Wednesday, October 12, 2016

DROP THAT PB & J RIGHT HERE, SOLDIER! A Fun Book for All Kids!

Are there peanut butter and jelly sandwiches falling from the sky? Why, yes! And that is only part of the adventure in this story by Seth Eisner (Illustrated by Ellen Maze - Sallas).

JOURNEY TO GALUMPHAGOS features three siblings --frustrated with their parent's restrictions --who take off for Galumphagos, a fantastical place where children can do anything they want to do. Sad thing is, what the kids don't know about this place can actually prevent them from ever getting home again! Galumphers, native to the island, will play with you all day long, but always their play ends up with the human child being changed in an unfortunate way.... such as growing fur? Yuck! When the true nature of the Galumphers is revealed and they follow the kids home, then worlds truly collide! Join the adventure, solve the mystery, get home safely. It is time for you to use your ticket to GALUMPHAGOS!

Journey to Galumphagos, by Seth Eisner, Illustrated by Ellen Maze
5.5" x 8.5", 84 pages, $5.48 paperback, $2.99 Kindle

FROM THE BACK COVER: Life can be tough for a loner like Emily. She’s had enough of being the perfect target for bullies. She persuades her brother and sister to run away with her to Galumphagos Island, a paradise on earth. But they find out that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the street, or even the other side of the ocean. They need all their courage and cleverness -- and a little luck, too -- to get out of the mess they landed in. Seth Eisner blends humor and non-stop action in his story about three young children who learn that real courage isn’t just about adventures. It’s usually about ordinary things, like asking that other lonely girl if you can share her lunch table.

EXCERPT (Trying to play with galumphers is not very fun for long):

Jacob tried to play football with the galumphers, but they only wanted to play Galumphutball. A bunch of galumphers ran around screaming “Knock’EmDown-Knock’EmDown-Knock’EmDown.” They smashed into each other and sometimes into Jacob, who always got knocked flying. Most of the time, Jacob had no idea where the ball was, and it didn’t seem to matter anyway. The game was more like a big wrestling match than football.

In not very long at all, a wrestling galumpher fell on the ball and squashed it flat. (C) Seth Eisner
______________________________

Maybe you would like to see the mail turtle? It might be bringing you a letter from home. Mom and Dad would be missing you about now...

Whatever you do, don't trust a Galumphagos Bird; they bite!

Journey to Galumphagos is a fun story for all children, written with humor and peppered with whimsical pencil illustrations. Get your copy online at Amazon.com or ask for it at your favorite bookstore!

Photos (cover and illustrations) are property of Seth Eisner, used by permission.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

"HELP! I'M OBSOLETE!" says the Fat Red Pencil. I'll write with you, little buddy! BOOK REVIEW

The Fat Red Pencil,
written and illustrated by Bryson Crowder

Ages 10 and up, 4th Grade RL
Paperback 8/5"x11" Color, 42 pages, $11.99 LINK
Kindle $2.99 LINK

SUMMARY: In an increasingly digital age, what's an obsolete writing utensil to do? Follow Roland, the Fat Red Pencil, out of the forgotten drawer and into the big world and find out!

THE SET UP:

Trapped in the dark depths of an office drawer, Roland and his obsolete friends struggle to remove themselves from what feels like a “cramped prison bag.” Roland is a fat red pencil who has become a mere antique. His friends include: Waxus, a young blue crayon; Markus, an orange marker; Liteon, a bright yellow highlighter; and Jet, a wise old black ink pen, who is slowly running out of ink. Being the only female, Liteon tends to keep the mood mellow, especially now since they have no clue of how to remove themselves from the drawer. Roland wants to explore the outside world again but needs his friends’ help...

REVIEW FOR PARENTS:
The Fat Red Pencil is an illustrated story for ages 10 and up, 4th grade reading level. Artist Bryson Crowder brings tons of whimsy to the story with deceptively simple hand-drawn crayon illustrations. Deceptive because of the detail attended to in the environments in which the characters exist. A youngster who is transitioning from storybooks with pictures to those without will truly adore The Fat Red Pencil. Your reader will have 2-3 full pages to read (at around 450 words per page, 14pt font) before a full-page story illustration is presented. The plot rolls quickly as Roland and his pals escape the drawer and encounter friendly and unfriendly folks on the way. It would seem Mr. Crowder will be writing more adventures for Roland and the team, and we hope he does!

LOOK INSIDE: