Unwrapping...
This book is authored by Troy Kent and illustrated by Amanda Erb.
Unwrapping the illustrations for you...
His face says it all. Blinky is experiencing the consequences of eating beans and most of us know what that means. Yep, a rumble, a rip and a reason to blush. This witty, humorous book will have you giggling as you turn each page. Poor Blinky tries his best to keep it under control but gasp!!....the gas does not obey. Mortified, he hurriedly darts from his classroom and races to the little boy's room where he parks himself. Yes....mmmmm....ahhhhh! He believes that this too shall pass....and it does.
When he arrives home his mom lovingly prepares him an after school snack. She suggests leftover meat, a sandwich with cheese whiz, and then remembers there is a tasty can of beans that he might like. Do you think Blinky will have another go with the legumes or pass? I think he's "bean" there done that don't you?
This book is delightful, especially the illustrations. It is written in rhyme and kids (especially boy kids) will laugh and want to share it with others and read it themselves again and again. I highly recommend this book. It's a gas!
For author Troy Guindon, getting emotional reactions is so much better than rejections.
Guindon, a long-time teacher in the Upper Canada District School Board, has had his share of rejections from publishers - every would-be writer gets them - but his children's book "The Reading Promise" is drawing some rave early reviews.
"It's exciting as a writer to evoke some sort of emotion - and surprising for me, (because) I can't get over the response it's getting," said Guindon, who is having two kids' books published by Mascot Books in Herndon, Va.
"The Reading Promise" is the story of a young mother whose promise to read to her newborn becomes her legacy. In the book's dedication, Guindon writes, "To my wife Robyn, who not only encouraged me to publish this story, but was also the inspiration behind it."
He took a year off from coaching a high school football team to spend time with the book project and it's not Guindon's first one.
"I've always been dabbling in (writing) stuff," Guindon said. "This particular one (The Reading Promise), my wife encouraged me to see if somebody would publish it."
Mascot did, but the book did get some rejections, including, Guindon noted, from several publishers in Canada.
It was a year ago in May when Mascot representatives called Guindon to tell him they were very interested in his manuscript and he was asked if he has anything else.
"That made me feel really good," he said
So Guindon sent them "Stinky Blinky," which Mascot said was "Troy-tastic." While it pushes the boundaries of a children's book, it'll also be published by the company.
"Stinky Blinky" was released to Amazon, Barnes & Noble et al on June 3, with "The Reading Promise" hitting stores July 1.
"In Stinky Blinky," the only thing better than laughing gas is laughing at gas. Young readers are invited to join Blinky as he dodges a real-life problem that's quite a hoot - or toot.
Guindon dedicated the book to his sons Kent, Andrew and Alex, "who encouraged me to publish this book, despite the fact that my wife and daughters didn't want me to. They think the subject matter stinks!"
Advance copies of the books are available at Kid's Korner (Cornwall), R&L's Book Nook (Alexandria) and Your Friendly Neighbourhood General Store (Long Sault).
Both are currently being reviewed by Scholastic, a world-wide publisher and distributor of children's books and success in that realm would take Guindon's hobby to a whole new level.
He has more kid's books on the way, with a third manuscript soon to be green-lighted by Mascot.
His pen name is Troy Kent, a semi-pseudonym as those are Guindon's first two names and "The Reading Promise" is illustrated by Elisa Moriconi, an Italian artist.
How many copies will his books sell? That's hard to say, of course.
"(Mascot has) no idea, (but) they have a lot of confidence in them," he said.
Guindon, a graduate of Acadia University in New Brunswick, has been a high school English teacher for over 20 years, most of his career at Tagwi Secondary School near Avonmore.
I graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design in May 2013 with a BFA with Honors in Illustration and have been drawing since the age of three. Some of my earliest memories are of drawing characters on printer paper. Throughout my public school education no handout or homework assignment left unscathed from my doodles.
Clients Include:
- Highlights For Children
- Kids VT
- Mascot Books
- MeeGenius
- Charles Products Incorporated
Published Works:
- The Naughty Pancake by Katherine Rawson, MeeGenius
- Do Not Go to Work, Dad by Candido Perez, MeeGenius
- The Popcorn Predicament by Danielle Boccio, MeeGenius
- Annie's Crayon Story by Sheri Dillard, MeeGenius
- A Whirlybird Ride by Teresa Zabierowski, Mascot Books
- Stinky Blinky by Troy Kent, Mascot Books
If you would like to contact me with any questions, project ideas, or opportunities for work
I can be reached at my email:
amanda (at) amandaerb (dot) com
Read on and read always!
It's a wrap.
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