Tag Archives: nature

Mar24

Interview with Ronald J. Fontenot

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Spring is almost here, and this is a great time to be inspiring your young ones and/or students into exploring their world and nature. I think I’ve found a fabulous book that can do both.

Meet Ronald J. Fontenot. He’s an artist/writer that enjoys creating beautiful and humorous children’s books. He’s written and illustrated “Sometimes the Beach”, a wonderful book that helps a child explore their feelings and connections with nature. He’s also written books under the name of Scott C. Johnson. I had a chance to talk with Ron about his favorite memories of reading as a child, future projects and what writing means to him.

  • What is your favorite reading memory as a child?

Ronald J. Fontenot: My favorite memory from reading as a child was both looking at the colorful pictures and learning a fun story. As an artist, I have always been very visual, and that remains true today. So, books with fun illustrations have always had a special place in my heart.

  • What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Ronald J. Fontenot: For future projects, I have a book in mind titled “A Dog for Douglas”. It is about a boy named Douglas getting his first puppy and how it changes his world.

  • What is writing to you in one sentence?

Ronald J. Fontenot: Writing is sharing, in my opinion.

Book Blurb:

Sometimes the Beach is a three board book set centered around a boy and his experiences at the beach. There is Morning Beach, Sunny Beach, Cloudy Beach, Stormy Beach, Sunset Beach and Moonlit Beach. Each beach book provides its own feelings, activities, environment, and emotions as seen through the eyes of a young boy.

To the child, the beach provides unique experiences that captivate his emotions and give him a deep love for the beach. It is as if he is visiting a friend. This book is a great way to help a child relate with their emotions and connect with their environment. This set of board books is recommended for children 1 to 5 years old.

“Sometimes the Beach” is available at sometimesthebeach.com.

For more information on Ronald J. Fontenot, please visit his website/author page here.

Link to Read-Aloud of “Sometimes the Beach” by Ronald J. Fontenot on YOUTUBE.

Dec5

Interview with Justin Ogden

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With the season changing from fall to winter, we can recognize the huge amount of changes our families, schools and communities have gone through this year. As well, a great way to settle into the change of seasons and welcome the Holiday season is with a good book. I’ve found another jewel to share with your family or your classroom for this December and through the winter.

“Happy Birthday Winter” is a beautifully illustrated picture book that welcomes the changes of the seasons with descriptive language and thoughtful phrases. The author is Justin Ogden. He is a high school special educator and lives in Colorado. He used his love of the outdoors and writing to create a tale that amplifies beauty and change in the environment around us. I had a chance to talk to Justin about his childhood reading memories, his writing routine, and what writing means to him

  1. What is your favorite reading memory as a child?

Justin Ogden: My favorite reading related memory when I was a child was the first time reading “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak. I remember being captivated as my elementary school librarian read this book to my class. It was truly a wonderful and imaginative piece that I still value today.

2. Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

Justin Ogden: My typical writing routine usually stems from good conversation with friends where I can soundboard ideas. I have a few friends in-particular who are authors themselves. I can, and do, text them with ideas. Once I have had the chance to soundboard ideas, I usually think on one for a week or so before I flesh it out in type. Then, I will wait another week before I go back and edit it. This can happen a few times before I bring the idea to David, my friend and illustrator for Happy Birthday Winter. He is a marvelous friend and wealth of knowledge. If he likes the idea, he will usually tell me, or tell me to think on it a while longer. If he likes it, we proceed to talking about the illustrations, and the piece is well on its way.

3. What is writing to you in one sentence?

Justin Ogden: Writing is story telling for people who will never hear your voice.

“Happy Birthday Winter” is a beautifully illustrated picture book that will bring joy and wonder to the changing of the seasons. The characters journey together in a welcome to winter story as they appreciate the changing of the seasons and the nature that surrounds them. This book is a great gift for children that appreciate nature and families to share in the magic of outdoor sports such as hiking. This is a wonderful way to connect and share a love for nature and the great outdoors.

“Happy Birthday Winter” is available to buy through the author’s website.

Oct23

Interview with Lisa Luttrell

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Lisa Luttrell is the author of the book, “The Little Green Armchair and Tales of Echo Forest”.

As the beautiful colors of fall remind us of the seasons’ changes, I wanted to share a beautiful book that helps you and your child take a moment to admire nature and its beauty. This is a great time to connect with nature to ease the turmoil of the world around us. A book is the perfect catalyst for this.

Lisa Luttrell finds inspiration on her nature walks around her home with her trusty Jack Russell terrier, Scout. With her background as a teacher, she uses her writing skill to connect readers to the nature all around us. I had a chance to talk to Lisa about the inspiration for writing her book, The Little Green Armchair and Tales of Echo Forest. Plus, she shared her writing process and her literary choices for this book. Enjoy.

What was your inspiration behind writing The Little Green Armchair and Tales of Echo Forest?  How long did it take you to write it?

Lisa Luttrell: The Little Green Armchair and Tales of Echo Forest took me less than a week and a half to write. My inspirations behind writing this book were based on my own personal experiences. I indeed took a little green armchair from inside my own home and placed it in our acre side yard for my outdoor cat, Violet, to sleep and sit on in the sun. I rescued a little possum in my driveway one evening and took him to a wildlife rescue center only to discover he was at a juvenile age appropriate to jump from his Mother’s back to start his own life and adventures. Lastly, I rescued a little green stinkbug that had fallen into my cat’s outdoor metal water bowl.

What’s your writing process like/challenges you faced while writing this?

Lisa Luttrell: My writing process entails paper interpretation of animals that I have known or owned and puts them into human-like situations. They come alive on paper as little creatures with human emotions such as love, happiness, kindness, intelligence, sorrow and humorous thought processes. I can honestly say that I did not have any challenges in constructing my text for this little book; my ideas seemed to effortlessly appear on paper.

Why did you choose to write this story in a far more literary form than many children’s books? 

Lisa Luttrell: A volume of printed context tells a story. I consider my writing style vintage in the aspect that this fondly was the way children’s books were composed in my reading generation of the mid-1960’s through the early 1970’s. It is within my comfort zone for me to construct.  I love to work with detailed imagery and create a canvas for others to imagine what my characters might look like, how their voices may sound and how lovely Echo Forest truly is.  I want to create a people/animal connection engaged in adventure, display various emotions, present hardships or conflict that are resolved in a sentimental manner. 

The Little Green Armchair and Tales of Echo Forest is a story collection for children to connect to nature through literature. From the Little Green Armchair that provides the catalyst for a new forest to spring forth, to a picnic with possums in Echo Forest and the adventures of The Thirsty Little Stink Bug, your child will become immersed in the bountiful, lush tales of spring and fall in Echo Forest. Take their minds outside into nature with this short story collection.

The Little Green Armchair and Tales of Echo Forest is available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com.

For more information on Lisa Luttrell, visit her website at: https://www.lingofromlisa.com/.

Mar15

Day 1: Online Novel Study for The Lost Secret of Fairies

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Free novel study to go along with The Lost Secret of Fairies.

Greetings and welcome to Day 1 of the Online Novel Study for my book, The Lost Secret of Fairies. I am posting an online novel study to help and support the parents that are looking for activities for their children at home for the next few weeks because of the pandemic break due to the corona virus. Over the next few weeks, I will be posting activities, questions and online resources that will be offered for FREE to go along with my first book in my children’s fantasy adventure series, The Lost Secret of Fairies. 

I have been an elementary teacher for over 20 years. I’ve taught in the US school system in the state of California for 18 years, and I’m a credentialed teacher. Due to health issues, I had to retire from the classroom, but do work part time now in a local tutoring center, which all has shut down due to my county being a hot spot for corona virus.

So, in the spirit of trying to help with this crisis, I’m putting up some of the novel study unit I developed in the classroom for my book. I taught the unit twice before I became ill, and am happy to offer it now to teachers, parents and others that would like to teach my book, The Lost Secret of Fairies, at home, as a home school project, or in the classroom later when, hopefully, we return to normal.

Here’s the book trailer so your child can get excited about the story. I made it myself, and wrote and play the harp music in the trailer.

To begin with, here are the links to the ebook, The Lost Secret of Fairies. Paperback covers can also be purchased and used for the novel study. I have made the ebook available at a deep discount of only $0.99. Most of my books are available at $1.99 or $2.99 later in the series. So, if your child or students wish to continue in the series, copies for all the books are available online. I always kept additional copies of later books in the series in my classroom library and in the school library so any child could continue if they wish. I self published these books myself over the course of twelve years. So, they are part of my life’s work. So, please understand that I still need to keep them at a reasonable price to recoop some of my costs in editing and publishing them.

**Note: These lessons can also be used if you already have a copy of the book.

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The Lost Secret of Fairies is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Links to The Lost Secret of Fairies:

Reading Level is AR 4.6. Children that are high readers in third and up can read this themselves. Children younger will need it read to them. Recommended for 3rd grade and up.

Ebook Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1425146716

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-secret-of-fairies-tiffany-turner/1019317884

Apple/iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1503006160

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-lost-secret-of-fairies-1

-Paperback edition also available at above Amazon listing.

Paperback Links:

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-secret-of-fairies-tiffany-turner/1019317884

***Note: I am currently publishing an updated edition with new formatting for the ebook editions. When they become available, I will post them in this section.

When you have the book available, you are ready to begin the study. Just download the official journal entry master page to begin. You can print or make copies of this original master to create a journal to keep while your child/student reads the book. The pages can be put in a three ring binder or stapled together to form a journal. You can attach a blank page to create a journal cover, and your child can decorate it.

PDF link to copy of master below:

Journal Entry Form

After the journal is put together and a copy of the book has been achieved, begin the novel study by reading a chapter a day or in sections of 2-3 chapters a day. This will depend on their reading and grade level. I would start with one chapter a day and see how they do with that. If they can handle 1 or 2 a day, change to that.

I will be posting discussion and response question worksheets for 3 chapters at a time. I will also have additional activities to go along with the novel study which will include reading from other blog posts on my blog.

It will be a fun and engaging couple of weeks for any child or student that finds themselves at home due to the corona virus. Or in the future, any child being schooled at home or later for teachers in the classroom to use.

I will also be including links along the way to past activities I have posted, such as my Spooky Story online unit, and to other children’s authors that are making activities and lessons to go along with their books.

Please feel free to post comments and questions below on how the novel study is going for you.

***Please follow my blog to make sure you receive all the info about activities and lesson plan links. Look for the next post with study and response questions with additional activities in the next few days.

UPDATE April 4, 2020:

So folks, to help you out even further, I have managed to find a way to get the ebook for my book, FREE, for a limited time. From now until the end of the month, The Lost Secret of Fairies ebook is FREE. Yes, you heard that right. I’m giving it to you as a gift, along with the entire free online novel study, to help promote reading and learning during these hard times for the world. It is my gift to the world to hopefully help us all get through together. I’m sure fairies are something we all need now, helpful keepers of the Earth.

Link to Smashwords Free Ebook

Offer lasts until May 31, 2020!

Just remember, wash your hands, stay safe, and be kind to everyone because the world needs that right now. Oh, and fairies. We need the fey. So, enjoy, read and write!

Until next time,

Tiffany Turner

 

 

 

 

 

Feb26

Middle Grade Book Review: The Supernatural Pet Sitter (The Rescue)

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SPSCoverjpegMiddle grade novels are my forte. So you can take my word when I find a new one that is awesome. The Supernatural Pet Sitter: The Rescue by Diane Moat is a fun take on a world with gnomes, elves and witches all living together with humans. It’s like the world evolved differently than our own world. I loved it!

Pepper is a gnome that has already had some amazing adventures. In previous books, she has already been helping her world with her best witch friend, Luna. But now, some high school students have gotten trapped in a cave-in. Her whole family and neighbors are activated, as the whole community of elves, gnomes and witches work with the humans to free them. Then, the secret of who is behind all the attacks underground is revealed. TROLLS! Can Pepper work with her friends to defend her family and neighborhood against these ancient foe?

I really like this series. It is filled with characters I would enjoy as a kid: gnomes, witches, and elves. Relating with a gnome as the main character, it’s like playing a mini-Dungeon and Dragons game with Diane Moat as the DM. Add the fact that they are part of a community and trying to help humans and the greater good, I’d recommend this for kids that love fantasy. This book is number three in the series.

***The Supernatural Pet Sitter: The Rescue is available at Amazon.com and is a Kindle Unlimited title.

Jan27

Author Interview and Book Review: Curse of Sap River by Brooklyn West

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curseofsapriverRecently, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with Brooklyn West. She is the author of  the new release, Curse of Sap River, a strange journey into the micro world of bugs and nature with a unique perspective. I got to speak to Ms. West about reading as a child, author’s that influenced her, and upcoming writing projects.

1) What is your favorite memory from reading as a child?

Brooklyn West: The most vivid memory from childhood that I have is reading on the porch.
2) Who was your favorite author and how did they influence you?

Brooklyn West: I liked books that were portholes to another world or time. It could be another planet or century, or the world of a fish or bug. Worlds that you couldn’t visit or experience in real life.
3) Do you have a writing routine? Share what works for you.

Brooklyn West: Whenever I get the chance. Even if you don’t feel like writing something – set a small goal, sit down, and try. The next thing you know ideas are flowing.
4) What subjects would you like to write about in future projects?

Brooklyn West: I have more adventures planned for Libby and her friends in the apple orchard.
5) What is writing to you in one sentence?

Brooklyn West: Writing to me is taking the reader on a journey.

For more information on Brooklyn West, visit her website at: LibbyLacewing.blogspot.com.

 

Book Review of Curse of Sap River:

Curse of Sap River by Brooklyn West is a delightful adventure into the micro-world of bugs from a new perspective. Libby is a lacewing bug, an aphid wrangler, and helps control the aphid population on the Owens Farm. But an especially bad aphid infestation leads to the wrangling adventure of her life. With helpful ladybug sidekick, Libby faces dangers all while trying to round up the invading aphids all while learning that you can’t face the world alone.

This beginning chapter book is a delight into the mind of what it would be like if you were a bug cowboy. Brooklyn West creates a world of home and family fighting against the world in miniature. Children will love the spirit of these characters as they face obstacles that are small to us, but dangerous to them. It’s an enjoyable book to share as a gift or as a class library addition for a beginning reader.

This book is available at Amazon.com and at Createspace.

 

Dec29

Caterpillars Don’t Check Email-A Cutting Edge Epicture Book

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Caterpillars Don't Check Email by Calee M. Lee

Looking for a way to charm the little one over and over? Take a look into this new Epicture Book. Caterpillars Don’t Check Email captures the imagination. It propels you into the world of a caterpillar and a little girl, and what a caterpillar really wants.

A little girl and caterpillar meet. What do they want? Definitely not email, coffee, or a carrot. This picture book leads you to the realm of possibilities, and leaves you with a message you’ll want to share on your Iphone again and again.

The illustrations are photos of the girl and caterpillar on their adventure. The photos capture some classic moments as she tries to please the caterpillar. Attempt after attempt fail. After much trial and error, the girl discovers the final truth of what a caterpillar really wants. You’ll discover the secret too if you read this lovable tale of fascination with nature.

**** 4 Star Rating
Available on Amazon.com