Seasons of Joy

"Wake up! It's Spring.
Trees are tipped in wisps of green.
Let's stretch our legs and run on soft, fresh grass."
~ Seasons of Joy, Claudia Marie Lenart

Published in 2017, Seasons of Joy: Every Day is for Outdoor Play is a children's book written and illustrated by nature enthusiast and fiber artist Claudia Marie Lenart.  The illustrations are finely rendered, colorful, 3-D wool paintings.  I know I would have lingered over these exquisite pictures as a child.  As an adult, I appreciate the many fine, artistic details in this book, as well as the simple yet profound message, to go outside and enjoy the beauty of nature, year-round.

Seasons of Joy is a gorgeous tribute to the four seasons.  It begins with our current season, Spring.  (My iPhoto below really does not do justice to this fine artwork.)

Spring

In the book, children will see that each season is special and beautiful.  Seasons of Joy features short, rhyming prose and lovely, soft wool paintings.  This picture book is truly a joy to look at and to read!  It depicts the beauty of the seasons and gently encourages children--and adults--to go outside and enjoy nature. What could be better than that? 

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Every Saturday, Booking Mama hosts Kid Konnection, a fun feature that highlights books for children.  Many thanks to Victor from Loving Healing Press for sending me this new children's  book.

Thank you very much for stopping by!  Your comments are welcomed.

Three Picture Books for Children

In this post I'm featuring three children's books from Loving Healing Press. The first book, My Brother Is Special: A Cerebral Palsy Story, written and illustrated by Murray Stenton, is a brightly colored picture book narrated by Carter, the younger brother of 10-year-old Ethan, who has cerebral palsy.  Published in 2017, this book is dedicated to the late Jewel Kats, an author and disability advocate. My Brother is Special defines and presents cerebral palsy in a manner that children will understand. Told from the perspective of a child, in rhyming couplets, Carter describes Ethan in terms of the differences between them, and the things his brother can't do:

"I know my ABCs, numbers, and how to take a turn. Not Ethan, words, numbers and directions are hard for him to learn."
~ My Brother is Special, Murray Stenton

Fantastic pictures and words show that Carter is messy, whereas Ethan is neat.  Carter is a picky eater, but Ethan likes broccoli, etc.  Carter also mentions some of Ethan's strengths, such as his ability to listen to a song and quickly figure out the beat, and that Ethan is super friendly at school.  Most importantly, Carter says that he loves his brother, and would not "trade him for another".  I enjoyed reading this book, and know that My Brother is Special would be a terrific choice of book for children (5 - 8 years) who have a sibling with cerebral palsy, or a different disability.  The author's hope is that siblings of children with disabilities will know that they are not alone. The book is based on the author's young family; they are pictured in the back of the book, and are captured well in the illustrations.  I learned a few things about cerebral palsy, and am determined to learn more.  At the back of the book there's additional information about cerebral palsy, and some helpful websites are listed.

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Published in 2016, Jenny and Her Dog Both Fight Cancer: A Tale of Chemotherapy and Caring by author Jewel Kats, illustrated with beautiful 3-D wool paintings by Claudia Marie Lenart, is a picture book about a young girl, Jenny, who is being treated for stomach cancer, who learns that her dog, Dolly, has lung cancer.  Jenny "cannot believe her ears", and becomes angry and upset when she learns that Dolly, too, has cancer.  This book depicts the feelings of a child undergoing chemotherapy who then learns that her dog will also need chemotherapy.  In this book, Jenny feels her feelings, expresses (most) of them, and then decides that she will help Dolly by attending her dog's weekly chemotherapy sessions, and by spending a lot of time with Dolly, who's always been a loyal and devoted dog.

Jenny and Her Dog Both Fight Cancer is a sensitive and touching book that will help children who are dealing with cancer in some way.  Both the author and the illustrator lost dogs to cancer, so the book seems true to life and has the right amount of detail for young readers.  In the story, Jenny notices the changes in her dog, such as Dolly's loss of energy and appetite, and her desire for more sleep, and so she's extra loving to her dog.  The illustrations are soft sculptures made from wool and other natural fibers which are soothing to look at.  Children and adults alike will greatly enjoy these gentle, "soft focus" illustrations.  This  picture book is an excellent choice for children (6 - 9 years), and I highly recommend it for young readers and their families.

Prince Preemie: A Tale of a Tiny Puppy Who Arrives Earlyis another picture book for children (ages 4 - 7) by Jewel Kats (published posthumously in 2017), with 3-D wool paintings by Claudia Marie Lenart.  It is simply adorable.  This sweet picture book tells the story of the King and Queen, who are expecting their first baby, Prince Puppy.  But the pup arrives early, before his crown is built.  Oh, oh--tongues begin to wag!

Prince Preemie features magical illustrations which give this book a wonderful, fairy tale like appearance. The dog characters throughout the book are fun and child-friendly, and add to the unique appeal of this story.  Reading this book together would be a super way for parents to discuss their own feelings and experiences with a preemie child.  

Both of these books by Jewel Kats and Claudia Marie Lenart are cute, but they also deal with serious issues, in a child-appropriate manner.

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Each Saturday, Booking Mama hosts Kid Konnection, a fun feature that highlights notable books for children.  Many thanks to Victor from Loving Healing Press for sending me these outstanding books for children. Thank you for reading! I welcome your comments.

Really Random Tuesday #92: I Hate to Read, and a Book Winner

How do you entice a reluctant young reader?  While I'm not a reading specialist, I think that children who struggle with reading often dislike reading precisely because it's difficult for them.  When my children were very young, one important thing I learned from a teacher was that it's okay to have children read (and reread) very easy books, because it will help them to feel confident, which may make them more eager to read. (My children became good readers.)  Today, while browsing on  GoneReading.com, I found this adorable book (although I "stole" the image of it from Amazon).  It looks and sounds like a fun story to read aloud to children, that will make them laugh, and perhaps even make them more interested in reading.  Written by Rita Marshall and illustrated by Etienne Delessert, I Hate To Read! is the award-winning story of a little boy who hates to read, Victor Dickens.  It was originally published in 1993, and was released as a hardcover book more recently, in 2013.

(I don't hate to read, but I haven't had much time to read lately, so I'm keeping this post brief.)

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Please help me to congratulate Rhonda, who has won a copy of The Last Good Paradise by Tatjana Soli.  Congratulations, Rhonda!  I think you'll enjoy reading this novel.

Thanks to all of the readers who entered this book giveaway.  Please stay tuned for more giveaways.

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Appearing on random Tuesdays, Really Random Tuesday is a way to post odds and ends--announcements, musings, quotes, photos--any blogging and book-related things you can think of.  I often announce my book giveaway winners in these posts.  If you have miscellaneous book news to gather up and are inspired by this idea, "grab" the button for use on your own blog, and add your link to the "master" Mister Linky on the Really Random Tuesday page.

Thanks very much for reading!  Your comments are welcomed.

Three Books for Children by Shaila Abdullah

Saffron Dreams by award-winning Pakistani-American author Shaila Abdullah holds a special place in my heart.  Not only is it an incredibly poignant and profound novel, it's also the first book I received in the mail to review, sent to me by Shaila's agent at the time, Kristine, in June of 2009.  Soon after that, I interviewed the author, and also read and reviewed Beyond the Cayenne Wall, a collection of short fiction by Shaila Abdullah.  Today, I'm very pleased to present mini reviews for three children's books from the Growing With Love series by Shaila Abdullah, published by Loving Healing Press.  Each book is written from the perspective of a child, and each deals with a different challenge in a sensitive, original, and appealing manner.

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"And although she cannot stand, walk, talk, or play, I love her all the same!"
~ My Friend Suhana, Shaila & Aanyah Abdullah

The cover of this book makes me smile.  Published in 2014, My Friend Suhana: A Story of Friendship and Cerebral Palsy by Shaila Abdullah and her daughter, Aanyah, is a darling book that will touch your heart.  When Aanyah was in second-grade, she and her mother started to volunteer at a community center where they helped special needs children.  This book was inspired by an essay Shaila's daughter wrote about her friendship with a girl she met there who has cerebral palsy.

The narrator in the book is an unnamed 7-year-old girl, who says that her friend Suhana "is like no other girl that I know".  Suhana has cerebral palsy, which makes it hard for her to move and learn like other children.  Each week, Suhana's friend visits her at the community center where she and her mom go to help out at a special needs class.  She comforts Suhana by rocking her in her arms, and brings her pictures she has made of Suhana's favorite things, such as flowers.

I loved this picture book, and think it will delight children. The illustrations are bright, cheerful, and friendly.  The book talks about cerebral palsy and special friendships in a manner that young children will understand.  My Friend Suhana will help children learn the value of being compassionate to those who face physical challenges, and may encourage them to care for and make friends with children with special needs.

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"And for once, Rani did not ask why.  Families ran in different directions.  Rani's friends were running behind their own families in a sea of color--red, blue, pink, and yellow.  In their hands, they clutched what little they could save from the floods--a book or two, a favorite doll, a change of clothes."
~ Rani in Search of a Rainbow, Shaila Abdullah

Published in 2014, Rani in Search of a Rainbow: A Natural Disaster Survival Tale
by Shaila Abdullah and illustrated by Bijan Samaddar is based on the 2010 floods that affected 20 million people in Pakistan, which displaced over 8 million children.
Rani in Search of a Rainbow tells the story of this devastating natural disaster through the eyes of 8-year-old Rani.  Terrible rain comes to Rani's village in Pakistan, causing rivers and creeks to overflow, and Rani's grandma, Daadi, says that they must leave.  In fact, everyone in the village must leave, with only a few possessions.  Rani's family is rescued by helicopter and flown to a refugee campsite with hundreds of others, who now live in tents.

Although Rani is living in a tent, she has a positive attitude.  She yearns to be helpful to others, and when her mother helps deliver babies, Rani joins her.  After Rani and a boy, Juju, accidentally tear an orange and white striped blanket in half, they become friends.  This book features their friendship, and a special celebration of Eid, with small (but much appreciated) portions of haleem (a kind of stew), and popsicle treats afterward. 

With simple words and colorful illustrations, Rani in Search of a Rainbow will teach young children about this natural disaster, and about the ways of another culture.  It features a short glossary of Urdu words.  The story is uplifting and hopeful, even though the flooding was a terrible disaster in Pakistan that displaced millions of people. 

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"He is one of those children who should have come with a manual.  You know, those handbooks that tell you how something (or in this case somebody) works."
~ A Manual for Marco, Shaila Abdullah

A Manual for Marco: Living, Learning, and Laughing with an Autistic Sibling, published in 2015, is the newest book, written and illustrated by Shaila Abdullah, and also illustrated by Iman Tejpar, a very talented 12-year-old artist.  Additionally, background art for this book was provided by 10-year-old Sophia Pirani, 11-year-old Aanyah Abdullah, and 2-year-old Aaliyana Abbdullah.  The design and illustrations of this book are absolutely remarkable--it is hard to believe that children helped create them!

This fabulous picture book is dedicated to the Ali family, who inspired the author to write this book.  A Manual for Marco is mostly written from the point of view of 8-year-old Sofia, Marco's younger sister.  In the book, Sofia describes the things she likes, and the things she dislikes, about her autistic brother.  The book lists things that are special about Marco, such as his exceptional ability in math, and things that are "not-so-special", such as his restrictive diet (he cannot have anything with wheat or dairy in it) which affects the whole family.  It mentions that the family uses lists to help Marco, and the book itself features several lists.  A Manual for Marco is loving and clever, and funny, at times.

Suitable for young children, A Manual for Marco would be helpful to children with autistic siblings, who may struggle at times with their feelings.  There are tips for parents by Dr. Salima Ali at the end of the book, as well as a list of online resources for families.

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Many thanks to Victor from Loving Healing Press for sending me this wonderful trio of books.

Thank you for reading!  Your comments are welcomed.

Liesl's Ocean Rescue: Review and Guest Post

The most compelling stories are often based on true stories.  Liesl's Ocean Rescue is a book for children that's based on a true story, written by Barbara Krasner, and illustrated by Avi Katz.  Published in 2014, this picture book tells the story of 10-year-old Liesl Joseph and her family, through expressive prose and charming drawings that complement each other well.

In the book, Liesl's father, Josef Joseph, a lawyer, is arrested in his own home in Rheydt, Germany by Nazi soldiers, and Jewish homes and businesses all over Germany are attacked and destroyed during Kristallnacht, "Night of the Broken Glass".  In order to survive, the Joseph family, and many other Jews, decide to leave Germany.  In May of 1939, along with nearly 1,000 others, they board the MS St. Louis, a luxury ocean liner which was bound for Havana, and then America.

The MS St. Louis, from Wikipedia

The story is from Liesl's perspective, although it's told in the third person, and we see life through the eyes of the young protagonist.  Liesl adores her father.  She has faith that Father will make everything all right, even when she learns they have to leave Germany "forever", on the MS St. Louis.

Liesl enjoys being on the MS St. Louis.  She has more freedom on the ship than she had in Germany.  She can walk around freely, watch movies, and enjoy a variety of foods (in Germany, she only ate rationed bread and eggs).  She makes friends, plays checkers, bangs the gong to communicate with people on the ship, and helps in other ways, too.

The fun of being on the ship lasts for two weeks.  When they reach the harbor in Havana, the passengers are not allowed into Cuba.  They're ordered to go back to Germany, but they refuse because they know they'll be taken to the concentration camps and killed.  Father has been put in charge, and he sends out cablegrams for help.  Eventually, after some more time at sea, they receive good news from the head of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's Paris office, Mr. Morris Troper.  The passengers will be allowed to go to Belgium, Holland, France, and England.  When Liesl meets Mr. Troper on the ship, on her birthday, she has a thank you speech prepared.

Liesl's Ocean Rescue is a good way to introduce elementary school children to this dark part of our history which includes the story of the MS St. Louis and the Holocaust.  The gray and white drawings inside of the book contribute to the underlying tone of the story, which is somber.  Thankfully, the book features some joyful moments.  At the beginning of the book (November 1938), Father's birthday is mentioned, and at the end of the book (June 1939), it's Liesl's eleventh birthday.  Children will enjoy the mentions of the birthdays.  Throughout the pages, they will imagine what it must have been like for Liesl.  The story ends on an optimistic note which is a relief, given the difficult subject matter of the book.

As an adult, I found Liesl's story poignant.  Lovely details in the story made me smile, despite the seriousness of this story.  I was very pleased to read the author's notes at the end of the book and learn that Liesl and her family made it safely to America in 1940, and settled in Philadelphia, PA.  Liesl Joseph Loeb became a graphic designer and artist, and died in August of 2013.

Author Barbara Krasner has written an exclusive guest post for us, which follows this review.

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Something Surprising About Me: A Guest Post by Barbara Krasner

About twenty-five years ago, when my son was born, I was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, landing me in the hospital for more than two weeks.  It was a defining moment for me, as I began to realize my life’s priorities needed to change.  I ultimately became less enamored with my corporate life and wanted to connect to something higher and make more of an impact on the world.

I decided I wanted to leave a legacy to my son and once out of the hospital, I put plans in place to write for children and to research my family’s history.  The skills I learned as a genealogist help me as a historian and as a writer.

Barbara and her son

For example, one of the first steps one takes in researching the family tree is to speak with the eldest members of the family, collecting names, places, and dates, as well as family traditions and stories.  I didn’t know at the time that this would provide me with the foundation to become an oral historian.  I learned how to become a detective, how to put my B.A. in German and Russian to use in reading vital records from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and from Poland/Russia, and how to deal with conflicting information from multiple sources.

I had grown up with the story of the MS St. Louis, the ship the United States turned away, the ship with nearly 1,000 German-Jewish refugees seeking safety from the Nazis in 1939.  With the help of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. I located several survivors who had been children on board.  Using the oral history techniques I’d learned as a genealogist (and as a corporate market researcher), I collected testimonies about experiences on the St. Louis.  These, combined with material culled from the Holocaust Museum and from the archives of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in New York City, became the foundation for telling Liesl’s story aboard the St. Louis in Liesl’s Ocean Rescue.

I teach creative writing at William Paterson University, where I am also pursuing a master’s in public history, that is, making history accessible to the masses.  That is what I do as a writer.  But now I have even more opportunity to serve as an oral historian.  Currently, I’m helping the National Park Service collect oral histories of Paterson, New Jersey and I’ve collected several for my hometown of Kearny, New Jersey.

Being a genealogist and oral historian, I believe, brings a set of skills to writing and to writing for children that is unique.  It’s important to realize your strengths and to make them even stronger.  I hope that I continue to build on these skills for future books for kids and for adults.

Barbara, thank you for this interesting guest post!  Your work is purposeful and wonderful.  I think listening, intently, to the stories of others is incredibly important for writers, especially writers of history or historical fiction.

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Many thanks to Laura from iRead Book Tours for sending me an advanced readers copy of this book. For more reviews, giveaways, and other features, please stop by iRead's book blog tour for Liesl's Ocean Rescue.  Because this is a children's book, I've added a link to this review to Kid Konnection, hosted by Booking Mama.

 
Thanks for reading!  Your comments are welcomed.

A Place Called Perfect

A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan has been on the top of my TBR stacks for far too long.  (Thank you for your great patience, Helena!)  I've been absolutely swamped with review requests, and unfortunately, I've had very limited time this year to read and review books.  Published in 2012, A Place Called Perfect caught my attention on Tracy's terrific blog, Pen and Paper, and the author graciously sent me a copy of her book after I commented on Tracy's review.

As the book begins, the reader is immediately cast into Violet Brown's story.  Violet's father, Eugene, an optician who truly loves eyes and married her Mam because "she had the biggest eyes he'd ever seen", has just accepted an incredible sounding job.  Unfortunately, as far as 10-year-old Violet is concerned, his new job means that her family must move to a new location.  Change is often difficult for children, and Violet is apprehensive about moving and going to a new school.  To make matters even worse, her family will be moving to a place called Perfect.  Violet does not want to move, especially to a place called Perfect.

"How could she ever live in a place called Perfect?  It couldn't be perfect anyway, there had to be something wrong with it."
~ A Place Called Perfect, Helena Duggan

Although Violet loves her father deeply, she decides that she'll stop talking to her dad, her way of protesting the move. 

The characters in A Place Called Perfect are very appealing, and make this story worthwhile. Violet is an engaging and believable child protagonist.  She's determined to figure out what's going on in this "perfect" place.  Violet senses that there's something a bit scary and odd and creepy about the spectacle makers, the Archers, that something is going on with them.  Later in the story she meets a friend, Boy, who makes her experience in this too perfect place a lot more bearable, as friends often do.

Like Tracy from Pen and Paper, I was enchanted by this book from the very beginning until the very end.  Both the front and back cover were created by Helena Duggan, who's a graphic designer as well as an author, and are fantastic and fit the book, well, perfectly.  Content-wise, A Place Called Perfect is imaginative and clever; it's a charming book that I adored and would wholeheartedly recommend to children and adults.  Much of the humor in this book has to do with eyes and seeing, and although the book's quite funny overall, there's a more serious side to this book as well.  Readers of all ages will root for Violet as she discovers what's below the pristine appearance of Perfect.  A Place Called Perfect is an astounding mix of adventure and mystery, with a generous dose of the macabre, which will captivate all.  I look forward to reading more books by Helena Duggan.

As always, your comments are welcomed and appreciated. 

Shadows In My Room & What’s That Noise?

At bedtime, many young children become anxious and have difficulty falling asleep.  A fear of the dark is a common fear among children, who imagine various dangers concealed by darkness.  Children who dread being left alone in their bedrooms at night may request story after story at bedtime, because they don't want to be left alone in the dark.  Shadows In My Room & What's That Noise?: Bedtime Stories by Linda Weaver Clarke is a book that will be released the third week of December (although it's available now on Amazon).  It's comprised of two stories that address specific fears that many young children have at night.

In the first story, Shadows In My Room, a young girl named Kayla wants to be as brave as her brother, Adam, but she becomes nervous at night.  She's scared of the shadows she sees outside of her window, and inside of her room.  Mama comes in to reassure Kayla.  She's loving and doesn't belittle her daughter.  Mama also talks about the power of imagination.

In the second story, What's That Noise?, a young girl named Amber hears a "spooky sound" outside.  She considers going into her brother Cameron's room for safety, but then she hears it again, and cries out for her mother.  Mama comes into Amber's bedroom and they talk about the sounds they hear.  She spends time with her daughter, and offers her imaginative explanations and reassurance. 

Both of these sweet bedtime stories will appeal to children, especially to those who become fearful when darkness falls. The stories are not too long or too short--they seem just about right for reading before bedtime or naptime.  Shadows In My Room & What's That Noise? is only 29 pages long.  A parent or other caregiver could read one story and save the second one for the next time, or read both of them at once if time permits.  I read these on my iPad mini, which makes a nifty eReader.  The author's husband, George Ames Clarke, helped design the book, which features illustrations by Matthew Cole.  The cheerful, bright colors and cartoons will appeal to children and their parents.  These gentle stories offer comfort at bedtime, and should help children to fall asleep and have sweet dreams.

Thanks to author Linda Weaver Clarke for sharing her wonderful new book with me.  Kid Konnection is hosted each Saturday by Booking Mama.  If you'd like to participate, simply post about a children's book (picture, middle grade, or young adult), and stop by Booking Mama to add your post to the Mister Linky.


Your comments are welcomed.

The New Crown

Although I read very few ebooks, when author Jason Sandberg contacted me recently about his ebook, The New Crown, published in 2013, I knew I was in for a treat.  At the beginning of this year, I read his first book, Candy and the Cankersaur, a charming ebook for children, which focuses on a young girl and her pet dinosaur.  This time, the book is about the Kingdom of Platavia, which is ruled by King Plunder.  His name says it all.  King Plunder takes whatever he wants, and gives nothing to the people but bad advice.  The best way to deal with King Plunder is to avoid him as much as possible, and to visit Julietta instead for assistance and advice.  A skilled carpenter and inventor, Julietta can make just about anything, using wood, metal, or fabric.  She's  invented machines and can fix whatever is broken; she can even make fancy hats!  One day, Julietta is arrested for making a hat that's grander than King Plunder's crown.  Locked away in a tower, Julietta has to figure out a way to become free, and to continue to help the people of the kingdom, who are suffering under the rule of a very selfish king.

Once again, I read this picture book on my iPad mini, which is the perfect eReader for a book of this length (27 pages total).  I took a look at the book as well on my iPhone, but I preferred it on my iPad mini, because of the spacing and the size.

Author Jason Sandberg has put his imagination to good use again.  The illustrations are especially appealing, with just the right amount of detail.  The expressions of the main characters, pompous King Plunder and helpful Julietta, as well as of the other characters, skillfully convey various emotions, so that parents and children could discuss what characters are feeling or thinking.  Inspired by the Disney princess stage his daughter went through, the author has created a picture book with a fairy tale feel to it.  The New Crown would be a wonderful bedtime story for children ages 3-6, and a terrific read-alone book for children ages 6-9.  You're never too old for picture books, and I enjoyed reading The New Crown, which is colorful and clever and altogether captivating.

Kid Connection is a fabulous feature hosted by Julie from Booking Mama on Saturdays.  Even though it's a few days past Saturday, I'm adding my review link to this feature.  :)

Your comments are welcomed, as always.  Thanks for reading! 

The Mudhogs: Review and Interview

Rub-a-dub-dub, three pigs crave some mud.

The Mudhogs is a children's book written and illustrated by Dalton James. Published in 2009, the book tells the story of three pigs, Piggy, Piggles, and Piglet, who are on a quest for mud, because it hasn't rained in several months.

This is the first book I've read that's narrated by a tick! What also makes this book special is that the author was only 8 years old when he wrote it, and it's his third book. I was charmed by this book and wanted to see how children would react to it. First, my daughter, Angela, age 12, read it. She thought it was a lot of fun. Then I brought it to my nephews, Baxter, age 4, and Erik, age 7. I read it to Baxter, and Erik read it to me. There were smiles and giggles, and both boys understood the story. The Mudhogs held their attention from the first page until the last.

In addition to reading his book, I had the opportunity to interview Dalton, and asked him some questions about his career as a young author.

An Interview with Author Dalton James

1) Welcome, Dalton! You've written three books, The Sneakiest Pirate, The Heroes of Googley Woogley, and The Mudhogs. What or who inspired you to write your first book?

DJ: My first grade teacher, Ms. Shoupe, read a book called Yuck Soup to us in school and then gave us the assignment of writing what we would put in yuck soup. I came home from school and told my dad that I wanted to write a book. He asked what I wanted to write about and I made a list of cool things I liked. I decided that I would write about pirates and I wrote The Sneakiest Pirates.

2) How long did it take you to write and illustrate The Mudhogs?

DJ: It took me about 3 months to get it all done, but it's because I have lots to do like school work and sports. It only took a couple days to get the story thought out and then write it but it took a while to draw and color all the pictures.

3) Are pigs your favorite animal?

DJ: Yes! I love pigs. I would love to have a real one, but my dad said we couldn't have one in the house. I have lots of stuffed pigs though.

4) Do you have any advice for other people, of all ages, who want to write books?

DJ: Just write down what you dream about. I always see the stories in my head and then I just tell my dad the story and then try and draw what the pictures looked like in my head.

5) I read that you're a senior black belt in Tae Kwon Do! What else do you enjoy doing when you're not working on a book?

DJ: I like to read books, play outside, play basketball and baseball. I'm pretty busy most of the time.

6) Will there be a fourth book?

DJ: Yes, I am almost done illustrating Super Pete Saves the Day, which is the third book in my series about the adventures of my dad and me. I have thought out a book called Snouter Pig, about a superhero pig, and I'm trying to think of a second story about the Mudhogs.

7) What do you want to be when you grow up?

DJ: I would like to be like my daddy and be a pediatrician, but sometimes I would like to grow up and be a writer or a policeman.

Thank you, Dalton. I wish you continued success with your books. It has been a lot of fun to read your book and interview you.

Special thanks to Dalton James and Bostick Publications for sending me this book.
Comments welcomed as always.