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I have a friend who is an author.

She authors children's books published within the comic book industry.

 

The childrens books she publishes involve woodland animals and convey a good moral lesson. They're fun, they're creative and they aim at encouraging young kids to read, learn some valuable lessons.

 

Her newest book is being plagued by the comic book industry's slump right now and her orders for the book are coming in pretty low. If this happens, then it axes any possibility of another book aimed at the same audience and educational goals from being published in the future from the publisher.

 

The books are GREAT and those with children really connect with their kids when reading through these really fun characters. I helped with this current book a little bit by helping her concoct one of the main supporting characters...."Pat the beaver." :) (SERIOUSLY, I named it "Pat" PURELY because that's what a beaver's tail does....and really did NOT know about the "other" connotation until after it was published and she told me "hell YEAH I kept it in there...parents'll get a kick out of it!"

 

It's a great book from a great author with a great aim.

Check it out.

 

The book goes for $12.99 through Amazon, BUT through this tinyURL, you can order it direct from the comics distributor, delivered to your door, for the discounted retailer's price of only $7.99!

 

http://tinyurl.com/yl6os6o

 

Help out someone who's helping our future generations.

 

- TOW

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Undertow ]

I have a friend who is an author.

She authors children's books published within the comic book industry.

 

The childrens books she publishes involve woodland animals and convey a good moral lesson. They're fun, they're creative and they aim at encouraging young kids to read, learn some valuable lessons.

 

Her newest book is being plagued by the comic book industry's slump right now and her orders for the book are coming in pretty low. If this happens, then it axes any possibility of another book aimed at the same audience and educational goals from being published in the future from the publisher.

 

The books are GREAT and those with children really connect with their kids when reading through these really fun characters. I helped with this current book a little bit by helping her concoct one of the main supporting characters...."Pat the beaver." :) (SERIOUSLY, I named it "Pat" PURELY because that's what a beaver's tail does....and really did NOT know about the "other" connotation until after it was published and she told me "hell YEAH I kept it in there...parents'll get a kick out of it!"

 

It's a great book from a great author with a great aim.

Check it out.

 

The book goes for $12.99 through Amazon, BUT through this tinyURL, you can order it direct from the comics distributor, delivered to your door, for the discounted retailer's price of only $7.99!

 

http://tinyurl.com/yl6os6o

 

Help out someone who's helping our future generations.

 

- TOW

 

I would consider purchasing it but I first I have a question. Can you give me an example of one of the valuable lessons? I just want to make sure it's inline with something that I would teach.

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Sure, Covert.

 

The book's called "Jack's Knack."

It's about a jackrabbit who sees everyone in the forest who has a "specialty" or just something that they're good at. Something that everyone else sees value in, but when Jack looks at himself, he doesn't see that he does anything of worth or that anyone else appreciates.

It's really just in his own head, and it takes his friend the beaver to come along and open Jack's eyes to his own self-worth as well as his worth to the community around him.

 

It's to help children who feel "outside" certain social circles or what not to feel more comfortable and to know that somewhere, somehow, they are always accepted and "needed."

 

Her first book, "Bruce, the little Blue Spruce (of which I advertised here a long time ago)," dealt with the same type of lesson. A blue spruce tree who never got picked to be a family's Christmas tree was sad about the way he was so different. But it took a little girl from a family to see his worth...that she wanted a tree that WAS different and special. "Bruce" is being read to younger grades in schools across the country, with the author being there for a few of them in an actual classroom reading.

 

The author is a former Girl Scout and infuses a lot of these helpful, social values into her writing.

Being published primarily through the comic book industry first, and then having it trickle into stores like Borders, Barnes and Amazon, the books aim to become a "gateway" of sorts into introducing kids to comics as well. I have ALWAYS been an advocate of comic book reading for children and think this is a great idea. In fact, it's funny that I hated reading when I was a kid, but LOVED comic books and couldn't put them down. I credit comics with my ability to speak well, read/write well and engage my imagination well (which I eventually put forth into a few series of D&D comic writing as well as all the tournaments that I wrote and co-wrote here at UF during my tenure).

 

Hopefully this helps you understand the books and their intent a little better.

I would not promote them, especially to young children, if I didn't believe in the books, their message and their potential benefit to kids. :)

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Undertow ]

Sure, Covert.

 

The book's called "Jack's Knack."

It's about a jackrabbit who sees everyone in the forest who has a "specialty" or just something that they're good at. Something that everyone else sees value in, but when Jack looks at himself, he doesn't see that he does anything of worth or that anyone else appreciates.

It's really just in his own head, and it takes his friend the beaver to come along and open Jack's eyes to his own self-worth as well as his worth to the community around him.

 

It's to help children who feel "outside" certain social circles or what not to feel more comfortable and to know that somewhere, somehow, they are always accepted and "needed."

 

Her first book, "Bruce, the little Blue Spruce (of which I advertised here a long time ago)," dealt with the same type of lesson. A blue spruce tree who never got picked to be a family's Christmas tree was sad about the way he was so different. But it took a little girl from a family to see his worth...that she wanted a tree that WAS different and special. "Bruce" is being read to younger grades in schools across the country, with the author being there for a few of them in an actual classroom reading.

 

The author is a former Girl Scout and infuses a lot of these helpful, social values into her writing.

Being published primarily through the comic book industry first, and then having it trickle into stores like Borders, Barnes and Amazon, the books aim to become a "gateway" of sorts into introducing kids to comics as well. I have ALWAYS been an advocate of comic book reading for children and think this is a great idea. In fact, it's funny that I hated reading when I was a kid, but LOVED comic books and couldn't put them down. I credit comics with my ability to speak well, read/write well and engage my imagination well (which I eventually put forth into a few series of D&D comic writing as well as all the tournaments that I wrote and co-wrote here at UF during my tenure).

 

Hopefully this helps you understand the books and their intent a little better.

I would not promote them, especially to young children, if I didn't believe in the books, their message and their potential benefit to kids. :)

 

I will pass the links provided to my wife so she can go ahead and purchase one. She is a teacher so she may end up getting some for her classroom as well(Kindergarten and 1st grade).

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xPUDDYTATx ]
Pathogen- ]

I can't wait to teach my kids about pat the beaver

 

dude, can you be a bigger douchebag?

 

 

 

I guess some people cant take a joke around here. :P

 

 

Tow, I going to order one of these for my girls. They are at the perfect age for it... Thanks for the hookup. Also, is this the same person that wrote the books you were telling me about when we were in chicago? Thanks again

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xPUDDYTATx ]
Pathogen- ]

I can't wait to teach my kids about pat the beaver

 

dude, can you be a bigger douchebag?

 

 

 

TOW - thank you. been lookin for bday gifts for my best freinds twins. these were perfect!!!

 

Glad I could hook you up, Puddy.

 

And don't sweat it on Pathogen's post. Really, it IS a funny story...and he had it right, it's completely the author's subtle intent! LOL. You see, one of her main hangups during the writing of this book was that she had this great side character in this beaver to help out the rabbit...but she was coming up to wall after wall in trying to determine what the character's name should be. So she asked me.

 

I gave it a few hours in my day to think about it and then determined that "Pat" would be appropriate and something the kids could relate to...because that's what beaver tails DO. They pat down whatever materials they've used to create their dams across rivers. So I said "Kris, you should just name the beaver 'Pat.' It's an ambiguous name, neither really male nor female, so any child could relate...and that's what the tail does anyway! 'Pat, pat, pat, pat!' So just name the beaver 'Pat!"

She thought it was pretty cute, as really did I. I was really hoping she would use it.

 

What she ALSO thought was that I was INTENTIONALLY inserting the subtle, under the radar, sexual connotation to it, but that it would be subtle enough where NO child would get it, and some adults would get an inner chuckle about it. She loved it...and she used it.

This book was written months ago...but just hitting publication now. When she told me about it two weeks ago, that's when she revealed to me that she thought all along I came up with "Pat" for the sexual connotation...knowing me. I let her know that I was so sincere in the innocent version of the name...but that I was ALSO a little embarrassed that the sexual connotation didn't even OCCUR to me when I came up with it! For shame on me!! LOL

 

So that's the back story on "Pat" and, thus, Pathogen's comment really is fine and appropriate. ;)

 

And Strick...yes, this is the same author from "Bruce, the Little Blue Spruce" that I told you about, as well as "Tiffany's Epiphany" which also depicted the woodland animals and a skunk's bad habits in trying to be everyone's friend.

 

All these books are beautifully illustrated by Jim Valentino himself, one of the founding creators of Image Comics and creator of Shadowhawk. And each one is a FUN way for kids to be entertained, to learn and to inherit a few good moral tales.

 

I will always recommend this series.

 

And "Name Here," there are NO religious connotations inherent in this story whatsoever.

 

Even in the "Bruce, the Little Blue Spruce" story about a blue spruce wanting to be a family's Christmas tree...the only infusion of religion for that story was the "event" of Christmas, but the overall theme of the story was that it was OK to be different from everyone else around you, and that it's the special people around you that see how that difference really makes you that much more unique and loved as a person (or tree ;) )

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