Yazzy's Amazing Yarn ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo, Book Trailer, & Giveaway!

YAZZY'S AMAZING YARN

by

CATHEY GRAHAM NICKELL
Illustrated by Emily Calimlim

  Genre: Children's Picture Book, Ages 4-8 

Publisher: Twenty-Eight Creative

Date of Publication: August 1, 2019

Number of Pages: 32

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Yazzy is a creative girl, always sketching out her next adventure. She loves yarn, and she loves to knit! Her neighborhood park is dull and rusty, but Yazzy has a grand plan. 

With a little help from her friends, Yazzy’s knitted wonders transform Penny Park into a fuzzy rainbow of warmth and color. What yarn-tastic idea will Yazzy think of next? 

The book includes a “History of Yarn Bombing” page for readers who are not familiar with this creative and whimsical type of art.

“As a teacher, it's refreshing to find a book that exposes children to an alternative art form. I'm inspired by Yazzy's story, and I know my students will be, too.” -- Deborah Horwitz, Art Teacher, The Emery/Weiner School, Houston, Texas.

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Cathey Nickell is a busy author and elementary school speaker, having presented at more than seventy schools to date. Yazzy’s Amazing Yarn is her second children’s book about creativity and outside-the-box artistic endeavors. She is also the author of Arthur Zarr’s Amazing Art Car, which was awarded first place by the Texas Association of Authors in the category of Children’s Picture Books-All Ages. Cathey lives with her husband, Kevin, in Houston, where they raised their four children.

WEBSITE  ✦  FACEBOOK  ✦  TWITTER
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AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Emily Calimlim, while not a knitting whiz herself, loves creating art with humorous and lively watercolor pictures for children. She lives in Houston with her fiancé, George, and silly studio bird, Simon. Emily spends her days capturing her ideas and imagination with paint and pencil.

WEBSITE  ✦  FACEBOOK 

TWITTER ✦  INSTAGRAM 

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THREE AUTOGRAPHED COPIES OF YAZZY'S AMAZING YARN

August 27-September 6, 2019

(US ONLY)

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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

8/27/19	Top Ten List	Sybrina's Book Blog
		Sybrina's Book Blog
8/27/19	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
8/28/19	Review	That's What She's Reading
8/29/19	Review	Sydney Young, Stories
8/30/19	Sneak Peek & BONUS Review	The Page Unbound
8/31/19	Deleted Scene	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
9/1/19	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
9/2/19	Excerpt	Books and Broomsticks
9/3/19	Sneak Peek & BONUS Review	Rainy Days with Amanda
9/4/19	Review	All the Ups and Downs
9/5/19	Review	Missus Gonzo

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Ronaldo: The Reindeer Flying Academy (Book 1)

Sylvester, M. (2015). Ronaldo: The Flying Reindeer Academy, Book 1. 



Children's Illustrated Chapter Book / Fantasy


I give this book 4.5/5 Stars

About the book:  Ronaldo is the top flying cadet at the prestigious Reindeer Flying Academy. He dreams of getting his flying license and becoming one of Santa's reindeer, just like his hero, Vixen.

In the first adventure in the Ronaldo series, the second year flying cadets face their toughest ever flying test – The Endurance Challenge. Will Ronaldo be victorious and lift the silver cup? Or will mean brothers Dasher, Comet and Prancer ruin his chance for success?

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Check out Ronaldo's website for the Children's Play Zone with fun activities like drawing, coloring, jokes, magic tricks, puzzles,brain teasers, and even cooking!

WEBSITE

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: Ronaldo: The Flying Reindeer Academy is a terrific chapter book! I finished reading, looked at my husband, and said, "That was super freakin' cute!" Plus something about those reindeer illustrations absolutely tickled me. I laughed and laughed, and of course, I had to show the pictures around, too.

There's a perfect sprinkling of (did I mention HILARIOUS?) illustrations to provide a break for both reluctant readers and strong independent readers. The illustrations are colorful, clear, and detailed enough to stop and study them -- but readers won't want to stop for long because following Ronaldo's escapades is a blast.  I am so impressed that the author, Maxine Sylvester, is also the illustrator. Such talent!

The messages from reindeer parents to son hold true for humans, too. Cleanliness, hygiene, eating right, courtesy -- all are great messages for young readers. The main message of "Imagine! See it, feel it, believe it," is good advice about having and reaching goals. And there's likely to be some giggling, too, like when Ronaldo's grandad comments on the importance of polishing one's antlers because "no doe could resist a good pair of antlers."

There is plenty of humor in the words and actions (and illustrations) -- including scatological humor – always reliable for kid laughs -- and quirky characters. I loved that grandpa reindeer had "recently retired due to a hip injury caused by years of salsa dancing and, in desperate need of a hobby, chose knitting."

Other characters are entertaining too, like the ever-blushing Rudy, and the highest-ranking officer at the Reindeer Flying Academy, Commander Blitsen, who is female and a bit of a mess, but at least she can laugh at herself.  I did feel that it was a bit of a missed opportunity with Blitsen (as a female in a power position), but hopefully she will be less bumbling and more commanding in the next book in the series. Also, I will be interested to see how the bullying issues are addressed in future books – there was a convenient, but only temporary, solution in The Flying Reindeer Academy.

Other than a few errors that need cleaning up to make it top-notch (run-ons and comma errors), the book was an absolute delight to read, and I would highly recommend it for young chapter book readers.  I am looking forward to the next two installments (The Phantom Carrot Snatcher and Rudi’s Birthday Extravaganza are both already out) and would love to see these books come available in print format. Thank you to the author for providing a digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give. 

About the author, by the author:  I was born in Hounslow, Middlesex in the south of England. As a child, I loved drawing and took private art classes with a beautiful teacher called, Pearl Lee. She had an abundance of Disney magazines, and I would paint the characters on wood, card, canvas or anything else I was allowed to use, including walls. 

After Sixth Form College, I intended to go to art school, but my travel bug got the better of me, and I chose to work as a holiday representative in Greece instead. This was followed by seven years working on cruise ships, two years in Israel and Palestine, and six years in Russia and Armenia. Although I lapped up the different cultures, I found my work over the years very unfulfilling. I decided to dig out my Caran d’Arche pencils, and do something about it!

I enrolled in The College of Cartoon Art and was mentored by the renowned caricaturist, Steve Chadburn. I created a character called Ronaldo and decided to write a short story about him. Before I knew it, my head was spinning with ideas and the first book, The Reindeer Flying Academy, went from a small picture book into a fully blown chapter book … but more importantly, I loved every minute of the writing and illustrating process.

Nowadays, I live in Bali, Indonesia, with my amazing partner, Mark (Bristol born and bred).  I am still a self-confessed Disney geek and get excited as a five-year-old whenever a new Disney animated film comes out. I love the Disney theme parks and have visited Orlando, Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo – California and Shanghai are next on my bucket list.

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RELATED:

Ronaldo, Book 2

Ronaldo, Book 3

 

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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Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life

Dean, K. and Dean, J. (2015). Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life: tips from a cool cat for living an awesome life. NY: Harper Collins.

Children's Picture Book / Life Lessons (good for all ages)

I gave this book 5 out of 5 Stars

Publisher's Blurb:  Everyone's favorite cat shares a collection of his favorite inspirational and feel-good quotes in Pete the Cat's Groovy Guide to Life. Pete's glass-half-full outlook on life shines through as he adds his fun take on well-known classics attributed to luminaries from Albert Einstein to Confucius to Abraham Lincoln to Shakespeare and more! Fans of Pete the Cat will delight in this amusing look at quotes that are accompanied by Pete's witty responses and Pete illustrations by New York Times bestselling artist James Dean.

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Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. 

-- Confucius

Keep it simple. Chill out. 

-- Pete

HALL WAYS REVIEW: Anyone who loves Pete the Cat will love this book. For those who aren't familiar with Pete and his stories, this book takes a different direction from the norm and pairs famous quotes with Pete's interpretations and of course, the wonderful colorful and fun illustrations that always accompany a Pete the Cat story.  

The book is recommended for ages 4 to 8, but I see applications well beyond that age range. Quite honestly, that age range may be the least likely audience.  I plan on buying several copies for recent high school and college graduates because all of the quotes -- whether from Wayne Gretzky, Shakespeare, or Pete -- are uplifting and good pieces of advice to live by.  I can also see teachers and librarians using the book in lessons to all ages of students. 

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. 

-- Plato

With a smile and a little kindness you can make someone's day better. 

-- Pete

I read this book just because I wanted to, and my honest review is given with no strings attached. Thank you to Back of Beyond Books in Moab, Utah for having a copy for me to discover!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: In 2004, Kimberly & James Dean sat down at their kitchen table to work on a children's book together. Their dream finally became a reality with the release of Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses. Both left corporate jobs in the late nineties (James was an electrical engineer, Kimberly worked in the press office of the governor of Georgia) to pursue their passion for art, and they have experienced a life made up of strange and wonderful coincidences ever since. Pete the Cat has brought magic into their lives. They work in side-by-side studios in Savannah, sharing their home with five cats and Emma the pug. (image by James Dean from http://www.petethecatbooks.com)

Katy Rose Likes to say NO!

Colón, D. (2015). Katy Rose Likes to Say NO! Self-published.

Children's / Picture / Teachable Moments

I gave this book 5 of 5 Stars


Book Blurb: Katy Rose Likes to Say No! is about a child, like most, who is just learning to assert her independence and discovering her power over others, simply by saying “no.” She finds, however, that defying her parents and being rude to her friend only make herself feel bad. Katy Rose eventually discovers that cooperation and kindness make others happy which, in turn, gives her joy. 

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: This small book provides much-needed teachable moments for the child who says "No!" The lay-out and presentation is simple, with just the right balance of text on the page. The story is told through rhyming lines, so this is an excellent book for a read-aloud to even the youngest of listeners.

The illustrations -- all created from the same set of 127 randomly cut paper scraps rearranged to make each new picture -- are clever and amazingly expressive. The art will likely inspire kids (and parents) to get creative and make their own scrap-art illustrations while having great conversations about alternatives to always saying "No!" Fortunately, the author has included instructions at the conclusion of the story so that parents and kids can do their own fun cut-paper art activity together.

I recommend this book for preschoolers up through kindergartners. Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Delin Colón was born in New Jersey and has lived in Maryland, D.C., Florida, California (northern and southern), Montreal and Washington state.  Her undergraduate work was in French, with a minor in Social Psychology, and her graduate work was in Clinical Psychology.  Among many other things (such as working in psychiatric hospitals), she has been a technical writer for Sociological Abstracts, a researcher, and owner of a construction company.

Delin has always enjoyed writing but seems to have a special affinity for research and non-fiction.  She also enjoys creating minimalistic collage art. Delin lives quietly in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, a fine art photographer. In addition to Katy Rose, Delin has written two non-fiction books: Rasputin and the Jews: A Reversal of History and Rasputin: The Memoirs of His Secretary by Aron Simanovitch (translated, edited, and annotated by Delin Colón.To learn more about these books, go to her website.

Connect With the Author

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