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It is Important to be Humble
Tectonic Teff follows a strong young grain who thinks he can repair the entire village alone after an earthquake and learns that it is okay to ask others for help. What was the inspiration for your story?
The inspiration is my mother who, as a single mother, worked extremely hard at raising me and at acclimating to a new country. It is with the help of the community around us that we will forever be grateful for. My mother was proactive and was very open to receiving guidance from others and she constantly gives back in return. Tectonic Teff doesn’t have the same personality as my mom though, he is quite different but transforms after a natural disaster forces him to learn big lessons!
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Mosh. Fajar Shobaru?
Mosh. Fajar Shobaru is a great artist. I have multiple artists for the books in my series Growing Pains of the Grains and they are all very talented. The collaboration process took a lot of time and many drafts since I am very particular about how I would like the illustrations to express the story and Mosh. Fajar Shobaru used his talent and abundant patience with me.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
The biggest lesson in this book I believe is learning to be free from pride or arrogance and that it is important to be humble because we all need others at times no matter how strong we think we are alone.
What will the next book in that series be about, and when will it be published?
Tectonic Teff is the 7th book in my series Growing Pains of the Grains, and the next book is yet to be determined, but it’s exciting to think about it!
Author Website
Tectonic Teff
Relying on others does not always come easily. It can be particularly difficult to convince children to ask for help when they are in stubborn moods. Fortunately, author Vy Lien provides readers with an engaging tale centered around Tectonic Teff, a strong young grain who quickly learns the importance of knowing when to handle things alone and when to rely on the help they have been offered. When an earthquake destroys their village, Teff believes he is the only one who can put it back together again. He soon learns he could not be more wrong.
Tectonic Teff, by Vy Lien, provides young readers with important lessons in humility while including nonfiction elements. This book is educational on multiple levels, making it a valuable resource for parents, counselors, and teachers. Teff is a headstrong character with whom many readers will relate. When he tries to take on more than he can handle, he is humbled by the slow and steady pace of the villagers, who are far smaller and weaker than him. Teff and the other villagers–-the Nurturing Nettles, Motivated Micro-Greens, Feeble Figs, and Creative Cardamoms–will provide excellent talking points for parents and teachers as they explore Lien’s book together. There is much to be learned from Teff’s transformation from confident to arrogant to humbled as the story progresses. However, there is just as much to be gained from families discussing the contributions of the book’s secondary characters.
Tectonic Teff, by Vy Lien, is a unique read that delivers a powerful lesson not often found in children’s books. Young readers will discover Lien’s memorable and relatable characters as they venture into this exciting world along with Teff and his pet sheep Woolly.
Pages: 36 | ISBN : 978-1-960541-08-6
I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up!
Career day is a special day that children look forward to when in school. On this day, they get to meet people and learn about their jobs. It gives them a chance to learn about careers they may never have even thought of. This is what happened to one little girl named Charlie. She is assigned the task of writing a report on a career in sales. What are sales even? What kind of a job is that, and why would anyone want to do it? These are some of the questions Charlie is tasked with answering.
I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up! by John Barrows is an educational children’s book that looks into the career path of sales. While this sounds underwhelming at first, the author does a fantastic job teaching children how important this job is. How the things in our home are acquired through sales, and someone has to be in charge of getting it from the manufacturer to the user. This is an important job and not as easy as it sounds. Charlie plans to sell cookies to learn about sales; on her first try at selling them, she learns some valuable lessons about pitching her product, knowing who her customers are, and knowing what her customers need or want. She also learns a valuable lesson about empathy, compassion, and kindness and how these qualities make an excellent salesperson.
When children think about what jobs they want to have when they grow up, they need to be exposed to all kinds of work, not just the ones that sound exciting and prestigious. But unfortunately, sales representatives often get a bad reputation in the media, and this picture book, I Want to Be in Sales When I Grow Up!, shares the beautiful experience that a sales career can bring people. So for any family that makes their living off a career in sales, this is a magnificent children’s book to help kids get excited about sales and see just how important this job is to everyone.
Pages: 38 | ISBN: 1643072382
Are You A Bird Like Me?
Are You A Bird Like Me? Is a captivating tale of a little bird named Sky who, with the help of her friends, learns to fly. Newly hatched Sky accidentally falls out of her nest while her parents are out looking for worms. Unable to fly back up to her nest, she ventures out to look for her parents. Along the way, she meets Nutso the squirrel, Mona, the butterfly, and Stretch the Giraffe, who all lend a helping hand. But will Sky overcome her fear of failing and take to the skies?
Authors Ms. Noel Foy and Mr. Nicholas Roberto have crafted a charming and heartwarming story that will capture the imagination of young readers. Sky is an endearing character, and her journey of growth and self-discovery is beautifully portrayed. The friendship and support of Sky’s animal companions are uplifting and show the power of collaboration in achieving a shared goal. The book’s illustrations are enchanting and transport readers into Sky’s world. Ms. Foy and Mr. Roberto skillfully weave a message of teamwork, courage, and perseverance that applies to readers of all ages. The book’s overarching theme is particularly relevant for young readers who are learning the value of working together to achieve a common goal, both in school and later in life.
Are You A Bird Like Me? is an inspiring and delightful read that encourages young readers to face their fears, try new things, and accept help from others. I highly recommend this book to young readers as it is sure to capture their hearts and imaginations as they follow Sky and her friends on their quest to help her find her way back home.
Pages: 54 | ISBN : 1625020562
What a Muck
Have you ever found yourself trying to help someone with a task but then finding yourself making an even bigger mess? In What A Muck by Linda Sachs, Drew finds out the answer to that question is an absolute yes!
While Mom and Drew are packing up the car with gardening tools to go help Papa Lou in his garden, Drew accidentally locks the keys inside their car, they must walk to Papa Lou’s house in the hot sun, leaving them unable to garden and clean up the muck.
Now Drew has another idea. Drew wants to help Papa Lou, so Drew hops in the truck and proceeds to pull the stick shift down. The truck begins to roll away. Thankfully before the truck could crash into a pole, Drew was able to clean up the muck and knows now that it is important to ask how to be helpful.
In this charming rhyming children’s story, we follow young Drew, who only wants to be helpful but causes some chaos instead. Drew’s heart is always in the right place, but it is hard to figure out the correct way to help. I felt the situations Drew got into could realistically happen to other children; this makes the story both comical and frightening. This amusing story reminded me of reading about Curious George with all the unintentional mishaps that Drew ends up in.
The author has a great vision with the message in the story, such as that it is important to want to be helpful but even more important to ask HOW to help. In addition, I enjoyed that the book also shows children playing an active role in activities with family, which is extremely important for children’s self-esteem.
What a Muck by Linda Sachs and illustrated by Katrina Sachs is an entertaining picture book that shows children the importance of not just helping but making sure they are helping in a manner that is actually helpful. This would be a great aid in teaching children the importance of communication, teamwork, and trust.
Pages: 31 | ASIN : B09XWHT8SL
Faith’s Freckles: A Book to Build Self-Esteem
Faith is a young girl that has freckles, fifty-five to be exact; she has counted them all. Faith hates having freckles, no one else in her school has freckles like her, and she is constantly being teased by the other girls. They tell her that she has dirt on her face and laugh. One girl, McKenzie, however, thinks Faith’s freckles are beautiful. Through McKenzie’s kindness, Faith learns to accept that her freckles are part of who she is and learns to love that part of herself.
Faith’s Freckles by authors Shermaine Perry-Knights and Baylei Hinds-Perry is an empowering picture book for children that are self-conscious about their unique looks. In this story, Faith has freckles that no one else in her school seams to have, but the message applies to all physical differences that children are often picked on about. This story shows how much it hurts children when they are teased, emphasizing that comments about others’ looks are not funny or a game.
McKenzie stands out as an example of true friendship and how children can be friends with those they see struggling. She offers positive support and listens to what her friend says rather than brushing off her feelings or invalidating them. Teaching children how to be good friends to those that are hurting is a life skill they can carry with them.
This children’s book teaches the messages of self-love and self-acceptance. Aimed at young elementary students, this is a critical time in their lives to learn self-esteem. That makes this book ideal for classrooms and libraries. It would be a wonderful gift for a child with freckles who is afraid of being teased and made fun of. It is a heartwarming picture book that teaches children social and emotional awareness and acceptance for those that look different from themselves.
Pages: 15 | ASIN : B0B9FQP4LB
Ava and the Last Bird
Ava discovers a bird’s nest outside her window. Each day she enjoys watching the nest to see what they will do. She loves watching the little chicks as they hatch and grow to wait to see if they can learn to fly.
Now Ava is very curious and wants to help the birds. So she tries reading to them. Her best friend Axel hears her outside reading and soon is bird watching with her as they watch the little birds learn to fly. Then a tiny little bird falls out of its nest. Ava and Axel don’t know what to do, but Ava’s grandmother does. He says, leave the baby alone it’s parents will come to rescue it when we go away. Sure enough, that is what happened. So Ava and Axel continue to watch the birds until they can all fly.
Ava and the Last Bird is a wonderful picture book for kindergarten and young elementary school children. Author Tuula Pere teaches children that nature is a wonderful place full of amazing creatures to discover. He also teaches children that they need to not interfere with the animals that surround them. Birds know what is best for them, and people must let them take care of their own families.
The artwork by illustrator Nyamdorj Lkhaasuren is fun and colorful. I loved how Ava dressed up as a bird to sing and dance for the baby bird that fell. The whimsical characters will keep children entertained as they follow along with the story.
Children and teachers will love following the adventures of Ava and Axel as they discover how the birds in their backyard live. This is a great way to introduce children to bird watching and how to properly observe the animals that live around them without causing distress or getting hurt.
Pages: 36 | ASIN : B09K4BTNW1
LITERARY TITAN 