Blog Archives
Silas on Stage
Silas on Stage follows a theater-loving child who dreams of being the sparkling angel in a Christmas pageant, only to be cast as a shepherd instead. At first, Silas is crushed, but as rehearsals unfold, they begin to notice all the quiet helpers who make the show possible. When the chosen angel panics right before curtain, Silas steps into the role they were given in the most generous way, helping Max feel brave enough to go onstage.
I really liked how gentle this story is with disappointment. I recognized that little ache in Silas right away, the feeling of wanting the shiny part and having to sit with the less glamorous one. The writing doesn’t scold Silas for wanting to sparkle, which I appreciated. It lets that desire be real, then slowly widens the idea of what shining can mean. The repeated focus on helpers gives the story a steady, comforting rhythm, and the payoff feels earned because Silas doesn’t simply “learn a lesson.” They act from it.
The artwork has a soft and expressive warmth that fits the story beautifully. Silas’s slumped shoulders, Max hiding in the closet, the glitter floating under the stage lights, all of those details carry emotion without needing much explanation. I especially loved the contrast between the big theatrical moments and the quieter backstage ones. The illustrations make the church pageant feel cozy and communal, not overly polished, which gives the book a lived-in sweetness. There’s also a lovely inclusiveness in the cast of children and adults that feels natural rather than pointed.
By the end, what stayed with me most was the idea that sparkle isn’t something you have to win, wear, or be assigned. Sometimes it comes from noticing someone else’s fear and choosing tenderness. Silas on Stage is a warm, thoughtful picture book with a big heart, and I’d recommend it for children who love performing, kids working through disappointment, and families looking for a gentle story about empathy, teamwork, and finding your place in the spotlight without needing to stand there alone.
Pages: 28 | ISBN : 978-1-957833-23-1
Teamwork
Dragon Island: Football Season centers around a group of dragons and their magical skills as they compete in a unique and action-packed football season. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Actually, my younger cousins were the inspiration. I asked them if there was a specific book they wanted me to write, and they asked for dragons. I wanted to make it very personalized to them, too. I decided to go with football because its their favorite sport. They actually chose the colors, names, and formatting for the dragons, too. They were very involved, and it was so fun to do with them. They were so excited for this book, and they have said it’s their favorite, making me a very proud aunt.
Did the idea of the teams and tournament come first, or did individual dragon characters come first?
Definitely, the teams and tournament came first. The amazing Brainstorm Productions came up with the formatting for the dragons when they were working on the illustrations. Then my little cousins chose the dragons for their own characters and for each of the other characters. My little cousins were very involved in this book with their own creative ideas; it was a family event to work on. I was very lucky to have their input and to have Brainstorm Productions bring it to life.
The dragons changing colors to match their team uniforms is such a fun visual idea. How did that concept emerge?
I really did not want to do the usual and pick one for each team. To me, that’s not fun=) I like being different and coming up with creative ideas. I thought about what could make it different and fun, but not too crazy for a reader or challenging for an illustrator. That’s what made me think, “What about an ombre look, where the dragons start as one color and change into a different one when they get together for their teams?” That’s different and easy for the reader to picture. I was hoping it would be easy for whoever illustrated it, and Brainstorm Productions exceeded my expectations with it.
If children connect most strongly with one idea in the book, what do you hope that is?
Definitely the idea of teamwork. It’s there with the dragons deciding to learn sign language for their teammate who is deaf. It’s there in the playful banter between the teams, but in the end, they wing high five and go for ice cream. There’s so much emphasis on winning, and I absolutely love how my little cousins handle losing; they are so gracious about it. I am so proud of the example they set for their teammates. I wanted to showcase that in the book and have the reader see it is ok to lose and still be laughing and joking and going for dragon ice cream. I also wanted to show that if a teammate has something different, then let’s all learn how to interact. To show how beautiful embracing that difference can be. I feel like the idea of teamwork in more than one way is a lesson that can resonate with anyone. And an important lesson to teach our children. My little cousins are growing into amazing young men who are a beautiful example of how our children can be raised.
Author Links: GoodReads | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Amazon
The highlight of the story is a thrilling football match between Team Firestorm and Team Thunder. As the game unfolds, teamwork, clever plays, and strategy keep readers on the edge of their seats as they discover who will emerge victorious. At its core, the story is a celebration of competition, teamwork, and the unbreakable bond of friendship.
The Leading Role
The Leading Role, by Tuula Pere, is a heartwarming children’s book that really understands how big childhood projects can feel. Emma’s idea of turning her attic into a little theater is instantly charming, and the story does a nice job of showing how excitement, creativity, and teamwork can turn an ordinary space into something magical. I liked that the book doesn’t just focus on performing, but on all the different jobs that go into putting on a play. That gives the story an inclusive feel, as if every child reading it can imagine a place for themselves in the Attic Theater.
What makes the story especially engaging is the way it shifts from Emma’s confident leadership to Lily’s quieter journey. Lily begins as someone who would rather stay out of the spotlight, helping from the side as a prompter, and that makes her eventual moment of courage feel earned rather than forced. Anthony’s lost voice creates the perfect bit of drama before the premiere, and the resolution is both satisfying and encouraging. The message comes through clearly without feeling heavy-handed: sometimes the person least eager for the leading role is exactly the one who can rise to it.
The illustrations are a big part of the book’s appeal. Illustrator Dane D’Angeli gives the attic scenes a cozy, theatrical glow, especially in the spreads with the curtain, stage lights, and warm reds and golds. I liked how the artwork makes the attic feel both homemade and magical at the same time. The characters have expressive faces and simple, child-friendly designs that make their emotions easy to read, and the stage scenes in particular have a dramatic, storybook quality that fits the theme perfectly. The illustrations truly sell the excitement of rehearsal and performance.
Pere’s book is a lovely conversational read-aloud for kids who enjoy pretend play, theater, or stories about finding hidden confidence. It’s gentle, positive, and easy to follow, with a message about cooperation and bravery that feels genuine. I’d recommend it especially for younger readers who may see a bit of themselves in Emma’s enthusiasm or Lily’s shyness. The Leading Role feels like a celebration of creativity and the idea that every child has something important to bring to the stage.
Pages: 32 | ISBN : 978-9528202523
Feel and Hear the Music
See Listen Play: How to play your life music by playing it together presents to readers a path to rediscover passion and purpose in working together. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I was never a musician who enjoyed playing solo. My goal was to play music together. The time has come when I want to share my experience, observations, and notes that I made on the music margins during rehearsals with the greatest conductors and orchestras. I feel a strong need to reactivate our natural abilities to cooperate, listen, and be involved. In this post-pandemic time, we have a lot of frustration in this area. When writing my book, my main goal was to make each of us want to change from a passive follower to an active participant. Both in the context of life and the work environment. Not only by accepting this thought on an intellectual level but also on an emotional level, when you start to feel and hear the music flowing within you.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
The chapters in which I talk about overcoming established stereotypes or paradoxes are very important to me. I like to change the reader’s perspective. The very fact that our actions and values create a certain type of music and looking at teamwork or leadership in this context is mind-changing. Also in the context of creating a brand image. Which melodies do we play as a team and do we treat our audience as an extension of our music?
Another very important message for me is to show that in the goal-oriented world, we underrate the stage of “rehearsals,” when we start to see and listen to each other by exploring our roles and impact rather than pure tasks. What kind of music do we want to create together? I want to show that everyone needs to feel visible, regardless of the exposure of their tasks, because you have an impact on the shape of the “concert.”
Music has long been known to evoke emotional responses. What led to the idea of using music to enhance teamwork and leadership?
I have always seen a very strong analogy between music and life. I have notebooks full of notes from rehearsals and music workshops, and at almost each of them, I wrote down something that related to my self-development as a person, not only in the context of music. This attitude clarified the idea and life motto in my head: everyone plays music without knowing it. Then I met several people in my life who showed that drawing inspiration from other areas of life, especially from music (which combines the structural with the abstract), is possible and necessary. Years of experience playing in various orchestras, from different parts of the world, have assured me that regardless of the cultural canon or language, the dynamics that make us play together not only notes but music, function in every corner and also in non-musical contexts.
What experience in your life has had the biggest impact on your writing?
My main literary base is poetry, which is where I started and where I continue my work. I honed my skills under the supervision of the best poet from my region, I started winning competitions, and thanks to that I gained more courage. Now, I no longer have to look for confirmation of the value of my writing capacity in competitions. I’m sure that the creative freedom that poetry unleashes is what gave me wings for years to come.
Author Links: Goodreads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Through the lens of orchestral wisdom and rich metaphors, Kuk reveals how the change we seek in society begins within us and echoes through our interactions with others. Immerse yourself in this melody of insights and reignite the symphony of your life and work.
The Power of We Begins With Me
Peernovation helps readers build high performing teams with a system that is easy to follow and understand. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I’ve been studying high-performing peer advisory groups for more than a decade, and it’s clearer to me now more than ever that teams have a great deal to learn from what these groups do so well. During a time in our history when we need to focus on cooperation and collaboration, I felt it was important to write this book.
You are a thought leader on peer advantage and Peernovation. How has your professional experience helped you write this book?
I’ve led my own small companies and subsidiaries, worked with senior-level executive cohorts in academic settings, played a leadership role at Vistage (which assembles and facilitates peer advisory groups for senior-level executives in 20 countries), and facilitated more than 160 workshops with CEOs and business leaders throughout North America and the UK – a healthy combination of personal experiences, academic study, and practical fieldwork.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about teams?
Most people don’t necessarily understand how powerful they are to make their team better. I listen to people who complain about their team as if they don’t recognize that they are part of the team they are dissing.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
A central tenet of Peernovation is that the power of we begins with me. Whether you are the leader of your team or a leader in your team, you are not just there to fill a spot – you are there to make a difference!
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | LinkedIn
Leo Bottary follows up on his two earlier books about leveraging the power of peers in business and in life. With its roots in CEO and executive peer groups, the team-building framework presented in these pages is designed for leaders who want to coach engaged, adaptable, and higher-performing teams. Peernovation embraces lessons from more than a decade of academic research, fieldwork, and personal experiences throughout North America and the United Kingdom. Whether you’re a team leader or team member, learn how to:
select the right people for your team
create psychological safety and inspire greater productivity
build a positive culture of accountability
become a better team leader
foster a robust learning-achieving cycle
If you believe “the power of we begins with me” and that meeting future challenges will require building the best teams possible, then Peernovation is for you.
What Anyone Can Do – Book Trailer
Most of us don’t seek advice or reach out to others for help very easily. In part, it’s because we’re conditioned to see life as an individual endeavor rather than a team sport. Or because we believe that asking for help makes us look weak or incapable. We regard self-help as by-yourself-help. News flash: no one in the history of the world has ever achieved any level of happiness or success totally by themselves.
In his 1976 book The Long Run Solution, Joe Henderson suggested that becoming truly accomplished at running (or at anything) doesn’t typically require us to perform superhuman feats. In fact, success is frequently realized by those who simply do the things anyone can do that most of us never will.
In What Anyone Can Do, with the help of Leo Bottary’s Year of the Peer podcasts guests (and playful illustrations by Ryan Foland), you’ll discover that if you surround yourself with the right people, you’ll do the things anyone can do far more often. And when you do that, you and the people around you will realize more of what you want out of business and life. It’s that simple.
The Power of Peers (2016) made a strong case for how and why formal peer groups are so effective. This book steps outside the formal peer group arena to examine all the important relationships we have in our lives (parents, teachers, spouses, mentors, children, mentees, etc.) and provides a practical approach and specific framework for harnessing their power for your benefit (and theirs). It’s what anyone can do. You’re anyone, right?
