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Help This World Be A Really Cool Place
All People Are Beautiful celebrates diversity and highlights the beauty of our differences. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I truly believe diversity is reality and that children need to know that our differences are what unite us, not divide us. I think this message is so important for kids to be exposed to until it becomes unconsciously integrated — until it becomes a truth they know deep down! I truly feel the conversation of diversity never gets old and can never be talked about too early. I feel our differences help this world be a really cool place to both live and love.
The art in this book is delightful and beautiful. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Cha Consul?
My partnership with Cha was kismet. Cha is an absolutely phenomenal illustrator. By the time we connected, I already had in my mind what I thought the illustrations would look like. Cha took my vision, added her creative flare and gave my words a face.
It was important to me that readers got to see bright colors, different skin tones, features, and faces of children from all over the world in this book. Cha helped me achieve that goal and I’m grateful. It was great to work with her because she loves diversity just as much as I do.
Interestingly enough, All People Are Beautiful was the first children’s book she ever illustrated, so I feel very special.
Because of COVID, locations, and our time difference, we did all the collaboration for All People Are Beautiful virtually from opposite sides of the world. Cha is based in the Philippines and I am based just outside Nashville, Tennessee, so there were lots of virtual video calls to make sure we aligned on the presentation.
I am forever grateful for her artistry and I am looking forward to working together again in the near future!
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
I want readers to take away that everyone is beautiful regardless of what you look like, where you’re from, your culture, your hobbies, or anything else that makes you different. I want readers to know we like different things and that’s OK. Our differences are what unite us, not divide us. I want kids to know that it’s cool to talk about our differences in fun and interactive ways.
Do you plan to write more children’s book on this or other topics?
So I’m a true ENFP and a Creative, so I’m always on the go! I’ve actually recently finished writing a few new stories.
I’ve written a really cool story about a group of animal friends that decide to switch places for a day and realize it’s no fun being someone else. This is definitely another diversity themed book. I’ve also written another book about beautiful rainbows and the things the colors remind us of.
Both are books for early readers so I’m looking forward to sharing these with children everywhere.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Limerick Comics
![Limerick Comics by [Robert Hoyman, Steve Feldman]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+vecnMTzL.jpg)
Who doesn’t need a little fun with their facts? When dry nonfiction material can be made more palatable, everyone wins. Limerick Comics, written by Robert Hoyman and illustrated by Steve Feldman, presents a mountain of facts while simultaneously handing readers entertaining limericks. The limericks do a wonderful job of drawing readers in and piquing interest while Feldman’s illustrations give readers much to ponder. They are colorful, detailed, and provide a perfect visual for both the limerick and the corresponding fact.
Hoyman and Feldman seem to have struck upon a fantastic vein in the nonfiction genre. I can see their limericks as a wonderful addition to middle school libraries and classrooms. They provide quick bites of science and history in easily digestible comic frames and short bursts of facts. I can say even as an adult reader, I learned quite a bit from Hoyman and Feldman’s comic in a short amount of time. From rollercoasters to food fights, this pair has created a comic that will most certainly appeal to young adult readers.
I would have given anything to have a book like this on hand for my own children. Encouraging them to read nonfiction material was always important to me, but it was difficult to find options that kept their interest. Hoyman and Feldman more than meet this challenge. Readers who appreciate and seek humor will love the limerick presentation, and educators will be instant fans of the accompanying facts.
Limerick Comics is a fun children’s picture book that educates as wells as it entertains.
Pages: 34 | ASIN: B07MFC7KQ5
All People Are Beautiful
There may be no better time for a children’s book that celebrates and honors diversity than the present. Young readers are bound to have questions about the world around them and the feelings they perceive in the adults they encounter each day. All People are Beautiful, written by Vincent Kelly and illustrated by Cha Consul, is the visually stunning children’s picture book that drives home the fact that we are all beautiful through the differences in our talents, cultures, age, appearance, and race.
I am going to throw this out there in hopes the right person in each school system hears it–every school needs this book. Kelly and Consul’s children’s book is a must-have for every school library and would make a fantastic addition to a classroom collection on diversity. I can see this book fitting easily into several different social studies units for grades K-3. With truly beautifully-fashioned illustrations, All People are Beautiful quickly captures readers’ attention and makes for a fantastic read aloud. It’s not often that I tout a book as one suitable for repeated read-alouds, but this one is short enough and the message is a powerful one. Students would both benefit from and enjoy hearing it over and over again.
I am giving All People are Beautiful, written by Vincent Kelly and illustrated by Cha Consul, a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. This is the children’s book we all need. The message throughout Kelly and Consul’s work is one of unity, mutual respect, and harmony. There is no better theme, and there is no better addition to a child’s bookshelf.
Pages: 32 | ISBN: 1735950416
A Dog Named Zero and the Apple With No Name
Zero just wants to get his paws on that apple. The apple, who has no name, knows not what awaits him. Zero is in no way tall enough to reach the apple with no name and needs a little help from his friends. Counting their way from 0 to 10, the ever-growing group of friends cooperate to help Zero in his efforts. His friends vary in size and shape, but they all have one thing in common, they want nothing more than to give their friend a hand. Will they make it? Will Zero ever get his apple?
A Dog Named Zero and the Apple With No Name, by T.C. Bartlett, is the beautifully illustrated children’s book focused on counting. There are many counting books out there, but Bartlett has a whole new take on the concept. With a more advanced vocabulary that challenges readers, A Dog Named Zero and the Apple With No Name contains bits of humor that parents and teachers will also appreciate–those are the best kinds of children’s books!
I have used my share of counting books over the years as a parent and elementary teacher, and Bartlett’s work is one of the best I have seen. There is much more to this little gem than meets the eye. Each of the different animals in the series of numbers offers readers the opportunity for discussion. Parents and teachers will easily find ways to have conversations about why and how each type of animal might want to help Zero. There are plenty of teaching opportunities to be had within the pages of Bartlett’s work.
I highly recommend this adorable counting story to anyone looking for an alternative to the traditional counting books. A Dog Named Zero and the Apple With No Name makes a great addition to anyone building a library for infants and toddlers.
Pages: 48 | ISBN: 1733908617
The Million Dollar Rebuttal and Stratospheric Lead Generation Secrets: Cold Calling is NOT a Numbers Game!
![The Million Dollar Rebuttal and Stratospheric Lead Generation Secrets: Cold Calling is NOT a Numbers Game! by [David Walter]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41uxpK824fL.jpg)
David Walter will make you a great salesperson, help you strategize, and get every reader to think about setting up an empire just by cold calling. The art of cold calling is known by many, but not every entrepreneur knows how to go about it. Cold calling is described as the technique in which a salesperson contacts their target market, even before the target market express interest in the products and services they are offering. Cold-calling takes bravery. One has to be bold in this form of telemarketing. The author’s writing will give one confidence to take the next step in their entrepreneurial journey. By the end of the book, the reader gets to understand why cold calling works and why it is one of the best marketing strategies that one can choose.
David Walter is an experienced salesman, and in his book he also talks about his life, his disappointments, successes and lessons learned through his journey. One of the best things about book is that the solutions given are practical. The author talks about a problem, and offers a solution right after explaining the problem. His way of thinking is ingenious and one can tell that through the experience he has, David Walter is a great marketing and financial adviser. This book will help you invest in the right places. Every topic the author touches on, whether it is starting from scratch, coming up with an idea, looking for money or clients, feels vetted and approachable. The author knows how to convince even non-business minded people to try entrepreneurship. Another great element about David Walter’s writing is how raw and honest he is. The author will tell you if an idea is not workable and will even share personal experiences that show where he took the wrong steps and how he corrected that.
The Million Dollar Rebuttal and Stratospheric Lead Generation Secrets is a book for any individual that has a millionaire mindset. By sharing actionable business tips, the author helps readers grow and gain knowledge in different entrepreneurial fronts. Cold calling as the main topic was one of my favorite. The author offers long term solutions for problems that many business minded people struggle with. The major lesson in the book is to start no matter the situation.
With minimal jargon and straight talk, David Walter knows how to get the reader’s attention. The Million Dollar Rebuttal and Stratospheric Lead Generation Secrets will provide you with sales techniques that will ensure you’re successful, not by volume, but by an expertly crafted plan and skillset.
Pages: 150 | ASIN: B07B6FNC4Q
Ten Keys to Effective Leadership
![Ten Keys to Effective Leadership: A Guidebook for Women of Faith by [Marilyn Donnellan, David Condon, Wayne Elsey, Andy Gilliam, Linda Lysakowski, Margaux Pagán, Donna Poppendieck, Michael Sand, Joel Zimmerman]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41Gni-Eu4PL.jpg)
Ten Keys to Effective Leadership: A Guidebook for Women of Faith will help readers understand the fundamentals and essentials to effective leadership. Marilyn L. Donnellan MS expounds qualities of a great leader in a straightforward but illuminating manner. To be in charge of a group of people; whether big or small, means that they trust you and believe in your views. To be a leader means that you have to take every challenge as it comes and be strong for your people, something not many people are built to do. Marilyn L. Donnellan MS’s notes on effective leadership will help you understand that being the head of anything requires skills, dedication, patience, a forgiving heart and kindness among other virtues.
Marilyn L. Donnellan MS explains why female leadership is important in society. The author compares women in power in the 60s to women in power today. I enjoyed reading her thoughts on feminism as it gives one an understanding of why female empowerment has been a crucial process throughout the years. Reading the author’s opinion on women in leadership and why they deserve more spaces was eye opening.
This book is most beneficial to women of faith that are looking for way to increase their leadership skills and encourages more women to get into power and challenge men that have been raised in misogynistic settings. What I liked most was that the book goes beyond leadership and educates readers on how to become better people, live righteously, and improve your relationship with God to become a better Christian. Marilyn L. Donnellan MS goes on to explains how these traits go hand in hand and improves your leadership abilities.
The book explores the different myths of female leadership that have been passed on through the years and challenges her readers to seek the truth by providing facts. Though she bases her teachings on religion and the bible, the author also considers non-religious folks and readers from different backgrounds. She uses a modest and friendly language which encourages one to keep reading.
The title of the book had me assume we would only learn about leadership, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the book teaches readers so much more. Leadership and having faith are the main discussions but the author also teaches the reader on how to live with people, correcting mistakes and being a wholesome person.
Ten Keys to Effective Leadership: A Guidebook for Women of Faith is an enlightening and inspirational book that will encourage women, and men, to lead and provide them with the tools be successful when they do.
Pages: 205 | ASIN: B07SQ3ZPBF
Grotto of Chaos: The Exploits of Clarence Griffin Book 1
![Grotto of Chaos: The Exploits of Clarence Griffin Book 1 by [Christopher Knox, Jason Moser, Danny Decillis, Hazel Walshaw]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JhAWNFneL.jpg)
A camping trip sounded like such a wonderful idea–friends, family, and a bit of an adventure. Clarence Griffin and his friends are a unique group with talents and knowledge that, on an ordinary day, just make them interesting and fun. Today, however, their skills may just save their lives. When the group experiences what they all believe to be an earthquake, their plans to enjoy the trip are not thwarted–they soldier on. It’s when the ground opens up and they disappear into a world like none of them could ever have dreamed that they begin to believe this will be much more than their normal adventure.
Grotto of Chaos, by Christopher Knox, is a young adult thriller and the first in a series centered around Clarence Griffin. From cover to cover, the group of friends are met head-on with otherworldly challenges and use their wits and their talents to fight their way out of one predicament after another. The circle of friends is met head on by everything from a rat beast to a dinosaur, but their resourcefulness far outweighs anything that comes their way. Clarence and his crew are a fantastic bunch of young adult heroes.
As a teacher, I am always on the lookout for engaging books that are both readable, not overwhelming in length and of high-interest to my more avid readers. Knox more than meets all of these expectations with Grotto of Chaos. Clarence and his friends are all relatable, offer bits of humor that young readers will appreciate, and give all of us a cast of everyday superheroes that offer a new and refreshing take on the young adult genre.
One of the most appealing aspects of Knox’s work is the constant dialogue between the main characters. Young readers tend to gravitate toward books with characters who sound like them. The banter between Clarence and his sister, Penelope, makes for an entertaining read for children at this age. In addition, Knox does a fabulous job of representing a diverse friend group with different interests and talents, and each character is given his/her moment to shine.
I highly recommend Knox’s writing to anyone looking to introduce young readers to a new series of adventure stories. The main characters in Grotto of Chaos will appeal to all readers, and the constant action will keep readers coming back for more from Clarence and his pals.
Pages: 210 | ASIN: B08WVX48FY
How to Manage Food, Booze, Stress, Sex, Sleep, and Exercise on Campus
The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed provides readers with health tips and information they’ll need to manage the obstacles they face in college. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Taking care of yourself in college can be difficult because there’s no training for it! Most students are better prepared to pick their major or talk to strangers than they are to put themselves on a sleep schedule or navigate the dining hall three times a day. We both struggled with our health in college because we had no idea what to expect, which meant we couldn’t be proactive and didn’t know what to do when things got hard. Furthermore, the bad habits we developed in the early years of college were difficult to break! After a group of my senior runners (I’m a HS XC coach) expressed concern about the survival of their current good habits in the campus setting, Dave and I felt compelled to help them prepare.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about their health?
The biggest health concern many college students have before they get to campus is the “Freshman 15.” While weight gain can be a byproduct of unhealthy habits, taking care of yourself is so much larger than a number on a scale. A variety of factors can negatively affect the way we feel – stress, stagnation, lack of sleep, toxic relationships, overconsumption of alcohol – and it’s too limiting to assess how you’re faring in the college (or any) setting based simply on whether or not you can still fit into the pants you packed when you left home. Rather than focusing on how to change a number on the scale, students should be focusing instead on figuring out what routines and practices make them feel good physically, mentally and emotionally.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
We wanted to make it clear that “being healthy” isn’t a level you reach in life. Feeling good is fluid. Sometimes you’ll be able to prioritize yourself and other times you won’t. At various points and for various reasons, your health will get put on the backburner. And that’s OK! It’s NORMAL. We argue that getting off track and feeling physically, mentally, or emotionally terrible at some point is to be expected, but that also it’s also completely possible to turn things around when you’re there. It’s even easier when you have the tools. We wanted to offer college students tips for getting back back on track while also communicating the idea that starting again is nothing to be disappointed about or surprised by. In fact, learning how to course correct can help build your self-esteem and will ultimately become easier over time.
What was the writing collaboration process like with author Dave Henry?
Writing this book together definitely added a new dynamic to our marriage. To start, we have very different work styles. Dave is a creative right-brained thinker who likes to see the big picture before proceeding. I’m an A-type left-brainer all the way, so I work best on a rigid schedule. We struggled at times because of those differences, but the final product benefited tremendously from our respective strengths. For instance, Dave’s ability to patiently finesse sections improved the writing in many areas, and I made sure that we stayed on schedule and covered all of our talking points as we went. While we are opposites in a lot of ways, we are similar in that we both tend to bring an enormous amount of passion and energy to everything that we do – we met coaching sports after all! When we’re fired up, it’s hard to stop the train. This project was fueled by our love for the material and for the students who inspired it. It’s been life-changing getting to work together. Every exciting new development is ours to celebrate, and every disappointment is an excuse to eat ice cream and get over it. And frankly, whatever happens from here is just a bonus. We both feel like we’ve already won – we’re so proud of this book and are thrilled to have finished this race together.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Every fall, around eight million young adults crash into college fired up for the best four years of their lives, ready to experience campus life, take classes about things they’re interested in, and meet people from all over the world. Most students, however, are better prepared to pick their major or talk to strangers than they are to take care of themselves in the college setting. College students today are more depressed, anxious, and stressed than previous waves of students; they’re also more sedentary, not really exercising, and living in a meal-plan limbo supplemented with ramen and coffee.
In this comprehensive field guild, high school coaches Jill and Dave Henry break down the facts and deliver doable, no-BS strategies for managing physical and mental health on campus. In addition to helpful, interactive graphics, the coaches share their relatable true stories—ranging from the ridiculous to the serious—to discuss the five biggest health obstacles students face in college. On top of research-backed tips, The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed also features raw and personal advice from current students on college campuses across the country.
While simply figuring out what to eat and how to exercise can be completely overwhelming, this guide goes beyond a basic crash course on how to be healthy. Jill and Dave cover everything from crucial time-management skills to the complex sensitivity of self-doubt, sexual assault, and depression with humor, humility, and heart. The Greatest College Health Guide You Never Knew You Needed is a complete road map for how to take care of your mind and body that will not only set students up to crush the next four years, but will also provide a foundation they can carry with them for the rest of their lives.
LITERARY TITAN 