Jessica D. Adams's Blog, page 12
February 27, 2021
Children's Book Reader Survey
Please fill out this survey and we will send you a free, printable, PDF of The Underground Toy Society's Coloring and Activity Book. There are over 40 pages of fun for kids including writing prompts, coloring pages, games, mazes, and activities. The link to the survey is https://forms.gle/QJVvz7YJbefypXVNA
We would love for you to add this book to your bookshelf! Reviews are always greatly appreciated if you are so inclined to review!
Thanks!
February 6, 2021
Fit in or stand out?
I always wanted to fit in, but I never did. I was too shy with no confidence in myself at all. But when I was chosen to help create a banner for an author who was going to visit our elementary school, I was so excited that my sixth grade art teacher saw some potential in my artwork. I loved to draw and after the author visited, I really began to think about writing a children's book someday. I was very impressed that the author, Laura Jane Coats, wrote and also illustrated her books.
Somewhere along the way, I was told that artists don't make a good living. It didn't help any that my seventh grade art teacher was less than nice. He drew caricatures of everyone in the seventh grade. The caricature he drew of me highlighted everything I was self-conscious about-bushy eyebrows and big ears that stuck out too far. I was crushed and devastated. Eventually, I lost my interest in art. I'm pretty sure at that point I gave up on trying to fit in because I thought I was too ugly and shy to fit in.
Why did I let others dictate my path in life? I don't know. But after I had my own kids, I was determined to let them follow their dreams, no matter what anyone said. I went back to my own dream of writing and illustrating a children's book. Of course I had not drawn in years, but I didn't let that stop me. Somehow, I thought my story would be so good that someone would help me with the illustrations and the book would be a huge hit. Well, I was wrong. People still judge books by the cover. There were some encouraging words, though. Someone asked me who illustrated my book. I told her that I did, but she said it would have been neat if my daughters had done the illustrations. That got me thinking. My girls loved to color and draw. Why not allow their creativity to flow and inspire them to illustrate? After all, I was inspired by an author, so I could inspire my own kids.
There were bumps along the way. My older daughter, Janiece started off really strong. I loved her drawings and it even inspired her to write her own book. Janelle had a slower start, but she really blossomed and has become a very good illustrator. Her first book will be coming out soon, hopefully. Janiece, on the other hand, has really slowed down with her drawing. She has moved onto the computer making videos. Her second book is written, but her interest in publishing it isn't as strong as it was for the first book. It makes me sad because I think she has fallen into the same trap as I did. People judge books by the cover and won't give the story a chance. But as the great Dr. Seuss says, "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" Illustrators have to get their start somewhere. Art is in the eye of the beholder. Artists can grow and mature with time. Our kid art stands out like a sore thumb, but so what? Everyone can't be Leonardo Da Vinci. Some people might think I'm totally crazy for continuing on this journey without professional art. I gave up on my dream once because of the opinions of others. I'm not giving up again.
Jessica is the author of the children's books about The Underground Toy Society. She decided to begin a blog about her experiences and opinions of being an author, as well as a mother and Occupational Therapist. Please note all information on her website and her blog posts are her opinions and her personal experiences. Individual results may vary and her results may not be your results or experiences. This website is meant to be general information, not specific advice. Circumstances and results may vary. The Underground Toy Society children's books aim to teach children to love and appreciate what they have. Hopefully children will want to clean their rooms after learning about The Underground Toy Society. However, all children are different and results may vary. The books are for entertainment purposes only. Thanks for reading!
#JessicaDAdams #TheUndergroundToySociety #childrensbooks #booksforkids #howtoselfpublishabook #reading #writing
January 28, 2021
Book Review of Sophie Washington: My BFF by Tonya Duncan Ellis
Beary and Ellie were very happy to receive copies of Sophie Washington: My BFF by Tonya Duncan Ellis. There was a mail delay for the first book and we thought it was lost in the mail. Luckily, the author sent us another copy and the first one ended up arriving after the second copy arrived! So Beary and Ellie are happy they don't have to fight over who is reading it!
The book is about Sophie and her best friend, Chloe. Chloe has been acting very strange and not treating Sophie very nice. Chloe shared a picture of Sophie which causes other kids to laugh at Sophie's expression in the photo. Chloe is shutting out Sophie and makes fun of her poetry assignment. Sophie's other friends notice how mean Chloe has been acting and they attribute it to the fact that Chloe has dyslexia and is not doing well in English class so she is jealous of Sophie and her good grades. When both girls are accused of plagiarism, Sophie takes the fall for Chloe, but then Sophie gets in trouble with her parents. In the end, both girls learn the true meaning of friendship, which in turn teaches the reader what friendship really means.
This book would be great for middle school students since the story is set in the sixth grade. The story deals with topics of friendship, school, plagiarism and honesty. We give the book 5 out of 5 stars!
Disclosure: We received these books from the author. This did not affect our review and we were not compensated for this review.
#ReadYourWorld
Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2021 (1/29/21) is in its 8th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those book into the hands of young readers and educators. Eight years in, MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves continues. Read about our Mission & History HERE.
MCBD 2021 is honored to be Supported by these Medallion Sponsors!FOUNDER’S CIRCLE: Mia Wenjen (Prgamaticmom) and Valarie Budayr’s (Audreypress.com) Platinum Sponsors: Language Lizard Bilingual Books in 50+ Languages, Author Deedee Cummings and Make A Way MediaGold Sponsors: Barefoot Books, Candlewick Press, Capstone, Hoopoe Books,KidLitTV, Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.Silver Sponsors: Charlotte Riggle, Connecticut Association of School Librarians, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Pack-N-Go GirlsBronze Sponsors: Agatha Rodi and AMELIE is IMPRESSED!, Barnes Brothers Books, Create and Educate Solutions, LLC, Dreambuilt Books, Dyesha and Triesha McCants/McCants Squared, Redfin Real Estate, Snowflake Stories, Star Bright Books, TimTimTom Bilingual Personalized Books, Author Vivian Kirkfield, Wisdom Tales Press, My Well Read Child
MCBD 2021 is honored to be Supported by these Author Sponsors!Poster Artist: Nat Iwata Authors: Author Afsaneh Moradian, Author Alva Sachs & Three Wishes Publishing Company, Author Angeliki Stamatopoulou-Pedersen, Author Anna Olswanger, Author Casey Bell , Author Claudine Norden, Author Debbie Dadey, Author Diana Huang & Intrepids, Author Eugenia Chu & Brandon goes to Beijing, Green Kids Club, Author Gwen Jackson, Author Janet Balletta, Author Josh Funk, Author Julia Inserro, Karter Johnson & Popcorn and Books, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw & The Last Cherry Blossom, Author Keila Dawson, Maya/Neel Adventures with Culture Groove, Author Mia Wenjen, Michael Genhart, Nancy Tupper Ling, Author Natalie Murray, Natalie McDonaldPerkins, Author Natasha Yim, Author Phe Lang and Me On The Page Publishing,Sandra Elaine Scott, Author Shoumi Sen & From The Toddler Diaries, SISSY GOES TINY by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard, Susan Schaefer Bernardo & Illustrator Courtenay Fletcher, Tales of the Five Enchanted Mermaids, Author Theresa Mackiewicz, Tonya Duncan and the Sophie Washington Book Series, Author Toshia Stelivan, Valerie Williams-Sanchez & The Cocoa Kids Collection Books©, Author Vanessa Womack, MBA, Author Veronica Appleton & the Journey to Appleville book series
MCBD 2021 is Honored to be Supported by our CoHosts and Global CoHosts !MCBD 2021 is Honored to be Supported by these Media Partners! Check out MCBD's Multicultural Books for Kids Pinterest Board!FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book DayDiversity Book Lists & Activities for Teachers and Parents Homeschool Diverse Kidlit Booklist & Activity Kit FREE Teacher Classroom Activism and Activists Kit FREE Teacher Classroom Empathy Kit FREE Teacher Classroom Kindness Kit FREE Teacher Classroom Physical and Developmental Challenges Kit FREE Teacher Classroom Poverty Kit Gallery of Our Free Posters FREE Diversity Book for Classrooms Program
TWITTER PARTY! Register here !Join us on Friday, Jan 29, 2021, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children's Book Day Twitter Party! This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas. We will be giving away an 8-Book Bundle every 5 minutes plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. ** Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. See you all very soon on Twitter! Hashtag: Don’t forget to connect with us on social media and be sure and look for/use our official hashtag #ReadYourWorld.
December 14, 2020
Free eBook
Click on the following book title to find the book.
The Funny Foods Best Friends by young author, Janiece E. Adams
Reviews are always greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much!
Inspire kids to read, illustrate, and even clean their rooms with a free, printable PDF book called, The Underground Toy Society You're the Illustrator . You can download a free, printable PDF when you subscribe to our website at https://onesweetday48.wixsite.com/und...
Reviews would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!
Books make great stocking stuffers!
Santa teddy has a free eBook for your kids scheduled for Dec. 16-18th!
The Funny Foods Best Friends
Reviews are always greatly appreciated!
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
December 5, 2020
How to Get Kids to Clean Up Without Yelling!
If you're tired of screaming at your kids to get them to clean their rooms, then you're in the right place! In 6 easy steps, you can inspire your kids to keep their rooms clean!
Step 1: Walk over to a toy on the floor and say out loud, "Awe, poor toy! I'm sorry you're not being cared for in this house. You'll have to go to The Underground Toy Society tonight to find help."
Step 2: If your children do not respond, pick up the toy and give it a hug and say, "I hope you find a good home where the children take good care of you!"
Step 3: Put the toy back on the floor and walk away. Tuck your kids into bed and read them bedtime stories.
Step 4: If your children did not take the hint to clean up their toys, then hide the toys somewhere they cannot find them. Perhaps the trunk of your car, attic, basement, etc. Please do not throw the toys away!
Step 5: If the kids ask where their toys went, explain to them that the toys must have left to find homes where they would be better cared for and not left all over the floor. If this causes distress for your kids, tell them that if they clean up their rooms, maybe their toys will return in hopes of a cleaner room. If your kids clean their rooms, then allow the toys to return overnight. If your kids do not notice the toys are missing or do not care that they are missing, then please donate the toys.
Step 6: Repeat if necessary. Hopefully kids will start to realize that their toys disappear when they do not keep their rooms clean. In any case, you will either end up with less toys in your house, or cleaner rooms, or both!
If you want a free printable, PDF of The Underground Toy Society, You're the Illustrator, then please subscribe to our website. This book is designed to allow kids to be highly involved in the story so they realize that toys do not like to be left on the floor and unloved.
Jessica is the author of the children's books about The Underground Toy Society. She decided to begin a blog about her experiences and opinions of being an author, as well as a mother and Occupational Therapist. Please note all information on her website and her blog posts are her opinions and her personal experiences. Individual results may vary and her results may not be your results or experiences. This website is meant to be general information, not specific advice. Circumstances and results may vary. The Underground Toy Society children's books aim to teach children to love and appreciate what they have. Hopefully children will want to clean their rooms after learning about The Underground Toy Society. However, all children are different and results may vary. The books are for entertainment purposes only. Thanks for reading!
November 20, 2020
Upcoming Coloring Book!
If you are interested in a free advanced reader's copy, just let me know! We would greatly appreciate any feedback or reviews! Thank you!
October 13, 2020
Halloween Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat? The candy is awesome, but what about the sugar rush? What about the hyper, bouncing off the walls, kids?
How about a different kind of treat this year for Halloween? A gift that will keep kids entertained and quiet instead of bouncing off the walls? A treat that won't cause cavities?
What kind of treat? Books!
Our Halloween Coloring and Activity Book is filled with writing prompts, games, coloring pages, mazes, and a word search. Kids will have so much fun and it will last so much longer than the candy! ,http://getbook.at/HalloweenColoringBook
Or how about a sweet story about friendship and inclusion? Sneaky Snake is a lonely snake searching for a new home on Halloween night. Will he find a new home? Maybe you'll give him a new home for Halloween! Your kids will learn to appreciate what they have with this cute, short rhyming story. ,http://viewbook.at/HalloweenScare
September 12, 2020
Halloween Activities for Kids
The Underground Toy Society wanted to help kids have a fun Halloween, whether stuck at home or not. So they created a fun Halloween Activity and Coloring Book filled with coloring pages, writing prompts, games, mazes, and a word search. For a free sample page from the book, subscribe to our website at https://onesweetday48.wixsite.com/und... and look for a welcome message in your email inbox. If you are interested in ordering paperback copies of the book, please go to getbook.at/HalloweenColoringBook where you can find a look inside feature for some of the 70 pages included inside the book!
We always greatly appreciate reviews if you are inclined to review. Please add the book to your Goodreads shelf at Halloween Coloring and Activity Book The Underground Toy Society
September 1, 2020
Please vote for our book cover!
They say not to judge a book by its cover but I need you to do just that. If you liked the cover of my book, Halloween Coloring and Activity Book: The Underground Toy Society, please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com!
I’m getting closer to clinch the "Cover of the Month" contest on AllAuthor! I’d need as much support from you guys. Please take a short moment to vote for my book cover here:
Click to Vote!
