Community Book Alerts for you to enjoy....

I am so blessed to have such a huge range of gifted authors and illustrators who contribute to my Storywraps' reviews from all over the world.  From time to time I use my space to let you know what wonderful books are available for free from some of these talented  people.   I am highlighting two for you today.  Please go to Amazon and pick up a copy for you the share with your child.

Unwrapping...

Authored and illustrated by Melinda Kinsman



Uwrapping a short synopsis of the story...

This tender, sweet story is tailor-made for bedtime.  Written in rhyme the storyline is about a tiny mouse and begins:

"Who can be calling

So late in the day?

She peeks through the window, 

then gulps in dismay!

What an intro....now you have to read on and find out what's up don't you?

It is a fun read-aloud and the illustrations are big, bight and colourful.  The verses are short and the vocabulary is simple... just perfect for young budding readers to tackle.  

A very creative feature that Melinda has woven through the book  is P.D. Monkey (one of her famous The Top of the Wardrobe Gang characters) who invites everyone to find the door key that is hidden on every page.  She has also included Nature Notes and Molly Mouse Puzzles for your child's  engagement and enjoyment at the end of the book.    I highly recommend this book.  You can find out more by visiting her website at:

 http://topofthewardrobegang.weebly.com

About Melinda...

Melinda Kinsman lives on a small peninsular called The Wirral, in North West England. She loves climbing mountains and rock-climbing (both abroad, and in her local mountains of Snowdonia), and she has always had a soft-spot for cuddly toys!

As Melinda has to lie down a lot each day, due to health issues, she spends most of that time using her iPad to write and illustrate her books. (Drawing can be especially challenging, as she needs to keep the iPad steady by balancing it with one leg up in the air - much to the amusement of her family!)

Melinda originally wrote a book of poems for her 6 year old niece a few years ago, but never dreamt of trying to publish them, or of trying to illustrate them herself. The advent of ebooks and handheld tablets now makes self-publishing an exciting possibility for her!

The Top of the Wardrobe Gang series of books are credited to both Melinda and a motley crew of cuddly toy characters. This bunch of cuddly toys live on the Top of the Wardrobe - they like to call this the "penthouse suite"! They enjoy reading, and want to try writing their own books. Most of the cartoon gang characters are based on "real" members of Melinda's cuddly toy family, though some have had to have their names and appearances changed to allow their inclusion!

***AND Unwrapping...***

Authored by  Werner Stejskal
Illustrations by various artists



Unwrapping a short synopsis of the stories...

This book is comprised of three short stories.  Story #1, "How I Found My Top Hat," as a kitten Oliver finds his must-have hat in a secondhand store and knows he must work hard to raise the money to buy it.  Story #2, "Oliver in the Circus", Oliver joins the circus hoping to be the best hire that he can be.  Alas he discovers that life in the circus is not his cup of tea.  Story #3, "Shipwreck", is about a ship that has capsized and inside it is a valuable tiara meant for the bride of a king in a near-by country.  The pair become engaged in a battle royal with an octopus struggling to retrieve the prize tiara and return it to its rightful owner.  The quality of the illustrations are fantastic and certainly add a richness to the text.  

About Werner...

Born in Vienna, Austria, Werner is now living in the paradise of Perth, Australia with his wife, two married children and three grandchildren. He worked many years in the printing industry and later for the United Nations in Vienna. His wife had been a pen-friend, whom Werner visited in Hong Kong and finally got married to. After an eventful life, now retired, he began to write children's stories, had them illustrated through Odesk, narrated them himself for YouTube and finally published the ebooks on most platforms. Werner's dream is to see "Oliver and Jumpy" animated as a TV series.

There are lots of fairy tales and bedtime stories around and many of them quite violent. This made Werner decide to write something different. On a flight from Europe to Australia he watched the movie Magic on Belle Island with Morgan Freeman, where Freeman teaches a little girl to have imagination and write her first story. This inspired Werner as well and the first stories with his two characters Oliver, the elegant tomcat, and Jumpy, his kangaroo lady friend, made their appearance. Some very capable illustrators have helped to create this picture book series.Oliver and Jumpy are back in a new series of adventures in a new picture book by Werner Stejskal, and, for better or worse, these stories are pretty much what the other books in the series are, with the same numerous strengths and occasional weaknesses. For those familiar with the series, this means more of the same type of children's adventures and highly entertaining drawings.

Be sure to get a copy to enjoy today! Free is amazing... go now.  To reiterate both ebooks are available on Amazon.

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Read on and read always!

It's a wrap.