Becky Villareal's Blog

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

Wise words from Philip Pullman, who received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2005:

Children need art and stories and poems and music as much as they need love and food and fresh air and play. If you don’t give a child food, the damage quickly becomes visible. If you don’t let a child have fresh air and play, the damage is also visible, but not so quickly. If you don’t give a child love, the damage might not be seen for some years, but it’s permanent.

But if you don’t give a child art and stories and poems and music, the damage is not so easy to see. It’s there, though. Their bodies are healthy enough; they can run and jump and swim and eat hungrily and make lots of noise, as children have always done, but something is missing.

It’s true that some people grow up never encountering…

View original post 488 more words

Anaiah Press

We have a great selection of children’s books! Check them out below.

A mysterious message on a scrap of paper. 
A shadowy group whose motives are unclear. 
A political struggle that pits friend against friend, neighbor against neighbor, and father against son.
Eleven-year-old Benjamin Pembroke’s safe, sheltered life is turned upside-down when he meets a strange boy who becomes an unlikely friend in troubling times. Unfortunately, Benjamin has no way of knowing that his future, as well as the future of his country, will be changed forever.

John Jenkins is on probation at Saint Michael the Archangel Academy. That means one wrong move on his part, and he’ll be tossed off Team Liberty like wilted lettuce on a soggy hamburger bun. 

But Team Mischief, up to their old tricks again, plans to vandalize the Statue of Liberty. Knowing his team needs him, John snags the opportunity to prove himself…

View original post 810 more words

[image error]Today I am interviewing Ashley Davidson-Fisher the author of a great new book entitled La Petite Josette En Provence: Children’s Book- Bilingual English and French.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? One day at university, after I had returned to the US from being in France for two years, my college advisor approached me and asked me if I wanted to write a blog/website about my time in Provence as a foreign exchange student. She was interested in using it as a resource to advertise the Cal State student exchange program. I had never blogged or written anything about my life, but I found that I was eager to do it because by writing about my experiences in Provence, I could continue to relive them, and they were two of the best years of my life. So, I started this website called Living in Aix-en-Provence and delved headfirst into writing nearly everything about my time in Provence. I had a unique experience in that I was not a single college student, my husband and four small children came to France with me while I studied there. I spent 9 months working on the website and I got really into it. I absolutely loved it. After it all came together and was finally finished, I was so pleased with the final project. It was the very first time I started to think that I might have a knack at writing.  

How long did it take you to write your book? From start to finish, the book took 3.5 years. This was mostly due to me having a full-time job and because my daughter has a teaching job, plus she runs her own freelance business, plus she has other side jobs she does. Also, I am in France and she is California and we weren’t able to meet to work on the project. It was all done by long distance. Additionally, as you can see, my daughter’s work is extremely detailed and one illustration took a lot of work hours for her to do, and there are about 20 illustrations. Once all the illustrations were finalized and I put everything together in the first draft, it took about another 6 months for me to organize it all in the publishing software and come up with the final book. Another factor was that since this was the first time I had ever written a book, a lot of time was spent on research.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books? How much I truly love the freedom of working in an environment where the only limit was my imagination!

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite? La Petite Josette en Provence is the first book I’ve ever written. No matter how many books I write in the future, I think this one will always be my most favorite because it’s the first one. It’s the one where I learned that I had some creativity in me for writing fiction, the one that taught me about the world of self-publishing, the one that took me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to do something that I had been thinking about doing for a long time. So many new experiences came out of writing and publishing this book that it, undoubtedly, makes it the most special.

Do you have any suggestions to help me become a better writer? I f so, what are they? Keep at it. No matter how long it takes. If it’s your dream just keep it alive. Don’t pressure yourself because you must take the time to form the ideas and then be able to put them down on paper. If you are self-publishing, take the time to investigate everything. Don’t make a time limit. This will just cause too much stress. Above all else, make sure you know what your goals are in writing your book and know who your target audience is. This will help everything else flow.

What do you think makes a good story? One thing that would resonate through all genres would be characters that are believable, that I love, that I can root for and that I can relate to. Now, of course, I don’t mean every character in the book has to be that way and I don’t mean that one character has to embody all four of those, but there must be some sort of realism or attachment to the people that I am reading about. The other thing is that the story takes you away. It makes you forget the real world, even for only a moment, and you are able to get wrapped up in it and just enjoy it.

What was your favorite book as a child? Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, by Eugene Field. In fact, I still have the book. I always loved the beautiful illustrations and the poem.

What made you decide to pick this location to write about? I live in Provence and I went to university here. It’s a place that gets in your soul. There is so much history, so much beauty and so many places here that are amazing and wonderful, but not many people know about them. I chose Les Baux-de-Provence as the village setting of the book because it’s one of my and my husband’s favorite places to visit. In fact, when we have friends and family stay with us, we always take them there, if time allows. There is just something about that village, something that words can’t really describe. It has everything, ruins of an old castle and fort, a beautiful view, cobblestone streets, building that are centuries old, it’s simply, fantastic. It’s a corner of the world that people know about if they’ve been to Provence, but for those who haven’t traveled to this area, it’s something they need to discover.

The illustrations are beautiful in your book. What made you decide on the illustrator for your book? That was, by far, the easiest decision out of all the decisions I made concerning the book. I chose my daughter [image error]because she is the most amazing and talented illustrator that I’ve seen. She has a gift for bringing to the canvas exactly what is envisioned in a project. I could describe to her what I was thinking about when it came to the illustrations, and she just knew how to make it all come together. It was, for lack of a better word, like magic. She’s just that good. There was never a shred of doubt or hesitation, I knew she was the one that could bring La Petite and her family alive.

Why did you use French in your current book? Since the story takes place in France, I figured it would be a fun way to incorporate learning the French language with having an adventure in a newly discovered place to visit in the world.

Would this book be useful in the classroom? How so? I definitely believe it would be useful in the classroom and in a multifunctional way. Teachers of young children will find that the sweetness and gentleness of the illustrations and the simple storyline help to guide young children to start speaking and reading in a foreign language. The short words and phrases in French will easily engage young readers, ages 6-11, and pique their interest in learning a new language or help to reinforce a language they already have knowledge in. It also introduces them to a beautiful and historical place in this world.

Do you plan on writing any additional books? Yes, I do, but that has been a recent decision. Originally, when I wrote this book, I made it so that it could either be a stand-alone or part of a series because I wasn’t sure what I was going to do in the future. However, I’ve had an overwhelming response from people either requesting it to be a series or telling me that they would love for it to be a series.  I plan on starting the next book at the beginning of the year. I have two different settings in mind but haven’t quite decided which one will be for the second book. I’m in the outline stages right now, so we shall see which new adventure wins out!

Ashley Fisher-Davidson’s Book La Petite Josette En Provence: Children’s Book- Bilingual English and French is available through Amazon at: https://amzn.to/2PphRTs

[image error]If I could give more than five stars to a book, I would definitely give them to One Small Spark by Jackie Minniti. This book is beautifully written and rich in history and character development as well. The Pembroke family, through fictional characters, give credibility to the story of our nation’s history through the eyes of young Benjamin and his twin sister Abby.

The author has also included a glossary of terms used in this time frame and extensive information in the Afterword portion of the book.  Ms. Minnitti also includes historical information about the real individuals she used at critical times in the story. The fiction and nonfictional portions of this book were woven together so beautifully, it was as though I were living through that experience myself.

In a time when our children need to know and understand what was sacrificed to gain our freedoms, this is a perfect read not only for the classroom, but to put in the hands of our children. Since the chapters are short, it would appeal to younger readers, but the content makes it a book that could be enjoyed by any age.  I highly recommend this book to young and old alike.

I happened across this book and the author, Amy Windfield, at a bookstore this morning and couldn’t resist it! This is a perfect book for a young pre-reader and reader as well who are always asking those wonderful “why” questions. The answers are true to form along with the recommendations for new parents at the end of the book. I particularly love the sixth way to soothe a baby, “pray.” After raising my own children and now taking care of my grandchildren, I find this book adorable and right on the money! Also, the illustrations are multicultural and are beautifully done as well by the illustrator Katelo Kgabale. I would highly recommend this book for parents of young children to love and to share!

[image error]Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Lone Star Ink Conference at the Library in downtown Dallas, Texas.  I hope there will be more to come.  Even though I wasn’t able to attend the Boot Camp on Thursday night, or the Friday sessions (Grandma duty called),  I had heard many fantastic comments and was excited to attend the Saturday events.

There were lots of signs leading the way to the conference where the sign in was on the seventh floor. I was able to get in immediately and check the schedule of classes while the moderator gave away free books. It was a joyous way to begin the day.

The first class I attended, Jackie Kruzie’s Books that BARF method, was fantastic! As a [image error]fellow SCBWI member, I was pleasantly surprised to see how multi-talented this lady was as she presented how to create memorable characters in writing.  I got lots of great ideas from this.

In Don Carey’s Four Elements Ensemble, I learned about the four basic characters and how to use them effectively in my writing.  The pointers he gave us are invaluable, and worth every second of time we spent with him.

In Growing and Marketing on Social Media, Kristen Hills, a social media professional, gave us all kinds of ideas about how to market ourselves and our products utilizing the latest ideas in social media. I was amazed at how much was out there!

This being the first year of the Lonestar Ink Writer’s Conference, the bar has been set very high!  Jen Geigle Johnson and her crew of wonderful people did a fantastic job setting this up and implementing this venue. I hope to see them again next year because I plan on attending already!

If you’d like to hear more, check out their website :

https://www.facebook.com/LoneStarInk/

[image error]In Jupiter Storm by Marti Dumas published by Plum Street Press, we are introduced to a ten-year-old budding scientist named Jacquelyn Marie Johnson. Jackie enjoys taking care of the plants in the front yard and the wildness of the unattended backyard. 

When the story opens, Jackie is calling her five rambunctious brothers in from outside by delivering a stern look that reminds them to wash their hands. After receiving some snapdragons from her Great Aunt Mamie seal, she took great care to make sure they thrived in their new environment. Jackie discovers a “chrysalegg” (not a chrysalis or egg) on one of the snapdragons and the story begins.

As the “chrysalegg” grows, she becomes more obsessed with it and ends up bringing it into the house where she can observe it. Her mother thinks it might be a malformed monarch butterfly inside the chrysalegg with the strange orange spot. Jackie keeps a very close eye on it until it magically transforms into something very special indeed. 

There are so many surprises in this story. I thoroughly enjoyed going through every stage of Jackie’s journey. With the help of her young brother Sam, she is able to bring something amazing into her backyard weed garden where it can feast on aphids.

Marti Dumas utilized many science terms in the creation of this manuscript which sent me scurrying to my Science for Children books for clarification. I applaud the way she inserted these terms gently like a pinch of herbs to add spice to the story.

Also, while watching for the surprise, keep an eye on the bottom of the pages for tiny illustrations much like the ones Jackie illustrates on her own.

In addition, Jackie and her classmates have an obsession with the creation of paper dolls. Marti Dumas has added a page just for this on her website http://www.MartiDumasBooks.com.

I recommend this book for older students who are ready for the scientific words and a great adventure. 

It is available through Amazon.com  http://amzn.to/2BorRAN

and Barnes and Noble.com  http://bit.ly/2n94KVR

[image error]

Marti Dumas is a children’s book author who loves ancient oak trees and watching thunderstorms from the shelter of a good front porch despite having spent many years navigating the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, gazing at snowscapes in quiet New England towns, carrying baguettes through the streets of Paris, and trying to spot dolphins off Florida’s First Coast. Luckily she and her family have returned to New Orleans where there are oak trees, thunderstorms, and porches aplenty. Downside: her children beg for beignets daily.

When I received books from Plum Street Press, I was pleasantly surprised. Three were the size of coloring books with covers that looked just as inviting. I was even more surprised when I opened them to find they are adventures with a young man who can walk across continents, through oceans, and into outer space.

Verlyn Tarlton has created a wonderful little character, Swift Walker, who takes [image error]adventures throughout the world and into the solar system as well. In his Continental Journey, he discovers the Sahara Desert, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti and the Nile River. His response is “Amazing, huh?” and I agree because Ms. Tarlton has included information about these places about the terrain, locations of interest, and the plant and animal life that dwells within each continent as well. At the end of Swift Walker A Continental Journey, she takes the time to give us additional information on each of the seven continents.

In Swift Walker A Journey Around the Oceans, this quick young man utilizes his map skills [image error]as he skirts the oceans he is discovering bits of information about the plants and animals that inhabit the areas. Verlyn Tarlton included information at the back as well that answered several questions I had about the “Southern Ocean” that she added in Swift’s journey.

In Swift Walker A Space Adventure,  Swift is “walking over the trees, straight over the clouds, and right into outer space!” As he [image error]jumps and flies through outer space, he visits each planet beginning with Mercury and discovers the properties of each as he travels throughout the solar system. As in her other books, she includes additional information at the back of the book that adds the academic spin that is a mainstay throughout all three books.

As a retired teacher, I was so pleased to see the research invested in each of these books. Verlyn Tarlton has given a great deal of thought into writing them and combined this with the kid-friendly illustrations of Norma Andriani Eka Putri and Alejandro Chamberlain. 

I would highly recommend these books to be used in the classroom to introduce and reinforce science and social studies concepts. Just as an additional plus, there is a World Geography Coloring book as well available through Amazon.com 

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Norma+Andriani+Eka+Putri&search-alias=books&field-author=Norma+Andriani+Eka+Putri&sort=relevancerank

and Barnes and Noble.com

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Verlyn%20Tarlton%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matcha

[image error]Verlyn Tarlton, a native Washingtonian, is a mother, wife, speaker, and author. She got her love of reading and writing from her late grandfather, Ethelbert W. Haskins, who was a university professor in Washington, DC. She has always been passionate about reading, writing, and teaching. She especially wants to pass on her love of reading and adventure to young children and encourage them to dream BIG!

[image error]

As a retired teacher, I am always on the lookout for books that will bring something beneficial to the classroom. Eugenia Chu’s wrote this wonderful book for her son when she could not find children’s books utilizing the Chinese language. I, for one, am so glad she created this little gem!

It begins when Brandon is surprised by a visit from his grandmother from China who invites him to make a wonderful treat, Jiao Zi, a type of dumpling. That is not all he learns that afternoon. He learns how to count to ten in Chinese, how to say thank you, and the repercussions of cause and effect as he eats most of the Jiao Zi himself.

The artwork is child-friendly and endearing as we see Brandon’s family come together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for use within the classroom to accompany a unit on China. A wonderful addition to Multicultural Children’s Book Day! I am looking forward to a series!

[image error]Eugenia Chu is an attorney, turned stay-at-home mom, turned writer.  She is a first-generation Chinese-American citizen and lives in Miami Beach with her husband and son, Brandon, who is the inspiration for her stories.  When Brandon was very little, the author couldn’t find children’s storybooks to read to him which touched upon Chinese culture and which included some Chinese (Mandarin) words to teach and/or reinforce his Chinese vocabulary, so she started writing her own.  This is the first “Brandon” story. 

Nittak Hullo Chito Na Yukpa is the way to say Merry Christmas in Choctaw. It is pronounced: nit-tak hol-loh chi-toh nah yohk-pah http://www.choctawschool.com/media/31736/nittak_hullo_chito_na_yukpa.mp3

Each word has its own meaning:

nittak (nit-tak) = day

hullo (hol-loh) = holy

chito (chi-toh) = big

na yukpa = happy

In other words, Happy Big Holy Day! If you would like to learn more, check out their website:  http://www.choctawschool.com/

That is how they say Merry Christmas, but how do they celebrate? Actually, Choctaw People did not celebrate Christmas before they were introduced to Christianity in the 1800’s. This is when these beliefs were shared by the missionaries like Cyrus Byington who helped to develop the first Choctaw written language. When the children returned from the boarding schools, they brought Christian beliefs with them including the story of the birth of Christ. That is when the Christmas celebrations began.

When most families celebrate Christmas, three things are involved, food, family, and fun. This is true of Choctaw people as well who get together to celebrate this ‘holy day.’ They join with family and amid teasing and laughter begin by eating favorite dishes. One of these is fry bread, a staple for any meal made of flattened bread dough fried in oil. 

[image error]

Fry Bread

2 c. flour                                                                                                                      

1 tsp. salt                                             

3 tsp. baking powder                           

1 c. milk

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together. Add milk or water and stir to make a stiff dough. Turn into the well-floured board and pat down to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into squares with a slit down the middle. You can make these any size you want. For Indian Tacos, you get a ball and roll it out to about 7 or 8 inches. It should be big enough to nearly cover a plate. Serve hot with syrup, honey, etc. as a snack.

They also have specialties including Tanchi Laoma, a hominy dish that is served up warm and delicious.

Tanchi Lanona

2 c. grit hominy

2 or 3 qts. water

3 lbs. pork backbone

salt to taste

Have the water in the pot ready. Wash your hominy before cooking. Put in pot and cook until half done, then put in the backbone. Cook it together until it gets done. Salt to taste. Stir it frequently.

Like most families, they also have turkey, ham, and potatoes. After a meal, gifts are presented with the best of all being shared by the elders who tell stories of long ago. This is their gift to the family. The families also enjoy singing as part of the celebration as seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW5Rm10shRA

There are many versions of The Night before Christmas, but A Native American Night before Christmas by Garry Robinson has to be one of my favorites! With its tale of Big Redshirt and Chokecherries, I’m sure it will become one of yours too. https://youtu.be/z6YLOXXj8a0

[image error]

Yakoke! (Thank you) my friends and Nittak Hullo Chito Na Yukpa to all.

Becky Villareal is the author of Halito Gianna: The Journey Continues available on Amazon http://amzn.to/2zpxrpO

Thank you, Mr. Joe Wolf, with the Choctaw Nation who helped me with this article.