Beautiful Children's Books to Feed Young Tummies and Minds
Author: Cat Russell
Sole proprietor of Spike Productions, a web-based digital video, and founder of the Basketful Relief Project: Beautiful Children's Books to Feed Young Tummies and Minds.
The book signing of both, The Pond of Reflection and The Hyrax Song, held at the Lyons Library, Saturday, May 21st, was a fun gathering. Not only were books sold at 15%-20% off, an additional 15% was donated to our partnership, the Lyons Vet Clinic, to their charity fund for fire-victim families for vet care of their pets.
It was a win-win for everyone, and a wonderful time. In addition to all this gift-giving from the event, 10% of the book signing income will go to support famine relief efforts around the world.
Not a bad way to spend a few hours on a Saturday afternoon!
Thanks again to the Lyons Regional Library who provided the space for the signing, as well as the Lyons Vet Clinic, the Basketful Relief Project’s partnership for the event.
The third children’s chapter book in The Pearls of Wisdom Series: Stories Inspired by a Biblical Proverb, is published and out on Amazon. The Zoe-Chai Seed has achieved #1 New release status in several categories, including: Children’s Christian Mysteries & Detective Stories, Children’s Inspirational & Personal Growth, and Children’s Bedtime & Dream eBooks.
To beat the summer heat, why not tag up with Journee and her friends in this new adventure, where it’s a race against time to crack ancient riddles and sleuth out answers on a quest for a most glorious outcome. Read more about The Zoe-Chai Seed here: https://basketfulreliefproject.com/featured-book-the-zoe-chai-seed/
Enjoy this fun, summer sizzler, and feel good that proceeds from the sale of each book, regardless of format, (hard cover, paperback, or eBook), support child hunger relief efforts here at home and around the world. Thank you!
Sending a final reminder about my book signing happening this Saturday, May 21 at the Lyons Regional Library from noon to 2 pm. I would love to see you stop in! Books will be on discount, and 15% of sales goes to support the Lyons Vet Clinic charity fund.
Hi Colorado locals. I’m holding a book signing next Saturday, May 21st, at the Lyons Regional Library from noon to 2pm. I would love to see you stop by. Not only are there great discounts on the books, but proceeds also go to help out the Lyons Vet Clinic charity fund. It will be fun!
The Basketful Relief Project (BRP) pledged 50% of book sales during the months of March/April to support the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis through the UN World Food Program, and the BRP has kept it’s promise. On May 3rd, the BRP donated $463.50 to this cause. This amount supplies six families of five for an entire month. The bulk of book purchases were the eBooks on sale at $0.99. It’s amazing how far a dollar can go! If you know of anyone who would like to join the launch team for The Zoe-Chai Seed, launching next month, just let me know. Together we can impact the world for good.
Here is an excerpt of the receipt letter from UNWFP:
The Hyrax Song has achieved the Amazon #1 Best Seller status in the the following categories: Children’s: Bedtime & Dreams eBooks, eBooks on Maturing, and Christian Books.
The Pond of Reflection has achieved the Amazon #1 Best Seller status in the the following categories: Children’s: Bedtime & Dreams eBooks, eBooks on Maturing, Religious Fiction, and US Folk Tales.
The Hyrax Song, book two in The Pearls of Wisdom Series, published in March, 2022. The published manuscript has been reviewed by Readers’ Favorite and has received the honor of 5 stars.
Reviewed by Sarah Scheele for Readers’ Favorite, April 2022
Princess Journee is a little mouse with a big mission. In The Pond of Reflection (Pearls of Wisdom Series Book 1), written by Catherine Ann Russell and illustrated by Brooke Connor, the princess lives with her royal father. He abhors shallowness and has forbidden mirrors in the peaceful kingdom so that no one will be selfconscious about their appearance. The internal person, the “insideout,” is of greater importance. But Journee doesn’t know what she looks like and feels she doesn’t know enough about herself even though she is aware that the external does not define her. For her birthday, she goes on a quest, traveling through the kingdom with three friends in search of the Pond of Reflection, which can serve as a mirror since the kingdom has none.
With a pristinely flowing narrative and quirky characterization, The Pond of Reflection (Pearls of Wisdom Series Book 1) has a lot of charismatic strength, and the story never falters. A moral fable at its finest, it springboards off a Bible verse, Proverbs 27:19, to build a winsome story about finding true self-respect. It’s a beautiful, high-quality fantasy story about a set of four close-knit animal friends who quietly meander through an enchanted countryside and discover life together. A splendid yet understated interior of illustrations and decorative page design makes this book perfect for little readers to savor and read over and over. Catherine Ann Russell’s book is the sort of story I loved to read as a child and I’m sure many young people today will enjoy it too because it depicts the world of children, what they need, and what preoccupies them so sympathetically.
All three books have been entered into the 2022 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest in the following categories: Children’s – Adventure, Fairy Tale, Christian, Coming of Age, and Illustration. Award winners in all categories will be announced September 1, 2022.
The Pond of Reflection, book one in The Pearls of Wisdom Series, published in December, 2021. The published manuscript has been reviewed by Readers’ Favorite and has received the honor of 5 stars.
Reviewed by Sarah Scheele for Readers’ Favorite, April 2022
Princess Journee is a little mouse with a big mission. In The Pond of Reflection (Pearls of Wisdom Series Book 1), written by Catherine Ann Russell and illustrated by Brooke Connor, the princess lives with her royal father. He abhors shallowness and has forbidden mirrors in the peaceful kingdom so that no one will be selfconscious about their appearance. The internal person, the “insideout,” is of greater importance. But Journee doesn’t know what she looks like and feels she doesn’t know enough about herself even though she is aware that the external does not define her. For her birthday, she goes on a quest, traveling through the kingdom with three friends in search of the Pond of Reflection, which can serve as a mirror since the kingdom has none.
With a pristinely flowing narrative and quirky characterization, The Pond of Reflection (Pearls of Wisdom Series Book 1) has a lot of charismatic strength, and the story never falters. A moral fable at its finest, it springboards off a Bible verse, Proverbs 27:19, to build a winsome story about finding true self-respect. It’s a beautiful, high-quality fantasy story about a set of four close-knit animal friends who quietly meander through an enchanted countryside and discover life together. A splendid yet understated interior of illustrations and decorative page design makes this book perfect for little readers to savor and read over and over. Catherine Ann Russell’s book is the sort of story I loved to read as a child and I’m sure many young people today will enjoy it too because it depicts the world of children, what they need, and what preoccupies them so sympathetically.
Review of the second book of the series, The Hyrax Song, is still pending.
All three books have been entered into the 2022 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest in the following categories: Children’s – Adventure, Fairy Tale, Christian, Coming of Age, and Illustration. Award winners in all categories will be announced September 1, 2022.
The Zoe-Chai Seed, book three in The Pearls of Wisdom Series, publishes in early June. The unpublished manuscript has been reviewed by Readers’ Favorite and has received the honor of 5 stars.
Reviewed by Bernadette Longu for Readers’ Favorite, April 2022
The Zoe-Chai Seed (Pearls of Wisdom – Book 3) was written by Catherine Ann Russell and illustrated by Brooke Connor. What a wonderful way to teach children about loyalty and true friendship with a story about a kingdom of animals of all sorts who live harmoniously with each other and have a mouse for a king. The fact that the adventures are conducted by the king’s daughter Journee and that the king encourages her and helps her in the adventures with her friends is delightful. I like to think that it would encourage children to explore the world around them with the help of an adult with a lively imagination.
When I read it, I thought what a lovely book to share in schools and with grandchildren. The Zoe-Chai Seed by Catherine Ann Russell is well written for a young audience. Just before the journey to find the wonderful seed gets too long, another adventure or mishap helps keep the attention of the young reader. The illustrations are wonderful, especially the map at the beginning of the book which is a delightful way for youngsters to trace the adventure of Princess Journee, Mr. Steed, Mr. Owl, Mr. Toad, and Mr. Hopper from the Locust Army. I found it a delightful story and really enjoyed it, especially the message it sends to each child that love and generosity of spirit are more important than many other things we think are important. Thank you for a lovely book for children. It is well worth reading, especially in a classroom, or on a cold winter’s afternoon to loved ones in front of a warm fire, sharing hot chocolate and marshmallows.
Reviews of the other two books, The Pond of Reflection, and The Hyrax Song, are still pending.
All three books have been entered into the 2022 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest in the following categories: Children’s – Adventure, Fairy Tale, Christian, Coming of Age, and Illustration. Award winners in all categories will be announced September 1, 2022.
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