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The Precious Value of Friendship
Posted by Literary Titan

Merren and the Heron is an adorable children’s book about a class trip to the zoo that turns into a hunt for Merren. What was the inspiration for the setup to this kids book?
Thank you. Merren and the Heron was inspired by a trip to London’s Regents Park where my young daughter, Merren, became fascinated by an incredibly brave heron almost joining her on a park bench to dutifully pose for the camera. We started joking about other names that rhymed with various animals which soon led to the inevitable “we should write a book about that”!
What were some themes you wanted to focus on in this book?
I’ve always made up daft stories and rhymes so the main focus was really to keep things light-hearted and to appeal to a young child’s love of animals with colourful illustrations. In terms of underlying themes, I hope that the reader can take away the precious value of friendship, where looking out for each other will sometimes need to come before looking out for ourselves.
The art in this book is colorful and beautiful. What was the art collaboration like with illustrator Darya Shchegoleva?
The collaboration with Darya was one of the highlights of the entire project. I’d looked through a huge number of illustrator portfolios and Darya’s jumped out as being precisely the style I was looking for. Not only a first-class illustrator, but I learnt so much from her experience having been involved with several other titles beforehand. Hopefully we’ll be working together again in the near future.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have a couple of ideas currently incubating and hoping to get another one or two titles added to the Daft Dad stable during 2021.
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Posted in Interviews
Tags: author, author interview, book, book recommendations, book review, book reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books, books to read, ebook, goodreads, kindle, kobo, literature, Merren and the Heron, nook, novel, read, reader, reading, story, Tony Dow, writer, writing
Merren and the Heron
Posted by Literary Titan
Merren and the Heron, by Tony Dow is an adorable story about a class of children visiting the zoo. Their teacher instructs them to take a picture with an animal that rhymes with their name. As the children wander around the zoo, they struggle to get their pictures. Then, an even worse problem arises, they can’t find their classmate Merren! As the kids continue to search for Merren, they still haven’t gotten their pictures and now there’s too much to worry about!
Tony Dow’s story is filled with lovable characters and exciting rhymes. It engages young readers, allowing them to learn rhyming structure, while solving a fun mystery. The drawings on every page have colors that pop, making it even more appealing. Overall, Dow provides a story that children can read many times without getting bored.
I am giving Merren and the Herren, by Tony Down 5 out of 5 stars. Its mystery filled storyline and use of engaging literary techniques makes the story stand out from most children’s books. Its colorful drawings bring the characters to life and makes the audience even more absorbed with the story. Merren and the Heron is one of the most unique children’s stories I have read this month.
Pages: 13 | ASIN : B08LBQX961
Posted in Book Reviews, Five Stars
Tags: author, book recommendations, book review, book reviews, book shelf, bookblogger, books to read, children, childrens book, ebook, education, fantasy, ficiton, goodreads, kids, kids book, kindle, kobo, literature, Merren and the Heron, nook, novel, parent, picture book, read, reader, reading, story, teacher, Tony Dow, writer, writing