Adventures Of Sammy

We all love superheros and the possibility of becoming one, even to just one person. Even birds strive to help and be remembered as their local hero, at least Emlyn Chand’s main character Honey the bird from Australia did.

An adventures little bird, Honey flew until she found a young boy through a window who watched tv and saw her first superhero. Knowing she could already fly her next step was a disguise (Every superhero needs a disguise. 😉 as she didn’t want her friends to know she was coming to the rescue.

A very clever story with terrific illustrations and theme, Honey the Hero (A Bird Brain Book) is cute for any age so I recommend it for any parent, and anyone who has a child in their life.

Thanks for reading,

Sarah Butland

Another children’s book by Maranda Russell which takes a wonderfully simple idea and makes it beautiful. Growing up in a foster home I saw what it was like for children of all ages to wait for the perfect fit, some much longer than others for no reason other than them being themselves.

Weezie, in this case, is the elephant in the room after everyone else has been adopted. He begins to blame himself, his uncontrollable sneezes from allergies, for not being acceptable to any visiting family and convinces himself that he’ll never find a home away from the orphanage.

The only line in this book I stumbled over was “For a moment his eyes filled with hope, but then he remembered the past and shook his head.” Elephants have incredible memories and so I pondered the significance of suddenly remembering the past that had upset him so. Once I got through that I was right back with Weezie, the Elephant with Allergies and rooting that he found a home. He did, of course, find a home and I think this book will easily find a home in your hearts.

I can’t wait for the print edition with more illustrations to be available! Right now you can read this as an ebook through Smashwords.

Thanks Maranda for letting me read this and for sharing with the world the theme of belonging.

And thank you for reading!
Sarah Butland

Quirky Christmas is now available at an online store near you (aren’t they all) very soon but I had the honour of reading an advanced copy of this delightful tale perfect for a coming Christmas.

The characters are delightful as we meet the squirrel named Earl who goes by Quirky because of his unique appearance and many personal characteristics. Quirky is a nickname very suitable for this crazy creature who proves he’s not just quirky, he’s caring. We also meet his friends, Stubby and Art who are also kind of strange in their own ways but all equally wonderful. We also meet Reggie – the typical bully in the neighbourhood who refuses to share.

A very effective story written in a heart-warming way which teaches readers how to overcome obstacles and make friends despite first impressions.

The illustrations are drawn and simple but effective and eye-catching. Make sure Quirky Christmas is something your children unwrap soon so that you can treasure literacy, a good story and heart warming tale for years to come.

Thank you for reading,

Sarah Butland