Blog Archives
The Amazing Adventures of Oliver the Wonder Dog
![The Amazing Adventures of Oliver the Wonder Dog by [Brad Malm]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61mCfOfehkL.jpg)
The Amazing Adventures of Oliver the Wonder Dog is a wonderfully illustrated children’s picture book that follows the exciting adventures of a spunky Australian Shepherd. Oliver is deaf, but you would not know it by watching him play. Oliver takes young readers around town as he does his best to help everyone he meets. His heroics pay off in the end when he stops a bank robbery in true super hero fashion.
All of the art in this entertaining children’s book is beautifully illustrated with vivid colors in a striking comic art style that will surely capture kids’ attention. There is plenty to look at on each page. I did not even see the bird with the lollipop in his mouth until my child pointed it out.
We follow Oliver as he rescues several people throughout town in creative ways that highlight his bravery and willingness to help others in need. This book does a fantastic job of showing how one’s attitude can go a long way in overcoming obstacles.
The Amazing Adventures of Oliver the Wonder Dog is one of the most charming children’s books I have read this year. With easy-to-understand language and a fun story, this will be a great read for new readers or for parents to read to their children before bed time.
Pages: 24 | ASIN: B08WWV16YJ
Shotokan Karate
Shotokan Karate- Easiest way to get Black Belt explains Shotokan Karate in detail, which is a style of karate developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi and his son Gigo Funakoshi. The author provides a history of this sport before delving into specifics. This helps to place the martial art in context of history and provides a jumping off point for the rest of the text.
The authors years of experience and enthusiasm for the subject clearly shines through his text. The author provides clear and actionable advice throughout the book that will help readers in martial arts but in life as well. The author pays homage to those that came before him and continues to appreciate his mentors throughout the book.
There are so many things that readers will love about this book. Readers will understand why Karate, and especially Shotokan Karate, needs passion and patience for one to enjoy. Some of the most vital topics that I enjoyed in the book were the benefits of Shotokan Karate, the basis of Shotokan Karate, fixing one’s attitude, building a solid frame as an individual, being competitive and the principles of the sport. The tone throughout the book is professional and impassioned, ensuring the text is engaging throughout.
Reading this book was a pleasant experience and fun especially for readers like me who have a passion for the art, but are not a master. The step by step approach used by the author when introducing and expounding on new topics made it easy for me to follow along and understand the lessons. I loved the high resolution images the author added because it adds a personal and authentic touch to this instructional book.
What better way to learn about Shotokan Karate than from a renowned Shotokan Karate master and champion. The expert advice provided in this illuminating book will help martial art practitioners at any of the lower levels and provides a clear guide to achieving black belt.
Shotokan Karate- Easiest way to get Black Belt is a straight-forward and informative guide to achieving black belt. This is an exciting way to master this art with advice directly from a champion.
Pages: 176 | ASIN: B08X1KP6Q3
Surrounded by Ocean
Mangrove Sands takes four friends who all seemed destined for uncertain futures and sends them on a magical adventure. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Once I retired, writing was a way of staying connected to the students who I missed terribly. My beautiful environment surrounded by ocean, marine animals and bushland full of native birds and wildlife added to my inspiration and development of fictional characters.
Your characters were wonderfully diverse and well developed. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Having worked with Primary school students for nearly a decade who were verified under the spectrum and watching them grow under my wing and transform from failing students to students who began to enjoy learning, were finally understood and given a new way of learning, definetley played a part in the development of my characters.
Each character has a small piece of character or personality from some of the children I worked with.
Many of these students have transitioned to highschool and beyond. One in the army, one studying law, another a graphic designer. They still stop for a chat or send me messages .
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Definetley for children facing hardship and adversity my book aims to encourage children to find the positive in even the worst situation and make every day count.
Other underlying themes touch on environmental awareness, empathy and kindness.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Both the sequel Mangrove Sands, The Enchanted SeaWorld & Beyond and The third book of the series, Mangrove Sands, The Epic Journey are currently in production in London.
It is hoped that the sequel will be released in 2021. This book includes an indigenous aboriginal character who teaches her friends about her language and culture.
The third book includes a Swedish character opening the doors and young minds to embrace multiculturalism, language and diverse cultures And of course, there are many more adventures in the Enchanted Seaworld.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
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.
Amber Tambourine and the Land of Laugh-a-Lot
![Amber Tambourine and the Land of Laugh-a-Lot by [Aimee C Trafton]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51R0i3uJCPS.jpg)
Amber Tambourine and the Land of Laugh-a-Lot follows a little girl who takes her dogs for a walk in the woods after the rain stops. As they make their way through the woods Amber discovers a polka dotted rainbow that leads to the magical town of Laugh-a-Lot where everything is polka dotted and the people sing and dance all day.
This is a wonderfully imaginative children’s book that, like Alice in Wonderland, leads the main character and readers into a wonderous land where odd but fun things happen. The art is vivid and sharp and really accents the kaleidoscopic nature of Laugh-a-Lot. Children will have plenty of eye candy to enjoy in this book as Amber dances and sings the day away.
The story is easy to follow and understand, with some challenging words for young readers that will help build their vocabulary. When the fun ends and Amber returns home I was delighted to learn that her mother was in Laugh-a-Lot as a child too. This gives the story a fairy tale like quality with a deeper backstory than a simple child’s picture book often offers.
Amber Tambourine and the Land of Laugh-a-Lot is a delightful picture book that takes readers on a colorful journey to a land where having fun is easy.
Pages: 30 | ASIN: B095653NH6
A Stranger in the Clearing
![A Stranger in the Clearing: In the Woods Series by [Victoria Smith, Marcela Werkema]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51c-SejnNeL.jpg)
A Stranger in the Clearing is a wonderful children’s picture book that follows a golden retriever named Sequoia who comes across a Piebald Deer in a forest clearing. The young deer is hiding and doesn’t want to return home. After some investigation Sequoia realizes the deer ran away from home to keep her family safe because her unique look makes her stand out to hunters. They both soon realize that what makes the deer unique is not its color but its boundless courage.
The illustrations in this children’s book are absolutely phenomenal. Each page has a sprayed graphic art with a soft color palette and striking contrasts, giving each piece an artistic look but ensuring the faces of the many adorable creatures throughout the story are all emotive. This is a perfect children’s story for parents to read to their kids at night. It reminds me of classic pieces of fairy tale literature, poetic lines coupled with the beautiful art to deliver a sentimental but enchanting story.
The story conveys some very important lessons told in a direct and easy to understand manner. We learn that it is not what we look like that defines us, but our actions. Sequoia, ever welcoming and loving, encourages the young deer and ensures her that the animals in the forest will love her for who she is.
A Stranger in the Clearing is an inspiring and colorful children’s book that teaches a valuable lesson in an easy to understand and heartwarming story.
Pages: 38 | ASIN: B08PDQF2Q3
Mangrove Sands
![Mangrove Sands: The Enchanted Sea World by [L. J. Nilsson]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/518JA4SgG3L.jpg)
Imagine having a dream that included all of your closest friends. You are swooped away hearing promises of future adventures below the sea to worlds beyond your wildest imagination. Your dream is so very vivid and involved that you wake up recalling you were ultimately sworn to secrecy. Picture waking up from this most amazing and magical experience, rushing to tell your friends about it all the while believing that everything you saw, touched, and felt was a fantastic figment of your imagination. Now, imagine listening as your friends describe for you the same dream down to the very last detail.
Mangrove Sands: The Enchanted Sea World, by L.J. Nilsson, takes four friends who all seemed destined for uncertain futures and are living far less than ideal lives and gives them a most magical experience. This short fantasy adventure story is a quick read that hands young readers relatable characters for whom they will be more than happy to cheer.
Nilsson caught this elementary teacher in the first chapter with the detailed descriptions of each of the four children. It is not often young readers get to see four characters all having either disabilities or suffering from some type of tragedy or abuse. Many stories may feature one of this character type, but to see so many as main characters is refreshing and gives me hope. Children need to see themselves reflected in the books they read, and seeing children they essentially know in Tommy, Maria, Jake, and Dino is uplifting to say the least.
One of the most captivating aspects of Nilsson’s work is the joy clearly conveyed in each of the main characters. Their everyday lives are such a stark contrast to the pure unfettered delight the children feel as they take this new path. They deserve happiness in massive doses, and the reader is witness to all of their discoveries, their joyful outbursts, and the colorful way in which the author describes their eagerness for more adventures.
Nilsson has developed a beautiful adventure story that also spreads a message of hope to its readers. Mangrove Sands: The Enchanted Sea World builds on the curiosity of youth, the power of dreams, and contains a strong message of kindness. It is just what today’s young readers need to feel. As it will appeal to readers of mixed genres, I would recommend Nilsson’s work to any upper elementary teacher looking to add a touching and heartfelt adventure story to their library.
Pages: 108 | ASIN: B087N5QGDT
Stand Apart From The Crowd
The Rules of a Little Boss shares positive messages to help children gain and improve their self-esteem. What lessons were important for you to share in this book?
The most important thing to me was the being kissed by the suns brightest rays. If I was younger I would’ve taken that very nicely considering I didn’t like the color of my skin so my hope is that children of color take that to heart.
In the book you state that readers ‘must be willing to do the work’. What is one way children can implement what they learned in your book?
By not giving into peer pressure and by consistently telling themselves not to they’ll learn stand apart from the crowd.
The art in the book is wonderful and bright. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Arsalan Khalid?
He really understood what the message that I wanted to share in the illustrations. He went the extra mile to make sure that the art matched to give a good visual representation of my words.
Do you have plans to write more children’s books?
I may create a series out of them under the umbrella of The Rules of a Big Boss: A book of self-love. They will be more fictional if I do.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | Website
What’s So Great About Silent E?
What’s So Great About Silent E? is an entertaining children’s book that teaches readers about the importance of silent E and provides various fun examples of how silent E modifies words. Every amusing example shown throughout the book is accompanied by a brightly colored picture that hilariously shows how the modified word can alter the world.
This charming picture book is filled with hand drawn art that is colored in with markers and is very appealing and relatable to children. Talking about the English language to children can often be abstract, Author Deanna Thompson provides readers with a fantastic book that will literally show readers how silent E works to modify words. The silly imagery accompanying each example will certainly capture the attention of young readers and ensure the lesson is learned well. The combination of sketch art and fun lessons reminds me of the old children’s cartoon Schoolhouse Rock.
This is a fantastic addition to any parent or teachers reading comprehension lessons as it is filled with easy-to-understand words that will build a new readers comprehension skill. What’s So Great About Silent E? is a crazy fun book that teaches readers about the important of a single letter.
Pages: 28 | ISBN: 1449092748
LITERARY TITAN 