Ruth Whenham's Blog, page 7
November 24, 2013
Is Kindle a good option for Children?
I have noticed that Amazon are currently offering the Kindle Fire HD Tablet at £99, a saving of £60 on their previous price. I have added the link at the end of this post in case you are interested in checking it out. Anyway, this got me thinking about whether a Kindle is a good idea as a Christmas gift for young children as well as teens and adults?
Children’s picture books in ebook format have certainly been much slower to take off than other book genres but I think this is set to change. There are loads of fantastic ebooks available these days and the electronic format does offer a number of advantages over the traditional print books.
For example;
• Kindle books can normally be purchased much more cheaply than print books so you can build up your collection at a lower cost.
• A kindle is a much more convenient way to take a large selection books away on holiday, or with you when travelling in the car or just waiting in a queue somewhere (at the doctor’s etc).
• Interactive touch books (ITB) are becoming more prevalent now. I have created ITB versions of two of my books for iPad use (available here) and they really do offer so much more to the reader – animations, sound effects and narration all in one package. A traditional print book is far less flexible. I have included my YouTube promotional video below which illustrates the ITB app.
Personally, I do still love print books. It feels more special, somehow, to sit down with a child and open up a real book. So perhaps the way forward to is to combine the two; Build up an ebook collection but purchase the child’s favourite books in print format too for the special bedtime reading routine. Amazon certainly seem to see this as being the way to go. They have a Matchbook program where they allow publishers to offer the Kindle version of a book at a low (or free) cost to those who have purchased a print version.
You may be interested to note that the ebook for Kindle version of my first book, My Crazy Purple Pen, will be selling at the special price of £0.99 (or $0.99 for American customers) during the period 2-9 December!
I have also enrolled all of my books in the Amazon Matchbook program, so they should be available for free to anyone who has bought the print version!
I would be really interested to hear people's views on this subject!
Children’s picture books in ebook format have certainly been much slower to take off than other book genres but I think this is set to change. There are loads of fantastic ebooks available these days and the electronic format does offer a number of advantages over the traditional print books.
For example;
• Kindle books can normally be purchased much more cheaply than print books so you can build up your collection at a lower cost.
• A kindle is a much more convenient way to take a large selection books away on holiday, or with you when travelling in the car or just waiting in a queue somewhere (at the doctor’s etc).
• Interactive touch books (ITB) are becoming more prevalent now. I have created ITB versions of two of my books for iPad use (available here) and they really do offer so much more to the reader – animations, sound effects and narration all in one package. A traditional print book is far less flexible. I have included my YouTube promotional video below which illustrates the ITB app.
Personally, I do still love print books. It feels more special, somehow, to sit down with a child and open up a real book. So perhaps the way forward to is to combine the two; Build up an ebook collection but purchase the child’s favourite books in print format too for the special bedtime reading routine. Amazon certainly seem to see this as being the way to go. They have a Matchbook program where they allow publishers to offer the Kindle version of a book at a low (or free) cost to those who have purchased a print version.
You may be interested to note that the ebook for Kindle version of my first book, My Crazy Purple Pen, will be selling at the special price of £0.99 (or $0.99 for American customers) during the period 2-9 December!
I have also enrolled all of my books in the Amazon Matchbook program, so they should be available for free to anyone who has bought the print version!
I would be really interested to hear people's views on this subject!



Published on November 24, 2013 07:14
November 21, 2013
Can you talk like Captain Sillyvoice?
Here is a sample page from my new book -
Captain Sillyvoice and his Pirate Band
.
See if your children can follow the instructions and speak with a squeak like the Captain. Of course, any adults wishing to give it a go too should not feel silly about doing so, not at all, not in the slightest. Well perhaps a little, but I say go for it anyway!
With my daughter, the result is normally some squeakiness but mostly a lot of giggling.
Please post to let me know how if you've tried it and whether it worked! I'd love to hear from you.
The book is available on Amazon in Paperback and for Kindle. Here are some more sample pages:
See if your children can follow the instructions and speak with a squeak like the Captain. Of course, any adults wishing to give it a go too should not feel silly about doing so, not at all, not in the slightest. Well perhaps a little, but I say go for it anyway!
With my daughter, the result is normally some squeakiness but mostly a lot of giggling.
Please post to let me know how if you've tried it and whether it worked! I'd love to hear from you.


Published on November 21, 2013 14:20
November 20, 2013
Chance for you to win!

Here is the link: https://a.pgtb.me/lSzJVR
To create an interesting prize I wanted to combine a couple of my hardback books with some branded accessories. In the end I opted for a mug and kid-size t-shirt. The mug is lovely (even if I say so myself) and I was sorely tempted to keep it! The t-shirt has worked well too. I have kept it hidden from my daughter as I am sure she will want one if she spots it.
The prize draw is to win the following:
A hardback copy of My Crazy Purple Pen - Signed with a personalised message on requestA hardback copy of The Day My Teacher Came to Tea - Signed with a personalised message on requestMy Crazy Purple Pen MugMy Crazy Purple Pen T-shirt (age 5-6 yrs)

Published on November 20, 2013 06:32
November 13, 2013
New book arrived this morning - hooray!

Published on November 13, 2013 05:23
New Captain Sillyvoice book available NOW!
Captain Sillyvoice and his Pirate Band is a fun-filled story about a crew of rather unlikely pirates who find a way to be themselves and become a success on the high seas. The colourful and imaginative illustrations by Emma K.L Hunt are brilliant!
See it now on Amazon
Further Captain Sillyvoice adventures to follow...
See it now on Amazon

Published on November 13, 2013 02:01
October 30, 2013
Discovering the joy of writing Haiku poetry
Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry. The idea, as I understand it, is to use just a few words to capture a moment and create a picture in the reader's mind. It is like a tiny window into a scene much larger than itself. The idea is not to tell/show too much.
Ideally, two different images will spark off one another and is some way there will be a relationship between them. At least, this is how I have interpreted everything that I have read on this!
Traditionally, haiku is written in three lines, with a 5-7-5 syllable structure.
There is often an emphasis on nature or the seasons but this is not a hard and fast rule.
So, here goes...
Dew drops held captive
Morning sun unforgiving
Weary man tilts hat
A fire breathes and chokes
Beautifully destructive
Waves on sandcastle
Fragments of time lost
Cool air still on mountain ledge
The circling begins
Whispers lost somewhere
Darkness descends over land
Fragile wings flutter
Ideally, two different images will spark off one another and is some way there will be a relationship between them. At least, this is how I have interpreted everything that I have read on this!
Traditionally, haiku is written in three lines, with a 5-7-5 syllable structure.
There is often an emphasis on nature or the seasons but this is not a hard and fast rule.
So, here goes...
Dew drops held captive
Morning sun unforgiving
Weary man tilts hat
A fire breathes and chokes
Beautifully destructive
Waves on sandcastle
Fragments of time lost
Cool air still on mountain ledge
The circling begins
Whispers lost somewhere
Darkness descends over land
Fragile wings flutter
Published on October 30, 2013 04:37