Another Two Furry Cute Tales in Time For Christmas.

Vickianne Caswell has completed another two delightful children's picture books in the "Freckles the Bunny Series" and released them both just last month in time for the Christmas holiday season.

Book 3: Freckles Lends a Paw.

Book 4: Freckles and The True Meaning of Christmas.

The illustrations are beautifully created by Anastasia Drogaitseva and are in keeping with the original wonderful character designs from the first two books.

In Freckles Lends a Paw we meet both old and new characters who come together to help teach Freckles and children everywhere yet again another valuable lesson. This time we learn the value of friendship and trusting in oneself and others instead of allowing fear to rule our lives. Fear of the unkown, fear of rumours, and fear of bad behaviours, all are easily overcome when you work together.

We meet poor old grumpy Mr Loppity who is accussed of not liking children very much and of being a mean old wizard. The children pick on him and throw things at his house making him even grumpier (understandably). When Freckle's mum finds him injured and comes to his rescue the children quickly learn Mr Loppity is perhaps not so frightening after all.  Fun antics in the house ensue as the friemds soon learn that to help others is far more rewarding than at first it may appear.

Freckles and The True Meaning of Christmas is a timely reminder that it is the giving not the receiving that is important before, on Christmas day and after. Without giving too much away, in this delightful Christmas tale we are invited to meet not just the brothers and sisters of Freckle's friends but their entire families as they extend love and Christmas cheer, spreading good and helping around their community. Each family member gets involved one way or another to find the true spirit of giving their time and effort to those more in need.

Vickianne has found a truley inspirational way to write a story to thank those amongst us in the community who volunteer their time  as well as to subtly suggest to others the significance of giving and sharing such a valuable comodity as spending time helping others.

These two gorgeous books along with the origininal two, Book one: Freckles is Scared of School

and Book Two: Freckles and The Less Fortunate

would be the beginning of a wonderful collection for young children of pre-school and early reading years. For a review on these two fabulous books please refer to my earlier review Hop on intoTwo Furry Cute Reads, posted June 11, 2013. They are all easily read aloud and would be enjoyed at bedtime or in the classroom. Each have great discussion topics for lessons in their own right, making lessons plans for teachers easy to develop.. Teachers and parents alike could not go wrong. I could not recommend these more.

I'd rate these books 5 out of 5 gold stars..

If You Have Never Read Good Horror Now is The Time

If You Have Never Read Good Horror Now is The Time.

Horror, spooky and spine tingling scary stories are not my usual choise of genre to read as I snuggle down to bed each eveing, but sometimes it is just as good to find yourself out of your comfort zone in a different style of book as it is in other more energetic activities.

Yvonne Mason gifted me two hard copies of "Satan's Holiday" as a thank you for my contribution to the anthology. As I read the chilling stories within I became even more honoured to be included amongst such incredibly creative authors. Some of the stories are so creepy you'll find yourself glancing over your shoulder or leaving on a night light,..... just to be safe!

One had such a great twist I didn't see coming that I re-read the story with delight once the truth was revealed.  Another almost brought me to tears, it was written with great intrigue and historical facts but also with tenderness and sincerity. Set in ancient Scotland in the early days of Samhain I found this story fascinating especially as I am always captivated by all things to do with my Celtic heritage. I would love to tell you more about this amazing story but no "spoilers" here! :)

This is not a book for the faint hearted and certainly not for children. Even though by choice I am a Children's author, I wrote my ghost story to challenge myself in an alternative genre and am pleased it has been so well received. "A Renovator's Delight" won its first award in an online writng competition for Halloween in 2012 and is now published in this amazing anthology alongside so many other inspirational wonderfully frightening short stories.

If you are interested in a good spooky Halloween this year, or a great scare any other time of the year, why not give "Satan's Holiday" a try.......you might just be surprised!

Available as an ebook at http://www.amazon.com/Satans-Holiday-ebook/dp/B00FJOYLRK/ref=sr_1_1?s

For hard copies please contact me directly.

Hop on into Two Furry Cute Reads.

Freckles the Bunny Series by Vickianne Caswell Illustrated by Allissa Thompson.

Book 1. Freckles is Scared of School.

Change can be a frightening thing, particularly when you are small and use to staying home with mum, being able to play all day with familiar toys. When Freckles learns it is time to start school, like any child who is afraid of the unknown Freckles is rather apprehensive.

This is a delightful story about how to manage that feat. As Freckles meets her teacher and makes new friends she learns that school is not the scary place that she imagined it to be afterall. We are introduced to some cute furry friends that are not all necessarily bunnies. Each have their own little quirky traits, like the duck name Donut that runs around in circles all the time, or Dreamy who always falls asleep, they are wonderful concepts that bring memorable life to each individual character.

This is a great book for parents to read to their pre-schoolers to help prepare them for the beginning of the school year, or for teachers to read-aloud during those initial anxious first weeks of Kindergarten. Wonderfully written and illustrated in delightful animal characters this tale will find its way into the hearts of pre-school aged children everywhere.

Book 2. Freckles And The Less Fortunate.

The heartwarming story of how Freckles learns to give and share with those that are not as comfortable as her own family. Like most kids, Freckles wants everything she sees when she goes shopping with her mum and doesn't understand why she can't have what she asks for. It isn't until a new clasmate arrives that barely has enough food for lunch or toys of her own to play with that Freckles realsies how lucky she really is.

The generosity and kindness in this story is so touching that it nearly brought me to tears. Beautifully written and illustrated it is an excellent read-aloud story for the whole family to enjoy and treasure. Children will learn in a gently guided atmosphere that to give is better than to receive as they read how happy Freckles and her family are when they are able to help other families that are not doing as well as themselves.

Stay tuned for more in this gorgeous little series. I am sure that it is just the beginning as Freckles still has so much more to learn and share with children young and old.

Author Vickianne Caswell.

Vickianne Caswell is married and has one daughter, who has an amazing gift with animals (all animals wild or tame seem to love her). Vickianne was raised an animal lover, in the city and continues to pass that on to her daughter. Vickianne hopes to pass the love and joy of animals to other children through these books. She has been doing writing at home since she was a teenager, after her father got her interested in writing  when he published a poem. She has done a few articles for a small paper on animal care and continues to experience the joy of pet ownership on an acreage where her family lives. New characters may appear, as new animals enter their lives, so stay tuned!

Website - http://freckles-the-bunny-series.weebly.com Facebook Fan Page - https://www.facebook.com/Freckles.The.Bunny.Series

Youtube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/FrecklesBunnySeries

Saddle Up for an Amazingly Entertaining Read

Whether you are young or merely young at heart this is a story to delight. Told through the wise old eyes of "Pie An Old Brown Horse" (That Knows What He Is Doing), you will ride through the world of stables and Equestrian competitions, caring for people and animals alike. Let Pie nuzzle up by your side and whisper in your ear as you read his amazing tale. Kandy Kay Scaramuzzo allows Pie to come to life as he personally tells his story from being a deserted old work horse left to rot in a paddock forgotten and unloved to becoming  rescued to live out his days caring for others and by others in stables where the "Keeper" is a compassionate and hard working woman who will do anything to take care of the animals within her charge.

Horse lovers will adore this story as will any child contemplating taking care of their very own horse. City childern who have never had the opportunity to experience raising or working with animals will get a feel for country life and empathise with these majestic animals. Country kids will relate to the difficulties and joys of working with and taking care of animals every day.

Pie makes you develop compassion for the horses under the care of 'The keeper" as he carefully and profoundly explains how each horse gradually came to find themselves at the stables. The revelations of how some of the previous owners treated them can be quite shocking and devastating.

There are also moments of surprise and joy as Pie gently steers his "little one" through her childhood, helping her to grow in confidence and strength. Once she becomes a teenager and moves on in the world, Pie fears he is no longer needed again until he realises the importance of becomg a therapy horse to other children in need of special care. It is very touching to read what a signifant difference he makes in the lives of autistic children simply by allowing them to ride such a gentle natured soul.

Entwined through Pie's amazing life story are not only the tales of the other lovable horses like Flurry, a skittish little mare that is frightened by nearly everything that moves and Dusty the dark gelding that is head of the herd, but chickens that roosted in Rebel's stall  as he enjoyed their company. You will also meet the stray cat and her adorable kittens that came in search of shelter and found a family and the overly large racoon that began to eat the chickens but the keeper was not game enough to tangle with him so a compromise was reached and he was happily fed cat food everyday thereafter.

This is a story of survival, courage,  companionship and true friendship between horses and people who care and love them. So saddle up and allow Pie to take you on a journey, at times it is like a stroll through an open feild on a breezy summer day, other times it is a gallop through a wintry storm or a fun canter along a winding trail but no matter what the weather, it is all one heck of a ride!

Author Kandy Kay Scaramuzza.  

Kandy Kay Scaramuzzo is a seventh generation Texan who has her own brick at The Cowgirl Museum. She has taught in alternative education for over twenty years. Ms.Scaramuzzo is a member of the 2012 Strathmore's Who's Who. She has a BA in Criminology and MAedCT. She works in horse, dog, cat and snake rescues. Ms. Scaramuzzo has been a tester observer for therapy dogs for nine years. She ran a therapy horse riding program for autistic children for five years. She has been a recognized animal behaviorist for over 20 years. This is her first book about an exceptional horse. She feels it is important to give back to maintain the balance of a civilized society.

http://www.amazon.com/Pie-Brown-Horse-Knows-Doing/dp/1478720476/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368844319&sr=8-1&keywords=pie+an+old+brown+horse

http://www.kandykayscaramuzzo.com/ 

https://www.facebook.com/kandykay.scaramuzzo?ref=tn_tnmn

https://www.facebook.com/PieAnOldBrownHorse?ref=ts&fref=ts

http://pinterest.com/pieanoldbrown/