In an effort to understand Children’s Book Authors, their inspirations, their writing process, their needs, their problems,… we reached out to Donna Maguire, author of the Silly Willy Winston series who after close to 40 years in the advertising business Donna left it behind to care for her grand niece and nephew in Nevada some years ago.
Donna believes that the love for reading is more nurture than nature and reads to her grand children often. It was this reading that led her to pursue her life-long passion of writing children’s books. A collection of 4 books and fifth in the making, Donna joined me for my first ever video interview. I’m so exited it turned out so well. :)
In the interview Donna answers my questions about -
- her journey to becoming an author
- her inspirations, her muse, her learnings
- the challenges she has faced and what she did about them
- marketing activities she has done and her learnings
- why she has her own online store for her books & her favourite tools for book marketing
- her plans for the next book launch and the Silly Willy Winston Review Club
You can see all of Donna’s books and read more about her at www.sillywillywinston.com. Also connect with her on Twitter at @DmmSilly and on her Facebook Page.
The OK Book
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
April 24th 2007 by HarperCollins
0061152552 (isbn13: 9780061152559)
3 of 5 stars
Turn "OK" on its side and you've got the stick figure of a kid! Rosenthal's character explores a lot of way that he/she is "okay." The book is better than okay, but not great - a little long, a little overly "precious." Still a great one to get from the library to read to your own kidlings.
Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo by Mercer Mayer
September 7th 2001 (first published 1976) by School Specialty Publishing
157768687X (isbn13: 9781577686873)
4 of 5 stars
a more playful version of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, this book is the story of Professor Wormbog, who can't see things right under his nose. I was a little sensitive to all the animals he kept in cages, but mostly this is a fun romp of a book. Another one to get from the library.
Jamaica Louise James by Amy HestAugust 5th 1996 by Candlewick
Hardcover, 32 pages
1564023486 (isbn13: 9781564023483)
3 of 5 stars
sweet story about a budding NYC artist who lives with her mother and grandmother; too wordy for preschoolers, best for older kids, maybe ages 6 and up
Wombat Walkabout
by Carol Diggory ShieldsMarch 19th 2009 by Dutton Juvenile
Hardcover, 32 pages
0525478655 (isbn13: 9780525478652)
4 of 5 stars
a counting poem chock-full of Australian terms and equally whimsical artwork; for preschoolers and older (there's a dingo who wants to eat the wombats)
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
by John SteptoeMarch 31st 1987 by Amistad
Hardcover, 32 pages
0688040454 (isbn13: 9780688040451)
4 of 5 stars
one of my favorite stories from around 5th grade or so when I fell in love with fairy tales; an excellent gift book for any little girl who's learning what it means to be a princess; unparalleled artwork
Book Bits are mini-mini-reviews of books that I either don't have time or inclination to review fully. However, I have read the entirety of the books I mention. (For the purposes of GRaB, Book Bits counts as one review.)
Earl's Too Cool for Me by
Leah KomaikoMay 1st 2003 (first published 1988) by HarperTrophy
Paperback, 40 pages
0060519142 (isbn13: 9780060519148)
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Earl's got a bicycle made of hay./He takes rides on the Milky Way./Earl's too cool for me.
When I Was Five by Arthur Howard
August 1st 1999 by Voyager Books
Paperback, 40 pages
0152020993 (isbn13: 9780152020996)
rating: 4 of 5 stars
a book in which "tushy" is a bad word; but more than that, a sweet book for a child turning 6
Tops & Bottoms by
Janet StevensMarch 29th 1995 by Harcourt Children's Books
Hardcover, 40 pages
0152928510 (isbn13: 9780152928513)
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
May 1st 1993 (first published 1945) by HarperFestival
Paperback
0590003860 (isbn13: 9780590003865)
rating: 4 of 5 stars
my son has planted a pot of carrot seeds because of this book
Yo! Yes? by
Chris RaschkaJanuary 1st 2007 (first published 1993) by Scholastic Inc.
Paperback, 32 pages
0439921856 (isbn13: 9780439921855)
rating: 3 of 5 stars
fantastic book, wonderful illustrations, nice and simple; three stars because it gets tedious to read over and over and over and over and over Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss
March 1st 1995 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Paperback, 32 pages
0689835248 (isbn13: 9780689835247)
rating: 4 of 5 stars
one of our favorites about a ten-piece orchestra; the writing's as musical as the instruments that are featured
"The STRINGS all soar, the REEDS implore, / The BRASSES roar with notes galore. / It's music that we all adore. / It's what we go to concerts for."
“Indescribable”
So you wanted another message from Ida, yeah?
There is no need to parade your problems
An image of Virgin Mary had been seen there
Can you imagine that you are healthy?
Answer the telephone
This one comes exclusively from the spam found in Jane’s inbox this morning.
Prepare Yourself for This
Summer is almost here, be ready
Become fit and happy again
Become immune to the passage of time!
Be exhumation, it shameful
Hmm might be helpful to me
Could I Be Wrong?
IT HAS HAPPENED!
I see you're getting a handle on your reviews. =) I had the same feelings about OK.This book isn't Rosenthal's best but she's still a great author.
What an adorable collection. Thanks for sharing.
Hooray for reviews posted. *tap tap* Um, do you have a Vino flash-fic yet? The Boss and I are very interested.
Oh NO! I mistyped the address. But you know who the Boss is.
The Wombat Walkabout looks like fun and the illustrations for Mufaro look incredible if the cover's any indication. thanks!