Blog Archives
Opening Doors for Many Children
Be Proud to Be Blue follows a baby bird that is rejected because of his color and finds his own self-confidence to make friends anyway. Why is this an important lesson for kids to learn early?
We should teach children from an early age to be proud of who they are. A positive sense of self is one of the greatest gifts we can give a child. Talking to children from an early age is important if we are to prepare them mentally for the future.
The illustrations of the frogs and goldfish in this book are my favorite. What is your favorite image or scene from the book?
I really like the scene where Baby bird makes friends with the frogs. They really seem to be having such fun together.
This book was written to be dyslexic inclusive. Why was this an important aspect of the book for you to include?
As an Early Years teacher, I think it is important to help children with dyslexia in every way possible to encourage a love of reading and build their confidence. By producing books with a font that makes the text easier to read, we are opening doors for many children.
Do you have future books planned with baby bird in them?
The first book, “Be Happy to Be You,” encourages children to be happy with their own strengths and individual rather than trying to be like everyone else. I have written a third story about the difficulties Baby bird has building a nest. His mother encourages but does not build the nest for him. The story teaches children about independence and perseverance.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads
Baby bird wasn’t happy.
He wanted to play with the fish and the horses and the frogs.
But they won’t play with him…
Because he is blue!
For more info go to http://www.Dyslexiefont.com
Go to http://www.mcp-store.com to find out more about the typeface and discounts.
Butterball’s Christmas Surprise
![BUTTERBALL'S Christmas Surprise (Butterball the Poodle Book 3) by [Julia Seaborn]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51wPYBUezQL.jpg)
Butterball’s Christmas Surprise follows the life of an adorable poodle as she prepares for Christmas. Butterball goes shopping, decorates a tree, and goes to the groomer to get ready for the big day. Butterball gets into mischief along the way, but does her best to show her mummy that she’s a good dog and is rewarded with a special visit from Rudolph and Santa.
This is an adorable holiday picture book that is perfect for young readers who are advancing to stories with full sentences and paragraphs. There are no difficult words, but word repetition will help develop reading comprehension and confidence.
Each character is doe eyed and very cute. The illustrations cover each page with a soft color palette and simple yet emotive graphic art. Readers are given a challenge at the beginning of the story to find 12 Christmas Candy Canes throughout the story ensuring that readers will be fully engaged with this entertaining book. The bonus ‘Fun Questions’ section at the back of the book makes this book a full reading comprehension lesson in itself.
Author Julia Seaborn provides elementary readers, parents, and teachers with another beautifully illustrated children’s book that is a prefect fit for the holidays, as a learning tool, or as a delightful bedtime story.
Pages: 32 | ASIN: B08XQ6F32Z
A Unicorn From Ancient China
A Unicorn Named Rin follows a Chinese unicorn on a mission to find the missing royal Phoenix before the Friendship Concert. What inspired you to write this beautiful children’s book?
We’re a family that loves unicorns but I couldn’t find a unicorn book that featured a protagonist which looked like my daughters. After conducting some research, I discovered unicorns were a part of Chinese history, and even Confucius himself wrote about them. Thus I set out to write an early readers book about a unicorn from ancient China, along with a Tang dynasty princess.
The art in this book is well drawn and vibrant. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Li (Lily) Liu?
Lily lives in France and I’m in the US, so we had numerous video chatting sessions to discuss the illustrations. We both have children so at times our virtual meetings were very chaotic from hilarious kid-related disruptions! I’m just in awe of Lily’s talent. She really brought every page to life! She is originally from China, and I had lived in Shanghai for years, so this book was a very meaningful project for the both of us.
What were some aspects of Chinese culture that were important for you to include in this book?
I’m a big fan of ancient Chinese poetry, so there some Tang dynasty poems included in the book. And although this is a fantastical story with mythical creatures, the geographical locations are real.
Will you write more children’s book of this type in the future?
Yes, my second children’s book will be released next year.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
A Unicorn Named Rin celebrates the wonder and beauty of Chinese history and culture. This exquisitely illustrated picture book makes an ideal gift:
*Easy-to-read vocabulary enables confidence in early readers
*Whimsical illustrations encourage imagination in all unicorn lovers
*Storyline fosters dialogue around collaboration, empathy, and kindness
*Real locations in China make for an inspiring geography, history and cultural lesson
Baku: The Not So Angry Dragon
![Baku: The Not So Angry Dragon by [Lisa Alfrey, Caner Soylu]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZkGeLNyeL._SX260_.jpg)
Baku is a young dragon who had his first day of school and is nervous to go back. He’s so nervous that he has butterflies in his tummy and all his huffing and puffing is burning up the house. His mother provides Baku with a coping mechanism for his anger and sends him off to school where he uses his new coping skills to get through a second day of school.
Baku: The Not So Angry Dragon is a delightful children’s picture book that provides readers with some very good ways to handle stress and anger in their lives. This wonderful book is filled with charming grainy comic art that has surprising depth in each image and a soft color palate that makes each illustration very appealing. This story takes the standard dragon traits; flying, fire breathing, etc., and maximizes the cute factor. I really enjoyed the detail in each image, which will certainly bring children back to this book again and again.
Author Lisa Alfrey gives parents and teachers a brilliant kids book that teaches mindfulness through a fun and interactive story that any child will be able to relate to. I would recommend this picture book to any family with a child that is going through a lot of change and would like to introduce simple mindfulness techniques that can really improve their lives.
Pages: 18 | ASIN: B08P5Q4HGL
Be Proud to Be Blue
Be Proud to Be Blue follows a blue baby bird that goes out and tries to make friends but is rejected by the other animals because of his color. Baby bird is sad because no one wants to play with him, he doesn’t understand why his color should matter. With self-confidence and pride, he goes back and makes friends anyway, all color differences aside.
In this delightfully illustrated children’s picture book we follow baby bird on a mission to make friends, he’s rejected because of his color, but what I really enjoyed about this book was how baby bird gains the confidence he needs to make friends. He does not need any external force or person to tell him his self-worth, he finds it on his own. I found this to be unique in this marvelous children’s book. This is a great way to teach children to become self-reliant.
Each page has wonderful illustrations that look simple but depict a wide range of emotions in the characters. The frogs were my absolute favorite characters in the book. They were so cute! The illustrations will surely capture children’s attention and keep them coming back to this book again and again. The emotive characters also provide a great learning opportunity for toddlers to point out and talk about what characters might be feeling.
Author Diane Hull provides young readers with an easy-to-read book that helps build reading comprehension with the use of simple words that repeat throughout the story. Be Proud to Be Blue is a fun and educational children’s book that teaches kids about self-confidence, diversity, and inclusivity all in a super fun and adorable way.
Pages: 34 | ISBN: 1643723693
A New Social Issue
Let’s Talk! Going to the Zoo educates readers on how fun the zoo is along with what autism is and what that means. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The inspiration was really my own real life experiences. I have a passion and connection with animals. I thought it would be great to use that in the story and show that little ones do not have to be held back by Autism. If they want to go to the zoo, their family should take them. I felt it would really show how little ones with Autism would be able to enjoy this type of experience.
What were some key ideas you wanted to share in this book that were different from book one?
I wanted to show a new social issue that little ones not just with Autism, but in general face. Also, to show little ones how to overcome that kind of an issue. That is why I wanted to put the idea of a group of bullies in. Then having a little one realize that Harper is right and see the beauty in Autism would add to Autism being something positive. I also wanted to show different cultures and that is why each character is a different ethnicity. I really want my books to focus on diversity not only in disability but in culture and ethnicity. Having different themes represented I think is so important because if you look at the current repertoire of children’s books, which I did recently, each character was a boy. Girls are rarely represented. And the majority of books showcase a Caucasian character. Diversity, culture as well as disability is very under represented and I want to break that pattern.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
Strength. I want little ones to realize they are strong and can stand up to that bully. To see they are strong and do not have to hide their disability but proud of it. To be strong about wanting to go new places and try new things. Determination and strength is so important for our children to see represented. I want children to see themselves in my books and gain determination and strength and confidence. If I can do that, then my series has reached its goal.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have written a new series actually. I wrote and put it out there first as a short story and changed my mind. I will be starting the publication process in November of this year for the Rascal Cat Brothers part 1. Which is a story of the silly shenanigans my two cats get into. I am not forgetting about the Lets Talk! Series though, book 3 is done and will go into production early next year, stay tuned!!
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website | Instagram | GoodReads
While enjoying the animals Emma becomes excited and flaps her hands, making noises. A group of children come over and begin to point and stare. What do you think Harper does when she sees this group being not nice to her friend? Come find out when you read the next book in the Lets Talk! Series.
A Unicorn Named Rin
A Unicorn Named Rin is an adventurous children’s story that follows a qilin, a Chinese unicorn, that must help Princess Pingyang find Fan, the royal Phoenix, before the Friendship Concert begins. Rin sets off on a wonderous journey that takes him to many real life locations where he meets many mythical creatures from real Chinese legends.
This is a beautifully illustrated children’s picture book. Every page is covered in bright colors that will surely keep young readers attention. I loved all the creatures that Rin encounters as they were intricately drawn and each helps Rin when he needs it, and lift his spirits when he is down. In the end they all work as a team to find Fan in a clever twist that requires teamwork, a fantastic message for children. This is the most unique children’s book that I’ve read as it combines Chinese culture in every aspect, from myths, to poetry, festivals, and real geographic locations.
This fairy tale is easy to read, with a couple of larger words that will challenge young readers, but with repetition they are sure to pick it up. The message this story delivers is an important one for children to learn, don’t despair, ask for help, and work as a team. I appreciate how all of this is never stated outright, but learned through the story.
A Unicorn Named Rin is a fun and educational picture book that teaches children about Chinese culture as well as building literacy skills. Highly recommended to parents and teachers who are looking to diversity their children’s bookshelf.
Pages: 32 | ISBN: 1913891127
The Most Important Number
A Dog Named Zero and The Apple With No Name is a wonderful children’s book that teaches counting in an fun and imaginative way. What inspired you to write this book?
My older brother is a mathematics professor, and he said to me one day that he has spent a lifetime with numbers because of the number zero. And when I did my research and checked on what kind of counting picture books used the number zero, I didn’t find any. I am sure there are some, but I couldn’t find any, and the number zero is the most important number of all numbers.
How do you see this book being used by teachers and parent to educate their children?
That’s difficult to say. I hope teachers and parents will enjoy the humor in the book and use the boohooing and sniffing words in a way that will make children laugh. There is no better way to learn than through laughter.
Did the art in the book follow what you had already written, or did the writing follow the art?
That’s an excellent question. It happens both ways for all of my children’s picture books. I might draw a quirky character, and then the story comes from the drawing. There are times when the story comes first, and then I decide the art style I’ll use that fits the story.
Do you have plans to write more educational picture books?
I feel all children’s picture books are educational. Some are more specific with one point to be made, as in A Dog Named Zero and the Apple With No Name, than others. I have a new picture book that was published March 1st titled Letting Go. It’s about a leaf that doesn’t want to let go, a cycle of life story. And I have another picture book coming out titled Birds Fly, A Cat Tries on June 1st. It’s a wordless picture book about a cat who wants to fly. Each time the brave tabby tries, he fails. But in the end, with some help, the cat finally takes flight.
Both stories have a message, and although they are not as educational as a counting book, my point is, there is always a lesson to learn from every one of my picture books. Or at least, that is my hope.
My plan, though, is to publish at least one picture a year. This year is different, as I will have published the two I mentioned above, Letting Go and Birds Fly, A Cat Tries.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
And once, there was an Apple with no name.
Will they meet?
And if they do meet, what will happen?
Join Zero and his friends, and you will find this book adds up to be on of the most enjoyable ways to count from zero to ten.
LITERARY TITAN 