Apologies to all who actually come online and read my posts! I have been away and being very busy in the background!
I spent the better part of September prepping the final touches on a certain "Pigeon" book that in recent weeks has grown into a monster of an idea!
There's a Pigeon in St. Pancras was initially an idea about a pigeon on an adventure on the train to Paris. This is the idea that became the book.
Enter one Annamaria James, who bravely undertook to create for me a pigeon to represent the newly christened August Pigeon.
She was quite successful in creating this persona and he was ready in time for the book launch on September 24, and to head with me on a month of travelling! 
Enter the beginnings of a monster--only fitting as we approach Halloween! The beginning was the Word on the Street, Toronto 2024, festival which I attended accompanied by a very patient Dave and a very adorable Augustus Pigeon. We had a supporting cast which included good friends Grahame and Evy Joy who not only provided us with a nesting place for the festival but also came with us to hang out and sell books. 
The beginnings of the monster appeared when explaining the premise and inspiration for the book. Everyone followed that up with a question: "Will he travel other places?"
A very patient Dave had already suggested "There's a Pigeon at the Pyramids", which had started developing in my easily distracted brain to involve pigeon hieroglyphics and mummified pigeons. Further suggestions were afoot, or afly, or whatever the appropriate term would be. Prague. Pisa. The Pyrenees.
Word on the Street was quite successful from a number of perspectives (sales, meeting readers, finding some people who had already found one or another of my titles) and at the end of day two we packed up the books and the table dressings. I was then whisked off to the airport as I had agreed to join friends for a two week bus tour of Europe.
A certain Augustus Pigeon stowed away in my carry-on bag, and joined me on the flight to scribble notes about prospective adventures. That is correct. Turns out Augustus is a Passenger Pigeon.
Unhindered by eye rolling as the very patient Dave had embarked on his own travels to visit family...Ruth and Augustus scribbled and giggled into the night!
We viewed all the Paris landmarks from There's a Pigeon in St. Pancras, plus a few more. Ah, but Augustus was having a fine time and did not stay in the luggage or aboard the bus hardly at all!
There was a meeting of multiple relatives, much selfie-taking, and late night sessions scribbling notes of his adventures. Turns out Augustus enjoys keeping a travel journal! That will be handy when the series begins.
Why will a series begin? Because Augustus wants to have many more adventures! And because one can never do too much book research. 
Book Research: to travel continuously enjoying the chocolate of many countries, while taking photos, writing and painting and occasionally remembering to say good morning or thank you in the correct language (apologies to everyone I met after four days in Italy--yes, I am aware that grazie is the Italian way to say thank you and is less effective in Germany and Belgium than one thinks...)
We toured France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and London.
So look forward to multiple feathery adventures with young Augustus and I will do my best to produce them with imagination, fact, silliness and no small amount of paint being slopped everywhere.
Grazie mille for being patient while I was distracted...

"Picture it, Sicily, 1941..." to paraphrase Estelle Getty's character of Sophia from the television show the Golden Girls. But this story begins more recently than that.

Picture it, London, November 2021. A lovely couple have just gotten off the Eurostar from Brussels to London while transiting back to Canada from Europe.

She is still super thrilled to have gone through the famous Chunnel by train, and is bouncing off everything in sight with excitement.

He is rolling his eyes and patiently making sure they have  pulled all the bags off the train. He turns around to see his sweetheart crouched over intently watching a pigeon.

"What are you doing?" He sighs (not truly wanting to know the answer but sure that it will be a doozy...)

"I think this pigeon needs help finding his train..." she responds vacantly.

He rolls his eyes, oh so lovingly, and counts the bags while sharing some pleasantries with a nearby conductor.

But, sure enough, there is a pigeon. It is not an ordinary pigeon. It is not wandering around looking for fallen food or fluttering frantically up to the rafters as the humans pass it by. No.

THIS pigeon is strutting purposefully back on forth on the platform in St. Pancras Station. He appears to be scanning the train cars, looking at the LED screens for the correct train, and glancing up at the large clock on the wall at the end of the station in turn.

THIS pigeon then struts directly up to one of the conductors on the platform and begins to do some form of interpretive dance--pigeon sign language perhaps--before giving up and returning to anxiously scanning the clock and the train cars.

THIS pigeon is clearly planning to take a trip to Paris for the day...

All of this is observed by the woman before her husband reminds her they need to bustle off to the Tube to get to Heathrow and return to the magical land of "home".

Minutes later, comfortably seated on the Tube to Heathrow, the husband smiles tiredly and says, "Now what's this about a pigeon and a train?"

Her eyes sparkle and she recites what she KNOWS is the epic opening for a wonderful book..."There's a pigeon in St. Pancras. He wants to ride the train. He thinks he'll go to Paris, and then come home again." (This is a direct quote, unchanged since that fateful day, and is in fact part of the copyrighted work There's a Pigeon in St. Pancras {2024, Ruth Amanda})

He looks vaguely confused but lifts his eyebrows encouragingly and she describes this wonderful pigeon and its peculiar behaviour--which was clearly missed by the less observant mortals in St. Pancras, but to which she has been a keen observer. 

She begins to imagine what the pigeon might do in Paris...is it a day trip? A weekend off work? A romantic assignation?

He is grateful when they arrive at Heathrow and her more ordinary instincts kick in as she checks them in for their flight and organizes the various boarding passes and things.

Airport security goes smoothly with meticulous organization and he lets her believe she is responsible for this (while he quietly makes sure she's tucked everything safely into the tray and remembered to take off her shoes...).

Once they locate their departure gate, they retire to a cafe in the airport for some hot food knowing they have a couple of hours to unwind a bit.

Conversation returns to the pigeon, and now he is actively engaged. Is this one book or a series? Are there other birds?

Pens come out.

​Napkins are written on. 

They brainstorm together and titles like There's a Buzzard on the Balcony (2023, Friesen Press) and There's a Seagull on my Sailboat (2023, Friesen Press) are bandied about.(You've read those...I won't go into detail on those at this time.)

Conversation rolls onward and becomes increasingly sillier with funny puns and odd rhymes. 

After they finish eating, they move to a lounge area where her trusty notebook comes out and all the silliness is recorded. 

That was November 30, 2021. 

Many story ideas for this pigeon have been drafted and discarded. It has been shelved while other titles rolled off the presses and into stores and bookshelves worldwide. 

Spring of 2024, and the story is really piling up in her head. Especially since she will be travelling to Europe with some friends in the autumn. So she begins to sketch A. Pigeon.

The sketches make her think of a travel itinerary. She scribbles it down.

Silly ideas about what A. Pigeon would pack for a trip to Paris come into play.

Pencils, pens, paint and keyboard magically produce something she loves. Something she's been waiting for since that fateful day so long ago.

Anxiously she watches the calendar and clock for it's public release when her pigeon will finally embark on his epic adventure in Paris. September 2024.

But don't forget those last minute details! Passports, spare underwear...you know the drill...

I have uploaded the connection details for Kim Marie right up top because it helps to explain the title of today's blog post!

Kim Marie started creating her first book over 30 years ago, but as a single mom with a full time career--well, we all know how that goes right? There is not enough time in the day to do everything, let along write that book! However, she persisted with finishing the words and illustrations and put them in a binder. That binder sat on a shelf for a few years until she was about to become a grandmother. Then things changed.

Kim created a digital photo book of the work for a baby shower gift for her granddaughter. Several young moms at the shower saw the gift and said they wanted one and so it began!

I may be incorrect, but I believe that was A to Z Animal Picnic. Created over 30 years before when her son was three, Kim had realized that he could count and say the ABC's as well as identify shapes, colors, animals and letters. Her thoughts were that with only two years before he started kindergarten, what could she teach him now? 

She thought reading, but he first needed to know the sounds of the letters. She hunted for a book with an interesting story that would help bridge this gap but didn't find one. The options were books which featured pages with a letter and lots of disconnected words, or a cute story but only one word on the page that began with that letter.

She thought about writing one, but settled for Dr. Seuss' ABC Book. Then when her daughter reached that same stage she thought, "Darn, I should have written that book!" Again she was busy and settled for Dr. Seuss.  

Eventually, though, she started writing it down and kept it safe. Then started to add some illustrations. Kim is happy to report, however, that despite taking so long to write her book, her children have managed to grow up and learn to read.

A to Z Animal Picnic is an alliterative adventure that will astound you! With charming illustrations and story segments dedicated to words beginning with each letter, it is not just an alphabet book!
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The story unfolds with animals participating in a potluck picnic! So there's a tale to follow encouraging reading and not just sounding out words.

Featuring end pages full of tongue twisters and more, you will also find counting activities as no picnic is complete without ants. More and more ants arrive on each page providing counting fun as well!

A Giraffe Who Makes You Laugh will have you in giggles as the Giraffe really does make you laugh. Funny rhyming comparisons and brightly coloured illustrations make this one a winner for the kids as well!

This book took less time to come together than the 30 years Kim spent on the alphabet sounds story. She was thinking about words that are difficult to rhyme and the word "giraffe" popped into her head. When she realized that "giraffe" and "laugh" rhymed, she got to concocting and sure enough--out came a story! 

I asked Kim what she is working on next and she had a couple of projects in the works but another children's picture book she has titled Something is Different is in development.

For more on Author Kim Marie, please use the links in the image at the top of this blog post! You'll be glad you did!

They say to never Google yourself. When you Google yourself you will usually find things you didn't want to know like your grade 11 yearbook photo (OMG, the perm!), the details of your firing from Baskin Robbins for abusing the "all you can eat" staff policy (they were asking for it..."all you can eat" implied zero limitations), and even details of that surgery you had (where you assumed you haddoctor patient confidentiality but signed the consent form without reading it first).

Well I did it. I Google'd myself. But not really, I Google'd my book titles. And Google is my friend today.

What I learned:

•  My books have gone beyond Amazon, and Barnes & Noble to reach some smaller book selling chain stores
• My books have been added to the inventory of several Indie book sellers
  
• My books are on offer from at least one chain in the UK, one in Denmark, and one in Turkey...that's right,  Google, I'm GLOBAL!

It was fun and affirming that my books are gaining notice, and gave me warm fuzzies to be able to show my Very Patient Dave (you remember him from earlier blog postings) that all his eye rolling is not in vain!

But the most gratifying part of it, once the buzz wore off, was that no matter where Google found my titles--finding them in the hands of giggling children is still way more fun.

So Google at your peril. You might find good news but then again, there's that photo of you with the braces in grade 9!!!  

Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, Diana has loved reading since a very early age when she would hear her mother and sister reading aloud stories by A.A. Milne and Beatrix Potter. "These authors inspiredand influenced me greatly. Their beautiful words took me to another world as a child, where anythign was possible. Their work greatly encouraged me to dream of becoming a writer myself someday," says Diana Smith.

The founder of "Books to Inspire - Inspiring Young Minds", she specialises in writing for early childhood and young readers. Diana likes to focus on emotional intelligence and key life concepts. Mindfulness. She prides herself on books that are inclusive and encouraging to all readers.
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My Welcome Book is a lovely book with simple illustrations by Sarah Jane Marchant. It is a delightful way to welcome a new baby. For bedtime or anytime reading, it will help enforce how special your little one is and how special those around them are. Celebrating uniqueness and following your dreams, it is sure to bring a little acceptance and joy to every little heart that reads it.
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My Awareness Book  is full of inspiration and learning for young people on being aware. Not just self-aware, but aware of their surroundings and others. Beautifully written and illustrated, I fully endorse this book.
​

I asked Diana what was next on her writing horizon and she indicates that she is working  on two books for teenagers who struggle to read. One is about camping and one is about a school first dance. ​

I asked her if she could meet and discuss writing with her favourite children's author, livign or dead, who would that be and what would she ask them?

Diana responded that she would want to speak with Beatrix Potter to learn how she came up with the characters. Also she would ask how the books became so well known, as Diana would like her books to be as well known as those of Miss Potter.

Well Diana, I think you are already on your way.

​If you want to get to know more about Diana her website is in the image below.

Jean Johnson has been hard at work creating some fun travelling adventures with some very cool facts for your little ones!

The title I recently picked up was Rynnie Roo and Tater, too! Yucatan. It was a fun book.

Rynnie Roo and Tater Tot, the parakeet, love to explore together. While they are travelling, they uncover fun facts about animals, plants, languages, and even how to use our manners! Bright illustrations punctuate the book. 

I had the chance to get to know Jean a little bit better and this is what I found out!

Jean was actually raised in the Yucatan jungle, in the Mayan village of Senor. She had some very exotic pets growing up her including jaguars, an anteater and a sloth.

Jean felt the push to step into writing when her granddaughter was born. She thought about how different her granddaughter's childhood would be to her own. So Jean decided to create a world where she could share her own adventures and experience in a fun way.

Jean's granddaughter is a redhead who always has a big red bow in her hair and so Rynnie Roo the Kangaroo is modelled on her.

Jean's grandson was the inspiration for Tater Tot the Parakeet (who almost ended up being a PARROT!) 

The format of her stories was to help with learning. Jean struggled with school when she was younger and found that a story format made it more fun and engaging when it came to facts.

Jean has some experience with marketing and advertising which helped give her to the tools and experience to create and build the books she writes. She does all her own storyboards and designs, but she did commission her main characters.

There are several Rynnie Roo adventures out there but when asked what is next there was laugher. Currently working on the Zona Maya but plans to cover all 50 of the United States in time! That's a lot of travel for a kangaroo and a parakeet!

Some fun facts that will make this super-woman more human:

• Jean is a mystery buff who loves Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Her favourite TV programs are "Murder She Wrote", "Perry Mason", and even some Charlie Chan...
• She loves to listen to 1940s music while driving in her car

With all that said, Jean joked she should be writing period pieces and not children's books. Maybe that's next?

​In the meantime, check out her books and her website with the details in the contact image! I hope to see more Rynnie Roo Adventures coming our way soon!

Elegance. Defined as the quality of being graceful and stylish in appearance or manner; style. Doesn't sound too hard, does it?

Let's wander back in time to a beautiful July day in 2021. My soon to be husband's request was for our beach wedding to be elegant and simple. For his blushing bride to rein in her more "feral" tendencies for one day and exude the beauty and elegance of which he was quite confident I was in possession.

I took his word for it (about the possession of beauty and elegance) and vowed to pull this off. Isn’t this how the biggest messes in the world begin?

I had every intention of behaving in an elegant and sophisticated manner on my wedding day. The dress was carefully selected with the help of my older sister Andrea. She reined in my inner drag-queen when we narrowed it down to two final dresses and (I quote) “It has to have buttons down the back. All the best dresses do!” It was simple and understated elegance from the front with a flash of pizzazz in the beaded sheer back and the sophisticated white buttons and a train. It made me look very statuesque and caused me endless anxiety over how I would carry this off.

The plan was that our piper and drummer would, after entertaining the waiting guests for a wee while, proceed to the patio doors behind which I was carefully hidden from view while being able to watch everyone gather and prepare for the ceremony on the patio at the Long Beach Lodge. They would turn to face the waiting guests, and begin piping “Highland Cathedral” while proceeding down the walkway. As a specific part of the shrubbery was passed, I would emerge at a sedate distance behind them and glide in a most elegant manner down the brickwork pathway and around the grasses to our makeshift aisle and the stunning backdrop of Cox Bay Beach. (Fans of "Bridgerton" can surely hear Lady Whistledown's voice in their heads at this point.)

Here I would join my darling David and the officiant and formalize our marriage. There would be oohs and aahs. This would then be followed by some toasting with the quaich (kway-ich - the "ich" being very Scottish and hairball-ishly pronounced), some merrily blown and environmentally friendly bubbles instead of confetti, and sunshiny walk down the beach for some group photos amongst the rocks with the sea and mountains as a backdrop--our “mini Scotland” for my homesick husband to be--and the perfect backdrop for the boys in their magnificent kilts.

After which, my wedding dress would be carefully laid aside in a garment bag to travel with us on a post wedding trip to see my parents and surprise them with us in all our wedding finery on a wee visit. That was the plan, anyway...

Reality can be such a beach. 

The morning dawned magically misty with a fine drizzle. Very atmospheric although we had been hoping for sun.

My friend Jane joined me for reassurances and hand holding while a highly skilled team of makeup artist (yes, a team of ONE - Rhonda Grahame from Cedar and Rose, Tofino, BC) turned yours truly from the usual, basic me into Mrs. David Noble--a carefully coiffed and beautiful new bride with eyelashes that cows would kill for! Rhonda also adorned Jane with curls and a look that would give men a cardiac arrest mid-stride! Where was she for all our costume nights in Nunavut? All of this while giggling as we watched all the ceremony space preparations. Cheekily, we asked each other how long should we wait before texting our own darling KT that we wanted everything moved precisely 3.274 inches to the left? 

With perfect timing and a dramatic flair that would have made Elizabeth Taylor envious, the sun broke forth in full resplendent glory just as the guests began to arrive at the ceremony space to find their seats.

Ah, but the best laid plans of mice and men always go astray.

It wasn’t the elegant bridal entrance to pipe and drum where it went wrong.

It wasn’t the braw and handsome men in kilts awaiting me at the altar. David flanked on his side of the floral arrangement by Christopher, his younger son, and on my side by James and Eric Funk, my oldest and youngest sons. There were gaps as we were missing Dave’s older son Michael and my middle son Ross, causing twinges of longing and wishes that both had been able to come. But still, those that came, were perfectly attired.

Nor was it the vows, although I shudder about the teary puddle I made while trying to say mine. Crying is not for weddings….

The toast with the quaich  also went smoothly. Nary a drop of the sparkling apple beverage spilled on the pristine gown or David’s handsome kilt.

The bubbles were mildly delayed as the guests fumbled with trying to get the pesky wee vials open quickly but they were still a pleasant and a lovely way to end the wedding.

It continued on, most successfully. Nary a hint of disaster anywhere. 

The merry band of guests joined us on our saunter down the sandy shore for photographs to the sounds of the pipe and drum again. Joe and Mike outdid themselves musically and there was many a giggle over how many TikTok or YouTube videos we might feature in. Perfect!

We clambered up onto the rocks without splitting any seams or tripping on any hems. There was a wee debate about whether this was good for the boys’ new brogues, mostly brought on by our sons and not we - ahem - responsible adults. Elegant photos were taken by one and all. Couples took and received lovely shots of themselves as well, as we milled around setting up different photo groupings. Again, we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting or a sunnier day!

It was gorgeous! I carried it off with barely an eye roll from my beloved husband. He was all proud and indulgent smiles and... and... therein lies the rub.

The guests and our musicians were meandering back to the hotel patio, full of charcuterie and fruit, for a wee nibble preceding supper.

David was deep in discussion with our videographer Mike and our photographer extraordinaire, Paul, had kidnapped our rings for a few photos of the rings on their own.

This left innocent little me wandering the sand, watching surfers and sailboats, and staying on the drier sand above the tidal line. My eye wandered over some treasures washed ashore by timeless waves. A bit of bull kelp, some popping wrack (a particularly amusing bubble-wrap-popping type of maritime weed), some empty and weathered mussel shells, the odd limpet shell or barnacle covered rock, and a poor, stranded, desolate, completely helpless jelly fish… 

(Dave interjects: couldn't she resist just for one day? JUST ONE DAY? Seriously? Oh Lordy...)
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It was the fault of the jelly-fish. In his tiny gurgling voice asking me would I be so kind has to relocate him from this hot desert plain back into the pleasantly cooling surf? Would it be too much bother? Being a kind hearted sort of jelly-fish rescuer, I complied. After all, he was a particularly interesting reddish jelly-fish. Not like those run of the mill clear ones that look like so many lost breast implants lying on the beach. No, this was a jelly-fish of the finer sort. A red one. Clearly, royalty was involved. 

In my head I could faintly hear a gurgling slow motion version of “La Bamba” being sung by this poor stranded soul as I scooped him up, and gathering a handful of pristine and elegant ivory wedding dress in my hand I strode heroically and purposefully into the shallows where I restored Julian Jellybaby IV to his watery domain. I fancy that I heard an ever so posh gurgly voice thanking me effusively as the ebbing waters pulled him out to sea. 

(Dave interjects: Jelly-fish cannot speak. Everyone knows this. Crabs, octopi, tidal pool guppies: well, maybe they have a shot at Serbo-Croat. Jelly-fish? Nada.)

The tiny wavelets lapping at my toes and ankles felt so cool after the warm sand, and a delightful sailboat was performing magnificently as it rounded the point to proceed southwards toward Long Beach. I could feel the salt spray on my nose, the breeze stirring my hair, the cooling water around my... KNEES? 

I gathered my skirts to wring them out, and started back toward the beach. Dave, Mike and Paul were in a row looking on incredulously, albeit Dave looked slightly less shocked having had more experience with me than our media team...

"How in seven hells did you manage to...?" asked my beloved.

"It was the jelly-fish!" I protested.

"The... what?" the stunned Scot responded.

"It was dying. I had to rescue it."

"Dearest, there are millions of the wee jelly fiends-- billions--all over the world and they are regarded as pests by almost all sensible people. They are over-populating the world. A cull would be a good thing."

"But it was talking to me!" I defended myself.

"Oh my Lord. The sun has addled my love's brain. Again. Un-freaking-believable. See here, give me a kiss."

I kissed him before adding one more defense tactic. "Well, I was completely unsupervised..."

Dave sighed and audibly rolled his eyes at me (they actually squeaked) before taking me by the hand to dance and run back down the beach to finish the rest of the wedding celebrations with our guests.

Guess it’s a good thing I had another dress to wear to dinner. 

The moral of the story, however, is that the "road to hell is paved with good intentions", or "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear", or "never leave your wife unsupervised near a beach, some water, and random wildlife of the squishy variety"....something like that.

I've been very pleased to get to know one delightful Ms. Courtney Hexham who is an up and coming book creator that you may enjoy.

So far she has two books out there and I have a short review of each for you before we get down to the nitty gritty about this colourful persona!

Hazel and Jade 
​A delightful book where Hazel goes on a trip and makes friends with an Iguana while on a Christmas visit. Hazel learns so very much about iguanas and makes a friend for life! Simple illustrations convey the story wonderfully and children will clap when Hazel makes a new friend! A fun read!

This story was inspired by the real Hazel, from the UK, and a real Iguana named Jade, from the US. The book is dedicated to their families.

The Firefly and the Frog
A firefly helps a frog to find some inner light and shine brightly! Engaging illustrations and simple rhymes will be sure to entertain and capture the hearts of young readers!

The inspiration for this title was a frog-obsessed friend who requested books for her baby shower. Courtney saw a video where a frog swallowed a firefly and then was lit up, and so the story begins...

But what do know about the delightful Ms Hexham? Let's find out, shall we?
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I asked her if she had always wanted to be a writer. The short answer? Yes! She has always been a writer and a creator. She loves art and bringing stories to life, and in fact studied screenwriting. She submitted a screenplay to the Interlochen Center for the Arts and was accepted into their Creative Writing camp. She later attended the cap for performance, musical theatre and fine art. She also studied media production, design, and journalism in college and obtained an MBA. 

She loves to learn a little bit about everything and infuse creativity and positivity into every aspect of her life!

As with most of my fellow writers, Courtney struggled to find the right platform for publishing. Her goal? To make the books affordable--a big thing in the current economy--and fairly priced. Like many of us she tried several methods and examined proofs, got feedback from her "mom" friends, and settled on self-publishing through Amazon. 

She is currently working on a longer book of stories about her own "adventures" as a child and I must say I am looking forward to it.

Courtney experienced a lot of bullying in elementary school, and that drew her to social psychology and a passion for boosting kids' self-esteem and sense of belonging. She says: "Our formative years have a huge impact on how we view the world and our place in it. No child should ever question if they belong or are they worthy of love and acceptance, no matter how they look or their circumstances." I agree with Courtney on this whole-heartedly!

​​One of the first things I learned about Courtney is that she is a Black transracial adoptee. "Transracial adoptee", for those unaware of the term, means she was adopted by a family of a different race.

This is where I asked her to produce some fun facts for us and here is what she said:

• She is half Zambian. Her parents met in Zambia and she is blessed to have great relationships with her birth family
• She was a competitive figure skater from ages 8 to 13
• She could eat sushi every day and not get tired of it
• Courtney's favourite colour is purple and her favourite scent is lavendar.

To learn more about Courtney and what she gets up to, refer to the graphic below!

No matter what title this has, Kara Johnson has created a real tail wagger!

Beautifully written and illustrated, this story shows the true chaos and joy that is any puppy's "go to" mode!

The story follows Doc and Honey as they journey through life with their family.  For animal lovers both young and old, this will become a favourite read!

Doc and Honey are based on Kara's family's dogs. Just like in the book, they were Christmas gifts. Doc passed away before Honey, and she made the move with Kara's family to Texas only to pass about six months later. But this is not a sad book--oh no! At times laugh out loud funny and quietly endearing, Kara assures me that everything in the book actually happened! 

Her son was dragged through the neighbourhood as Doc raced after another dog while Kara shouted "let go of the leash"! Honey ate everything she could...even things not meant for a puppy! They truly did  escape and end up doing yoga in the park!

Kara was born and raised in Southern California, and her family moved to Texas not that long ago. Clearly fond of animals, Kara once had 6 dogs, 3 horses and 2 tortoises at the same time but now there are only three dogs left in the family pack. Kara (much like myself) appears to have an (ir)rational side that wants to adopt every stray and, also like myself, has a rational side (I call mine Dave but let's call hers Mr. Johnson) that steps in to prevent an over population!

I asked Kara how she got into writing and her response was, "I'd actually call myself a story-teller and not a writer. There's a huge part of me that is experiencing imposter syndrome! I truly can't believe I put my book (that was intended for my adult children to remember their childhood dogs) out there for others to see."

I for one am glad that Kara did! What is next? Kara, and her imposter syndrom, has two novels in editing now. She loves romance books and just had to give it a try or she'd regret it forever.

Well Kara, that's not imposter syndrome talking! You are a writer!

Today we are off for a magical drive in the Little Red Truck in the beautiful colours of autumn!

Kathy Brandon's latest work is full of cozy fun and added value items for interaction with your littles! The story takes you on a visit to Nonna and Papa's to visit with them and their dogs! Many adventures will be had in the little red truck, as you work in the garden and enjoy the fall festival.

Your imagination will conjure up the sounds and smells cleverly described in the book and the illustrations are a feast for the eyes. 

Don't forget to look for the little red truck--it's hidden somewhere in the pictures on every page along with some fabulous visitors. That is part of the fun, as the end papers will provide a list of those visitors you might be looking for. 

The author has also included some activities and discussion questions to help turn story time into something deeper. 

The Adventures of Nonna and the Little Red Truck in Autumn will deliver truck loads of adventure!

Kathy Brandon has been an educator for three decades and loves to share her passion for equity and access to books. She spreads STEAM and literacy education to inner-city schools and her local communities and wants readers to be able to see themselves in the pages of her books. 

She splits her time between Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with family, friends, dog and grand-dogs as well as three grandsons who are the inspiration for her Little Red Truck series.

Jennifer Kasitz, the illustrator, is also an educator, artist, mother and seeker of nature inspirations. Her love of people, animals and plants is clearly evident in the delightful illustrations. Her art can be found at the citybirdart.com link button below.

I sent Kathy Brandon a few questions which she generously took the time to answer!

Kathy Brandon has always found reading to be a way to go on adventures, see the world, meet fabulous people, and give her a safe place to go in her imagination. She hopes her books allow readers to the the same, or to remember a fond time with a family member.

She was inspired to create this title as a follow up for her first book (The Adventures of Nonn and the Little Red Truck in Summertime), where she used many of the activities she does with her grandsons in the Midwest, just in a new season. There will be a total of four books in the series, covering the amazing activities you can do in your diverse and inclusive communities. It was very important for Kathy to have children see someone they may recognize from their lives in the pages.

"As an educator of reading, I wanted an interactive and engaging book. My grandsons are always asking questions. I wanted to come back to some of the simpler moments the adult reading the book might reflect on with their own parents or grandparents. To show this generation how interactive, kind, fun and creative they can be in their own communities while highlighting a community event..."

Nature has been Kathy's happy place for a long time, engaging all her senses and exploring the world around her is pure joy and she wants that for everyone. It is vital that we care for nature so it can be here to be enjoyed for future generations. This book allows and encourages the wonder and inquisitiveness that children bring to all that they do.

She is also raising some awareness in the book for "Empty Bowls", and initiative that brings in art from local children (pottery, quilts, etc) and makes meals to serve. All proceeds then go to a local food pantry. It is an amazing initiative and sounds like one I could also get behind. She has more information on this in her end pages.

You will note in the images above the links to reach out toKathy and learn more about her and her books!