Children's eBook Review: A Brand New Day, by A.S. Chung, illustrated by Paula Bossio

Illustrations: 5 Stars 

Cover: 5 Stars
Storyline: 4.5 Stars

Total: 5 Stars

Summary: A little girl enjoys time with both her Dad and her Mom, even though they are divorced and live in different houses. Most importantly, she knows they love her! A cozy, warm picture book.

Illustrations: The illustrations are so adorable, I want to squeeze them. Definitely 5 stars.

Storyline: With all the children in divorced families these days, it is a good theme for those children to remember: focus on the positive, like the girl in this story, and remember that their parents love them even though they live in different homes. The short text is perfect for young children. 4.5 stars

Author A.S. Chung was kind enough to answer some questions:

VH: How do you decide what to write about?
ASC: My writing stems from what I staunchly believe in and from personal experiences. I am all about preaching positive messages and the importance of love and family.

VH: How did you find your illustrator?
ASC: An advertisement in the paper, looking for an illustrator! By gosh we found a gem! Not only is she talented, she has an uncanny knack of interpreting my words beautifully.

VH: Did you create your own publishing company, how and why?ASC: Yes I did! Pigeonhole Books is a project very close to my heart. Dealing with important subjects such as divorce as well as same-sex, blended and multiracial families, I really wanted to have complete control of the book.

As for how, a lot of research and finding the medium that would suit me from a creative and financial
point of view. Print on Demand distribution was perfect for me.

VH: What are your favorite books (children's books and otherwise)?
ASC: I grew up reading Enid Blyton (see Blyton's adventure series collection and a mysteries series collection here). Despite all the revelations about her writing styles in present day, I saw none of her racism and sexism when I was reading them. She always managed to immerse me into a world of pure imagination. It is no wonder that I then progressed onto Roald Dahl (see Dahl's Matilda and James and the Giant Peach here). I love that I am now reading these books to my daughter, allowing me to re-live my childhood!

As an adult, my all-time favourite genre is fantasy. Books that allow me to escape out of the real world as I immerse myself into a makeshift bubble of silence! David Eddings was my first true love (see Eddings' Pawn of Prophecy, first book in the Belgariad series), with Raymond E. Feist not very far behind (see Feist's Shadow of a Dark Queen, first book in the SerpantWar Saga, and Flight of the Nighthawks, first book in the Darkwar Saga).

I read all the classics too. I have a bookshelf about to burst at the seams filled with books of all kinds of genres. I can sometimes have four books on the go, depending on my mood!

VH: What advice do you have for people who want to write children's books?ASC: Just do it! The writing part is easy. If you had the inclination to do in the first place, you have already formulated a manuscript in your head. The hard part is getting it out there, the dos and don’ts and the right and wrong way to go about it. But in the end, just give it a go. If anything, allow it to satisfy your inner desire to put words on paper. It’s incredibly exciting!

VH: What's your favorite part of being a writer?
ASC: My favourite part is seeing my message being interpreted by readers exactly as I had intended. My book is only 800 words. I had to find a way to express my message succinctly.

You can connect with A.S. Chung and see her books on Pigeonhole Publishing, her author website, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Thank you A.S. Chung,

~Valerie Harmon

Children's eBook Review: Odie the Stray Kitten by Kristen Mott

Illustrations: 4.5 Stars 

Cover: 4.5 Stars
Storyline: 4.0 Stars
Total: 4.5 Stars

Summary: Odie is a tiny kitten who loses his family and finds a new home with a girl and other animals who love him.

Storyline: Not a lot happens in this story. Odie doesn't overcome great obstacles or prove himself a hero. But the story is tender and feels real and loving. I read it with my 9 year old daughter (who loves kittens) and we enjoyed it together. 4 stars.

Illustrations: The illustrations are professional and sweet, and support the story well. I especially enjoyed the illustrations of the cats playing together. 4.5 stars

Total: 4.5 stars

Author Kristen Mott was kind enough to answer these questions: 

VH: How did you decide to write this book?  

KM: Odie the Stray Kitten is a true story. I wrote it several months after it actually happened. I had been thinking about how brave Odie was that day and I wanted to write his story to encourage children to have compassion for animals.  

VH: What advice do you have to children who want to write?

KM: My advice is simply to read and write as much as you can. Reading helps with writing, and everyone has something to say. 

VH: What are you favorite books (children or otherwise)? 

KM: Some of my favorite children's books growing up were If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Corduroy. Children's books are the only genre that you can enjoy for two lifetimes. I loved those books as a child and I'm enjoying them again now when I read them to my son.  

VH: What's a funny story that happened to you as an author? 

KM: When I do readings at schools and bookstores, I am often asked if I brought the real Odie with me. He would be too frightened for me to bring along, so I created a poster of photos of the real Odie and friends for the kids to look at. The pictures aren't the same as being able to meet the real animal characters, but the kids always seem to enjoy them. That usual sparks the question "What is Odie doing right now?" And my response is usually "Sleeping on the porch in the sunshine." 

VH: If you were an animal, what kind would you be? 

KM: I would definitely be a cat because I enjoy sleeping and being in the sunshine almost as much as Odie.  

VH: What's your advice to children who find a stray animal?

KM: If the child finds a stray cat, the first step is to tell a parent. Then, if the cat is friendly, try to get it to a veterinarian to be examined and spayed/neutered. If the stray is not friendly, do not try to pick it up. Contact a local no-kill animal organization to help you trap, neuter and return (TNR) the cat. Getting the cat fixed is very important because it helps to control the overpopulation of cats and in turn keeps them out of shelters.

Author Kristen Mott

If you're interested in learning more about author Kristen Mott,

• click here for her author website,
• here for her book website and 
• here to connect with her on Facebook. 

Click here to find Odie's Best Friend on Amazon.

Thank you for sharing your book Kristen Mott!


~Valerie Harmon

Published today! WantsToBe Book 7: The Crab Who Wanted To Be A Dolphin

My seventh children's picture book in the WantsToBe series, The Crab Who Wanted To Be A Dolphin is now available on Amazon!

Book Summary: Everyone annoys Crab! Lonely and friendless (because she's cranky), she decides she needs to become a dolphin to solve her problems. Struggling on this quest, she discovers that finding friends requires changes on the inside, not the outside. As she experiences gratitude, and the friendship that follows, she unexpectedly transforms into a mixture of her old self and a new self. Not only an educational story encouraging gratitude, this tale is also a metaphor for how we all transform after accomplishing difficult things. 

In honor of this exciting news, all six published books in this series are FREE till midnight tonight (the full color eBook versions are free, the full color paperback versions are $6.29). Click on the cover of the book for the link to Amazon (note that they've each reached best seller in category and are rated 4.7-5.0 stars). 
ENJOY!
~Valerie Harmon
PS. If you like the book, I'd welcome your feedback and review on Amazon! Thank you!

The Peacock Who Wanted To Be A Pig

The T-Rex Who Wanted To Be A Longneck

The Alligator Who Wanted To Be A Dog

The Chipmunk Who Wanted To Be A Bear 

The Elephant Who Wanted To Be A Bee

The Snake Who Wanted To Be A Horse

Children's eBook Review: Elliot's New Friends, by Justin Lambert

Illustrations: 5 Stars 

Cover: 5.0 stars
Storyline: 5 Stars
Total: 5 stars

Book Summary: Elliott is a not-so-little elephant who explores his surroundings and discovers he can be friends with other animals, even if they don't look like him.

Storyline: It is good for kids to see an example of friendship like Elliott. Elliott becomes friends with lots of different animals, and as he ruminates on whether these differences matter, children can think about the same. And hopefully they'll come to the same conclusion as Elliott: friendships don't require similar looks. 5 stars.

Illustrations: The illustrations are colorful and bright and professionally finished. They add a lot to the story and the cheerfulness of the book. 5 stars.

Total: 5 starsAuthor Justin Lambert was kind enough to answer these questions:

VH: Why do you write?

JL: I'm a freelance writer and content marketing specialist and am fortunate enough to support my family on the strength of my words. So I get plenty of practice stringing them together. But I've been writing for fun since I was very young and fiction will always have a very special place in my life. I'm also a voracious reader and love to get sucked into a great story. So it's just natural that I write wherever and whenever I get the chance.

VH: How did you decide to write this book?

JL: I actually originally wrote Elliot's New Friends several years ago when my own kids were young enough to appreciate it. I read it to them at night right off my yellow legal pad where it was written out longhand. They liked it, but I can't draw so I was at a standstill for getting it published. Then, a little over a year ago I got to know John Langton, a freelance illustrator and designer who did - among other things - computer illustration and animation for children's books. He liked the Elliot story a lot and did a fantastic job bringing it to life in pictures, which is really how it came to published for the Kindle.

VH: What are your favorite books (children and otherwise)?

JL: I have very eclectic tastes in books, although fast-paced adventures and thrillers tend to capture my attention best of all. Any story that makes me believe the plot is possible - however unlikely - is a winner for me. I think that's probably why Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sandak remains my all-time favorite children's book: although the plot is in turns silly and even frightening, it feels possible within the framework of Max's imagination, and so it really resonated with me as a kid, and still does today.

VH: What is something unusual about you?

JL: I spent several years as the drummer in a garage band named Random Sample, and wrote about 75% of the lyrics for songs that appeared on four self-produced CDs we made together. Those lyrics actually formed the basis of my very first self-published book, a verse and prose collection entitled, Sanity is Boring.

For more information about Justin Lambert and his books, check out his writing blog, Google+, Tumblr, and Pinterest. You can buy Elliot's New Friends on Amazon.

~Valerie Harmon

author of the WantsToBe series

Children's eBook Review: The Toothless Tooth Fairy by Shanelle Hicks

Illustrations: 5 Stars (bright and colorful)

Cover: 5.0 stars
Storyline: 5 Stars (promoting kindness with tooth fairies)
Total: 5 stars

Summary: Bella's kindness makes her beautiful, inside and out. When her chance to win the Miss Tooth Fairy Smile Contest is sabotaged, Bella reacts first with ingenuity, and then with love toward her enemy. And this forgiveness changed her enemy's heart and countenance.

Storyline: I love a storyline that shows the power of kindness even in the face of underhanded meanness. In real life it might not work so quickly (or so visibly) but courtesy and love is almost always the higher road (although it's a difficult one). A story that includes a pageant could easy be a shallow focus on how beauty is everything--but this story doesn't take it that cheap direction. 5 stars.

Illustrations: Great illustrations full of color, big eyes and fairy wings. Professional and enjoyable. 5 stars.

Total: 5 Stars

I was able to interview author Shanelle Hicks, and this is what she said:

Author Shanelle Hicks

VH: Why do you write?

SH: I believe I was born to write. I initially believed I was going to write poetry. I love soliloquies. I fell in love with Langston Hughes so much that my husband and I named our daughter Langston. 

I write because it’s my passion. I write because it’s what I’m suppose to do. I write kids books because I know kids want to read books with characters who look like them. I know I certainly did as a kid. I recall falling in love with bright illustrations, quirky characters, and  intriguing text without being able to see myself in those books. I want to change that. This is a time for diversity in our kids books. 

When children read this book [The Toothless Tooth Fairy], I hope that the lesson of "kill them with kindness" shines through. Kindness is a powerful weapon that so many of us don’t whip out when needed. 

VH: How did you come up with the idea for this book?

SH: The Toothless Tooth Fairy came to me in a dream! I know it sounds so cliche, but it’s so true. I went to the dentist to have a molar pulled out and was so worried about what I was going to look like with a missing molar. My husband laughed at my paranoia as always. I had a dream about fairies chasing me with pliers because they were after my tooth for reasons unknown. One of the fairies in my dream told me it doesn't matter if they take your tooth because it doesn’t change who you are. 

VH: What are some of your favorite children's books?

SH: Picking my two favorite children’s books is so easy (wink)! It’s so easy that I’m going to pick 3 in no particular order. Miss Nelson is Missing made me want to always obey my teachers in fear of one day meeting a real Viola Swamp. Next up is hands down The Witches by Roald Dahl. I’ve read this book a billion times and I still can’t get enough. I absolutely love the movie as well. Angelica Houston as The Grand High Witch is a scary thing. Last but not least is The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis. It explores atonement, original sin, temptation, and the order of nature. I hear they are coming out with a movie. I will be the first in line!

VH: What advice do you have for children who want to write and their parents?

SH: All children are writers before they read. That drawing on the wall. The picture on the fridge. It all tells a story. I think the initial focus is to put all thoughts on paper. They may not make sense. They may seem silly. They may seem irrelevant. They may be unorganized. Just get them from your head to paper and worry about the rest later!

For more information on Shanelle Hicks and her books, check her out on Twitter, Facebook, and GoodReads. I hear a new book is on the horizon and will be published soon.

~Valerie Harmon
Author of this blog and the WantsToBe series of Children's Picture Books and interactive apps

Children's eBook Review: Ingrid Williams' Bing and Nero

Bing and Nero, by Ingrid Williams

Bing and Nero, by Ingrid Williams
My Rating: 4.5 enthusiastic stars
Just won a Top Shelf Book award!

Book summary: 

Bing is a boy without a dog. So what does he do? He creates a robot friend instead!

Storyline: 4 stars

4 stars for an adorable storyline. I like how Bing innovates and creates a solution when he's denied his wish to have a dog. So positive! 

Illustrations: 5 stars

5 stars for these illustrations. They are colorful, crisp and professionally done. 

This eBook deserves a hardback version. And I'd like to see it be a little bit longer. Williams assures me that the next book in the series will be longer--and we don't have long to wait. Book 2 should be out in October/November of 2014. 

Williams created this adorable animation of Bing and Nero:

          

Bing & Nero just won a Top Shelf Book Award  which explained: "Why[did] it [win]? For its ingenuity and creativity! Because the main character is smart, creative, and takes action to create. He's a thinker and a doer!"

Author Ingrid Williams was kind enough to answer some of my questions:

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A. We Knew This Chick Was Trouble or Life Is What Happens While You´re Making Other Plans I think it would depend on who you asked!

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A. That is impossible to say, but Ian McEwan´s Amsterdam and Frank Conroy´s Body & Soul have me mesmerized every time I re-read them.

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. Probably Winnie the Pooh –just replace the honey with chocolate.

Q.  What character from all of your books are you most like?

A. Probably Minxie the cat in Bing & Nero. Minxie hops into all the fun, but is prepared to dive back under the bed in a second if the robot starts to act dodgy.

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

 A. Definitely not any of the Game of Thrones books! Maybe Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! I think I could very much enjoy a weekend in a chocolate factory...

Q.  What inspires your writing?

 A. My children´s book writing is inspired entirely by my 5 year-old son and his interests. I make up stories for him. I make a note of the ones he wants to hear again and again.

 Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an author?

 A. Seeing something that has been invented in your head come to life. And seeing little kids fall in love with your book. 

Q.  What is the toughest part of being an author?

 A. That would be the fact that nothing gets done by itself. The creative part is all play, but that is only the beginning. If a story is going to become a book, then you have to embrace the serious work of making something out of nothing.

Q.  If you could not be author, what would you do/be?

 A. At this point, I think I would probably be a publisher and spend my time hunting for good writers to bring to the world.

Q.  What inspired your book cover?

A. The cover is supposed to capture the feeling of fun and friendship and freedom that is so much at the heart of the story. You have a boy and the robot he created sharing a shining moment of fun together.

Q.  What is your favorite season?

 A. Fall. Because the days are still bright and beautiful, but the nights have the promise of things to come in the air.

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. I have written the second Bing & Nero book and am sketching out the third

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A.  I hope that if they have a small boy or girl who is mad about robots that they will have a peep at Bing & Nero because it is guaranteed to be a story they will love. Even kids that don´t read a word of English just lose themselves in the illustrations. And satisfied kids is what any children´s book exists for! 

Want more information on author Ingrid Williams or her book Bing and Nero? Check out her Author page on Amazon and GoodReads, her website, her Twitter account at @bingandnero, her Facebook page, and the GoodReads and Amazon link of Bing and Nero.

Children's eBook Review: NS Blackman's DinoTek series

   

I have four dinosaur fans in my house. As a mother of four boys, I've learned more about dinosaurs and read more dinosaur books than I ever thought I would. But I've stumbled on a dinosaur chapter book series with a unique twist. This Dinotek series, by NS Blackman, is a marriage of machine and dinosaur in a very unusual way. 

To sum up the story of Book 1:

In this illustrated chapter book, Marlin Maxton heads over to the museum with his school group, and he discovers more than he'd ever thought to see--dinosaurs made of metal. Their machinery isn't moving and his inventor uncle advises him to clean them. Evenings Marlin could've spent playing video games were spent wiping down dinosaurs, small and large. Then he discovers their batteries, a man who wants to sell them as scrap metal, and a cockpit inside the T-Rex. Time for an adventure!

Storyline: 5 stars

I enjoyed the pairing of machine and dinosaurs and museum. It felt unusual. It also felt like it inspired kids to tinker, which is a valuable lesson to children everywhere. I look forward to reading the sequels (how will Maxton defeat the greedy museum worker?). 5 enthusiastic stars. 

Illustrations: 5 stars

Love these illustrations. They add sparkle to the well-written tale and are a good match for an imaginative-machine story. 5 lovely stars.

Total: 5 stars

NS Blackman, Author

Author NS Blackman answered some questions:

Q. What character from all of your books are you most like?

A. Hmmm… probably Uncle Gus, the adult in the book who helps the boy hero Marlin through the adventure. I like old machines and making things – just like he does in the books. 

Q. What is your favorite thing about being an author?

A. Using my imagination to create something that people enjoy – when readers say they’ve liked my work it’s a great feeling.

Q. What inspires your writing? 

A. Telling stories – to my children and my friends. I also love reading of course. 


Q. What is the toughest part of being an author?

A. When you know something isn’t quite right but can’t work out how to fix it. You just have to give it time – I often go for a walk to get fresh ideas.


Q. If you could not be author, what would you do/be?

A. I’d like to do lots of things for a few weeks at a time. I think most people would be a lot happier if they could do a mixture of jobs – fresh air, helping people, using your creative skills – these are all the things that make us happy. So perhaps a tour guide to London – I love living here and showing people around it.


Q. What is your favorite book of all time?

A. It’s changed at various times of my life but they include Pride and Prejudice and The Lord of the Rings.

Q. Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. If I have to choose probably Watson in Sherlock Holmes – observing and recording all the action going around him!


Q. Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

A. The Hobbit – I would spend a lovely couple of days in Hobbiton, have a pint at the Green Dragon and see if I could get myself invited to a party!


Q. What is your favorite season?

A. Autumn, definitely – I’m not sure why but I’ve noticed that it’s the time of year when I feel most creative and enthusiastic, whatever I’m doing. As the nights draw in there’s definitely something magical in the air!

Q. What inspired your book cover(s)? Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

The Secret Dinosaur covers definitely have a ‘traditional’ feel, which I think suits the museum setting of the stories, and the tone of the writing. I hope they stand out and are attractive to look at. I really love illustrations and I still have many of the books which I spent hours looking at as a child. People notice the ‘Tintin’ influence in my pictures – less well known are the wonderful ‘Rupert Bear’ annuals of the sixties and seventies - these are amazing works of pen and ink art which I still treasure.

Q. Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A. I get some lovely interruptions when I’m doing school readings. Young readers are always very diligent about correcting me if I get the name of a dinosaur wrong. I do like this – it’s wonderful for a child to feel like an expert and even better if they can correct an author during his talk!

Q. Are you working on something new?

A. Yes, yes, yes – I’m always writing and drawing. I’m going to add to my Dinotek short stories for pre-school children (The Amazing Dinoteks) and I’ve got two more Dinotek longer books coming along and two other children’s book projects lining up behind. The only thing standing in my way is time!

Q. Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A. If you come across an old mechanical dinosaur, be nice to it!

Want to find out more about the Dinotek series? Check out Blackman's website, and GoodRead links to Book 1 and Book 2 or click on the covers above and you can read the reviews and buy the book on Amazon.