LOCAL AUTHORS
Local, independently published authors are welcome to submit their finished book for consideration of placement on our shelves and website. More information can be found here.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Furqan Moreno wakes up and decides that today he wants his hair cut for the first time. His dad has just the style: a flat top fade! He wants his new haircut to be cool but when they get to the barbershop, he’s a bit nervous about his decision. He begins to worry that his hair will look funny, imagining all the flat objects in his day to day life. Before he knows it, his haircut is done and he realizes that his dad was right — Furqan’s first flat top is the freshest!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robert Trujillo was born in Oakland, California and raised all across the Bay Area. He is a visual artist, father, and a husband who employs the use of illustration, public art, and storytelling to tell tales. These tales manifest in a variety of forms and they reflect his cultural background, dreams, and political / personal beliefs. He love music, nerdy things, and can get along well with most people. He seeks fun, ice cream, and justice.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
What happens when a stuffed toy lemur who, apparently, can see, hear, and feel all the stirring of being alive, meets a little girl who is excluded by her older sisters as the “baby” of the family? This is a story of a friendship, a friendship nobody understands.
After all, Clemmy’s simply a stuffed lemur, isn’t she? It’s only that the little girl, Gwynnie, senses there is more to Clemmy. To Gwynnie Clemmy is real. Is Gwynnie right? Is Clemmy truly real?What will happen if the two are separated? Will they be best friends “for ever”?
This gentle story will certainly appeal to all early readers and even adults who understand what it is to have or had your own special stuffed animal or toy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan loves writing and photography. The imagination of her grandchildren and the enthusiasm of the kids in her neighborhood all inspire her to want to write stories for children. Currently, Susan is getting a tree house built in her back yard.
KIRKUS REVIEW
A spaceman boldly proclaims his love for Earth’s appealing yellow fruit in this board-book debut by singer/songwriter Apel.
Fred Pinsocket flies a rocket around the universe, plays keytar and drums, and has a passion for bananas. The rhymes here are the lyrics to Apel’s song of the same title, which he offers as a free download with the purchase of the book. The lyrics are silly enough without the music, but with the tune and sound effects, children will be sure to enjoy it; as a result, they’ll likely want to play the music and read the book repeatedly. Fred, with his bulbous nose, enormous eyes, red spacesuit, and blue helmet with a satellite dish on top, is a likable little guy, and creative, early-grade readers who pick up this book may even attempt their own drawings of him.
Very young readers will enjoy the repeated phrases: “I love bananas. I love them. Yum! Yum! Yum!” The rhyme scheme is steady throughout, with the addition of extra phrases that make better sense with the instrumentation. The only challenging words are Fred’s last name and “potassium”—but even if kids don’t know what the latter means, they’re still likely to sing or repeat the word, as it rhymes with “yum.”
The board book’s sturdy pages, with their brightly colored backgrounds, will hold up to the rereadings that 3- to 5-year-olds may require. Adults may not be as excited about repeating the same lyrics again and again, particularly when the sparse word count includes four repetitions of the chorus. Young readers, however, will giggle over and over again, and the images of Fred’s rocket towing a ball of bananas will bring a smile to even the stingiest adult’s face.
Families that enjoy repetitive songs, such as “The Wheels on the Bus,” will be glad to throw this fruit-eating space traveler into their mix.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Apel is singer-songwriter, author, illustrator and dad. He has produced two collections of original songs for children - both endorsed by KID'S FIRST, The Coalition for Quality Children's Media - and in 2015 released "Fred Pinsocket Loves Bananas," his first children's picture book. Originally from New Mexico, Peter can now be found throughout the San Francisco Bay Area performing his catchy, original songs in school programs, libraries, shopping malls and special events.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
"Bringing the Past to Life" epitomizes the writing career of Dr. Sontag. Her first historical fiction series, Ancient Elements, begins with The Bronze Dagger. This middle grade fiction novel tells the story of 12-year-old Samsuluna (Sam), a young boy in Mesopotamia during the reign of Hammurabi in 1780 BC. The lies that Sam spins about the stolen jewels and the death of his father threaten to catch up with him. Will he ever learn how to trust his new friends, overcome his quest for revenge, or solve the mystery of the stolen jewels?
BOOK REVIEWS
Dr. Sontag captures the Ancient Mesopotamia culture in a captivating tale of a young boy's survival. Armed with his lucky dagger, Sam sets out on an adventure where he encounters numerous challenges and foibles leading him to a lesson in forgiveness. A great read! --
Dr. Donna Lewis, Educator: Assistant SuperintendentA terrific book for kids who like adventure, and for parents who'd love their kids to learn a bit about history. Well-written, a lively main character who struggles with his failures and searches for hope.Here is a hero who is flawed but resourceful, and who can lead readers on an adventure involving bad guys, jewels, new friends, and making choices. A real winner! --Karen Llewellyn., home-schooling mom
The book pulls you into history through well-written narrative. By the end of the tale you come away with not only an interest in the characters and storyline, but more knowledge about the time of the Babylonians. --Rick Crawford, former principal and author of Stink Bomb, and Ricky Robinson Braveheart.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marie Sontag holds a PhD in Education, an MA in Instructional Technology, and a BA in Social Science. Having taught adults, high school and middle school students for over 15 years, Dr. Sontag knows how to capture and hold her students’ and readers' attention.
Her boyfriend's not who he seems... "But, you can't be Peter Pan " Danny cried. "Peter Pan is a CHILD." English-born Danny has lived in America for ten years. At age sixteen, her dad's boss decides to move them yet AGAIN-back to England. Danny reconnects with her old friends, but that doesn't make up for the fact that her closest ones are in America. Still smarting from a bad breakup, Danny remains closed off from boys' affections. Yet, she somehow finds love. Peter Pan is everything she's ever wanted, but he's not telling her everything, and she doesn't want to hurt her new friend, Andrew, who hates Peter, and loves her too. Trapped between the love of two boys, Danny must make difficult decisions of who to keep, and who to let go. And on top of all that, Danny befriends the totally gorgeous and popular boyband The Mickeys, which throws another wrench in the mess. What further complicates things is that Peter has an astonishing secret, and Andrew has a mysterious and unknown past that just might have disastrous consequences for all three of them... What Danny decides to do will take you on a spellbinding journey of faith, trust, and just a little bit of pixie dust...
Ages 12+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Growing up, Morgan Wilson was the kid sneaking her books under the desk in class. Raised on a diet of Disney movies, country music, and tales of happily ever after, it was only natural that she began writing fantasy fiction. The idea for Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust was born on a birthday visit to Disneyland when she was fourteen. Morgan is currently studying English at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, but when she isn't at school, she can be found at home in the Bay Area, where she lives with her parents, younger brother, dog, cat, and two fish, named Prince Eric and Sebastian. She is currently hard at work on the sequel to Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.
Rupert is a little green frog who happened to live in a very small, adorable pond.
He knew it was the BEST pond because he had lived there his entire life. Rupert had many friends in the little pond and he was very happy.
Until the day he had to face the scariest thing of all... CHANGE!
Find out how Rupert took a giant leap of faith and jumped into action, to successfully deal with change! Not only that, but he gained confidence in his decision-making! And learned several other valuable life lessons, too, on his journey.
Rupert’s Big Move is dedicated to all the children of the world, ages 3-103, who are faced with big changes in their lives.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When writing her children’s stories, Tremain describes her creative process as getting the puzzle pieces in her head out and onto paper. “Rupert’s Big Move” is the first book in the Rupert the Little Green Frog series; he has many more adventures to share with his readers.
Tremain lives in Northern California with her husband, three children, and lots of fur babies to keep life fun and exciting. There is never a dull moment in the Tremain family home!