Valarie, Author at Audrey Press

Hispanic American Heritage Month Kidlit: 33 to Choose From!

September 22, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates the contributions of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society. These Americans include those who can trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South American, and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean. As I was looking through my own bookshelves and the Audrey Press/Jump Into a Book website archives, I realized that though we have many great recommendations to learn about the

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Downloadable pirate activities, crafts, patterns, and pirate-y facts

September 19, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

Ahoy matey! It’s National Talk Like a Pirate Day! And we’ll let you in on a little secret… …the children’s book-inspired ebook *The ABCs of Bookjumping* has some SUPER COOL downloadable pirate activities, crafts, patterns, and pirate-y facts that are so darn unique, your little Scalleywag won’t even realize they are learning history while they play. Here’s a sneak peek at one of the many activities in the ebook that

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New Kidlit Books about Tourette Syndrome, Cancer & Stepmoms

September 15, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

{Guest post from Story Monsters, LLC} After a brief hiatus from small press publishing, Linda F. Radke, Story Monsters LLC president and former publisher of Five Star Publications, Inc. has announced plans to re-release a limited number of inspirational and uplifting titles under the new imprint, Story Monsters Press. “The books we are re-releasing under Story Monsters Press are those with a special place in my heart. Each of

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Indie Booksellers vs Amazon | Thoughts from an Indie Publisher

September 12, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

Indie Booksellers vs Amazon…which is best? I understand that this blog post topic, and the info that follows, may upset some readers. But as an Independent Bookseller/Publishing House that sells on Amazon, I can honestly say that I have a toe (or two) dipped into each of these ponds. As of last year, brick-n-mortar bookstores were experiencing a resurgence in popularity and for that, I couldn’t be happier. People were

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Book Promotion Tips and Using #Hashtags

September 9, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

{Guest Post from Susan Mayfield} Book promotion is an ongoing project with a very big learning curve! Here are some Book Promotion Tips to keep your marketing machine humming. Facebook returned to the use of hashtags this summer as a way for users to search for things and for business pages to get more visibility. They are now offering # suggestions in the search bar and as you type in

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The Secret Garden Activities for Kids Roundup

August 18, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” — Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden Summer Unplugged: Whimsical Books about Fairy House Building Summer Unplugged: Whimsical Books about Fairy House Building Practicing Mindfulness for Kids: Spot Sitting {A Year in the Secret Garden} Summer Unplugged: The magic of a timeless children’s story Walk, Turn, Walk, Turn, Walk, Turn: Labyrinth Walking “And the

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Joan Trumpauer Mulholland: An Unlikely Civil Rights Hero

August 15, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

Joan Trumpauer Mulholland grew up in Virginia in the 1950s and witnessed the injustice of segregation firsthand. As a teenager, she joined the Civil Rights Movement, attending demonstrations and sit-ins. Because of her passionate belief in the cause, she was involved in several important and historically significant events, including: The Freedom Rides of 1961 The Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-ins in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963 The March on Washington with Dr.

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Mysteries of the Night Skies: Constellations and Star Legends

August 11, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

The night sky is fascinating. It is also filled with legend, lore, and chances to educate the next generation on the vast beauty of our starry skies. Books are an amazing way to catch the interest of kids. Here are three wonderful Kidlit books and one activity to help Homeschoolers & Distance Learners discover Constellations and Star Legends in the night sky (in a memorable way). Constellations and Star Legends

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Wonkalicious! Magical and Mesmerizing Willy Wonka Magic

August 8, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

I couldn’t have known it would come to all this when we found that note by W.W. inside an old book at the yard sale: From there the adventure began to dive deep into one of our all-time favorite books, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. My goal, all those years ago, was to explore the world of Willy Wonka in the most interactive, magical, and mesmerizing way. The result was

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A Day with Henry David Thoreau at Walden Pond

August 5, 2020 by Valarie Leave a Comment

I love spending the lazy hours of a Sunday looking back on old memories with my amazing loved ones. Sometimes, these memories come flooding back thanks to an old picture, a moment, or even a book. Sometimes, its the combination of all three. This book immediately brought back the memory of a day spent at Walden Pond with my son. The story is a simple look at one of America’s more simple

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