Flying is Pretty Cool

Flying is Pretty Cool
New venture...children's book

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Patterson gets recoginition

One of our favorite authors that has given back plenty to small book stores and many authors gets some recognition to be proud of.... www.nationalbook.org
James Patterson will receive Lifetime Achievement Award by National Book Foundation.
See more of what Patterson is all about on his website www.readkiddoread.com

Thank you Mr. Patterson for all that you do for literacy and getting children excited about reading!

Sunday, July 19, 2015

 I spent some time in my favorite local book store @changinghands today and picked out a few of my favorites.

This little gem is a delightful story about wanting to be something else and missing the greatness of what we are and what gifts we have as a person or frog.
Baby Bear Counts One is beautifully illustrated and a fun story to read out loud. It gives you the chance to count up to 10 with your little one and has lots of intriguing animal sounds you would hear in the wild.  This story allow the reader to expand on all the creatures and their habits as winter nears.

There is something special about an artist that can draw their own story.  These 2 selections star an author/artist that possesses this gift.

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Reviewing a few of my recent favorites:
Goldfinch by Donna Tartt  @donnaTartt is a spectacular mystery that grabs you from the start and has you page turning until the very end. The list of words to describe this book are far too long to list.

The story takes us through Theo's life that is full of sadness, love, neglect, mystery and has the reader anxious for the loving characters through this entire book!  The story is full of everything from sex, drugs, murder, art, culture, love and desperation.

Ms. Tartt writes beautifully with a great care to detail which could be why it's over 700 pages or in my case 32+ hours of windshield time.  I should also mention the fabulous job the narrator David Pittu did with his many accents and inflections.  Most importantly though is the intricate story that Ms. Tartt weaves the most wonderful characters into.

Big Little Lies by Laine Moriarty  @LaineMoriarty is another mystery with fun and devastating family drama weaved throughout.  Ms. Moriarty explores everything from childhood bullying to domestic abuse in her book.  I found it a very fun read relating to almost all the parents she brings to life on the pages.

I will admit I was dead wrong on which parent had been killed on Parent Trivia Night at Pirriwee Public School.

I really enjoyed the integration of several controversial and scary social topics (human rights for young girls) she has mentioned in the book. Ms. Laine writes with wit and has great detail to plot and characters which isn't the case in every published book with a comedic tone.

It is quite clear why this is a must read!

SCBWI Bulletin @scbwi
This is a small magazine that holds a big punch for children book authors and illustrators.  Each issue prompts me to write, read and research something new.  It's put together by a handful of staff that do a fabulous job to inspire each of us that are lucky enough to subscribe.  This is a must read for any aspiring or published author.  Due to the audience of illustrators it always has joyful drawings throughout that I share with my Grandson.

Thank you Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators! @scbwi


Sunday, April 12, 2015

America's Royal Family

I've heard several people proclaim who should be our royal family (that is if America were to have one.)  Everyone from the Obama's, Clinton's, the Trumps and even Kanye stating he and his wife one of Kardashians should be the ideal couple to represent our country.  Most of these options make me ill for reasons I won't bother with but if I were to nominate the perfect couple it would be Bill and Melinda Gates.

This wonder-couple has been married for 21 years, produced 3 children and more importantly devoted their lives to philanthropy serving millions of people all over our world. Thirty billion dollars of their very own and many more billions raised by them through the Giving Pledge is directed to education, vaccines, computer access in our libraries and woman's health worldwide. #gatesfoundation

Melinda attended Duke before going to work at Microsoft for Bill who started at Harvard but didn't finish with a degree before he co-founded the largest software company. Both of these amazing individuals seem driven and focused on inequality and health issues on a grand scale that is making a difference across the world. #endpolio, #philanthropy