and identity.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Saba Yasmeen?
Thank you so much! Yes, this book would not have complete without the wonderful illustrations by Saba Yasmeen who brought my vision to life. The art collaboration process was amazing with the wonderful illustrator Saba Yasmeen. Saba was absolutely understanding, patient and very accommodating and diligent in her work. Every detail in the images that I had envisioned, such as promoting diversity and unity and connection to the Australian themes and perspectives, Saba brought it into life. Having a working document with the first round of drafts sketches then giving written feedback and moving onto the next step really helped us focus and be on the same page. Saba was amazing in her talent and ability to come up with such gorgeous illustrations and always making sure it is exactly what I wanted. Also, to make a note, this was my first time writing a children’s book and it was Saba’s first time illustrating a children’s book. We both live on the opposite sides of the world and the process might sound like a huge challenge or impossible for some, but it was such a wonderful journey for both Saba and I. We both learned so much along the way that our collaboration was a huge success. Effective communication was the key, and I am so proud and honoured to have Saba collaborate with me on this wonderful project. Thank you, Saba, for your amazing work!
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
This is a great question. I believe every letter in my book has an important message for the readers. Some of the ideas that were important to me to share in this book was including the basic understanding and principles of Islam such believing in one God who created everything (Allah), believing in the final Prophet of Islam (Muhammad PBUH), learning about the Lunar Calendar that Muslims follow with having that knowledge of the Islamic months was important. Also learning about what is Ramadan and Eid and how visiting the sick and being good to your parents, with doing good to others and giving money as charity to the needy are all important concepts and ideas that I wanted to share in this book. I wanted to create a unique alphabet book that would connect to our readers in a meaningful way and that would be a valuable resource to share and have in any classroom and library. This book has already been well received with winning the 2022 International Book Award as a Finalist in the Children’s Religious Category and as a Finalist in the Readers’ Choice Book Award for the Best Children’s Book 3-7 and with further receiving the Five Star Seal from Readers Favourite.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Well, this is such a good question! Before I had published my first book, I had already written my second children’s book and was looking at having it published very soon. But then I decided to wait for the right time. However, it will be available in the near future, and I will definitely be updating my wonderful followers when this happens 😊
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
When It’s Something You Love
The Little Regenerative Farmer follows a girl who visits a farm and decides to start her own backyard farm and the challenges she faces. What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Farming is EXTREMELY hard for so many reasons. We wanted a story that is full of adversity but shows kids not to give up when it’s something you love. We hope these themes will translate to farmers who read this book to keep going even when it gets tough. The world needs more regenerative farmers and we can’t lose the ones we have.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Yana Gorbatiyk?
Yana Gorbatiyk is naturally creative and brilliant. I gave her the story and a few small directions and she executed the whole thing with minimal input. Out of 30+ pages I think we only revised 2. We had a really great connection and our collective vision came out wonderfully.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
We are working on the sequel to The Little Regenerative Farmer that we hope will be available in Nov 2022. Lina and her family move and she gets to meet a whole different world of agriculture that we can’t wait to share!
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Honeycake: A Helping Hand
Nala is excited to go out to a fancy fundraising party with her two uncles. She does not realize until she is there that it is a fundraiser for amputee children. Nala learns all about the things that those with an amputee can do. After meeting so many children and seeing her new friends’ incredible work, she is inspired to go home and make a difference of her own.
Honeycake A Helping Hand is an inspiring picture book about the incredible good that children are capable of. This fantastic children’s book shows kids as leaders, motivators, helpers, and genuinely caring individuals. Author Medea Kalantar teaches children about amputees in a compassionate and age-appropriate manner. Kalantar does not oversimplify the facts but presents them in a conversational tone that sounds like two preteen children talking. If readers have additional questions, there is a glossary at the end to help them understand further.
Aside from the topic of amputees in this unique book, Kalantar introduces the concept of blended families and same-sex relationships, normalizing these dynamics. This book has so many examples of inclusion and compassion that it takes a lot. I love that there is so much representation in this short children’s book. Illustrator i Cenizal brings all the different elements to life, adding to the experience.
Honeycake A Helping Hand showcases the value of helping others, giving back to the community, and doing your best to be a good person through your actions and words. This well-written children’s book is perfect for classrooms and libraries.
Pages 33 | ASIN: B0BFC2GWJS
Above Us
Above Us by Angela Herrera is a bilingual story with beautiful imagery that explores what’s above us. From our hands in the air giving high fives, to bubbles floating in the air to what clouds look like in the sky and even the universe, we look into the endless possibilities of how children view the world around them. The author invites readers to use their senses when exploring their surroundings, from touching to hearing to seeing, making this a great sensory read for young readers.
Herrera’s words are illustrated by Alvaro Agurto and provide readers with bright, colorful images with different shapes that will immediately captivate children’s attention. I appreciate that this book is in English and Spanish as kids are sponges and will take in what they learn, and a second language will be added to the list. The author encourages children to count the balloons, say the colors of the images in the book, and to even use their imagination when it comes to looking at clouds in the sky.
Above us is a mentally stimulating and interactive read that is perfect to read to little ones as it will get the creative juices flowing and have you look at the world around you from a different perspective. I highly recommend this book to young readers and can see this on bookshelves in libraries and schools.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B09XRDP4FN
Dragon Stones
A brother and sister are stuck visiting their aunt’s house; while listening to the grown-ups talk, they grow antsy and bored. Finally, they are told to go play outside and eagerly run out the door. Heading into the nearby forest, they find a path leading to a spooky pond. They start skipping rocks, but the stones come flying back at them! Not only are rocks come back from the pond, but they are also hot and burn to the touch. So the two set off around the pond to investigate the cause of the mysterious rocks. What will they find lurking in the mist?
Dragon Stones by author Carolyn Watson Dubisch has written an excellent picture book illustrated in a whimsical comic book style. The characters are entertaining and relatable for young to preteen children. Ron and Lizzy are your typical children, and they eagerly set off on an adventure to cure the boredom of sitting around talking about lawns. The children’s curiosity is contagious, and readers will want to race around after them to find out how the rocks are returning to them and with a pattern on them as well.
I enjoyed the story’s direction; I just wanted more. I feel like Aunt Edwina could have presented so much more to the story and that the climactic moment was cut short. There is a lot of potential in this character, and I hope readers will get to see more of Aunt Edwina as I think she has a lot of mystery sounding her. Her ending comments will leave readers asking questions, and hopefully, there will be another children’s book to answer that question.
Dragon Stones is a magical children’s fantasy story that captivates young readers. The illustrations are bold and well done, the characters relatable, and the story is interesting. This is a great children’s book for a classroom library.
Pages: 41 | ASIN : B09YR5RRBP
Lester Zester is Lost!
Lester Zester is enjoying his day when he’s snatched up by the new house puppy and taken unceremoniously to a different part of the house. Now Lester is lost and needs to find his way home. Luckily, Zester meets a variety of helpful friends that help him find his way home. Along the way he learns a thing or two about new beginnings and happy accidents.
Author Mark Dantzler has created a charming and amusing children’s book that teaches kids important life lessons in a fun and easy to understand way. This entertaining story is perfect for parents to read to their young children, or for new readers to read on their own. With cute pictures, and a hidden mystery, children will be engaged with this lively and delightful story.
This book has the same charm and magic that the Toy Story movies have. Inanimate objects come to life and their sweet little faces come to life, making it easy for kids to identify emotions. This is the second book in Mark Dantzler’s series and I enjoyed how we get to explore more of the house and meet so many new and interesting characters. The world the author is creating here feels a lot bigger now and I can’t wait to explore it further in future stories.
Lester Zester is Lost! is a lively children’s story with a charming protagonist that teaches children about friendship and self-confidence as he tries to make his way home. Readers will learn that accidents can happen for a good reason, and this accident gives young readers an entertaining story to read.
Pages: 62 | ISBN: 1645383903
LITERARY TITAN 