I thought this would bring a smile to your faces.
My grandson loves the Diaries of a Wimpy Kid and this looks like some fun reading for a summers day – for kids of all ages.
Tag Archives: children’s books
Children’s Christmas Books
Over the past several years many publishers released Christmas themed books written by our favorite authors. Some of my favorite children’s books are:
The Christmas Story ,Jane Werner Watson
The Polar Express, Chris Van Allsburg
Mistletoe Madness, Miriam Hees
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss
The Night Before Christmas
Humphrey’s First Christmas, Carol Heyer
Kids love The Wild Soccer Bunch – Yours will, too!
I found a wonderful children’s book with some real time lessons for our kids. With so many kids and parents involved in soccer these days, I thought some of you might love this book. It’s The Wild Soccer Bunch, a brand new, fun and exciting kids’ adventure book starring the only girl on a boys’ soccer team. It has been endorsed by the great Landon Donovan, star starof the LA Galaxy and US Soccer MVP in the World Cup. This book has already sold 9 million copies world-wide, and we want you to be apart of this best-selling phenomenon.
Kids around the world love The Wild Soccer Bunch! The book motivates kids to get involved in team sports and supports values such asdiversity, sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership and self-acceptance. The book exudes passionate storytelling and an equal passion for the game kids love: soccer. Kids who love The Wild Soccer Bunch will be inspired to play the game. You can find the book at www.wildsoccerbunch.com/launch and I wanted to share it with all of you (since we all know a kid somehow).
Welcome My Guest, Kevin McNamee
Kevin McNamee is a writer and poet living in Yonkers, NY. He primarily writes for the children’s market. His work has appeared in Beyond Centauri and he has several children’s picture books being published by Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. His first book, “If I Could Be Anything” is available at www.amazon.com, or ask your local bookstore. Look for other titles by Kevin including The Sister Exchange, The Soggy Town of Hilltop, Lightning Strikes, Papa’s Suns, and more.
Thanks for being my first guest of the New Year, Kevin. I’m sure everyone would like to know more about you and your life as a writer.
- Can you describe the time you realized you were indeed a “real” writer?
Somewhere along the way, I stopped doubting my ability. A rejection of my manuscript ceased to be a rejection of myself. A rejection letter became an opportunity to send my manuscript somewhere else. Comments and criticism became opportunities to strengthen my story, revise something unworkable, or something to ignore altogether if it didn’t fit with my vision of the story. I was able to refer to myself as a writer without feeling self conscious and … oh yeah, someone was willing to pay me for what I wrote.
Tell us about how you got started writing.
I first started writing in the second grade. I wrote a poem that was displayed outside the classroom and I liked seeing my poem and my name in public like that. I found that I took to writing naturally. Growing up, I was a constant daydreamer and would construct stories in my head all the time. Eventually, I started writing them down. Throughout my teenage years and throughout adulthood I always felt compelled to write. Although there were many, many times that I put creative writing on the back burner, I found that I was still writing at my day job; memos, procedures, proposals, requests, and I was receiving recognition for it. I realized that writing had been a constant in my life, but I wasn’t writing what I wanted to write. Now I make sure that I write what I want as well.
Tell us about your childrens book, If I Could be Anything. 
Print ISBN: 978-1-61633- 011-8; 1-61633-011- 2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61633- 012-5; 1-61633-012- 0
If I could be anything, what would I be?
I think that eventually I would be me.
A boy pretends to be different animals in this warm, rhyming, picture book. In the end, he chooses to be exactly as he is. Love is the anchor that draws him home.
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I have several stories in various stages of completion, one story that has been finalized and critiqued and needs a final revision, and a few that are finished and have been sent out to various publishers.
This book is available from guardianangelpublishing.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or ask your local bookstore.
We look forward to seeing more of your books. How can someone find out more about you and your books?
To find out more about me, please visit my website at www.kevinmcnamee.com or my blog at www.kevinmcnameechildrensauthor.blogspot.com I also have a new child-friendly site with games and activities at www.kevschildrensbooks.com
Upcoming Virtual Book Tours
It’s been a great year of virtual book tours and guests. This coming year of 2010 is going to be even better. Our Virtual Book Tours – Authors on the Move group is going to have ongoing tours that last through the month so you’ll have plenty of time to visit all the blogs and meet even more writers.
We are a group of children’s book authors, fiction and nonfiction who love sharing fellow authors with our readers. In January, the first post is January 2nd on this blog. I’ll have a schedule of the additional blog tour and dates available.
Welcome back, Crystalee
You are such a fun guest. I love having you with me. You are such a fun and talented writer. We’re learning more about your book and about your relationship with jellybeans today. Let’s get started.
1. Did you have a vice like jellybeans as a child? If so what was it?
Oh, I think I still have that vice! haha. Chocolate. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate. If it contains chocolate I will eat it!
2. If you could be any color jellybean, what color would you be?
Red! No, I like the red ones too much. I don’t want to be eaten. Black. Yeah, those nasty black ones. No one eats those, right?
3. Do you like the different flavored jellybeans, like jelly belly or the harry potter ones?
I am in love with Jelly Belly jellybeans! No others compare.
4. What is your food guilty pleasure?
Chocolate or cheese, definitely.
5. If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I would say chocolate except I think that would make me sick. So I’m going with cheese. A nice variety of hard and soft cheeses.
6. If you were written about in the newspaper, on the front page, what would the headline say?
Why, can you get me a headline on the front page? “Local woman completes MFA, debuts first children’s book in same week.” On second thought, that’s not exciting enough.
7. If Hollywood were to make a movie of your life, what actress/actresses would you want to play you?
Julianne Moore. I’ve been told twice now that I look like her. *shrugs*
8. If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
Sara Adkins, What is with the Hard Questions? or It All Happened Because of Pittsburgh
9. Do you remember your favorite children’s book when you were a child?
I had many. I read everything I could get my hands on. But for most of my life I read nothing but the Baby-sitter’s Club books by Ann M. Martin.
10. Do you like to be read to aloud? Do you think different things can be gained from reading to yourself and being read to?
Yes, definitely. Listening to someone read a picture book aloud is a multi-sensory experience. Characters can really come to life when a reader adds the right inflection to his or her voice. A good storytime involves the children as much as possible, gets them thinking or moving or discussing. Of course, there is always a place and time for curling up in a chair with a good book too.
Thank you for interviewing me. It’s been fun.
Book Synopsis
Angeline wants to eat nothing but jellybeans. Year round, from Easter to Christmas, she asks for her favorite treat. But a strange event teaches Angeline that there's such thing as too much of a good thing! With colorful, delightful illustrations by Stephen Macquignon, Angeline is sure to win over hearts of young picky eaters everywhere.
Where to buy: http://www.amazon.com Search by title or author http://www.4rvpublishingllc.com/Store-Books.html Contact the author: crystaleecalderwood@gmail.com http://crystaleecalderwood.blogspot.com http://crystaleecalderwood.bravehost.com
Meet Karen Cioffi
I am so glad to have Karen Cioffi as my guest today. She is a wonderful and dedicated lady. She is on of the two women in charge of our Virtual Book Tours – Writers on the Move each month. She shares the duties of keep all of us organized with Kathy Stemke.
Karen Cioffi is a former accountant. Having to leave the accounting profession due to MS, she turned author and freelance writer. Having to leave the accounting profession due to MS, she turned author and freelance writer. She is the co-author of Day’s End Lullaby, a children bedtime picture book. Karen wrote the poem and music to the story over 30 years ago for her firstborn who didn’t like sleeping.
As a hardworking writer, Karen is on the team of DKV Writing 4 U which provides writing services, and she is the creator and manager of the Yahoo group Writers on the Move. This is a marketing group of authors who use a number of promotional strategies and tools to cross-promote. She is also the co- moderator of a children’s writing critique group. Along with this Karen is a member of SCBWI, Children’s Writing Coaching Club, The Muse Conference Board, Linkedin, JacketFlap, AuthorsDen, and Goodreads. And, she recently joined BookPleasures as a reviewer.
Karen has a number of articles published through Ezinearticles.com and is currently revising a middle grade fantasy chapter book and working on a picture book along with writing articles for children’s magazines. Living in New York City all her life, Karen looks forward to one day moving to another state. She is married and has two grown daughters and two very young grandsons. She spends much of each day writing, learning her craft, researching and reading, managing her groups, and following up on things.
Karen’s co-author, Robyn Feltman holds a master’s degree in Children’s Literature and Administration/Supervision. She is a fourth grade elementary public school teacher and is an initiator of environmental and humanitarian projects in her school; one of these projects is the Oambassador Program. Robyn continues to move forward in her academic career and recently completed her Superintendent certificate. She lives in New York City and has the cutest black cocker-spaniel, Luna. The authors have a number of projects in progress and ideas for many more. You can learn more about these authors at:
http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com http://dkvwriting4u.com http://vbt-writersonthemove.blogspot.com http://www.childrensbooksbykarenandrobyn.com
State of Wilderness by Elysabeth Eldering
I hope you will enjoy this great book review for Elysabeth Eldering’s great book. I just love geography, myself. This is a good book for my grandson or if you have kids or are a teacher.
BOOK REVIEW
STORIES FOR CHILDREN MAGAZINE
BOOK: State of Wilderness
AUTHOR: Elysabeth Eldering
ILLUSTRATOR: Aidana WillowRaven
PUBLISHER: 4RV Publishing LLC (2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9797513-5-6
ISBN-10: 0-9797513-5-7
READING LEVEL: Grades 5-6
RATING: 5 stars
REVIEWED BY: Wayne Walker
Geography was one of my favorite subjects in school. Even at home as a child, on a rainy day I could spend hours of delight with an atlas or a set of encyclopedias in which I could read about different places. I still enjoy learning about various countries, states, and other localities on earth. The study of geography can be dreary and boring when reduced to rote memorization of nations, capitals, and such information. However, it can also be fun, as this first book in the “Junior Geography Detective Squad 50 States Mystery Trivia Series” shows. This novel presentation of geographical facts about the United States is a fascinating way to reinforce geographical awareness, something that studies show is sorely lacking in our children’s education.
Matt Patterson is almost thirteen and likes to hang out with his friend Guy Lombard. They enjoy not only skateboarding and video games but also geography. Matt’s eleven year old sister Mary Beth also joins Matt and Guy. Matt’s mother has given him a new hand-held geography game that has both a screen and a voice. It gives a set of clues, going from obscure to more well-known, about one of the fifty states. As Matt, Guy, and Mary Beth ponder the clues and try to guess the state, the reader moves along with them and can try his own hand at determining which state is being described. As the “Junior Geography Detective Squad” passes through the fifty states of the series, there are also “bonus clues” about one of the five territories which are part of the United States.
People like me who enjoy geography and trivia buffs in general will really like this book. However, it should especially appeal to middle school aged students whose lives revolve around video games. Take a break from the computer or pod for a few minutes and read a book that will be both fun and educational. It is well written and the drawings by Aidana WillowRaven help the reader visualize what the “Junior Geography Detective Squad” is seeing. When I received my copy and began to look over it, I found it so interesting that I finished it in one sitting. I guessed the state by Clue #4, but if you cannot guess it by Clue #25, you need to brush up on your U. S. geography! And if you want to know what those clues are, you will need to get the book. I look forward to further volumes in the series.
Related website: http://4rvpublishingllc.com
http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com —
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