Book Review: Christmas Magic Paperback by Pamela K Kinney (Author), Brit Austin (Illustrator)

Christmas Magic Paperback
by Pamela K Kinney (Author), Brit Austin (Illustrator)
October 31, 2023
44 pages
Publisher: Little Dreamers
Genre: Children's Christmas Books, Children's Folk Tales & Myths
The Season of Christmas is not just for humans. It is a season of joy for things natural and unnatural, too.

Join the celebration!

Award-winning author Pamela K. Kinney's first children's book is wonderfully, magically illustrated by independent artist Brit Austin.

Uses open dyslexic font

Amazon-B&N-Bookshop.org-Books-a-Million

A charming telling about how the magical faerie world celebrates the season along with the human Christmas celebrations. The illustrations are black and white...would love to see a brightly colored version!

4 "magical" Sheep

SharonS

About the Author:
website
Pamela K. Kinney gave up long ago trying not to listen to the voices in her head and has written award-winning bestselling horror, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, nonfiction ghost books, and a cryptid book ever since. Three of her nonfiction ghost books garnered Library of Virginia nominations. Her horror short story, "Bottled Spirits," was runner up for the 2013 WSFA Small Press Award and is considered one of the seven best genre short fiction for that year. One of her ghost books went to second printing and second edition with new stories and photos added.

Pamela and her husband live with one crazy black cat. Along with writing, Pamela has acted on stage and film, does paranormal investigations for Paranormal World Seekers for AVA Productions, and is a member of Horror Writers Association and Virginia Writers Club. Learn more about Pamela K. Kinney at https://PamelaKKinney.com.

5 Sheep Book Review: Mia and Nattie: One Great Team by Marlene M. Bell + excerpt

Mia and Nattie One Great Team – Picture Book

by Marlene M. Bell

October 3, 2020

Nattie’s mouth was a little crooked. Her legs were a bit shorter than usual, and one horn was too straight, like a unicorn’s horn. But Mia thought Nattie was perfect.

In a read-aloud picture book for children who love animals, award-winning writer and sheep breeder Marlene M. Bell presents Nattie the lamb’s true story.

MIA AND NATTIE is a heartwarming book that teaches readers about problem-solving, teamwork, and love.

On a visit to her grandma’s farm, eight-year-old Mia discovers a newborn, orphaned lamb outside in the cold and takes her to the laundry room, naming her Nattie. As she tries to nurse the lamb back to health, Mia discovers that Nattie is different from the other lambs and struggles to fit in with them like Mia does with other kids her age. When her grandmother says she will sell Nattie to a neighbor, Mia must come up with a plan to keep her friend around—one that will show the family just how special Nattie truly is.

Praise:

“With each turn of the page, my kids and I fell more and more in love with this beautiful story. This is a story of friendship, inclusivity, and confidence. This is a story of not giving up on friends, and believing in the power of helpfulness. This is a BEAUTIFUL story. I had tears in my eyes as I was reading this aloud to my kids and it led to a really powerful discussion once we had turned the last page.” – Book Coffee Happy

Amazon-Goodreads

What a beautifully made book. When you open the cover you see this glossy spread...

My kids are grown now, but I read a lot of picture books to my kids and this is one I know my kids would have loved. The little girl helps her grandma realize that even though Nattie is small and can't live with the other sheep, she can still be a big help on the farm.

Mia and Nattie: One Great Team has a positive message for kids and should be part of a school's library and a perfect gift for any kid.

5 "Baaart approved Sheep"

Baaart

SharonS

Mia and Nattie EXCERPT

Tiny Nattie studied the ways of older sheep.

She ate grass and tasty weeds.

She ate grain and hay and drank water instead of milk.



But Nattie would never be big enough to live with the rest of the flock.

She was too small to raise babies of her own.

“Your lamb needs a home,” Grandma said to Mia.

“She has one! Please let me keep her.” Mia hugged Nattie’s neck.



Mia squinted back tears before they fell on Nattie’s wool.

“A neighbor wants to buy her,” Grandma said, then spun around and walked to the barn in silence.

Mia had to find a way for Nattie to stay.

About the Author:
website-FB-Twitter

Instagram
http://texassheep.com

Marlene M. Bell is an award-winning mystery writer and acclaimed artist as well as a photographer. She and her husband, Gregg, reside in beautiful East Texas on a wooded ranch with their dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep, a large Maremma guard dog named Tia, and Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks, the cats that rule the household.

Book Review: Jambalaya Comes Home by Carol Smith & Jambalaya

Jambalaya Comes Home
by Carol Smith & Jambalaya
March 31, 2023
Illustrator: Terri Kelleher
Publisher: Dragonfly-Watch Press
ISBN: 9781734561937
Jambalaya, a tuxedo cat, tells the story of his journey of living in an unhappy home, becoming a shelter kitty, and finally finding his way to his furever family. Co-written with his mom, Carol, and enriched with twenty-five colorful illustrations drawn by Terri Kelleher, Jambalaya Comes Home is a heartwarming tale sure to delight preschoolers, new readers, and animal lovers too.

Jambalaya is a tuxedo cat (black and white) who lived with a family with a bunch of cats. Except he was timid and bullied by the other felines, so the owners gave him up for adoption. He was sad until one day Carol Smith found out about him.

The pictures are colorful and lovely, and the story is simple and sweet. Children will learn from this, not about pets and the families that adopt, but about bullying and families and love. Adults will love the beautiful artwork and understand how a cat feels when adopted and loved by the right family. I think this book will be good for the whole family.

I gave Jambalaya Comes Home 5 sheep.

Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney

About the Creators:

Writer

Website-FB-Twitter

Instagram

Carol Smith lives in Virginia, USA, with her husband Stewart, and rescue kitty, Jambalaya. She's written a number of books, from poetry to children's literature. Jambalaya Comes Home is her third children's book.

The Cat

Jambalaya Smith, a tuxedo cat, lives with Carol Smith and her husband, Stewart. He had a difficult home life before his new mom and dad adopted him. Jambalaya is now a constant source of joy for his family. Jambalaya Comes Home is his story and first children's book co-written with his mom, Carol.

Illustrator

Website-FB-Twitter

Instagram

Terri Kelleher, originally born in Maryland, USA, moved to Ireland in 1994, where she currently lives and works. She has been illustrating children's books professionally since 2012 and, to date, has illustrated over 50 books, along with various other visual arts projects.

Children's Picture Book Review: My Cat by Carol Smith

My Cat
by Carol Smith
Illustrated by Terri Kelleher
February 18, 2022

Publisher: Dragonfly-Watch Press
ISBN: 9781734561906
Discover the amusing activities children and their pet cats do together in My Cat. Enjoy twenty-five colorful, whimsical illustrations of cats helping their human pals with all kinds of fun things. Children and the young at heart will laugh at what these talented kitties can manage. My Cat is perfect for fostering the love of reading in five to eight year-olds and storytime too.

Amazon

This children’s book has lovely colored pictures of children and their different kinds of cats, all enjoying various activities together. The pictures are a delight, and the illustrator has done a super job. The simple sentence on each page makes it easy for a young child to learn to read the book while enjoying the artwork.
If you are looking for a book for a child for their birthday, holiday gift, or just to give them, this book is lovely and simple. And who doesn’t love a book about cats?

I gave My Cat 5 sheep.




Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney

About the Author:

Website-FB-Instagram
Carol lives in the Richmond metro area in Virginia. She has a husband and two cats— rescues (the cats not the husband).

The desire to write struck her out of the blue one day in 2014. To date, she’s written magazine articles, fiction and nonfiction books, two collections, one of Halloween haiku poetry and one of short stories and poems, a children’s book, and stories that are included in anthologies. She’s always listening for her Muse’s next big idea.

Besides writing, Carol enjoys singing, tutors reading for adult learners, and investigates the paranormal. She taught earth science, acted in community theatre, and worked in information technology and in broadcasting as a commercial radio DJ.

Children's Book: My Brother is a Werewolf by Ray Price

Welcome to the mini tour for the first book in a new series called My Brother is a Werewolf by Ray A. Price and illustrated by Sam Aston. Read on for more details!

My Brother is a Werewolf
by Ray Price  (Author), Sam Aston (Illustrator), Arin Bray (Illustrator)
Publication Date: December 21st, 2021
Genre: Children’s Books
Brie wanted a puppy. But what she got was a younger brother. Accidentally turning her 5 year old brother into a werewolf is the biggest mistake of her life. But she will do anything to fix him because cleaning up werewolf poop is as bad as you think it is.

My Brother is a Werewolf is a fully colored picture book geared towards children ages 5 and up. This is the first book in an ongoing series with characters from this universe. My Brother is a Werewolf is the starting point for the series. This and the following books all take place in a connected universe full of magic and monsters. Brie is the perfect protagonist to usher in our new universe. The reader gets to explore her dynamic world and learn along with her.

Amazon

About the Author
Twitter
Ray A. Price is the author of My Brother is a Werewolf. He is an author for children’s books, short stories, and comics. Ray started his interest with children’s stories when he used to read to his daughters’ elementary classes as a guest parent speaker. After many visits to her classes and dozens of cookies donated in each visit, his little girl gave him the idea to write his own children’s book. With that in mind, Ray sat down and began writing with his heart to create a story dedicated to her. Build with Bricks was Ray’s first self-published children’s story in 2020.

Ray has many other achievements that he is very proud of. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master's degree in fraud and forensics. He is a full-time fraud investigator. During his studies, he did plenty of playwriting. Ray found his passion for writing when he wrote short stories in middle school.

When Ray is not thinking of new ideas for his next story, he likes to be family-oriented. Ray likes to travel and sample new restaurants with his family. He loves playing video games and discovering new television shows. When the weather is nice, he loves taking his English Bulldog on walks. Ray listens to various podcasts daily and loves reading comics.

About the Illustrator
Instagram-BigCartel
Sam Aston is the illustrator for My Brother is a Werewolf. Sam is a tattoo artist based in the UK. She has been a licensed tattoo artist for the past 3 years in which her main focus has been creating full color pop culture tattoos as well as blackwork and watercolor pieces. When Sam is not tattooing, one of her main hobbies is playing video games which inspires her designs and merchandise. Otherwise you’ll find her watching horror movies!

Her artwork can vary from cute, colorful and cartoony to black and gray realism, so she tries to switch it up sometimes! This has allowed her to be versatile when working with others to create commissioned pieces such as digital artwork, t-shirt designs, and more recently book illustrations.

You can find Sam’s tattoos and designs over on her Instagram and BigCartel.

Mini Tour Schedule

February 14th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

Rambling Mads (Spotlight) http://ramblingmads.com

February 15th

B is for Book Review (Spotlight) https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com

Nesie’s Place (Spotlight) https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com

Books + Coffee = Happiness (Spotlight) https://bookscoffeehappiness.com/

February 16th

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

February 17th

I Smell Sheep (Spotlight) http://www.ismellsheep.com/

Liliyana Shadowlyn (Review) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

February 18th

@gryffindorbookishnerd (Review) https://www.instagram.com/gryffindorbookishnerd/

Mini Tour Organized By:

R&R Book Tours

Children's Picture Book: Nomophobia by JD Wise + giveaway

Nomophobia
by JD Wise
August 22, 2021
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Welcome to NOMOPHOBIA ! A PLACE IN TIME WHERE OVERUSED CELLULAR DEVICES TURN CHILDREN INTO OGRES.

This is a sumwhat true, mostly exaggerated story of modern day children. Children that have spent way too much time on their phones.

One night the children are mysteriously turned into ogres. At first the children blame each other for their condition. When they finished blaming each other, they worked together to find a cure.

They searched the house for a cure...But they could not find one.

They tried to wash the ogre off...But it stayed on.

They had all but given up when sissy*s phone accidently falls into the fish tank. When the phone gets wet, a hidden message appears.

YOU WERE TURNED INTO OGRES,BECAUSE ON THE PHONE YOU DID STAY! NOW, PUT IT AWAY AND GO OUT AND PLAY!

So the children rushed outside, where they returned to normal.

That day the children learned a valuable lesson.

OVERUSED CELL PHONES TURN CHILDREN INTO OGRES.

I hope that you have as much fun reading this book as we did in writing it!

THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!

Goodreads-Amazon

About the Author
FB-Instagram
JD Wise is a West Virginian-born author who believes that the world can be changed for the better, by one person, one time, doing the right thing.

“Just think what would happen if we all did that,” said Wise.

Wise is happily married to the love of his life. Together, they have four wonderful children, who are the true inspiration for the book.

Giveaway

$10 Amazon giftcard,

Print Copy of Nomophobia

- 1 winner each!

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Book Review: Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir by Graham Roumieu

Me Write Book: It Bigfoot Memoir (Book #2) by Graham Roumieu

Like many reclusivecelebrities, Big Foot is misunderstood. In his touching memoir Me Write Book hewants to set the record straight, proving that although he’s larger, hairier,and more foul-smelling than most of us, he’s really not so different underneath.

Only the mostcoldhearted among us could look on without compassion as this hirsute Everymanstruggles bravely with casual cannibalism, Pringles potato crisps, embarrassingmoments with peach Schnapps, the desperate loneliness of personal ads, andphilosophical quandaries.

Readers will neverforget the plaintive voice from the wilderness that howls from every page ofthis searing, intimate account of a man-beast in the promised land.

I love silly clever books that have no literary valueother than making me ‘snort’. When my cousin Sgt. Rock (hey, Tyler!!) whoserves in the US Marine Corp as a recruiter (in the same town as Katie Dalton) told me that his wife got him Me Write Book Iimmediately went out and bought it cause this is my kind of funny.

This is Me WriteBook: It Bigfoot Memoir is the second Bigfoot book Roumieu has written. Thereis also In Me Own Words: TheAutobiography of Bigfoot (book #1) and Bigfoot:I Not Dead (Book#3). The font looks like it was handwritten by Bigfoot andhis prose has the grammar errors you would expect to find from a sasquatch, buthis penmanship is surprisingly good. The art work appears to be by Bigfoot too.There is a cool introduction by Bigfoot’s friend, Mr. Loch Ness Monster fromScotland. There is no way to review this book other than giving you a couple ofquotes from it. This is NOT a book for kids. Bigfoot has a potty mouth as hegives his opinion on various subjects like, stink, avoiding photographers,friends and many other things

“Bigfoot sometimeget called rolling stone. Called irresponsible. Have bad debt. Trail of badlady relationship. No can help. I a hunter-gather. And maybe just a bit of anasshole.”

from Book #3

“Recently Bigfootbuy gun and fortify home with deep pit and fence of pointy stick. Hire Mr.T asbody guard but he startle Bigfoot and I accidently shoot him. He pitying foolin heaven now.”

This would make a great gift for the guy in your life aslong as he is over the age of 13.

4 “stinky” Sheep

Sharon Stogner (edited by BAK)

Follow Bigfoot: FB-Twitter

About the author

website

Graham Roumieu is the creator of the faux Bigfootautobiography books In Me Own Words, Me Write Book, and I Not Dead; some non-Bigfoot related bookssuch as Cat & Gnome and 101 Ways To Kill Your Boss; and most recently, cocreated Highly Inappropriate Tales For Young People along with DouglasCoupland. Since starting work in 2001his illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, TheGuardian, Men's Health, Real Simple, and many other places for advertising,editorial, character design and book applications. The work has garnered awards from AmericanIllustration, Art Director's Club, D&AD, Communication Arts, The Society ofPublication Designers, The Canadian National Magazine Awards and The Society ofIllustrators New York.

Roumieu illustrated

Sheep Book Review: Hero the Zero by Joan Holub

Hero the Zero

Henry Holt & Co/Macmillan

Hardcover picture book

Author: Joan Holub

Illustrator: Tom Lichtenheld

Zero is a number, and a very important number ~ but all the other numbers are having a hard time figuring out just how important he really is. In this hilarious new book by Joan Holub and New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Tom Lichtenheld, we learn the value of the letter zero, and have some laughs along the way. Enjoy this cleverly crafted book trailer, featuring numbers 1-9, and of course, the star of the show, Zero himself.

Every once in a while I get a chance to review a children’s book. My kids are no longer interested in picture books, well…they have moved up to graphic novels! Joan Holub has written an amazing amount of children’s books and I have read many with my kids. Her newest book Zero the Hero just came out and I was lucky enough to win a copy! Once I was done with it I donated it to my 10 year old’s elementary school.

Poor Zero, all the other numbers (1-9) tease him because when playing addition, subtraction and division games he means….well, nothing! But when they get to multiplication, the numbers become scared of Zero because anything times zero is zero. Zero has the power to make them disappear. Zero only wants to help others and runs away so he won’t hurt the other numbers. Of course after he has left the other numbers start to realize they need Zero, but before they can find him the Roman Numerals attack, spears, togas and all! Zero comes back to save the day and he shows the Roman Numerals what happens when he does multiplication (he uses a rock. Zero X rock = zero). The Roman Numerals get scared and run away.

This story is full of silly number puns that children and their parents can enjoy and the cheerfully bright cartoon illustrations by New York Times bestselling artist Tom Lichtenheld are full of visual humor. There is also a message about what it means to be a friend, this is an excellent choice for kindergarten through third grade kids.


5 "round" sheep

Be sure to check out Joan’s other books, including her middle grade series The Goddess Girls and The Doll Hospital (my daughter has read some of these and loved them)