Courtney Saves Christmas ~ written by Emyln Chand ~ illustrated by Noelle Giffin ~GIVEAWAY

~ A BIRD BRAIN BOOK ~

About Book

Courtney is a peppy young penguin who just loves exploring, and is overjoyed when she receives a compass from Santa on Christmas morning. She’s so grateful for the gift, in fact, that she just needs to give Santa a great big hug and say “Thank you!” in person. The only problem is she lives in the South Pole, and Santa is all the way on the other side of the globe!

With the aid of her new compass, Courtney sets off on a journey that takes her almost an entire year. By the time she reaches Santa’s workshop, the elves are in a flurry preparing for the upcoming holiday. Unfortunately, Rudolph is feeling very sick—too sick to guide the sleigh. If Courtney can’t find a way to help, Christmas will be ruined and all the children of the world will be devastated. What’s a little penguin to do?

About Emlyn

Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm Novel Publicity. Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children's book series and is beginning to dapple in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!

Website & Blog:  www.emlynchand.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/emlynchand

Twitter:  www.twitter.com/emlynchand       

Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/emlynchand

Giveaway: 3 E-Books 

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My Thoughts

Courtney lives with her parents in a penguin  colony at the South Pole.   She has so many fun activities she can do with her friends.  When she came home from a day of play her parents had a surprise for her.  It was a present but it was not from her parents they told her it was from a human named Santa Claus and he lived at the North Pole. Can you imagine she had never heard of Santa Claus. When she finally opened the gift she had no idea what it was. After her father examined it he told her it was a compass and she could use it when she went exploring.  I would tell her what direction she was going. North, South, East or West.

Courtney wanted to thank Santa for this very special gift and give him a big hug.  Her parents tried to explain it was very far away but she was determined to make the trip to the North Pole.  He parents wished her a safe trip.

On her journey she met many different  creatures which includes humans and explored many different lands and bodies of water.  But with her precious gift the compass she just kept following the N which means North all the way to the North Pole and to Santa's Workshop.  

When she enters the workshop and meets some of Santa's Elves they seemed to be in a tither over something and decided to get Santa's advice in the matter.  This was Courtney's chance to meet Santa and thank him for the compass.  After the Elves consult with Santa about their dilemma Santa tells Courtney he has a very special assignment for her.

Now what kind of assignment could a Penguin do for Santa?  But no matter what it is she will do her best to help Santa and the Elves.

I found this a very endearing story.  Courtney persevered and persisted in her journey to get to Santa just so she could thank him in person.  She was a very polite and generous little penguin.  But most of all she was very brave.  She did not even expect anything for her good deed.  

Santa is such a kind and patient man. No doubt he will bring the author and the illustrator a Special Christmas Gift because they have been very good to all the children by creating wonderful books for them to read and enjoy.   Oh, hello Ducky and Merry Christmas!

The author's story teaches moral values, manners and bravery.  The illustrations of the Courtney and the other characters in the book were right on with the story and will tickle any child's imagination.  

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book:

Disclosure

I received a free digital copy of this book from Evolved Publishing/Author for review. I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my own opinion.

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

Tour Promoted by 

Latest News ~ Holiday Giveaway of 2 Paperbacks

This Giveaway is coming from Kate Evangelista

TASTE

REAPING ME SOFTLY

KATE EVANGELISTA

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she has four completed Young Adult novels.

Where to Follow Kate: Kate's Blog , Kate Evangelista

Buy Kate's Books: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, The Book Depository

Join the Giveaway

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Jack Templar Monster Hunter by Jeff Gunhus ~ Swag Giveaway

Hollywood vs. Reality – How Hollywood Monsters 

Compare to The Real Monsters of The Creach

Hi, Jack Templar here.

It’s only reluctantly that I write this post today for the It’s About Time Mamaw blog.

My book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, describes the night I found out I come from a long line of monster hunters…and that I was destined to either join the family business or be eaten by monsters on my fourteenth birthday. I wrote the book for other monster hunters but it escaped into the general public and now both kids and adults all over the world are learning things they were never supposed to see.

The thing is that if you read the book (or probably even read this post) the monsters will sense it and they will target you. Whether you like it or not, you’ll be dragged into the world of the Creach just like I was. Only continue reading if you’re willing to join the fight. If not, read no more. Your life may depend on it.

Still here? Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I get a lot of questions about whether the vampires I fight are like the ones in the movies. For some reason, I get this question from girls a lot. Might have something to do with a certain actor in the Twilight movies.

I admit, some of the movie vampires are pretty close. And for good reason. The Creach has infiltrated pop culture as a means of camouflage. They understand that the more movies, TV and books talk about them, the more people will believe they only exist as fiction. (And if you work in film and TV, you already know you’re surrounded daily by vicious monsters who are just waiting for a chance to sink their teeth into you. Bet you didn’t know that they are ACTUAL monsters.)

Also, many of the Creach are in love with themselves. But none more than the vampires. They are definitely on Team Edward and want everyone to think they are glittering, romantic love machines. They are pale, but that’s where the similarities stop.

Sorry to let you down ladies, but vampires stink. I mean they literally smell. No matter how much cologne they splash on, they always smell of rotting flesh and old blood. Always a turn-off on a first date.

And most of them haven’t spent the last few hundred years learning languages, playing musical instruments and becoming deep thinkers like in a lot of movies. They’ve spent their time hunting prey while lurking in dirty, dark places so someone like me doesn’t find them.

Also, all that stuff about vampires not being able to be in the sun? Not true. Neither is holy water or the ol’ wooden stake through the heart deal. Killing a vampire is the same as killing a zombie. You have to go for decapitation to really get the deal done.

The bottom line is that movie vampires are meant to throw you off the track of what your real enemy looks like. Don’t be confused by all those good-looking guys on the screen. If you don’t pay attention you might find the first real vampire you meet will be the one biting you on the neck. Good luck and keep your eyes open.

Join the fight. And remember…

Do your duty, come what may.

Jack Templar

If you are serious about becoming a Monster Hunter, then you will want to visit each of these stops on the tour as you will need as much information as you can get to survive.

Jack Templar Monster Hunter 
~ Book Tour Schedule ~

Twitter Party!

To wrap up a great 3 week tour, Jeff will be hosting a Twitter Party on Friday, Dec. 21, 6 pm - 8 pm EST. If you have survived the numerous monster attacks that you will undoubtedly face. chat with us using the hashtag #JackTemplar. The easiest way to join the party is with http://tweetchat.com/

Tours Pinterest Board:  http://pinterest.com/girlwhoreads/jack-templar-monster-hunter-tour/

About Book

Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendant of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him.

As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.

Where to buy:  Amazon, IndiBound, Barnes&Noble

About Jeff

Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.

Social Media Links:
Website: www.jacktemplar.com
Twitter: jeffgunhus@JTMonsterHunter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JackTemplarmonsterhunter

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My Thoughts

Jack Smith is about to turn fourteen and is getting a very unusual birthday surprise.  

You see he is starting to fill out no longer the body of a little boy.  Just the other day he bench pressed 135 pounds.  All of this growing is coming on rather quickly.  While he was at school having lunch he noticed the school bully was harassing one of his buddies to the point that his friend started crying.  Something snapped inside Jack and he turned into a regular kung fu master.  Which caused him to be sent to the principals office and was given suspension for one day. The principle even turned into a monster.  Really she turned into a real monster.  Jack thought he was hallucinating.  Nope, she was a monster with a capital M.

No one was going to believe him, so he kept it to himself.   For the time being.  On his way home he did end up telling an old woman that was begging for money.  That is after she turned into a girl his age and Jack thought she was a real hottie.  You will have to read the rules before you can find out whether she was friend or foe.  She did tell him he was to start fighting monsters because as soon as he turns fourteen they were coming to torture and kill him. 

Now listen you have read what the story is about and hopefully the letter Jack wrote to me that I posted on my blog.  You can't tell anyone about the monsters or this post because it can cost you your life.  If you don't like scary mean monsters do not read the book.  I am serious!   Remember you have to read the rules before you read the book.  Don't forget you have been warned!

The author, Jeff must have some major contacts in order to get permission to write this book for Jack Templar and to take it public.  Jeff had to have followed all of the rules because he is still alive. Or is he! 

I don't have a problem with monsters so I really enjoyed reading the book.  Yes, I did follow the rules and by the time I got finished reading the book I was exhausted from getting up every ten minutes and moving to another spot in the house so the monsters couldn't track me. I feel privilege to be one of many that have read Jack Templar the Monster Hunter.  Oh, great work guys!  I will let you know if I have any monster problems.

I highly recommend this book just read the rules first.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure
I received a free copy of this book from author,Jeff Gunhus for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my own opinion.

If you found this book helpful vote yes or no here.

This was a GWR Publicity Tour

The Hairy Dogmother ~ Written by Julia Dweck ~ Art by Delfin Barral

About Book

Harry is a beagle with a secret. Everyone knows that dogs are man’s best friend, but did you know that they can also grant wishes? Harry is a very hairy dogmother. Harry’s a hairy fairy from his head to his knees, except that he scratches and has lots of fleas. Readers will be hooked on the fun and fast paced action of this whimsical rhyming tale.

About Author

Julia writes children’s stories for digital and traditional publication. Her stories span the spectrum of humor, fantasy, and edutainment in rhyme and in prose. Julia’s background in elementary education affords her the opportunity to be in touch with what children want to read about and what makes them giggle. Julia collaborates with some of the leading artists in the world of children’s literature. Julia is also a designer of educational adjuncts for children’s literature, and has worked with such notable publishing houses as Penguin Young Readers.

Author's website: http://juleloves2write.com/

Facebook

Julia Dweck Books @juleloves2write

My Thoughts

Hairy is walking around his neighborhood wishing he could find someone to help.  But I wonder how he thinks he can do to help someone.   He notices Marlee passing by and she said she wished she was a princess.  So Hairy thought he would help her become a princess.  So he follows her home.  Marlee decides Hairy must be hungry but she can't seem to find anything he likes.  Then she found just the thing.  As he ate something magical happened.  

What do you think happened?  Did he turn into a princess? That can't be right!  It must be Marlee! Of course by the name of the book we know Hairy is the Dogmother.

Who doesn't like a fairy tale even if the fairy godmother has fleas and a hairy tail.  I think the author has a fun story with a cute dog that wants to grant wishes to his friends.  Sounds like a sweet caring friend.

The author rhymes a  t-a-l-e about the importance of family and friends not to leave out a funny hairy dogmother with fleas. 

The illustration are fun and colorful and tells the story so even if a child can't read they will still be able to figure out what the story is all about because the illustrations depicts the what the author has written.  This author and illustrator are are perfect match for this story.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure

I received purchased a copy of this book on Kindle.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my own opinion.  

My boys Casper and Cocoa ~ Best  Friends

Exploring the Garden with the Little Rose ~ written by Sheri Fink ~ illustrated by Mary Erikson Washam

Sheri Fink's newest book is now available! Exploring the Garden with the Little Rose takes 2-5 year olds on an educational adventure learning the alphabet and identifying the plants and animals of the garden while exploring our natural world alongside the Little Rose.

Check out the free downloads of coloring pages and more on The Whimsical World of Sheri Fink.

Sheri Fink is the #1 best-selling, award-winning children's author of the books, The Little Rose and The Little Gnome, creator of 'The Whimsical World of Sheri Fink' children's brand, and an international speaker. 

Sheri began writing as a child and continued throughout her award-winning marketing career. In 2010, she decided to pursue her passion for making a difference in the lives of others through writing. 

#1 Best-selling, Award-winning Children's Author and International Speaker

Become a Fan! http://www.facebook.com/SheriFinkFan 
www.TheWhimsicalWorldofSheriFink.com 

 Q & A with Sheri Fink

Q. What do you write? 

A. I’m Sheri Fink, the author of the #1 best-selling children’s books, The Little Rose and The Little Gnome. I write books that inspire and delight children while planting seeds of self-esteem that can have lifelong benefit. I am so happy and grateful to be living my dream! 

Q. What has been your favorite part of your author journey so far?

A. For me, the best parts of being an author are hearing that your book has an impact in the lives of children and being able to help others achieve their dreams. I love receiving fan mail and hearing stories from the children and adults who have fallen in love with The Little Rose and The Little Gnome. I am so grateful to my readers and hope that The Whimsical World of Sheri Fink continues to make a positive difference in the lives of children worldwide. 

Q. Which author most inspires you?

A. I’m very inspired by J.K. Rowling. Before I read the first Harry Potter book, it had been a long time since I stayed up all night reading a book because I just had to know what happened. I love that her books and her characters are so full of heart. Reading her series and hearing her inspiring personal story really moved me and enabled me to see new possibilities for my writing. 

Q. What’s your favorite quote? 

A. I have a few favorites: 

"The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person who is doing it." ~ Chinese Proverb

 "Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down." ~ Ray Bradbury 

 "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Dr. Seuss 

Q. What’s next for you?

A. My next book is Exploring the Garden with The Little Rose and it will be published in October. It’s designed for children ages 2-5 to help them learn the alphabet and garden vocabulary. It’ll feature many of the characters fromThe Little Rose, The Little Gnome, and upcoming books. We finished writingThe Little Rose play recently and I’m looking forward to it debuting later this year. I’m also at work on my next book in The Little Series, The Little Firefly, which will be published in 2013. 

Q. Where can we learn more about you and your books? 

A. You can find me online at http://www.SheriFink.com and on Facebook.

Parents, Teachers, and Authors

Articles - A collection of articles about childhood resiliency, gratitude, authenticity, author events, and more written for a variety of publications by Sheri Fink. We're sharing them with the hope that they will be helpful for parents, teachers, and authors. 

Where to buy: Amazon

My Thought: Exploring the Garden with the Little Rose

One of the most important things we want for our children is a good education.  Sheri Fink's new book Exploring the Garden with the Little Rose is a fun book to teach children ages 2-5  the alphabet, garden vocabulary, exploring nature and environments with the colorful illustrations as Little Rose and her friends learn all this and more  in a rhyming story.  

Can you imagine how many friends Little Rose has in and around the garden?!  Do you think you could  name a plant, insect or other living things in your garden for each letter in the alphabet?

The author and illustrator have combined their talents and created not only a fun and colorful rhyming story for children to enjoy.  They also created this book for educational purposes also.  Sheri and Mary will be needing a special place for all the awards they are winning.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book 5 out of 5.

Disclosure

I received a free copy of this book from Sheri Fink for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review.  It is my own opinion.

If you found this book helpful vote yes or no here.  

Kiwi in Cat City written by Vickie Johnstone, illustrated by Nikki McBroom ~ Big Giveaway

The Illustrations inside the Kiwi books are 

by the talented Nikki McBroom

Suddenly, the cat’s ears pricked up and she stopped with a jump. Caught unawares, the little black cat turned around, her yellow eyes wide and enquiring. “Are you two following me?”

Amy and James stopped dead in their tracks. James sat down on the grass with a bump, his mouth wide open. Amy wanted to say something, but she couldn’t speak.

Kiwi in Cat City

Amy and James live in a house with their parents and their little black cat, Kiwi. One dark night, Amy cannot sleep and she looks out of the window into the garden to see Kiwi transfixed by the moon, which has taken on a weird, glowing shape like a cat's claw. Waking her brother, Amy suggests they follow Kiwi that night to see where she goes... whether it involves a hunt for mice or something else. Little do they know that, with a flick of her tail, Kiwi is going to lead them on the adventure of their lives to a land they never knew existed in their wildest dreams. In the blue-lit world of Cat City, they gain an understanding of what it's really like to be a cat. There they get to help Inspector Furrball solve the mystery of the missing catizens and find out what happened to Madame Purrfect.

Read Excerpts here

Where to buy: Amazon - Paperback and Kindle,  Barnes&Noble - Paperback & Nook Book, Smashwords - ebook

About Author

Hi, I live in London, UK, and I’m a freelance editor. I've published 3 books of poetry: Kaleidoscope, Life’s Rhythms, and Travelling Light. My novels include: 4 books in the Kiwi Series for kids; 3 Heads & a Tail, and Day of the Living Pizza. Besides books, I love art, travelling, nature, the sea, gigs, dancing like an eejit, rock music, films, fluffies and tarot. Sleeping should be an Olympic sport.

Author's website http://vickiejohnstone.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vickie.johnstone

vickie johnstone @vickiejohnstone

My Thoughts of Kiwi in Cat City

Late one night Amy woke up and saw her cat Kiwi sneak out of the house through her window. She decided she was going to follow Kiwi just to find out what the cat was up to while the family was sleeping. Amy's little brother James awoke and wanted to know what was going on.  When she told him he jumped out of bed ready to spy on Kiwi.  It was a little, maybe a lot scary wondering around in the dark outside.  As they ran through a field Kiwi turned around and asked them if they were following her. After they got over their shock Kiwi asked if they wanted to come along with her.  Both of the children decided they wouldn't miss this for anything.  Then she told them to repeat some magic words and motions to make and shazam! Amy and James turned into kittens. Yep, with tails, fur and walking on four legs.  Kiwi told the kids/kittens they were going to Cat City and not to let the catizens know they were humans.

What in the cat world was going on?  What was Cat City and catizens?

Well they are soon to find out.  They are about begin the greatest adventure of their lives. 

This author has quite a vivid imagination.  Turning children into kittens not to mention that their pet cat can speak several human languages.  Vickie's talent for writing is impressive in that it kept this sixty-two year old grandma entertained through the entire book.  You will find adventure, intrigue, mystery, kidnapping and cat police to the rescue. 

The illustrations in the book depict the story which appears to be watercolors in soft colors.  The images  make you want to pickup  the children and the cat up and give them a big hug.  They are just too cute!

The author has several other books in this series and more to come.

I highly recommend this book.

I rated this book a 5 out of 5.

Disclosure 

I received a free copy of this book from the Vickie Johnstone for review.  I was in no way compensated for this review. It is my own opinion

If you found this review helpful vote yes or no here.

GIVEAWAY

The author, VICKIE JOHNSTONE

 is giving away a set of ebooks which include: 

Kiwi in Cat City, # 1 

Kiwi and the Missing Magic, #2

 Kiwi and the Living Nightmare #3

Plus Grand Prize of a paperback copy of Kiwi in Cat City.

giveaway will be from DEC. 1- 5, 2012

  Leave a comment (this is mandatory for the giveaway)

Answering this question.

If you could spend a day inside the world of one 
book, which would you chose?

Be sure to leave your email address in the comment

 so I can contact you if you are the winner. 

example of email:  johndoe(at)yahoo(dot)com

I can not contact you without an email.

FOR EXTRA ENTRIES

 I invite you to follow me and the author by

email, GFC, Linky Follower, Facebook, Twitter, G+

For each follow or share is an extra entry so be sure to 

leave a separate comment for each follow and share.

Random Generator

 The winner will be announced 

on DECEMBER 6TH, 2012. 

In the second book of the Kiwi series, James and Amy embark on another adventure with their little black cat, which will take them to the Land of Giant Mice. The children return to Cat City to help their friends from the first book and meet some new characters along the way, including the Worry Bee, Whiskers and Moggie. The catizens' home is at risk of invasion and some of the Magic has gone missing. Can James and Amy help Kiwi save the day? More importantly, will James' pet hamster find his true calling in life? 

Links to where this book is on sale: Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords

Kiwi and the Living Nightmare

In book three of the Kiwi Series, Amy, James and Kiwi embark on their spookiest adventure yet - on Halloween. What begins with an eerie dream about a three-legged cat will take the budding detectives on a quest to find an old house in the middle of the woods, meeting some familiar characters and some perky squirrels along the way. Little do they know that there awaits an angry, restless presence that will do anything to stop them leaving. 

Links to where this book is on sale: Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords