117 ratings | 2 reviews | avg rating:4.24

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C.S. O'Kelly

Goodreads Author

Website

http://www.gracieandmonkeybear.com

Genre

Children's, Fiction, Fantasy

Influences

Ruth Gannett, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Arnold Lobe ...more

Member Since

March 2016

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/cs_okelly

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"Books should transcend, transport,
and most of all, inspire those who read them."
- C.S O'Kelly

Thanks to a small group of dedicated artists, editors and designers, C. S. O'Kelly is grateful to be able to create and author the storyworld of the children's picture book series 'The Adventures of Gracie & MonkeyBear.'

Born to a loving mother with little money, but an abundance of imagination that she shared with C. S. during long walks, bike rides before helmets, and nightly readings from mountains of books. Stories of giants and elves, mythical beasts and powerful maidens filled the world of C. S. from the earliest of memories.

After finishing graduate school, C. S. sold off all five belongings, purchased a 1974 Ford 19 foot motorhome and went ...more

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Popular Answered Questions

I was fortunate enough to share an advanced copy with my niece this past weekend. Your smart characters and their intimate relationships were striking. After searching around for your other works, I came to understand that this is your first Children's Book - if you wouldn't mind, I'd love to know what inspired you to write this? I look forward to Book 2 and the continuation of this series! Thank you!

C.S. O'Kelly Thank you Clyde for sharing the book with your niece.

I am happy you found one of the advanced copies, as there were only a handful released. The idea…moreThank you Clyde for sharing the book with your niece.

I am happy you found one of the advanced copies, as there were only a handful released. The idea behind the Adventures of Gracie & MonkeyBear originated while I watched my own niece (five years old at the time) playing with my Bernese Mountain dog Seamus (who I also call MonkeyBear). She had a cowboy hat on and Seamus was the ultimate 120 pounds of supper-furry-faced clown-dog and my niece loved him.

There was a moment while they were spastically running about when she stopped, put her hands on her hips and looked to the sky, Seamus sat next to her (his head even with hers) and looked up to see what was so interesting. The sun cast a shadow of the two on the lawn behind them and all I could think of was Albert Einstein (Seamus fluffy head) and Indiana Jones (niece with her hat)... & the characters of Gracie & MonkeyBear were born. Best part is creating an infinite storyworld built on "Gracie's" imagination for the two of them to explore. They share a partnership of equals – similar to superheroes with different skillsets and strengths.

You are correct, this is my first Children's Picture Book and luckily, I found the right illustrator (Jordy Farrell) and editing team to work with. Book 2: Winter is about halfway finished and hopefully will be out by Christmas 2016 (just in time for people to begin noticing Book 1). We are in the process of placing the books in the best independent bookstores we can find and you can always buy the book on Amazon or the website (www.gracieandmonkeybear.com).

There will be other books series to come, but the Adventures of Gracie & MonkeyBear will continue as long as there is interest by readers like yourself.

Appreciate your questions and I hope to hear more from you and your niece in the future! All the best and enjoy the day.

C. S. O'Kelly

**Make sure and enter the GoodReads Giveaway! Ends on May 22.
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what age-group and reading level are you targeting?

C.S. O'Kelly Hello Ellie,

I am targeting 5-7 as a "bridge-book," which means the book(s) are meant to be read with parents or an older reader. My goal was to create…moreHello Ellie,

I am targeting 5-7 as a "bridge-book," which means the book(s) are meant to be read with parents or an older reader. My goal was to create a platform for creative discussion between parents & children through the story-world.

Thank you for the question & I apologize for the delayed response as I have been traveling abroad.

Enjoy the day!(less)

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C.S. O'Kelly’s books

Average rating: 4.45 · 82 ratings · 41 reviews · 2 distinct works

	The Adventures of Gracie & MonkeyBear (Book 1: Summer) 4.54 avg rating — 61 ratings — published 2016 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Adventures of Gracie & MonkeyBear, Book 2: Winter 4.19 avg rating — 21 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

41 posts
C.S. O'Kelly's Blog

New Project: Tommy Tobler's Traveling Tub

Working on a new children's picture book with illustrator, Wayne Oram!

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Published on April 18, 2018 01:20 • Tags: adventure, children-s-book, cs-o-kelly, illustrator, picture-book, tommy-tobler-s-traveling-tub

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C.S. O'Kelly has read Darkness, Book One of the Oortian Wars by Iain Richmond (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 17, 2024 10:25AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Darkness, Book One of the Oortian Wars by Iain Richmond. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Darkness, Book One of the Oortian Wars by Iain Richmond <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Darkness, Book One of the Oortian Wars
by Iain Richmond (Goodreads Author)

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Quotes by C.S. O'Kelly (?)

“For all the girls in all the worlds.
May you feel strength with your first breath,
realize your unlimited potential for greatness on your second, and follow your dreams on your third.”
― C. S. O'Kelly

tags: core-philosophy, girl-power, imagination, inspiration, women-empowerment

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Book Giveaways: Giveaway, 20 Signed First Editions, Adventures of Gracie & MonkeyBear	1	9	May 21, 2016 12:51PM

C.S.’s Quotes

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
― Amelia Earhart

tags: quotes-for-women

8 likes

“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?”
― Martin Luther King Jr.

tags: awarness, consciousness, help, world

689 likes

“Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were, but without it we go nowhere.”
― Carl Sagan

tags: imagination

1150 likes

“We are part of this universe; we are in this universe, but perhaps more important than both of those facts, is that the universe is in us.”
― Neil deGrasse Tyson

12 likes

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”
― Robert Frost

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41 posts
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New Project: Tommy Tobler's Traveling Tub

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