With Star Ship Reviews, our goal is to bring attention to some of the wonderful independent authors and publishers out there. For this week's entry, we'll be looking at "Sparkle Kitty vs. The Sun" by Amy Coles.
Sparkle Kitty vs. The Sun Amy Coles
The Artist:
Amy Coles lives in Ontario, Canada with her fiancé, two cats, and two huskies who love the winter way more than she does. When she's not working as a public librarian, Amy enjoys writing, learning new creative skills, and jumping headfirst into new fandoms.
The Story:
"Sparkle Kitty wants only one thing today: to play outside. But the sun is too BRIGHT! And the sun is too HOT! If only someone could help Sparkle Kitty find everything they need to stay happy and safe in the sun..."
The Review:
I really enjoyed reading Sparkle Kitty vs. The Sun! A couple of key points that stood out to me were the Phonics Focus of "IGHT" and the interactive component.
The story is about Sparkle Kitty who wants nothing more than to go play outside! There's just one problem... The sun is bright and hot! Sparkle Kitty begins to think about the things that might be able to protect them from the sun; beginning with sunglasses. Followed by a hat and then sunscreen. As I mentioned before, something I really appreciated was the interactive components. Before a new item is picked to help protect Sparkle Kitty from the sun, a variety of options are presented to the reader encouraging them to help find the right one! Protection from the sun is such an important lesson to instill at a young age and I feel that this book does a great job of doing so in a fun way that any child can enjoy! The colorful illustrations really tie everything all together with typography that flows seamlessly on the page.
The Mini Interview:
To wrap things up, we've asked Amy to answer three quick questions for us!
What was your inspiration for the story?
I was inspired to write Sparkle Kitty vs. the Sun when I was working as a children's librarian. A patron came in one day looking for picture books about sun protection and I found we only had one book on the topic. After scouring the internet for some professional-looking and well-reviewed picture books to purchase for the library on the topic of sun protection, I came away empty handed. That's when I got the crazy idea to learn digital illustration, picture book writing craft, and self-publishing to make a vibrant and fun book on the topic. Easy peasy. Well, not really. BUT I love a good challenge and learning new things. By the time Sparkle Kitty vs. the Sun came out, I was no longer working for that particular library - however I did go back for a super fun author story time. Now that they carry my book, I hope that patron got the chance to read it!
What was your favorite book growing up?
My favourite book growing up was either Go Dogs Go by P. D. Eastman or It's Not Easy Being a Bunny by Marilyn Sadler and Roger Bollen. I don't even know if I knew how to read at the time or if I just memorized those entire stories. My poor parents read them to me and my siblings so many times!
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring children’s authors?
My advice to aspiring children's authors would be to read picture books! And don't just read them all alone - read them to kids! See what works and what doesn't first hand. If you're really inspired by a particular author or book, read it to kids and see what they take away from it. Better yet, ask a children's librarian or school teacher which books are absolute hits with their kids.
The Links:
If you'd like to grab your own copy of the book, it can be purchased here:
Cheers,
-JE
info@starshippress.ca
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