Blog Archives
A Bluebird’s Memories
Life can be an exquisite or boring journey depending on your perspective. In A Bluebird’s Memories by Tuula Pere, a grandmother bluebird exemplifies to her grandchildren how even being a small bird, they can live impactful, meaningful, and beautiful lives.
Near a summer cottage, the owner built a nesting box in which the grandmother bluebird lives. She is cleaning and readying her home for her grandchildren’s visit. She reminisces of the days when she was with her mate and all the beautiful memories she cherishes. She isn’t lonely, though, and has many friends and events keeping her busy. She has lived a long full life, and the little curious chicks want to hear stories from her past. She tells them of moments when she helped others without receiving praise or recognition and moments of overcoming terror.
The lovely illustrations by Outi Rautkallio fully encompass the wholesome naturalness of the characters and the environment with a waterlike soft look that brings the reader into the world. The stories the grandmother bluebird told were so heartfelt and perfectly encased with symbolization that it is easy for young readers to understand. She sheds light on how significant everyone’s life is and to be a good person. To live life fully and appreciate every moment, even when they are scary or hard. To find what truly matters in life which is the people we keep around us and that we love to no end. To see life as an opportunity and all its possibilities. I loved the story and how sweet the relationship she had with her grandchildren was.
A Bluebird’s Memories is a heartwarming children’s book that teaches children the value of kindness and how even small things can make a big impact on someone. This story is inspiring and will help kids realize that they do have an important role in life, even though they are small.
Pages: 18 | ASIN : B07HY9JNH6
So, I Decided To Write One
Kittens Learn About Holidays follows a group of kittens that are adopted and need to learn about the different holidays in society to embrace their new lives. What was the inspiration for your story?
As a homeschooling mom, I remember searching for a book like this for my son when he was younger…one that encompasses an overview of a variety of holidays. I couldn’t find one. So, I decided to write one.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
I wanted it to be engaging for children, understandable, and have a nice flow. I also wanted to ensure that different cultures were represented.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Oh yes! I was not as knowledgeable as I had thought about several of the holidays I included. I learned quite a bit while researching.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently working on a pet loss book for children. It’s called “I’ll Remind You” and will be available by the end of November.
Author Links: Facebook | Website
Find A Forever Home
Clara and Mr. Milo’s Adventures follows a five-year-old girl who wants her pet and takes the time to ensure she gets the right pet and takes care of it correctly. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My husband and I adopted Mr. Milo from a shelter in central Florida. We walked by so many sweet pets needing a loving home that it broke my heart. I wanted to find a way to encourage others to adopt shelter pets. A few days after adopting Mr. Milo, my niece Adelyn came to visit and meet Mr. Milo. She was very interested in learning about shelter pet adoption. Adelyn was only six years old, and her sweet and caring questions inspired me to write about the process we underwent to adopt Mr. Milo. Adelyn reminded me that children are eager to learn and that their innocence and selflessness can encourage the kindness and compassion needed to help shelter pets find a forever home.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Lana Lee?
Thank you! I enjoyed working with Lana Lee. I initially submitted a picture of Mr. Milo as a kitten and a picture of me as a child to different illustrators at Upwork. When Lana sent me her initial illustrations, I knew she was the right illustrator for my series. Lana allowed me to give her my vision, page by page. We worked together, going back and forth during the dates scheduled and at different hours of the day. Lana would send me a draft of the illustrations, and if needed, I would request changes. We worked hard on refining the images to capture my vision. Sometimes, it was a simple color change or changing the details of the expression of a character. She amazingly created every page as I imagined and finalized every episode on the scheduled dates. We worked together for almost a year, and she was easy to work with. I’m thrilled with her work. Lana Lee is a very talented illustrator, and I look forward to continuing our partnership.
What educational aspects were important for you to include in this children’s book?
My goal is to educate children about the process of shelter pet adoption and the responsibility involved in caring for a pet. As well as to highlight the rewards and joy pets give us in return. I hope to inspire kindness, compassion, patience, and love toward shelter pets.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
We recently completed seven episodes of this series. It has been an incredible experience and an absolute joy to create. I’m currently focusing on using this series to spread the valuable message of shelter pet adoption and hope to expand on Clara & Mr. Milo’s Adventures very soon…
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
It’s So Cute
What A Muck follows a young child who encounters several mishaps while trying to be helpful and learns a valuable lesson in the process. What was the inspiration for your story?
Actually, this book is based on 2 true events. The roll away car happened over 35 years ago and my father really did run like lightning. Everyone was fine in that story too. The other incident happen pretty much how it reads in the book, just the timing and setting are different. Every time my grandson hears this part of the book he says, “Do you remember when that happened to us Nana?” It’s so cute. I was inspired to retell the story to help children learn car safety in an entertaining way.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Katrina Sachs?
Thank you! Katrina and I had a lot of back and forth. My book took many revisions to finish. Even my character name changed from Max to Drew, because it was easier to find words to rhyme with Drew, and it’s gender neutral. Since I wanted Drew to be gender neutral I asked Katrina to make the character that way too. We also decided to bring the car and truck to ‘life’ to add some humour to the serious storyline. Beyond that, I let Katrina have freedom to create. She has a fine eye for detail and perfectly captures the essence of a story. My daughter is patient and great to work with.
What educational aspects were important for you to include in this children’s book?
This was my first attempt to write in rhythm and rhyme. It was important for me to see this through, because when a book is entertaining and easy to read it helps build confidence and develop a love for books. I think the message in this book is as much for children as it is for care givers. Vehicles are not a toy and children need to know that it’s important to ask questions when unsure how something works. Adults need to take precautions to keep everyone safe.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
My next book is called, No More Stuff. In this book, hopefully children will think about their personal space and see how they can help reduce their foot print in the world when it comes to celebration time. There’s a catchy verse that goes to the tune of, How much wood can a wood chuck chuck, if a wood chuck could chuck wood. I think children will have fun repeating it. The main character will take us on their journey to learn a new way of thinking, and in the end take the lead to help their family reduce their foot print too. I plan to publish No More Stuff in April 2023.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
In this children’s picture book, young Drew has good intentions of helping. The day begins with thoughts of having fun, but quickly things are turned upside down. Drew has been watching Papa and Mom, and now a CLICK and a CLUNK have them all in a muck.
Can watching big people help fix a problem too? Can Drew know what to do in time to save Papa’s truck?
Find out in this fun to read a rhyming story. Filled with wonderful and expressive illustrations featuring a comical car and truck. If they could talk, Drew’s day may have turned out much differently.
Learn from Drew what not to do before it happens to you!
Attentive Children
This book showcases the obvious, that children watch our every move. Children learn to speak from listening – every right and wrong word we say. They learn about the world around them through instruction and from watching you.
Drew observes Mom and knows what one button inside her car can do. Maybe? The first attempt to be helpful begins the day’s troublesome journey. We learn lessons through trial and error, but Drew hopes your child will learn from the mistakes made in What a Muck.
One reader wrote: “This book is great for sparking a conversation even when we have good intentions, things can go the wrong way. It touches on how we can all make mistakes in life, which is ok because it allows us to learn and grow. “What a Muck” is a sweet rhyming colourful picture book that takes you on a day in life of a young boy named Drew who has a series of unfortunate events happen when all he wants to do is be a good helper.”
Rhyming
A good book doesn’t have to rhyme, but a good rhyming book serves an important purpose. Rhyme helps aid in a child’s language and reading development. It teaches verbal and memory skills. When a child hears pitch and rhythm, they are developing listening and attention skills. When a book is easy and fun, a child builds confidence in the ability to recite it. This leads to more reading. When reading is fun to hear or listen to, your child develops important academic skills, all the while being entertained.
Gender Identity
Drew is gender neutral. The author intentionally does not refer to Drew as he or she so the reader can relate to the character as they like.
About the Author
Linda Sachs writes books children and caregivers can relate to and will want to read often. She understands the importance of reading to children and developing books that children can read themselves. Some times it just takes one good book to spark the love for reading, and your child is off to a world of imagination and growth.
Linda thanks a school librarian and her intuitiveness to know how to spark the love of reading. She has been writing for many years, and recently entered the publishing world with her debut children’s picture book No More Pets. You can follow Linda on social media, her website, https://lindasachs.com and join her VIP newsletter. She would love to hear from you.
She lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and dreams of writing more fun books for children.
Hooray for Heidi! (The Sumatran Trilogy)
Heidi, the Sumatran turtle, is excited for the day ahead. Today is the first day of the Sumatran Games, and this is the first time she gets to attend. Heidi moves as quickly as she can, given her short turtle legs, but she falls behind the other animals. Finally, a kind, friendly elephant named Jose stops and asks if she needs help. When she explains she is trying to get to the games, Jose picks her up and carries her the rest of the way. Once at the games, the two new friends watch the events, and Heidi becomes sad watching all the things she can not do. Eventually, Jose also grows sad because of Heidi’s morose attitude. Once Heidi realizes her lousy attitude has upset her new friends, she comes up with a plan to make them both feel better about the skills they do possess. While her plan doesn’t work out exactly as they hoped, they learn a valuable lesson about teamwork.
Hooray for Heidi! written by Emma Sandford and illustrated by Olena Osadcha is a beautiful picture book about teamwork and appreciating the unique skills that everyone has. Not everyone in life is strong, fast, or flexible, but that does not mean that they do not have value. This children’s book highlights that kids often feel self-conscious when watching others that have better skills or abilities than themselves. It can be challenging to overcome those feelings and feel valuable.
Emma has written this fantastic book showing that everyone can contribute and be a valued member of the team. With a focus on teamwork, kids will learn how helping others and working together brings its own rewards, even if it is not the trophy they were after. The other focus in this whimsical picture book is friendship. For example, an elephant and a turtle become great friends despite being so different from one another. This is an excellent example for young children to look past the physical differences in each other and value people for who they are inside.
Hooray for Heidi! is a beautifully written picture book that teaches children the value of friendship and teamwork. This would be a wonderful book for preschool and kindergarten classrooms to help kids learn how to work together to achieve a common goal. There is also the message that sometimes things do not go as planned, which is okay too!
Pages: 30 | ASIN : B0BFNT32T1
Worries About Visiting The Dentist
Ellie Visits the Dentist follows a little girl on her first visit to the dentist where she learns how to take care of her teeth and finds that the dentist’s office isn’t scary. What was the inspiration for the idea behind this children’s book?
This story is based on my own daughter, who went through a similar experience when she visited the dentist for the first time. She was, understandably, nervous enough about her first dentist visit and then finding out she had cavities only added to her anxiety. Thanks to her wonderful and patient dentist, her experience turned out very positive, and she has since grown to love her dentist. I knew that other kids were probably experiencing similar fears regarding visiting the dentist, and I wanted to write a book that they could read and relate to that would help them understand that the dentist does not have to be a scary place, but rather it can be interesting and even fun.
The art in the book is vibrant and cute. What scene in the book did you have the most fun creating?
I would have to say that the first spread, which depicts Ellie playing with her three brothers, was my favorite scene to create. I love this scene because the kids in it are based on my own children, and I tried to make each of their own personalities really show in their character. It is also just a fun, loving picture, showing siblings getting along and playing nicely together, which doesn’t always happen in real life!
What were some ideas that were important for you to include in this book?
I wanted to show that Ellie’s fears and worries about visiting the dentist were completely valid and justified, and that it was important for her mother and her dentist not to minimize them. However, at the same time, I wanted her mother and her dentist to clearly explain and also demonstrate that it is important not to let her fears take over, but rather to understand that the dentist is a person who provides a service to her that helps her and that nothing bad will happen at the dentist’s office.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book, which is still in its early stages, is going to be based on my oldest son, and the topic is going to be practicing good sportsmanship by being part of a baseball team while dealing with both winning and losing. Since I’m still working on drafting the story, I don’t have an expected release date yet, but I’m hopeful for sometime next year.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Visiting the dentist for the first time is often frightening for many children since they do not know what to expect. Receiving the unwelcome news that the child may require dental work will likely amplify this fear. Ellie Visits the Dentist is the heartwarming story of a little girl who experienced these same fears. Though she is scared when it is discovered that she has cavities, her kind dentist helps her through the process and Ellie realizes that the dentist’s office is not a place to fear.
