Saturday 21 May 2011

Katie and the Magic Teapot’s Voyage in the Oceans

Katie's Magic Teapot
My children’s picture book, Katie and the Cosmic Pandas’ Deep Sea Voyage offers something different for young kids wanting to learn about the creatures that inhabit the deep.

A Fantasy Book for Kids

The story is in fact the sequel to my first children’s book, Katie’s Magic Teapot and the Cosmic Pandas, which follows Katie’s journey through the cosmos in her magic flying teapot and in the company of her friends the cosmic pandas. This time the teapot ventures deep under the oceans to encounter all sorts of strange creatures within.

A learning Book for Children

Katie's Magic Teapot Encounters a Turtle
My picture book begins when Katie enjoys a day out at the seaside with her mummy and daddy, only to find her old friends the cosmic pandas jump out of the teapot and onto the sand. Before Katie knows it, she is floating in her teapot towards the sea.

She encounters a huge school of fish, followed by a manta ray, a coral reef, a humpback whale, a turtle, penguins, and much, much more. All the illustrations have been completed in oils in great detail. Children will learn in a highly visually way the nature of the creatures that can be found in the oceans. The pictures reveal more upon close examination, including the markings on a turtle, suckers on an octopus and the spines on a puffer fish. The question poses itself will Katie ever find any treasure? Well, not quite in the way she expects.

Visual Learning Book for Kids

The Magic Teapot Floats within Bubbles
My book’s dimensions are consistent with most children’s picture books, in that it is 32 pages and around 1000 words long and is 8X10in in size. The original paintings are 12x15in, and the double-paged images are 24x15in. Screenshots of images give you an idea of how the interior of my book looks. The list price on Amazon is around $12.50 but is available on Kindle for around $2.50 (or around £1.50) depending where you are. Of course, the formatting for a kindle book is very different to a print book, but all the essential elements are identical.

So if looking for a different kind of picture book for girls or boys, this could be what you are looking for. Bursting with detailed colour images of oceanic creatures, and from the viewpoint of a young girl in a magic flying teapot, this story is certain to create an experiences children will not forget.

Links to my Other Sites

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Wednesday 4 May 2011

Ben’s Little Big Adventure Gift Book Idea for Kids

Boy’s picture books can be a minefield if the gift is buyer unsure of the current trends or the age suitability of the book. But my picture book for young boys might be the answer. A learning book for boys aimed between the ages of 3 and 7, this describes the adventure of a young boy who finds himself on a quest for a midnight snack. Nothing unusual about that, only he has shrunk in the night and household objects become obstacles.

Books to Buy a Young Boy

Ben's Little Big Adventure
Ben likens the obstacles to the great wonders of the world, the stairs seeming more like the Great Pyramids, and the edge of his bed more like the White Cliffs of Dover. The Great Wall of China, Lake Victoria as well as well as others get a mention. Needless to say, poor Ben wishes he had a ‘magic machine’ to hand. Magic machines are Ben’s tag for such things as a glider, helicopter or a hot air balloon; these might make his task easier, but with none to be found, Ben has to be resourceful. Will he ever get to his much craved for snack?

Idea for Ben’s Little Big Adventure

The book took me about four months to complete, having lots of colour illustrations, all of which have been completed in oil paints. The paintings themselves are 12x16in (the double paged paintings being 32x12in). The images came before the story itself. I wanted the images to entice the eye with bizarre subject matter, bright colours and detail.

Book Idea for Children

Picture Book for Boys
Print version of Ben’s Little Big Adventure is 8x10in in size, 32 pages long, and tells the story in approximately 1000 words. Screenshots of the interior of the book as shown on this post will help give an idea to the look of the book. Kindle version of this book is also available.

Other Kindergarten Book Ideas

Picture Book for Tots
I have written two other children’s picture books, entitled Katie’s Magic Teapot and the Cosmic Pandas plus the sequel, Katie and the Cosmic Pandas’ Deep Sea Voyage. The first story describes Katie’s adventure flying through space in her magic teapot; the second story describes her adventures in the oceans. Both stories serve to educate about the world about us. Again these books are available as kindle and print versions.

So whether you are buying for a boy or a girl, both types of picture books can be found here. Further children’s book ideas can be found on my Amazon stores, links given below.

More gift ideas for kids
Inexpensive gift ideas for boys
My giftsite

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Katie’s Magic Teapot & the Cosmic Pandas Educational Book

Looking for the ideal picture book for a young child can be a minefield, as the sender is unsure of the tot’s preferences, learning stages or crazes of the moment. A totally different kind of tots’ picture book could be the answer, my children’s picture book, Katie’s Magic Teapot & the Cosmic Pandas.

Book Gift Idea for Young Girls

This illustrated children’s book in oils is designed to provide lots of visual stimulation for young explorers who wish to learn more about our cosmos, and what more bizarre way of doing so, than within a flying teapot?

This learning book is aimed primarily for young girls ages between 3 and 7 years of age.

The idea for the story came to me via the imagery first. I wanted to create images that will compel young eyes, as I would have liked a picture book to have done so for me as a youngster. I enjoyed experimenting with different compositions, particularly the double paged painting featuring a time-lapse travel through space, which shows eight teapots. Screenshots on this page serve to give an idea of the look of the book.

Learning Book about the Cosmos for Kids

Preview of Children's Learning Book
The picture book informs on the planets within our solar system as well as objects deeper into space such as galaxies and nebulae. Katie also encounters pandas along the way, the colour of each being significant to the surroundings. As the teapot embarks its journey, Katie spots a green panda in the village green, a blue panda up in the blue, a yellow panda nearer the sun and so forth.

The pandas scoop up space dust during the journey, of which Katie conjects is for cosmic tea, but which the reasons become clear in the story’s climax.

E Books for Kids

Illustration for Katie's Magic Teapot
The book’s dimensions are 8x10in, 32 pages long and with approximately 1000 words, which makes it an ideal book for 3 – 7 year olds. The book is available on kindle as well as print copy version on Amazon. I wrote a sequel to the story, entitled, Katie and the Cosmic Pandas’ Deep Sea Voyage, which charts Katie’s journey under the oceans.

I have written a children’s book for boys entitled Ben’s Little Big Adventure. Details can be found on this blog or on Amazon.

Link to Giftsites

Ideas for gift site
Gift ideas for kids