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Pony Tales on the Farm, Book 1
Children's Chapter Book
Date Published: 06-07-2022
Publisher: WAMAN BOOKS PUBLISHING
Lulu's 8th Birthday should be the best day of her life...but she soon realizes that things don't always go as planned. When Lulu struggles to form a bond with her new Pony, she finds herself questioning more than one friendship in her life!
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Meet the Author
Website: WWW.LULUANDPEBBLES.COM
Children's Middle Grade Fiction
Date Published 05-11-2022
Publisher: Vision Forty Press
Will Harley Find the Missing Mayan Statue & Save the World?
Amateur cryptologist Harley James has just landed in the sticky jungle of Tikal, Guatemala—home to the famous Mayan ruins. She’s made a few friends, a few mistakes…and a ground-breaking discovery.
The legendary statue of the long-lost Mayan King.
Just as she is about to impress her father with her discovery, the statue is stolen. Right from her own room!
And what’s worse? The legend says if the statues of the three kings are reunited, they’ll bring back an army from the dead to rule the world.
Follow along with Harley as she tracks down the missing Mayan statue, solves a few riddles and stumbles upon a secret society that will change her life forever!
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About the Author
Leah Cupps is an author, designer and entrepreneur. She came up with the idea for Harley James with her oldest daughter Savannah. Savannah had taken an interest in Mayan history and so the two of them worked together to come up with the idea for the first Harley James book; the Mystery of the Mayan Kings.
Leah lives in Indiana with her husband and three children. She is also the cofounder of Vision Forty Press, a small family owned publishing company.
Connect:
Website: https://harleyjamesadventures.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harleyjamesadventures
Blog: https://harleyjamesadventures.com/blogs/news
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17178076.Leah_Cupps
Diari doesn’t mind when Mommy goes into the city for work, because she and her little sister, Fatima, get to spend the whole day with Daddy.
From when the moon trades places with the sun until the sun trades places with the moon, daddies and daughters do everything together.
A day with Daddy means cooking, learning, dancing, and playing. After all, Daddy knows that with a little imagination, a sense of fun, and a lot of love, every part of a normal day can feel special!
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About the Authors
Aissatou Balde is the creative director and editor in chief of TalesandTurbans.com, a lifestyle brand sought after by all those looking for an authentic and positive representation of womanhood, motherhood, and family. Aissatou currently lives in Indiana with her husband, Alhassane, and her two daughters, Diari and Fatima. Visit Daddiesanddaughtersco.com for more information.
It’s no surprise that six-year-old Diariatou Sow would become an author at such an early age. Diari is an avid reader, eager learner, and incredibly creative kid who loves learning new languages. When she is not dancing, drawing, playing with her little sister, or writing with her mom, she is hanging out with her dad, which is her favorite thing to do.
Nandi L. Fernandez is an illustrator, concept artist, and animator. While she grew up in Uganda, Zambia, and Liberia, her love for travel, art, and exploring different African cultures was nurtured. Nandi has worked as a concept artist and has illustrated educational materials and various children’s books. She currently resides in the United Kingdom.
Instagram @DaddiesandDaughtersCo
Website www.DaddiesandDaughters.com
Thirteen extraordinary children with mysterious powers.
Their loving and protective father.
And a sociopathic neighbor who knows them better than they know themselves.
When Capricorn Munch and her twelve siblings appear outside a children's home, no one, including themselves, knows who they are or where they came from. At ten years old they stop aging, as she and her siblings develop powers that gift them with incredible abilities, like healing wounds and manifesting objects. They keep these powers secret and their adoptive father restricts their use. Capricorn strives to live a normal life, blissfully playing with her favorite sisters, witty and bold Allie, empathic and wise Breezy, and giddy and sweet Hazy.
But now a sudden threat has intruded on their carefree lives: Their next-door neighbor, a man who calls himself Big Boss. Capricorn watches fretfully as Big Boss encroaches on her family like a malevolent force, feeding hostility between her siblings and causing them to be reckless with their powers. Capricorn knows Big Boss is plotting something sinister and can only pray it doesn't end in ultimate doom for her and her family.
Excerpt
“We’re going to play a game,” Ashley said, approaching us. The rest of our siblings gathered at the tree.
“How about we play tag?” said Justin.
“No,” said Carlie. “I don't like tag.”
“What are you talking about, Carlie? “ Ashley said. “You love tag.”
“Well I don’t want to play it today,” Carlie scowled.
“You’re so stubborn,” Ashley frowned. Ashley, being technically the oldest (she was nine when adopted), felt it was partly her responsibility to keep the rest of her siblings in check, especially Carlie, the youngest of us (she was five when adopted).
“How about Simon Says then?” Justin said, quickly making another suggestion before an argument surfaced between Carlie and Ashley. Justin, kind and sensible, hated conflict and strived to find compromises that would make everyone happy.
“That sounds good but I want to be Simon,” said Becky. Everyone groaned in unison. Becky seemed to thrive on telling her siblings what to do. Simon Says was the perfect game for her.
“How about we play Simon Says only if Becky doesn't get to be Simon,” said Allie.
“Agreed!” shouted out half the group, their hands in the air.
Becky gave Allie a contemptuous look. Her sandy blonde hair cast a sheen in the sunlight. “Oh, be quiet, Allie. Nobody asked you.”
“Oh, see that's funny because I don't recall anyone asking you to be Simon either,” said Allie.
“Okay,” said Breezy, with her hands raised, stepping into the middle of the group. “We're only going to play a game together if we can all agree on it. Does anyone have any other suggestions?” Justin gave Breezy a grateful smile for her quick mediation, which Breezy returned with a nod.
“How about we play baseball?” I said.
“Hey, great idea, Cap!” Allie cried.
All around various cheers in favor of baseball arose. We divided amongst ourselves to form two teams, and Kevin agreed to serve as umpire. But there was one problem.
“We need a bat and ball,” said Ashley. “Someone took them in the house.”
“Let’s go in and look for them,” Justin suggested.
“Nah,” Kevin said. “That could take all day. We'll just whip some up. No biggie.”
“You mean use our powers?” Ashley asked. “Should we?”
Breezy clenched her face and shook her head. One of CC’s rules was our power should be used only when necessary and with good reason. Frivolous use of magic was a serious no-no. I had a feeling for manifesting a bat and ball, CC wouldn't consider “we didn't feel like going in the house to look for our old ones” a good reason.
Just as I expected, Breezy objected. “I don't think this counts as a necessary use of our powers. CC wouldn't approve of this.”
“Well, CC's not here right now, is he?” Twisty declared defiantly, spinning rapidly on her heels and running off with her braids bouncing behind her. Twisty (a nickname for Theresa, but she hated that name and didn't allow it to be used in her presence), had always been a bit of a troublemaker and had a real rebellious streak. Just the thought of doing something that was against CC's rules excited her greatly.
Breezy turned to Hazy, Allie, and me looking for support. Allie signaled her sympathy for Breezy's position by rolling her eyes in Twisty's direction and gave a hapless shrug. Hazy's apprehension mirrored Breezy's. I mumbled feebly, “Well, it's only a bat and ball.” Breezy shook her head and repeated, “CC would not approve of this.”
My siblings didn’t always see it, but there's a good reason for this rule. There are limitations to our powers. There are certain things we’re not able to do at all (such as make ourselves disappear and reappear, make ourselves invisible, magically teleport ourselves from one place to another, the list goes on) but more importantly, the powers we do have aren’t inexhaustible. Using a power takes a lot of energy, and once that energy is used, it takes a while before you have enough energy to use a power again. Think of it as a battery. If you run something on a battery that uses a lot of power, you'll drain your battery quickly and have to recharge. Recharging means you have to wait for your energy levels to restore themselves before you can use them again. The time required to recharge depends on what type of power you are using and the task. A telekinetic power like moving an object in the air is one of the lowest energy uses and takes about 10-20 minutes before you're good to go again, but of course, it depends on the size and distance of the object. Healing a wound or injury, depending on how severe the injury is, can take over an hour or two. Replicating an object, disappearing objects, or putting up a protective shield will put you back a few hours. Manifesting an object into being? That's huge and will cost you a whole day's worth of power at least.
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About the Author
Candice Zee is a middle-grade and YA fantasy writer who first dreamed the idea of The Munchkins as a child while playing make-believe with her brother in Wilkes-Barre, PA. She is an early childhood teacher with an M.Ed. in Elementary Education and has taught for over twelve years in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and primary grade classrooms. Like Casey Munch in her book series, she is passionate about creating a more just and equitable world. She savors vegan food, loves board games and podcasts, relishes horror movies and novels, devours social science nonfiction, spontaneously belts out tunes from musicals, and does some of her best writing while drinking coffee at 1 AM. She lives in Cleveland, OH with her wife Dana and their dog companion Solstice. The Munchkins is her debut novel. More information about her book series and the characters can be found at www.munchkinsbooks.com.
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 56
Ages: 6-10
Motivated by a mission to celebrate and teach children American values, The American Dream of Braven Young (February 2022; ISBN 9781737079651) takes readers on a journey to discover the meaning of freedom through a thrilling fictional adventure story.
Since 2018, Raybould has been sharing her insights as a wife and mother of four boys with an audience that has grown to almost 240,000 people on Instagram.
Her experience of raising a family in Washington D.C. has provoked many questions and conversations about American values with her own children, giving Brooke the inspiration to write The American Dream of Braven Young.
The American Dream of Braven Young tells the story of a boy named Braven Young who begins to question what his dad, a U.S. Senator, does all day long. Braven asserts that if he were “free to do whatever he wanted”, like his dad, he would make different decisions. This leads Braven on an adventure to understand and define the meaning of “freedom.” Braven falls into a dream that lands him in Washington, DC. He, along with all children, are granted their wish: freedom to do anything they please! Along this journey, Braven discovers that freedom is much more than what he thought it was. Freedom is not about doing whatever you want; it is a responsibility to do what is right.
As Raybould explains, “My hope in writing The American Dream of Braven Young is that young children and families can learn about and celebrate American values. While America is not perfect, it is an extraordinary place and stands for ideals that can serve as building blocks to a meaningful life!”
The American Dream of Braven Young highlights the importance of American values in a story that will excite and captivate young minds.
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About Brooke Raybould
Brooke Raybould was born and raised in Orange County, California. She attended The University of Southern California, where she graduated with a degree in Business Administration. In 2016, Brooke went on to receive her MBA from Georgetown University in Washington D.C., where she currently resides with her husband Ryan and their four boys. Despite her many achievements, this chapter of her life as a “mama” is her favorite one yet! For nearly 5 years, Brooke has been documenting and sharing her joy-filled journey through marriage and motherhood with what has grown to be almost 240,000 followers on her Instagram page, @thesouthernishmama. The American Dream of Braven Young is her first book. Her hope is that it will inspire children to cherish and uphold American values, no matter their background.
About Juan Manuel Moreno
Juan is originally from Buenos Aires. As a young boy, he was always drawn to creating images. His first “job” was to color his newborn brother’s head in bright felt pens. He spent most of his childhood years living in the countryside and cultivating his passion for painting. After studying graphic design, he lectured at the university and worked as an in-house illustrator for different studios with clients ranging from Warner, Disney, Conspiracy and Scholastic. In 2003, Juan and his wife, Patricia decided to travel the Americas and ended up living in different countries. In 2006, they finally crossed the pond and decided to stay in Barcelona, where he started a career as a freelance illustrator.
Children's Picture Book
Date Published: 02-01-2022
The Sherlock Rabbit, Snowball, is on the. case. He grabbed his Sherlock hat and cape and plans to search for the missing rabbit fur. How dare someone clip his fellow rabbits!
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About the Author
Constance Meccarello-Gerson was born in Poughkeepsie N.Y. She is a graduate of Florida Southern College with a BA in Acting. She also attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. HB Studio, Actors Studio, in NYC. She is a member of SAG, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Si Omega. Her MFA in Acting is from Brooklyn College. She has appeared on TV, film, and on stage in NYC. For 20 years she taught as a mentor and teacher of English and Theatre Arts for the New York City Department of Education and for the University at Santa Cruz. She also taught for ten years as a Speech Coordinator at Touro College. She was an executive at Bloomingdales. Her writing as appeared in Musings, also in the Best American Poets series. Currently she lives in NYC with her husband Alain, a parrot named Benji, and lots of fish. She has three books in the Hassle High Mystery series. This is her first Sherlock Rabbit children’s book.
Connect: Website: http://constancemeccarello.com
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