I had four new titles published this year. I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunity to illustrate these very different books. The first was the fourth in the "Memoir" books, Memoirs of a Parrot by Devin Scillian (Sleeping Bear Press).
This book was expensive. I don't mean the purchase price... but the story is about a guy who buys a parrot and plays a ukulele. So, I
needed to buy a ukulele. That was the expensive part.
Plus, I was also inspired by another ukulele strummer,
Emily Arrow. She visited a nearby school and I sat in on her excellent presentation. Great music...
with a ukulele named "Bow".
Oh well, I could have purchased an African grey parrot. That would have been even more expensive.
My second book of 2016 was
Rappy Goes to School by
Dan Gutman (HarperCollins). No, I didn't buy a dinosaur for this one. They are way too messy... and hard to house train.
The third title for 2016 was
Buddy's Bedtime Battery by
Christina Geist (Random House). A cute story of getting a child to slow down for bedtime. "Beep!"
Then, dancing to the fourth book of 2016 is
Footloose by
Kenny Loggins (Moondance Press). Kenny Loggins (with Dean Pitchford) re-wrote the iconic song to become a kid's dance tune. A story about two children who discover that zookeeper "Jack" and the zoo animals wait until the sun goes down, then
put on their dancin' shoes.
So, there you have it. With Christmas just around the corner, I can think of four really nice gifts for that special child in your life. I'll be closing out the year, wearing my dancin' shoes and strummin' my ukulele. This is November (turkey month) and I definitely have a lot to be thankful for.
That's all for now. I need to practice my ukulele.
A big box of shiny new books landed on my doorstep. Memoirs of a Parrot is the fourth "memoir" book, written by the very talented Devin Scillian and published by Sleeping Bear Press.
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| "Yay, new books!" |
When I read that a parrot would be the main character, I had to choose an African Grey parrot. I have fond childhood memories of my grandpa and his African Grey, named
Chico. I chose a Hyacinth Macaw as the other parrot in the story. Mostly because of the color. I live in Ohio and Devin Scillian lives in Michigan, so it just made sense to use Ohio State (scarlet and grey) and Michigan colors (maze and blue). Plus, my wife's family is from the state up north (we're a "blended" family).
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| A drawing that I did in High School of my grandpa and his parrot, Chico. |
Also, the main character (human) in the story plays a ukulele. I said, "hmmm, I need to get a ukulele (as reference) and begin my career as a ukulele rock star". Then I met Emily Arrow, a true ukulele rock star, so I bought one. Now I need to start practicing my ukulele
licks.
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| "Hey, I think that I need a ukulele." |
Anyway, you must take a look at
Memoirs of a Parrot. It's got parrots, ukulele players and a very funny story.
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| End papers from Memoirs of a Parrot. |
Thank you, Heather Hughes, Felicia Macheske and Sleeping Bear Press.
Now, back to the drawing board. -Tim
This is amazing good news. Great news, in fact. I’m happy and proud to say that my book, Bystander, is included on the ballot for the 2012 New York State Reading Association Charlotte Award.
To learn more about the award, and to download a ballot or bookmark, please click here.
The voting is broken down into four categories and includes forty books. Bystander is in the “Grades 6-8/Middle School” category. Really, it’s staggering. There are ten books in this category out of literally an infinity of titles published each year. You do the math, people.
For more background stories on Bystander — that cool inside info you can only find on the interwebs! — please click here (bully memory) and here (my brother John) and here (Nixon’s dog, Checkers) and here (the tyranny of silence).
Below please find all the books on the ballot — congratulations, authors & illustrators! I’m honored to be in your company.
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GRADES pre K-2/PRIMARY
Bubble Trouble . . . Margaret Mahy/Polly Dunbar
City Dog, Country Frog . . . Mo Willems/Jon J Muth
Clever Jack Takes the Cake . . . Candace Fleming/G. Brian Karas
Lousy Rotten Stinkin’ Grapes . . . Margie Palatini/Barry Moser
Memoirs of a Goldfish . . . Devin Scillian/Tim Bower
Otis . . . Loren LongStars Above Us . . . Geoffrey Norman/E.B. Lewis
That Cat Can’t Stay . . . Thad Krasnesky/David Parkins
Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! . . . April Pulley Sayre/Annie Patterson
We Planted a Tree . . . Diane Muldrow/Bob Staake
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GRADES 3-5/INTERMEDIATE
The Can Man . . . Laura E. Williams/Craig Orback L
Emily’s Fortune . . . Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Family Reminders . . .
What better way to celebrate Black History Month AND Non-Fiction Monday than by hosting a giveaway? Details on how to enter are below.
D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet by Nancy I. Sanders and illustrator E.B. Lewis
Part of the now famous and much loved Sleeping Bear Press Alphabet series, this one is a fantastic overview of different events and people in history for both young children and older kids.
Each letter represents a person/place/event/etc. and is explained with a short rhyme. On the sidebars, more detail and facts are given, expanding knowledge on the topic featured on that page. The rhymes are great for the young kiddos, the sidebars perfect for references for projects or the opening up of discussion of a particular subject.
I'm always impressed with these alphabet books, but this one is really exceptional. The illustrations are beautiful and the information is vast for such a small book. I learned about Malcolm X, Tuskegee Airmen, the March on Washington, quilts, and so much more.
Great for classrooms or home shelves. And you should really head to the library and check out the entire series...there are tons of these books and all of them are well planned, written nicely, and incredibly educational.
D is for Drinking Gourd: An African American Alphabet
Nancy I. Sanders
32 pages
Non-Fiction Picture Book
Sleeping Bear Press
9781585362936
September 2007
Review copy received from publisher
Pappy's Handkerchief by Devin Scillian and illustrator Chris Ellison
This one is from another of Sleeping Bear Press's awesome series, Tales of Young Americans. Moses and his family, fish mongers from Baltimore in 1889, decide to make the long journey to Oklahoma where rumor has it there's free farmland.
Ice storms, sickness, floods, and other difficulties hammer the family as they make their way, but they're determined to be able to finally have their own farm. Once they arrive, however, the family isn't so sure the rumors they heard were true.
An adventure story for sure! The author's note explains that this particular book is not about any one family, but is a "medley of the struggles and experiences of thousands of families who journeyed west to live as pioneers on the prairie." Inspirational and educational. So even if it's not true "non-fiction" it is certainly based on real facts and events in history.
Great for units on westward expansion and blacks in history. I personally never knew that black families were pioneers as well....so even I learned something!
Pappy's Handkerchief
Devin Scillian
37 pages
Picture Book
Sleeping Bear Press
978
I love the Sleeping Bear Press Alphabet books. Thanks for reviewing and offering the giveaway. I tweeted about the giveaway and I follow your blog. My twitter name is bridgetrwilson.
I'd love a copy of either book, but especially Pappy's Handkerchief which our local libraries don't have. I'm a follower of your blog, and love your new design! I will also tweet about your giveaway (@MaryAnnScheuer). Thanks!
Nice giveaway.
Sleeping Bear Press is my absolute favorite! Honestly, it never fails that I will finish reading a picture book to my children, comment on what a fabulous book it is and only then notice it's Sleeping Bear Press! I have subscribed to your blog for about 18 months now; love the new look.
count me in for the giveaway!
Please enter me. (I'm a follower too.)