Gratitude and Thanksgiving

Today, it is more important than ever to find something to be grateful for. With all the chaos going on in the world, it can be easy to lose sight of that. Gratitude can help ground you and give you a sense of peace and appreciation. 

What are you grateful for today? With Thanksgiving coming up, it made me reflect on how lucky I am to have family to celebrate with. Not everyone has that. I am also thankful for my health, home, friends, and basic needs taken care of.

Being an author, I am thankful for the gift of self-publishing/independent publishers, social media, local libraries, bookstores, and all of those who generously support and share my work. I would certainly not have had these opportunities 10 or 20 years ago!

What are you thankful for? For those of you who are authors, how would you describe your publishing journey so far?

Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S.: I just might be brewing up a special Thanksgiving story...stay tuned! 😉📚🐶

Book Review! On Service Dogs

Today, you see more and more service dogs out in public places that help people struggling with disabilities. What a wonderful idea! It's not just for people with physical disabilities, either. Many people with mental health conditions (such as PTSD or Schizophrenia) enjoy using service dogs. It can give someone their life back and help them gain/maintain independence.

Here is a children's book that I recommend that is based on a real-life service dog:

"Mitchie the Service Dog Gets a Job!" by Diane Petrozzo (as reviewed by me on Readers' Favorite):

Mitchie the Service Dog Gets a Job! is a heartwarming story by Diane Petrozzo. It begins in Colorado with an elderly man named Mel, who is losing his eyesight. Upon hearing the news from his doctor that he will eventually become blind, he feels hopeless, alone, and in great despair. In the meantime, a black Labrador puppy named Mitchie is training to become a service dog in Upstate New York. He is nervous that he won’t do a good job and that people won’t like him. Yet he ends up excelling in service dog school and is at the top of his class. He is still a little unsure of himself, though. Soon he is assigned to become Mel’s service dog out in Colorado. When Mel comes to the service dog school to visit, he is instantly impressed and more hopeful about his situation. Together, they set out on a journey full of growth, joy, and an unshakeable bond between man and dog.

Mitchie the Service Dog Gets a Job! is such an inspirational story filled with hope and encouragement. Diane Petrozzo teaches children in a way they can understand about the gift of perseverance, helping someone in need, and believing in yourself. A situation is never hopeless, and there is always room to grow. I love stories like this that educate us on how animals can help people with all kinds of disabilities. We need them just as much as they need us to take care of them. This story also raises awareness of this valuable service and can help increase its availability to people. The characters are very well-developed and relatable. Diane does a great job of showing the emotional bond between Mel and Mitchie. The beautiful illustrations by Lauren Zurcher express this even more vividly. Both children and adults will love looking at the bright and colorful illustrations (especially of adorable Mitchie!). Diane also does a wonderful job of showing how someone can grow if they learn to trust themselves and open their hearts to others. The rewards are endless. Trust the process of life, and remember that there’s always a way forward. Who better to teach us that than the unconditional love of an animal? I highly recommend this book for children of all ages.

Speaking of service dogs, a family member recently told me that she learned in a documentary that Charles Schultz, creator of the "Snoopy" character from the Peanuts cartoon, constructed a service dog school back in 1975 called "Canine Companions for Independence (CCI)." 

What an incredible accomplishment! CCI is a free service for people with various disabilities that are looking for a service dog to help them navigate life.

What is your opinion on this? Do you know of anyone who has a service animal?

One Final Note...

I do hope, however, that more public places allow service animals for emotional support. Mental health is just as important as physical health! What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below! 

 

Dance is for Every Body

 

I recently started taking ballet classes for the first time in years, now as a 38-year-old adult. It got me thinking about all of the pressures in the ballet world, such as the idea that ballet is just for the young and ultra-thin (a lot of it is still going on today, but it is slowly changing in some companies and schools). So when I happened to come across this children's book at the library last week, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to discuss this topic.

The young girl in this story is not treated equally amongst her peers due to her larger size. Her growing body used to be considered healthy and cute when she was a baby/toddler, until it wasn't anymore. There wasn't room for people of her size in the world, and many people she spoke up to were unapologetic. She had to learn to love herself just as she was. She was beautiful, kind, and a good person and dancer. She was just a girl like all the others.

Size has long been an issue for people (many-but not all-women), and not just in the ballet world or from other children who bully. It's everywhere, even in the workplace. How can we change this? By speaking up and educating others, over and over again. Perseverance is key.

I am encouraged and excited to dance again, and I love how they now offer online classes and videos (just for recreational use, not to replace proper in-person instruction) for people of all ages, body types, and abilities. There are also dance companies being created now exclusively for adults of all body types! There is still a way to go though, and there are other types of discrimination dancers still face today, such as their race, gender, or any types of disabilities.

Dance should be for *every* body! It isn't just about a certain look or being a certain age, or your talent level. You can still be a beautiful dancer. If you dance from your heart, it shows.

What are your thoughts?

Keep dancing and dreaming! 🩰🩷🌠🌟🌈

A Children's Book for Introverts

Is it Okay for Children to Prefer Spending Time Alone?

This was a question I asked myself the other day while browsing the new children's books at the library. I came across a book titled "Only: the Bird Who Liked Being Alone," by Airlie Andersen. This book answered my question perfectly.

It is about a bird named Only, who is very quiet and doesn't like to be around other birds very much, especially when it's noisy outside. The other birds assume he wants to be alone and lonely, but this isn't the case. 

I relate to Only in that I don't like crowded or noisy places. I need to decompress after going out and socializing (this is also a symptom of my Sensory Processing Disorder). We also love to read and create art in a quiet environment (Only ends up revealing a special talent he has at the end!), sometimes by ourselves. But that doesn't mean we want to be isolated or antisocial. We still enjoy good company in a quiet and comfortable setting, whether it be indoors or outdoors.

Only realizes after another bird befriends him in his home that he can enjoy both quiet time and socializing with others. I learned this myself as I grew older, that you don't have to be social all the time or enjoy going to parties or large gatherings. Your true friends will love you just the way you are. It's all about finding your own balance, which is different for everyone. Not everyone is outgoing, which is perfectly okay. We're not all meant to be the same.

This is a great story that teaches children in a way that they can understand and relate to that it's okay to spend some time playing alone in a quiet setting. You don't have to enjoy being with a big group of people or in a noisy environment. As long as you're not isolating yourself and you have good friends to spend time with and support you, that's all that matters.

What do you all think? Let me know your thoughts on this in the comments below!

Happy reading!~

October, Cats, & Halloween

My Top Five Favorite Halloween Books About Cats!

It's officially Halloween season!

This may be a myth, but I just can't resist seeing an adorable black (or any color!) cat all excited for Halloween. Especially all dressed up in a children's book! (In the past I tried to dress up my cat, Casper, but unfortunately he wouldn't let me. Maybe a collar for a couple of minutes, but that's it!)

In this blog post I'm going to be discussing my current top 5 favorite children's Halloween books about our cute, furry, and mischievous friends.

1) "Five Black Cats," by Patricia Hegarty

This is an adorable little Halloween adventure for babies and toddlers. Follow along the five black cats journey on the prowl at night through the spooky neighborhood and haunted house. It's too cute to be scary, though, so it's perfect for young readers. It will keep them engaged throughout the short and sweet story, and they will love the bright and friendly illustrations. There's a special ghostly surprise at the end!

2) "Meowl-o-Ween," by Diane Muldrow

This is one of the best Halloween picture books I've read in a while. Children will love looking at the bright and colorful illustrations which will grab their attention throughout the whole story. The cats are absolutely adorable. The story is about a young kitten who is lost on Halloween night, looking for her mother. The kitten ends up finding her in the end; along with her voice! This is a special Halloween treat for cat-lovers.

3) "Bad Kitty: Scaredy-Cat," by Nick Bruel

I just love Bad Kitty books, don't you? This Halloween book is another hilarious tale in the series. Bad Kitty is visited by a big group of scary monsters, all listed A-Z in the whole alphabet. The illustrations are frightengly good! She is terrified at first, but later learns to be brave and battle them all. She discovers her courage, strength, and perseverance. I would recommend this to older elementary aged children due to the more advanced vocabulary. A frightfully funny tale for Halloween!

4) "Scaredy-Cat, Splat!" by Rob Scotton

Another great and funny cat book series! Everyone's favorite cat, Splat, is getting ready for his school's scariest Halloween costume contest. Yet things keep going wrong, and he keeps getting spooked along the way! Will he ever be able to win the contest? He's in for a big surprise! I love the detailed illustrations as well. Highly recommended. 

5) "I am a Witch's Cat," by Harriet Muncaster

This is the perfect whimsical tale (or tail!) about a young child pretending to be a black cat for Halloween, and that her mom is a (good) witch. They story is very unique and clever with great mixed-media illustrations that young children will enjoy. I love how the story relies on a child's big imagination and makes it into something entertaining and magical. I highly recommend this book to all young readers (and their parents or guardians as well!) for a fun Halloween treat.

On a Final Note About Cats and Halloween...

I have to mention my own children's Halloween book, "Cats on Halloween Night" 😸 

I had a lot of fun writing this story (and the illustrator did a phenominal job!). As I've said before, holiday books are one of my favorite topics to read and write about. It brings me back to that time when I was really excited about the holidays, and loved reading bedtime stories about it. I hope I can give a young reader that same wonderful feeling I had. My favorite holiday was always Christmas (what kid doesn't love Christmas?), but now I enjoy Halloween (and the fall) just a little bit more. I like how it's just as much fun for adults as it is for kids. And so many people love cats; how can you resist your two favorite things in one book?!

Be sure to check out all of these fun and mischevious Halloween books for cat-lover's. What are your favorite types of Halloween books for children? Spooky, sweet, or perhaps a little bit of both? Are you a cat-lover as well? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Halloween reading! 🐈‍⬛🎃🍂🍁

September Reads~Happy Fall!

It is now officially fall here in Central New York! The beautiful weather and leaves beginning to change colors inspired me to create a blog post about a few of my favorite autumn-themed children's books I'm reading this month. There's nothing better than sitting down with a good book in the fall with a cold glass of apple cider or iced pumpkin coffee!

Here are my top 4 fall reads this month:

1) A Fall Ball for All, by Jamie A. Swenson

This is a beautiful and whimsical story with illustrations to match. Children will love looking at the bright and detailed illustrations, and have fun following along the forest animals' journey to get ready for the annual "Windfall Ball." They come together to celebrate the autumn festivities and prepare a harvest by gathering food to last them through the long winter in hibernation. It's wonderful for children to learn nature terminology as the story unfolds, and the author explains more about fall harvesting at the end of the book. This story has the perfect blend of elements to satisfy young readers exploring the magic of fall.

2) Winnie-the-Pooh and the Blustery Day

This treasured children's book classic will always be one of my favorite books to read during the fall. The story is about Winnie-the-Pooh and his friend's "Windsday" adventure in the forest. They make it through all of the comical obstacles the windy and rainy day brings about (such as houses flooding and Piglet being blown away!) by helping each other out and being brave, which is what a true hero is. A perfect read for a rainy day in September!

3) In the Middle of Fall, by Kevin Henkes

The illustrations in this story are absolutely beautiful and have so much expression that it practically tells the story itself. This is perfect for very young readers. Follow along with the characters as they watch and experience the quickly changing season. This simple but profound story illustrates how it is important to enjoy each wonderful season while it lasts by taking advantage of the outdoor activities. With a strong gust of wind, the autumn leaves can blow away in an instant! But don't be sad, because the next season will be just as beautiful.

4) Runaway Pumpkins, by Teresa Bateman

This is a very cute and exciting story for children with great illustrations. Follow along the student's field trip to the pumpkin farm as they have fun picking out their own special pumpkins to take home with them. But when disaster strikes on the ride back (bye-bye, pumpkins!...), the students learn to make the best out of the situation and come up with a plan. It's wonderful how both the students and their neighbors come together to help and show kindness to each other. There's a big pumpkin surprise at the end! The author also shows different treats you can make from pumpkins, along with a delicious dessert recipe at the end. If you love the fall and all things pumpkins, you'll love reading this book!

There's nothing like the autumn season (especially up here in Central New York!) to get both kids and adults excited to plan activities and go out and enjoy nature. How much more colorful can you get when you look out at the vivid red, orange, and golden leaves blowing against the bright blue sky (and even on rainy days)? Talk about the perfect inspiration to write a children's book! 😉

What are your favorite autumn-themed children's books, and what is your favorite season? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy Fall! 🍁🍂🎃🍎

The Power of Libraries

 

             The Power of Libraries

Libraries have always been (and always will be) one of my favorite places to go to. You can't beat free items (and today there are so many more items in addition to books you can borrow)! But it isn't just what you can do at the library. The atmosphere itself is so peaceful, quiet, and friendly. You can sit anywhere you'd like, and browse for as long as you'd like. You can educate both yourself and other people.

There are some people who are surprised that libraries today are just as popular as they've ever been. Many have thought that the digital world (like streaming) would eventually replace the need to go there. Not so!

For one matter, I think that there will always be people who prefer hardcopy books, movies, magazines, and newspapers to read. In addition to this, there is so much more you can do today at the library: there are special events and classes offered (many are free) for people of all ages to join. There are regular storytimes offered for young children to attend with their families. There are book clubs, movie nights, and festivals. One thing I especially like are the book sales my local libraries offer. You can't beat purchasing a new hardcover book or DVD for only a couple of dollars!

I think that sometimes people take the library for granted. I first noticed this during the pandemic, when they shut down temporarily for the public to go inside and use. We need to be more grateful and show our appreciation to those who work there. Make a donation, attend an event, or simply say hello to the staff or like/share their posts on social media.

I especially appreciate all of the libraries that have supported my children's books (such as adding them to their collection or creating free or inexpensive author events to promote and sell my work). I hope that more and more of them do this; it means everything to us authors!

To sum it up...libraries are a great place to educate yourself, teach others, meet new people, get active, and make a positive difference in so many ways. They are also here for us to simply enjoy and appreciate...and look how powerful (and priceless) that is.