Tuesday 22 November 2016

All Aboard!



It’s a Saturday and their little faces are squished against the glass, wishing Mommy would take them out into the sun to play. If only they could go where James has been?

“All aboard” can be heard as Mommy gathers her troop, armed with a blanket, a picnic basket and their favourite story.

Screams of glee echoes through the car as Mommy stops outside…..

THE CHOO CHOO PARK
 
 By Heather Davidson

As Mommy reads the story about all the things James gets to do at the Choo Choo Park, their toes start to wriggle with excitement as they can do them too!

Allow your children to journey with James on the big red train, using their imagination to visit faraway places. Journey with your children as they whizz down the slide and make Mommy dizzy on the roundabout.

The Choo Choo Park is simply a delightful book about visiting a local park and all the fun the whole family can have, spending time together. This story allows young children to relate with James, just another child like them wanting to play and pretend.

The bright colourful illustrations by Celeste Beckerling add to the adventure of the imagination, creating the joy of the story.

Heather Davidson shares a story created for her son, James who loved the Choo Choo Park. Parents bring this wonderful story alive by visiting the actual Choo Choo Park which is situated in Belvedere Road, Claremont. The big red train can be seen from the road.

The language is easy for children to understand and ideal for children aged between 2 and 5. The book does have one or two grammar errors but this does not affect the story at all. I love the fact that this is truly a South African book, written and illustrated by Capetonians.

 So, take my advice, grab a copy of the Choo Choo Park and show your children how stories can come alive by using their imagination.

Grab your copy at the Book Lounge, 71 Roeland Street, Cape Town from January 2017. Alternatively, please contact the author, Heather Davidson via e-mail: Stories By Heather

Would you like to get know Heather and Celeste better?
Visit their websites: Stories By Heather / Celeste Beckerling

Monday 14 November 2016

Enter the CRYPT

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Sitting in my library is a lonely affair so I thought I would do what I love, reading, while I wait. In my bookworm world, books are shared by passing on to others to read. I was given this one recently - CRYPT: The Gallow's Curse by Andrew Hammond. 

Jud Lester is not Jud Lester but yet, he is. Jud is an agent for C.R.Y.P.T., a secret agency employed to investigate and stop paranormal activity in England. New recruits arrive and things get interesting. What does Jud's true identity have to do with all of this?


People terrified and killed by those who click with their mouths and in the distance a bell can be heard. Ghosts become visible and can be touched and felt. As activities increase, the public is scared and the reports label it "Ghost Hauntings".

Chief Inspector Khan hates the idea of allowing teenagers to do their job, especially when there is a ridiculous idea of ghosts committing crimes all around. 

The C.R.Y.P.T's job becomes difficult as their secrecy and ability to be invisible is compromised and the possibility of being shutdown becomes a reality.

What are they going to do?

If you have a teenager who is interested in the paranormal, get them this book and maybe the other four currently in the series to keep them up at night and allow their imagination to run wild. The imagery and graphic description is good. Unfortunately, the few spell check "misses" can disturb the eye when trying to understand the sentence but still an interesting read.

Another great stocking filler for Christmas to keep them busy during the holidays.






Tuesday 18 October 2016

Introducing......Heather Davidson



 

Have you ever read a book to your children, wishing you had actually seen or visited the place it describes?

Ever wondered if you could actually take your children to that place?

Well, now you can with Heather Davidson's
THE CHOO CHOO PARK








The Choo Choo Park is a picture book for children aged between two and four. What's so special about this book? The fact that you can actually visit the Choo Choo Park mentioned in the book. This particular park is in Claremont.

I have the immense pleasure of knowing Heather personally and I got to ask her a few questions about the process of following her dream of seeing her book published and shared.

So...without further ado I introduce to you, new children's author........HEATHER DAVIDSON.

 
BW: Where did the idea for this book come from?
HD: When my son, James was little he used to love going to the Choo Choo Park and "driving"me to different places. So I wrote the story for him at that time.

BW: What made you decide to publish this book now?
HD: I wasn't confident enough to submit my story to any publishers and I'd never heard of  self-publishing at that time. About two years ago, I made the decision to get back into writing and committed to spending time on achieving my writing goals. Shortly after that, I came across James's old copy of the Choo Choo Park and decided that I really liked the story and would like to do something with it. I submitted it to two publishers who weren't interested and later decided to publish it myself.

BW: What has been your favourite and least favourite part of the editing and publishing process and why?
HD: Favourite part - seeing each illustration as it was completed. It's been incredibly exciting seeing my story coming to life. Least favourite - getting my book onto Amazon

BW: Did you find it difficult to find a suitable illustrator?
HD: Not at all. I meet and got to know Celeste (Beckerling) at a couple of workshops and talks held by the Society for Children's Bookwriters and Illustrators. I loved her illustrations and decided to approach her about illustrating my book.

BW: Have you given any thought on writing more children's books?
HD: I definitely plan to write more children's books. My next project is to write a chapter book for (and about) a friend's 9 year old daughter. At the moment, I'm reading a whole lot of books for that age group as research on the type of language to use as well as what 9 year olds like to read about. I'm considering writing the book as part of Nanowrimo in November.

BW: What advice, if any, can you give to aspiring writers who are considering publishing their own books?
HD: Self publishing your book is a very achievable goal. The process is quite straight forward and there are many resources available; from online courses to in-person workshops as well as many freelancers to help with layout and formatting if you would like to put your book on Amazon. So just GO FOR IT!

Unfortunately, I have to wait like everyone else to read and review this book but I have ordered my copies and can't wait to receive them!

For more information on Heather, please visit her website: Stories by Heather

And to order your own copy of her book as well as help her achieve her publishing dream, please visit: The Choo Choo Park Project