Blog Archives
The Moon Child
One night, a baby is left outside a doorway. The parents kiss their child goodbye, leave a note, and say goodbye. The Moon takes great interest in the child and asks the Sun for help. She is watched over by the Sun and the Moon throughout her life and is connected to her birth parents through them.
Author Geraldine Moran shares a personal story with readers with her heartfelt children’s book, The Moon Child. This is an imaginative story that bring the Sun and the Moon to life and gives hope to any child that is adopted and might feel disconnected from their birth parents. It inspires hope and tells a stirring story that feels like a folktale.
The gorgeous artwork by illustrator Daniella Banco reflects the warm and sincere tone of the story. Each page contains beautiful watercolor artwork that will capture the attention of any young child as their parents or teachers read this story to them. I especially loved the image where the baby’s parents stood under the tree at night.
The Moon Child is a stirring and uplifting children’s book that will touch the hearts of readers. I would highly recommend this wonderful book to children who are struggling with adoption, or to anyone who feels out of place.
Pages: 24 | ASIN: B0BN5LL69R
Nature Study Buddies
Nature Study Buddies, is book 3 of Leigh’s Wheelie Adventures by Charlene McIver and Claudia Gadotti. In this educational book readers follow three young children who have been tasked with an assignment from school to study animals of their choosing. Tara, Cosmo, and Leigh decide nocturnal animals would be fun and know just where to find them. In Leigh’s backyard in his gum tree, because he see’s glowing eyes in the tree at night sometimes. There is only one catch, how will Leigh, who is wheelchair bound, get up into the tree to study these nocturnal animals?
I absolutely love the idea of children who are fascinated by animals and learning all they can about them. It connects them to the world around them and feeds their curiosity. Sometimes we think disabled people are not able to fully enjoy things abled bodied people could do, and I enjoyed that this book invited that thought in and shattered it quickly. We must do things differently sometimes to have the same desired results if one is disabled, and when Leigh stayed put on the ground, staying quiet in the night, he was able to see all the beautiful nocturnal animals he was worried he would miss out on.
Nature Study Buddies is an inspirational story showing friends coming together and working on something they love. The illustrations gave life to the story and brought out the rustic look of the wild animals at night. This will be an uplifting book to read to young children at bedtime, and will be perfect for any teacher that wants to educate their students on nature, accepting others, and building friendships.
Pages: 36 | ASIN: 0645483109
Hope’s Broken Snow Globe
Hope’s Broken Snow Globe by Kelly Chang Rickert is a heartfelt and honest story about a young girl named Hope, who is learning to cope with her parent’s divorce. It’s a story about love, family, and how difficult it can be for kids when their parents decide they can no longer live together.
Since Hope is young, she doesn’t fully grasp the full reasoning behind her parents’ divorce and believes the actual reason is because she broke her family’s snow globe last Christmas. With this in mind, Hope sets out on a personal quest to repair the broken snow globe, with the expectation that this will also repair her family.
I really enjoyed this book, and especially loved the physical representation of Hope’s parents’ divorce as “broken,” like the snow globe. The story offers a great comparison for children, so they visually understand the message of the book in the most relatable way. The book’s illustrations were warm and comforting, which I found to reflect the overall spirit of the story.
Hope’s Broken Snow Globe is an exceptional holiday story. It’s an emotional but important read for children and a great way to start the conversation about separating families. This book is a wonderful way of facilitating helpful and healing communication about a difficult topic, and I think it will be a great addition to your home library.
Pages 34 | ASIN 173526184X
Marky the Magnificent Fairy
In Marky the Magnificent Fairy by Cynthia Kern Obrien, readers are presented with an array of characters with numerous differences and physical capabilities that are then quickly explained and understood. As society is becoming more aware and educated on the diversity of people in many aspects, it is important to be able to introduce this subject to growing minds, and this vibrant children’s book does just that.
Throughout this charming picture book, readers are taken on a journey exploring the differences between people and get to understand self-love, confidence, acceptance, compassion, and positivity, among other things. All these things are core values that all people should learn about, but author Cynthia Kern OBrien makes it very easy for young readers to understand. All of these characteristics come into play as children grow into adulthood. This book also includes discussion questions that get kids to self-reflect and understand themselves and others better. Teachers will greatly appreciate The Resource Guide, as I thought it was helpful in furthering the discussion on how to handle situations with disabled people.
The beautiful illustrations were incredibly adorable and fit the atmosphere of the book perfectly. They were charming and captured the essence of each unique character. The writing is easy to follow and sends a clear and compassionate message. I would highly recommend Marky the Magnificent Fairy to all children, parents, and teachers. This would be a great book to have in an elementary school classroom to inspire discussion on diversity and self-respect.
Pages: 36 | ISBN: 1589850157
A Story That Needed To Be Retold
Scoochie & Skiddles: Scoochie’s Adoption Story follows a little girl who teaches her friends about adoption and different kinds of families. What was the inspiration for your story?
The character Scoochie is inspired by my oldest daughter. The book, Scoochie’s Adoption Story, chronicles our family’s experience in adopting her. However, the book is inspired by an actual incident at the park when another girl inquired about my daughter’s family. The book represents how my daughter proudly explained her adoption experience to this other girl. I could not have been more proud of her and, in that moment, I knew it was a story that needed to be retold.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Dusting James?
Thank you. Dustin has illustrated both of my books and has been a wonderful collaborator. He gets my vision, which makes the process easy. I offer a scene description and give him creative liberty to bring it to life. While Scoochie’s Adoption Story is primarily about the main character and her family, I wanted the images to represent a broad range of diverse families. Dustin and I paid close attention to the background characters in the park scenes to ensure this diversity. I am very pleased with how it all turned out.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Most importantly, I wanted to concept of family diversity to come through. Every family is so different, and I wanted to celebrate those differences. I also wanted to normalize the adoption process as one way a family can be formed. Finally, I wanted to showcase same-sex parents and create greater visibility and representation of gay parents.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
There are several concepts on the storyboard. Since adopting our second child, my available time to write isn’t the same as it once was. At this point, I would project book #3 to come out sometime in 2023. Lifting up diverse families in children’s literature will continue to be the theme of my books.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Scoochie was adopted by her two daddies through an open adoption. In Scoochie’s Adoption Story, Scoochie takes you on the journey of her and her daddies’ adoption experience. She tells of the many distinct processes related to adoption such as the “match” process between her birth mom and daddies, the hospital and post-hospital experience, and the adoption hearing that legalized her adoption. Most importantly, she expresses her respect and positivity for her birth mom and birth family, while exuding immense pride and endless love for her two daddies and soon to be adopted sister. While the book’s theme is Scoochie’s adoption, it honors and celebrates families of all types and structures. The story is an uplifting story about the bond family.
Narrated by the book’s main character, Scoochie’s Adoption Story is told in child-friendly language with adoption concepts presented in a manner that are easy for children to understand. It is a celebration of family, regardless of family composition or how a family has been created. Through text and illustration, the story represents a wide variety of families and sends a strong message of diversity and inclusion. A perfect reading book for all families and especially for children of LGBT parents, diverse families, and families touched by adoption.
Those who may enjoy the book include:
All families and all children
Parents looking for books on diversity
Birth parents
Adoptive parents
Adopted children
LGBT parents and LGBT allies
Diverse families / mixed race families
Adoption agencies / Adoption case workers
Adoption attorneys
Adoption facilitators
Individuals and couples considering adoption
Social Workers and Counselors
Teachers and Guidance Counselors
Child Protective Services / Family Preservation
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) advocates
For more information, visit us on the web at scoochieandskiddles(dot)com or email us at hello@scoochieandskiddles.com
Imperfections Are What Make You Unique
Hooray for Heidi! follows a young turtle who makes a new friend on her way to see the animal games; once there, she learns the value of teamwork and that everyone has different strengths. What was the inspiration for your story?
I am very aware that we live in an age where children are becoming increasingly self-conscious in terms of their appearance, physique and abilities. I was therefore inspired to write an entertaining story that ultimately teaches children that it is okay to be good at some things and not so good at others. Nobody can be good at everything, and in fact your imperfections are what make you unique.
Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your character’s life?
Due to adverse experiences in my childhood, I had a habit (and still do) of being self-critical, for example, comparing my abilities to other children, what I was good at and not so good at etc. I wanted to refer to this with characters in the book as it’s important for everyone, especially children, to realise their strengths and weaknesses, how to learn from them, how to accept yourself and others and to be kind and show compassion to people no matter how similar or different they are.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
I wanted to make sure that this book had more excitement in it with it being the final book in the Sumatran Trilogy, and I hope I have achieved that. It was important to me to have the book flow well and for the theme to remain as close to the first two books, The Problem with Poppy and What’s Troubling Tawny?, as possible. I also wanted to make it funny and a little more light-hearted than the first two books but still with meaningful messages that would help children handle their emotions and feelings.
What is the next book or series you will be writing, and when can your readers look for it to be out?
Hooray for Heidi! is the final book in the Sumatran Trilogy, but I do have plans for more books in the future. I am co-writing one with another author at the moment, but I can’t reveal any details yet. Watch this space!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram | Website
Will José be able to cheer Heidi up, and can the two animals find a way to join in the fun?
Colin the Crab’s Friends
What is the purpose of life if there is no one to enjoy it with? In Colin the Crab’s Friends by Tuula Pere Colin knows that working hard and savoring the beautiful moments in life is a well-balanced diet. Colin is a hardworking builder that keeps himself fully busy.
He helps Ms. Catfish with a loose roof beam on her home but then spends time listening to her stories and enriching their friendship. The Next family needs help washing their windows which Colin is more than willing to help, knowing Mrs. Newt has so many children to look after and would much prefer her spending time looking after them than worrying about her silly windows that need cleaning. Sally the Starfish is incredibly sad about how glum her fence is looking, and Colin knows his friend well enough to do just the right thing to cheer her up. He embellishes her fence with decorative ornaments, which instantly brightens her mood but reminds her to be thankful that she has a strong-standing home keeping her perspective of what is important in check as a good friend should do. After working hard all week, Colin decides to throw his friends a party in the blue pavilion he built for just such occasions. He knows life is about working hard and taking the time to enjoy life’s splendors with friends.
I loved how simple the story is, but it permeated with such significance. I feel everyone is told to always work hard to get the things they want in life. But this story does an exquisite job of clarifying exactly how to do so and then, in the same breath showing you how to have meaningful relationships and enjoy life. This is exactly the kind of story young readers should have at their disposal to become what I think are well-rounded individuals.
The illustrations by Roksolana Panchyshyn give life to the characters and convey the sweetness and charm the story possesses. I enjoyed how the author has given Colin the crab such humanity-like quality to him. He empathizes and sympathizes with his friends and their situations. He knows just what everyone needs to feel loved and appreciated, and this is also a shining mark shown countless times throughout the story by the author’s remarkable writing skills.
Colin the Crab’s Friends is a heartwarming picture book that children and adults will be able to find meaning within its pages. This children’s book is perfect for classrooms and libraries to help young children understand what friendship is and how to be a good friend to those around them.
Pages: 34 | ISBN : 9523573225
The Magical Bag for a Plastic-Free Earth
Have you ever noticed how much waste we create? How much just one person can create in a single day? The Magical Bag for a Plastic Free Earth, written and illustrated by Pranamee Nath, follows a young girl named Ollie who loves animals and comes to realize the answers to those questions. Ollie goes for a visit at her Uncle John’s house where the main attraction is the beach. When the beach is closed her cousin Tanya takes her to enjoy the day at a fair where there is a variety of delicious foods and treats to indulge in. Tanya has a magic bag that lets her carry alternative containers that allow her to live waste and single-use plastic free. Ollie doesn’t see the importance of these items until she is confronted with why the beach was closed in the first place.
The message of doing our part in keeping our planet free of single-use plastic was done in such an impactful way by the author’s emotionally evocative writing skills. I enjoyed that the author also gives readers examples along the way that show how to make small changes when we are going about our everyday lives. These changes can make a huge difference and are easy to implement. I felt like I was being educated on every page rather than preached to or being shamed for my lack of action. This enlightening children’s book is a gentle guide that illuminates the steps that are necessary and easy to take. Ollie realizes how her actions throughout the day have contributed to a destructive situation for us, the world we live in, and the animals she loves. I felt her shame and sadness all at once and again that speaks to the author’s fantastic writing.
The Magical Bag for a Plastic-free Earth is an educational picture book that is a wonderful resource parents can use to introduce environmental issues and sustainability to young readers. This informative book will help parents and teachers start a conversation about the environment in a way that young kids will easily understand.
Pages: 40 | ASIN: B0BCSMD4ZF
LITERARY TITAN 