The Oregon Kids: Runaway Whiskers

Richley, B. (2017). The Oregon Kids, Volume 2: Runaway Whiskers. Self-published.

Children's Book / Illustrated / Life Lessons / K-3

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4 out of 5 Stars
Blurb: In Runaway Whiskers, the values of honesty and responsibility are exemplified. Autumn finds a pet rabbit and is reluctant to return it. Will she be honest and return in? Johanna is the owner of the rabbit, Whiskers. It was her responsibility to care for the rabbit and close the cage door. When Whiskers runs away because the cage was left open, she is heartbroken.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: With The Oregon Kids: Runaway Whiskers, Bob Richley has given kids, parents, and caregivers another great story that delivers excellent lessons including the Golden Rule of treating others as you'd like to be treated. Just as in The Big Catch, volume one of the Oregon Kids series, in this second volume, siblings Billy and Autumn return to show readers sympathy and empathy illustrated through theirs and the new characters' behaviors. Even better, readers are shown responsible solutions to the problems at hand. 

In addition to the great writing and editing, one of the things I love about Runaway Whiskers is that the glass is shown half full -- it's optimistic! Yes, there are some sad parts, but it's overwhelmingly positive and shows unexpected perks of acting responsibly. It does cross into a parenting nightmare zone by implying that by doing the right thing, Autumn is rewarded with her dream coming true and her getting a pet rabbit -- YIKES. This underscores the importance of why parents and caregivers should read books together, so these kinds of situations can be talked about and addressed on the spot, and kids can be reminded that sometimes doing the right thing is a reward unto itself.

Illustrator Hilbert Bermejo is back and provides crisp and clean lined illustrations to carry the book along. The strongest point of the illustrations is the expressions he puts on the characters' faces - readers will get all the feels. The cover really draws-in readers and the pages will keep them engaged. And I LOVE the new larger, 8"x 10" format that will be easy to locate when kids want to re-read the story. (And they WILL want to re-read the story!)

New larger 8x10 format on the left!

I shared both books with a younger reader, and he observed that it appeared that Billy's eyes had changed from the first volume to the second. (My young friend is half-Korean, and he thought that in The Big Catch, Billy looked like he may have been Asian, too.) I don't know if this was an intended change in the art or not, but kids like to be able to see themselves in the stories they read, and my friend felt disappointed by the change in book two. Adding in (or keeping) diverse characters would be a great way to have these stories make a connection with more readers. 

The Oregon Kids books are great, bite-sized stories that are both educational and enjoyable for all. I look forward to more books and life lessons coming in the series. Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BOB RICHLEY grew up in the Chicago area and now lives in beautiful Colorado. Growing up Richley would often go camping in the Rocky Mountains. It was these childhood camping trips and especially his visit to Crater Lake in Oregon that was the inspiration for events in the Oregon Kids series. Richley is a parent, who has volunteered for years in children’s ministry. Teaching children good values and the grace of God are his passions. His stories, originally written for a single mom to help her raise her children, are a way to fulfill this passion. Richley has always loved children, wanting all children to be raised with love and grace. It is his hope that his stories will be one of many tools that parents will use to teach and to raise their children with Godly values.

  
Connect with Bob on his  AUTHOR PAGE, where you'll find Oregon Kids coloring pages and all of Bob's social media links!  

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The Oregon Kids: The Big Catch

Richley, B. (2017). The Oregon Kids: The Big Catch. Self-published.

Children's Book / Illustrated / Life Lessons / K-3

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Blurb: Reading with your child builds intimacy with your child and a love for reading. It could be a great time to discuss moral character and values. 
In The Big Catch, the value of being selfless and giving to others is exemplified. Billy and Autumn are brother and sister. At the beginning of the story, Billy is selfish and prideful. He sees his sister as a bother and burden. All that concerns him is fishing and catching the biggest fish. At the end, however, Billy shows compassion for his sister, Autumn, allowing her to catch the biggest fish. The Big Catch is meant to be read with your child. It gives parents an opportunity to discuss Billy's character and presents a good example for teaching values of giving, being selfless, and sacrificing. 

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Check out the book trailer!

CLICK HERE FOR FREE COLORING PAGES!

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: At just twenty-two pages, The Oregon Kids: The Big Catch is the perfect length to keep young readers engaged.  Author Bob Richley gives readers a well-designed and well-written story with plenty of talking points for adults and children to share as they read together.

Readers will likely recognize themselves when they’ve been frustrated, impatient, self-centered, or clumsy like main character Billy in The Oregon Kids. Children with siblings (or cousins or playmates) will relate to either having the tag-along younger sibling or being that tag-along younger sibling who just wants to belong.  The importance of empathy and sympathy comes about in a natural way, showing readers how good it feels to make someone else happy.

The illustrations are crisp and simple, yet when it’s important that a certain emotion is being conveyed, the expressions on the characters’ faces speak volumes. The illustrator, Hilbert Bermejo, uses a colorful but somewhat muted palette that is pleasing but not distracting.  The layout is designed well with plenty of white space to make the pages less intimidating to young readers, but I would have preferred a larger and/or bolder font.

The Oregon Kids: The Big Catch is a promising start to a new series that offers quick, bite sized lessons on values and virtues. I look forward to the next book, The Oregon Kids: Runaway Whiskers (currently being illustrated). Click here for a preview!

Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BOB RICHLEY grew up in the Chicago area and now lives in beautiful Colorado. Growing up Richley would often go camping in the Rocky Mountains. It was these childhood camping trips and especially his visit to Crater Lake in Oregon that was the inspiration for events in the Oregon Kids series. Richley is a parent, who has volunteered for years in children’s ministry. Teaching children good values and the grace of God are his passions. His stories, originally written for a single mom to help her raise her children, are a way to fulfill this passion. Richley has always loved children, wanting all children to be raised with love and grace. It is his hope that his stories will be one of many tools that parents will use to teach and to raise their children with Godly values.

  
Connect with Bob on his  AUTHOR PAGE     

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Hitchin' Post ~ ~ ~ Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway!

HITCHIN’ POST

by

Julie Barker

  Genre: Children's Picture Book / Rhyming / K-3

Publisher: LifeRich Publishing

Date of Publication: July 14, 2016

Number of Pages: 46

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Hard work and the cowboy life on the 6Bs Ranch is nothing new to old jackrabbit Hitchin’ Post.  Hitchin’ Post is a picture book written in rhyme describing old Hitch’s life on the 6Bs Ranch and his journey in finding what it truly means to be thankful.  His beloved ranch goes through a terrible drought, but Hitch decides that despite challenges, there is always something to be thankful for. He discovers that it is relationships with his friends and his beloved ranch that makes him feel rich. 

PRAISE FOR HITCHIN' POST:

**2017 North Texas Book Festival Honorable Mention award*

Wonderfully told with beautiful, rustic illustrations. -- Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Readers' Favorite 

I can't wait to share this book with my granddaughters! –- Amy, Goodreads Review

Hitchin' Post is the most adorable story with the best illustrations! We love, love, love it!!! – Cory, Amazon Verified Customer

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON   WEBSITE   BARNES & NOBLE

Check out this preview of the book!

HALL WAYS REVIEW:  

"God must be a cowboy too!"

Through the eyes of a jackrabbit named Hitchin’ Post, author Julie Barker shares the full year cycle of the ranching and cowboy life. From showing the effects of a drought to the pump jacks that dot the 6Bs ranch’s landscape, the story covers a lot of territory with good ol’ Hitch narrating it all.

The common thread in every aspect of Hitchin’ Post is that the real riches in life are not monetary. Barker uses a loose rhyming format that has a nice cadence to it when read aloud, but I did have to re-read some of the lines to get the right rhythm, as it varied from page to page. Hitch’s gratitude for the life he lives shows not only in the words spoken, but in the perspectives of the delightful illustrations by Carolyn Altman (who is the author’s mother). Rich colors and textures are found on every page, which will keep children engaged and studying the pictures as much as they will hang on the words.

The writing is lovely and the book is cleanly edited (though the covers have an error or two that could use fixin’). And speaking of fixin’ -- the words Barker uses really help readers to hear Hitch’s voice and are perfect for a cowboy and the cowboy life.  I like that everything in this cowboy story turns out well and that bigger, scarier things that can happen on ranches aren’t addressed.

Kids will love this peek into the cowboy and ranching life, and they will love the thoughtful jackrabbit cowboy, Hitchin’ Post. Happily, the next book is already in the works so readers won’t have to wait long for more of old Hitch.

Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and the author for providing me a beautiful print copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.

 

Julie Barker was born and raised in west Texas, and currently resides in Quanah, Texas, with her husband and three children.  She maintained her west Texas roots into college when she attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock, receiving a degree in social work.  Julie has grown up surrounded by the ranching heritage, and felt drawn to share this way of life through the adventures of the little cowboy jackrabbit, Hitchin’ Post.  Hitchin’ Post marks Julie’s debut into the world of children’s literature.  She was fortunate to have her mother, artist Carolyn Altman, provide the cute, whimsical illustrations of old Hitch and the 6Bs, making this project extra special.

WEBSITE    FACEBOOK    GOODREADS

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Grand Prize:

1^st Place Winner receives an eBook AND a Signed Print Copy

4 Runners-Up each have a choice of eBook OR Signed Print Copy

June 26-July 6, 2017

(U.S. Only)

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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

6/26	Review	Hall Ways Blog
6/27	Sneak Peek	The Librarian Talks
6/28	Excerpt	Reading by Moonlight
6/29	Review	Missus Gonzo
6/30	Character Interview	CGB Blog Tours
7/1	Scrapbook Page	My Book Fix Blog
7/2	Promo	Momma on the Rocks
7/3	Review	The Page Unbound
7/4	Cover Reveal	Forgotten Winds
7/5	Review	Books and Broomsticks

   

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