A New Creation

I decided to venture outside my typical genre for my latest ebook. I have been thinking about this for a while, and after some collaboration with my mother this book came together. My Granny's Kitchen: A Traditional British Cookbook is a collection of recipes that my late Grandmother loved to make. As I explain in the book, my Granny was a very reserved woman, but she really loved to be in the kitchen and to provide meals for her whole family. She would write recipes down on scraps of paper or tear out pages from old cookbooks and combine them to make her own creations.

My mother has kept a lot of these recipes, and with her help I put together a group of favorites that I can remember from my childhood. It was a lot of fun to go back and remember times spent in the kitchen learning how to cook with my Granny. The cover image of the book is her home, which is the place my parents now live. It is in North Wales, about a half hour from England, nestled in beautiful mountains.

I hope that people will take a look and learn about some traditional British foods, or that some British readers will rediscover some of their own favorites like I did.

Are Children Still Learning When Reading Ebooks?

A recent study by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center looked at a sample group of young children reading both traditional print books and ebooks for children. They wanted to see how the experiences of these children differed when reading the different book types. What they found was very interesting.

Overall, there were not major differences between reading comprehension between traditional print books and basic ebooks for kids. The differences came when ebooks had enhanced features such as sounds and moving images. In the case of the advanced ebooks, children actually comprehended less of the story and were less likely to be able to answer questions about what happened. The study suggested that this was because, in part, parents were less likely to engage with their children while reading an enhanced ebook (i.e. ask questions, point out key ideas), because they assumed the ebook was doing that for them.

The lesson from this study is that while all types of books certainly have their place, parents and caregivers shouldn't forget that one of the most important parts of reading is their engagement with their children. They should continue to ask questions, stimulate further discussion on the topics and make sure that their children are understanding what they are reading.

Down on the Farm Now Available

The latest children's ebook took longer to produce than I had hoped, due to family circumstances and some complications along the way. I love the way it has turned out, however, because while it is strikingly simple in appearance, I feel that it appeals to young readers just starting out in their comprehension of numbers and counting.

 Each farm scene features a different animal, with more of each animal appearing as the reader explores the farm. 

My latest felt illustrated children's ebook Down on the Farm is now available at Amazon. This endearing, primitive book teaches children about farm animals and introduces the numbers one to ten in a fun and engaging way. Playful rhymes accompany felt illustrations of all the main farm animals. Children will learn to count the animals and discover new vocabulary along the way.

Simple or Interactive Kids Ebooks?

With the availability of children's Ebooks on devices such as the Ipad, Kindle Fire and others, many publishers are exploring adding interactive elements to their ebooks for children. Kids can click on characters in the story to see them move or hear them talk, items can be dragged or used in the story, and children can even make decisions that alter the outcome of the book. While I certainly know that my daughter enjoys these kinds of ebooks, and think that they have their place in the market, interactive ebooks are not something I am interested in creating myself for a number of reasons.

The essence of my stories is their simplicity. I like to teach a concept, send a message or just make a child smile through simple rhymes, endearing illustrations and likeable characters. I want the children who read my books to get lost in the story or the words and to use the pictures as a springboard for their own ideas. With my felt scenes, I hope that children can almost imagine themselves moving the characters around the scenes to enhance the stories, even if they cannot physically do so. For me, so much of children's literature lies in the imagination of the reader.

When I watch my daughter using apps or playing around with interactive stories, she is certainly entertained, but I find her starting to mindlessly touch object after object without really engaging with the background story or what the characters are saying. She just wants to make everything move or make noise, but is not truly enhancing the story. On the other hand, when she reads simple ebooks, she asks questions, points out details of the illustrations, and takes the stories to a deeper level on her own.

I love that with modern technology our children have so many options. I'm happy that my daughters can enjoy all types of literature, but from an author's perspective, I'll stick with what moves me the most.

Ebooks for Children: Is there a Market for them?

I've been writing children's stories for years, even before I had my own kids and certainly before the Ebook came to be. I've written other types of books and technical pieces before, and continue to do so, but it's the children's books that always draw me in. There is something about imagining a little mind absorbing your ideas and finding joy in your stories. I like to hope that children want to read my stories again and again, just like my girls do with their favorite books.

Children's Ebooks are a relatively new concept, and they are certainly not as popular as many other Ebook genres such as fiction, self help and erotica (the quiet bestseller). There are a number of reasons for this. Of course, the people making the purchasing decisions are adults who are more likely to purchase for themselves than their children, or are at least more discerning customers. Children's books can also be quite difficult to translate into Ebook format due to complexities in formatting, image size, text wrapping etc. Many parents also do not wish to deviate from the traditional method of connecting with their children through books. I know that some of my favorite moments with my children come when we snuggle up with print books, and some of that just cannot be replicated with an electronic device.

All this being said, children's Ebooks have a lot to offer. They can excite and engage young readers in ways that print books cannot. They are portable, available instantly, and don't take up a lot of space. Ebooks also tend to be much cheaper than their print counterparts, and with waning attention spans and constantly changing interests this can be a huge draw to parents.

I am a firm believer that Ebooks and traditional print books should exist in harmony, not in competition with one another. I love to read all forms of books with my girls, to expand their horizons as much as possible and to expose them to as many experiences as I can. In the end, if I am fostering a love of reading, I am just as happy to do so with a kindle or an Ipad as with a hardback or a board book.

Creating the Next Children's Ebook

Unlike some of my other children's Ebooks, the book I am working on now hasn't been years in the making or a vision I have had for a long time. It's really born out of my 20 month old's current obsession with numbers and counting. I wanted to write a kid's Ebook that she would really enjoy at this stage in her development, but also wanted to keep it in much the same style as my other stories.

I'm currently working on a farm counting book featuring my layered felt illustrations and plenty of fun animals for children to enjoy as they learn their numbers. I hope to have it completed soon, and will be posting some snapshots before it is completed. I'm so excited to see what my daughter thinks of it!

Free for a Limited Time

How the Clownfish Got its Nameis free for a limited time. Enjoy the story free from Sunday to Tuesday, and feel free to share with your friends!

Ebook or Traditional Print?

Recent figures suggest that the Ebook market is growing faster and faster every year. For those hoping to publish their books and reach a wide audience, it seems that Ebooks might be the perfect solution, but are they? Are writers better off producing Ebooks, print books, or a combination of both?

While it has always been difficult to be a published writer, these days it is almost impossible without a professional agent. This is particularly true in the children's book genre, where most publishers will not even consider a manuscript without the writer being represented by an agent. Hiring agents is not only expensive but time consuming, with no guarantee of a successful outcome. In addition, many publishers do not want to see illustration ideas with print, making it difficult for many authors to present their vision.

Ebooks allow writers complete control over their work and it's format. They also allow authors the opportunity to share their work without having to jump through numerous hoops put in place by publishers. Of course, one of the primary drawbacks of self-publishing is the lack of marketing and exposure. Independent writers need to work very hard to get their words out there, and even those that do may find that their voice is not powerful enough to rival those supported by big name publishers. The Ebook market has become extremely competitive since anyone can publish a book, and thus it is becoming increasingly more difficult to stand out from the crowd.

Personally, I love the opportunities that Ebooks present. With two young children I don't honestly have time to pursue professional publishers, and I am realistic enough to know that I may not be able to attract their attention anyway. I like the fact that I can format, illustrate and edit my own work, and that I can change it even after it's published as a result of feedback from readers.. I want to reach a large audience, but when I set out writing I told myself that if the only people who ever read my stories were my children, I'd be fine with that. Writing is a passion, and I want to continue to enjoy it in its simplest form, without the constraints that traditional print might place upon it.

Why Felt Illustrations?

When deciding how to illustrate How the Clownfish Got its Name, I knew that I wanted the pictures to be simple and childlike. I didn't want fancy illustrations that detracted from the message of the story, and wanted just a few colors to stand out. Since I knew that many children would be reading the kids ebook on their Kindles, I also realized that complicated images with many colors would not look good on that platform.

I actually landed on the felt idea one morning while playing with my daughter. She has a book that is made up of two scenes, upon which you can place different felt characters and objects. She adores this book and has a great time arranging the felt figures and talking about what they are doing. It really gets her imagination going. While she was playing with this book, I thought about creating my own felt scenes for the clownfish and his friends. I hoped that this would add an endearing element to the book and complement the story.

How the Clownfish Got its Name: Inspiration for the Book

I have had the idea for this children's ebook in my mind for a long time. In fact, I created a very simple version with my own illustrations many years ago. Unfortunately, aside from the fact that the illustrations were not too great, the book didn't survive my dog's puppy stage!

How the Clownfish Got its Name
The message of the story is simple but important. It reminds children to find their own strengths and to be proud of themselves as individuals.

After the birth of my first daughter, I realized just how important this message is. After her first birthday, I started thinking about the book again and felt compelled to create the story in honor of my beautiful girl.

My daughter is very unique in many ways, and in her very short time in this world she has taught me that "perfection" is not about being the fastest, strongest or smartest. It's about being exactly who you are, and finding your own strengths. The little orange fish in the story compares himself to everyone else, and feels so sad that he can't be like the other fish in the ocean. In the end, however, he realizes that he is special in his own right, and has so much to offer others. I know that my little girl has great things to bring to others around her, and I hope that I can help her find things in life that she is passionate about to give her confidence and joy.