Category: Kiddies

August 1st publishing date for my book Respect Our World: Sustainabililty!

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. What a surprise I had yesterday, when I noticed stores are posting my children's educational book for pre-order! It all started last summer... I received my usual copy of the Children's Writer newsletter, produced by the Institute of Children's Literature (see my post about ICL here) The newsletter … Continue reading August 1st publishing date for my book Respect Our World: Sustainabililty! →

Sam’s Mission: A Story of Jubilee Year, by Beatrice Marshall

This lovely little children’s book published in 1892 is set in Long Leatham, England, at the time of Jubilee Day, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne. Sam is a young boy about eight or nine years old who one day goes to church and hears a traveling missionary say that … Continue reading Sam’s Mission: A Story of Jubilee Year, by Beatrice Marshall →

Little Grain’s Big Adventure by Jacqueline Price

How very exciting! An adorable children’s book, with quality writing, unique and exotic locales and wildlife, gorgeous artwork and beautiful lyrical language! Little Grain is bored with his hum-drum life tumbling in the surf among all the other grains of sand, and asks his friend Little Bird to take him to see the sights of Hawaii.  He ventures … Continue reading Little Grain’s Big Adventure by Jacqueline Price →

Review of The Little Hunchback Zia by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“And it came to pass nigh upon nineteen hundred and sixteen years ago” This begins Frances Hodgson Burnett’s little book published in 1916 about a rejected, deformed orphan boy who is sent to beg for the cruel woman who keeps him. One day, hiding in the brush near the road to Bethlehem, he watches a … Continue reading Review of The Little Hunchback Zia by Frances Hodgson Burnett →

Fair’s Fair in Calgary

Fair’s Fair is my favorite used book store in Calgary, actually a “chain”, with 5 locations around the city. They are a joy to browse because they are organized, neat, well-lit, clean, well-labelled and full of near-new books (that is, except for their wonderful vintage books!). The staff at all locations are friendly and helpful. … Continue reading Fair’s Fair in Calgary →

One Story’s Path to Publication

Great news! Standard Publishing will be publishing one of my stories in their teen publication, ENCOUNTER—The Magazine! This is a special thrill because it is one of my favorites. This story grew out of a fun assignment for a writing course with the Institute of Children’s Literature. The instructions were to go to a public … Continue reading One Story’s Path to Publication →

A Summer Full of Kids’ Books

I’m back working at school and this summer is officially over tomorrow morning, so this is a good time for a round-up of what I’ve been reading during the long, lazy days of the holiday. Lately, I have been reading and writing about old books, serious books. But browsing through the library feeling the full … Continue reading A Summer Full of Kids’ Books →

Discovering Out of Town Book Stores

While on holiday visiting relatives in the Denver area, I decided to check the yellow pages for used bookstores, just in case I had some time to visit them. And I lucked out and got to go to three of them! The Bookworm in Boulder, Colorado This bookstore came highly recommended by a friend of … Continue reading Discovering Out of Town Book Stores →