Sunday, June 14, 2015

CHILDREN'S BOOKS: Corner 33 Bear Books-Five Wonderful Children's Books About a Bear by TC LiFonti & Charles Tillman




I decided to switch it up a little this Sunday morning, and host a review for five amazing children's books by TC LiFonti & Charles Tillman. They are adorable books, and they support a great cause! I have a children's book blog as well as this blog, which is geared more towards historical fiction, obviously (lol). Anyways, I am posting here, because I have more followers, but I also plan to post at my children's book blog: My Twins Hid My Book...Again 
I'm sure a lot of my followers have children, so enjoy! :)


Story Summaries

• The Story of Snowy Bear and the Lost Scarf 

When Snowy wakes up and sees the snow falling outside, he rushes to get dressed in order to run outside and play.  However, as he cannot find his scarf, which he needs before he can go out, he tears apart his room in frustration instead of taking a moment to listen to his mother and consider what he may have done with it.

• The Story of Pirate Bear and the Treasure Hunt

As Pirate Bear heads to the community treasure hunt at Unity Park, he makes the decision to “hunt” by himself instead of with a team because he wants the grand prize for himself.  As his friends and parents try to convince him to be part of a team and work with others, his greed gets the best of him and he goes at it alone.  Throughout, Pirate slowly discovers the disadvantages and loneliness of not being part of a team and working with others.

• The Story of Beach Bear and the Sandcastle

Early in the morning, Beach Bear begins the construction of his dream sandcastle.  And, as the day moves on and the tide rolls in, he is unaware of what can happen to his sandcastle as he rushes off to bring back Mama Bear to show her.  One of the greatest lessons Mama Bear helps her son realize is the importance of what one does and the memories that it brings back.

• The Story of Scary Bear and the Pumpkin Patch

While waiting for Papa Bear to come home so that they can go to the pumpkin patch for their Halloween pumpkin, Scary falls asleep and dreams what he thinks is reality.  By the end, Scary learns the importance of listening and staying close to his father, especially in unfamiliar places.

• The Story of Lovie Bear and the Valentine’s Day Card


For Valentine’s Day, Lovie Bear wants so desperately to give his one valentine a card; however, when the moment comes to do so, he does not have the confidence to follow through.  By the end of the school day, Lovie begins to understand how many people have the same fears and that having the smallest amount of courage can open the doors to greater opportunities.

My Review


A publicist from Publishing Push reached out to me after coming across my children’s book review blog, My Twins Hit My Book…Again, and asked if I might be interested in reviewing a set of five children’s books about a bear co-authored by TC LiFonti, and former professional football player, Charles Tillman. To be honest, it had been so long since I had done a review on my children’s book blog that I had kind of forgotten about it. I didn’t begin it at the best time for myself, as I was just getting ready to go back to school for my second master’s degree, and did not have the time to keep up with it. Anyways, there are five different books; The Story of Snowy Bear and the Lost Scarf, The Story of Pirate Bear and the Treasure Hunt, The Story of Beach Bear and the Sandcastle, The Story of Scary Bear and the Pumpkin Patch, The Story of Lovie Bear and the Valentine’s Day Card. In each book the young, white bear makes and innocent, but wrong, choice, but with the help of his ‘mama’ and ‘papa’ bear, he is able to grow and learn a lesson from his mistake. The different ‘mistakes’ that the bear makes are all relevant to young children around the ages 3-8. They include lessons like learning to stay close to an adult in places you are not familiar with, learning how to get over your fears, why it’s better to be working as part of a team rather than along, as well as a couple other great lessons for young children to learn.

I read all five of these books to my two year old, identical twin boys over the period of a day. I’m actually attempting to potty train them, so in order to keep the boys entertained and sitting on the potty for longer than usual, I read these books to them! They loved them! They both were completely engrossed in the books as I read them, the one on the potty obviously was there, but the other one came and sat right down beside him so that he could hear the story, too! Then, later on it was his turn to get the training, so I read the books to him, and even though it was his second time, he was still loving the books, and his twin came over and sat right down and wanted to hear the books over again as well! 

I work as a Therapeutic Staff Support (aka Wraparound) for a 13 year old girl who is on the severe side of the Autism Spectrum. She is also 50% deaf in both ears. It is difficult to work with her, because she is nonverbal, and she can also be aggressive at times, but she can also be a sweetheart. One of the things that she does enjoy doing during her sessions with me, is being read to. There were only a couple books at her house to read, so I brought these books over, and showed the five different books to her, and her face lit up! She was SO excited! She rarely says anything, but after I went through the books and said the names, she immediately picked out "The Story of Scary Bear and the Pumpkin Patch", and said "Scary Bear!" She listened intently, and wanted "Lovie Bear" next! 


So, I can say from experience that these books are entertaining for the little ones, and then for the kids that are a little older, not only are they interesting books, but they also have a great message. These books definitely come highly recommended from me, and I honestly can’t say enough good things about them. When you look at the prices on amazon.com, they do look pricey, BUT, you have to remember that 66% of the proceeds are going towards helping/assisting those in need in the Chicago area, and this includes children! If you have small children, these are adorable books to add to their little library. Definitely a FIVE out of FIVE rating from me!


Inspiration


Each of the five books provides not only situations that children will find familiar, but each story also provides the presence of parents to help guide their child as he works through situations and ultimately finds a greater understanding and/or appreciation for the moments and obstacles that he faces.

Truly, one of the greatest attributes to these books is how the parent/s deal with the child and try to help him understand the world around him while also allowing him to make his own decisions, possibly failing, before calmly helping him recognize better ways to approach situations.

The impact that a parent can have on his or her child’s life is immeasurable; therefore, each book is impacted by these interactions and the responses that follow.

We do hope that you enjoy each story.


About the Authors

TC LiFonti, an educator and coach, has co-authored five children’s books with Charles Tillman, co-founder of the Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation.  Through the sale of these books, the intention is to help make an impact on people in the Chicago-land area in need of help and/or assistance.  Each hopes that these books help the Cornerstone Foundation raise awareness and financially help to better assist the foundation and those impacted by its efforts.

Charles “Peanut” Tillman is an All-Pro corner-back for the Carolina Panthers, formerly of the Chicago Bears, and heads the Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation.  Charles is a very strong philanthropic figure throughout Chicago and the state of Illinois where he is always working to help enrich the lives of those around him and in need.  Additionally, since 2005, Charles Tillman’s charitable efforts have impacted the lives of over one million Chicago-area children.

For the 2013 NFL season, Charles was named the “NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year” for his philanthropic work off of the field and through his charitable foundation.  You can visit his foundation’s page via the link on the home page or at: www.charlestillman.org

One Forty-Two Productions LLC, in partnership with the Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation, is donating 60-percent of all earnings from each of the five children’s books back to the foundation and its efforts to continually help those in need.
Gabrielle Esposito is the illustrator for each of the five books.  Please take a moment to look at her art on either of her two sites.  Her personal website: http://gabrielleesposito.weebly.com/   –facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GabrielleEspositoArt


Purchase a Book



All books can be purchased via amazon or createspace and all titles are available in Spanish.  REMEMBER: sixty-percent of all profits directly benefit the Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation!





Monday, June 1, 2015

GIVEAWAY & SPOTLIGHT: The Gisburn Witch: A Witches of Pendle Novel by Sarah L. King





Publication Date-June 1st--(paperback version to follow!)
Genre--Historical Fiction


Blurb:

A tragic tale of friendship, passion and betrayal set against the backdrop of the Pendle witch trials of 1612, one of the most famous witch trials in English history.

Scandalised as a young woman after being accused of seducing Tom Lister, a gentleman’s son, Jennet Preston’s life is filled with shame and hardship. An outcast in her own village, she befriends the Device family in Blacko, and she is quickly embroiled in their world of folk magic and superstition, of old family feuds and dangerous reputations.

When fate intervenes to reunite her with Tom, Jennet risks everything for love and happiness, but when tragedy strikes Jennet finds that she is vulnerable to accusations for which she could pay the ultimate price. The Gisburn Witch is a novel about falling in love with the wrong person, making the wrong friends, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time.


The Gisburn Witch is Available At:



Author profile:

Sarah L King has always loved writing and as a youth she flirted with poetry, some of which was published. In addition, she has always loved History which led to her obtaining a 1st Class Honours degree in the subject from Lancaster University. Now, with her first novel, The Gisburn Witch she has begun a new journey to merge her two passions together and bring some new, interesting Historical Fiction to the world.

Born in Nottinghamshire, England, Sarah has lived in several places but now resides in West Lothian, Scotland with her husband and two children. Her days are filled with trying to juggle her time between writing, working, and looking after her children.

Subscribe to her Blog: http://www.sarahlking.com/
Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/sarahkingauthor



The Author is giving away ONE eBook Copy of The Gisburn Witch (eBook format of your choice!)