By Linda Wilson @LinWilsonauthor
The last few posts have come along as word of my picture books, A Packrat's Holiday: Thistletoe's Gift and Tall Boots' prizes have rolled in! I must say, I am thrilled that my first two picture books have distinguished themselves with judges from these contests. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and librarians will surely appreciate what these books have to offer. In addition to the Mom's Choice Award, Tall Boots has won the Story Monster's Contest in picture books (ages 3-8). in fiction.
My biggest desire in all my books is to encourage children to explore the great outdoors. In A Packrat's Holiday: Thistletoe's Gift, children 4-8 years old are introduced to a packrat family whose cupboards are bare during the holidays. Thistletoe must find a way to find food scraps left by the cowboys driving their herd of cattle on the prairie for a nearby rancher. Thistletoe hopes the cowboys leave scraps and shiny objects behind. Then he and his cousin can offer a feast for Mama Packrat's holiday. But only if they can escape the talons of the Great Horned Owl.
In the picture book Tall Boots, Ashley wants to win a blue ribbon at the 4-H Horse Show—but there’s one problem. She has to wear her old red rubber riding boots. Her mother is willing to invest in knee-high riding boots, but Ashley needs to prove to her that she’s committed to riding. When she walks her Welsh Mountain Pony, Lacy, into the ring, something is wrong. None of the riders look familiar. She shouts, “There’s been a mistake!” but her plea blows away in the wind. How can Ashley earn a pair of tall boots now?
And in Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery, a chapter book for 7-to-10-year-olds, Abi, who lives in an apartment in town, explores the countryside, swimming in the lake and hiking in the woods, in her efforts to help a ghost solve a mystery.
Please visit my website and explore these books and my newest picture book soon to be out, Waddles the Duck: Hey, Wait for Me! which also takes place outdoors. This book about the newly-hatched Waddles, a mallard duck who took up residence in a neighborhood pool, encourages children to visit ponds to feed healthy food to ducks, and also to take their bug kits outdoors and explore the insects that abound in their own backyards.
Find these fine books at https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com and https://amazon.com/author/lindawilsonchildrensauthor.