Saturday 15th February

Title: My Very Own Alphabet Book

Author: Wendy Coyle

Illustrator: Sonya Barnes

 Year of publications: 2012

Publisher: Sid Harta Publishers

Concept  Book.  

Readership. Early readers

Overview Angus the Ant is the character who points out the letters for the child.The bright blue of the cover makes this book stand out. The internal illustrations are simple and in basic primary colour which should not detract from the photographs.

This durable board book is ideal for children who are more comfortable associating sounds with familiar objects or people. Photographs of known people or places can be slotted into the framework and changed if necessary. An excellent concept book for children with learning disabilities and is also available as an app with a voice for Angus the Ant. 

 Would I recommend this book?

If this was a gift return it or slide under a table leg to keep it stable

Library copy borrow once

Library copy borrow again

I have my own copy or intend to buy my own copy

Can’t stop talking about it, love it, put it on the favourites shelf , blog, tweet and purchase it for gifts

52 week challenge Week 7 Water Colour 

 I am rediscovering perspective and tried it with this piece and found I really needed to spend more time in the planning stage. I used an older painting and borrowed elements of it to produce this more modern version.  It is titled "sweet distractions".

I wrote a flash fiction for a website. The criteria is 500 words with flexibility around the edges. A prompt is  supplied and a limited time in which to participate.

 

Mellow.  

Mellow.  Definitely mellow. I sip the golden liquid in my glass and look at my companion. He watches the guitarist. Warmth radiates from my lips to my stomach and I can feel all tension in me dissolve. The light plays on his strong features giving definition to the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. I let the music sway me and he turns that smile my way. The heat in my abdomen raises a notch. Whatever I am drinking has melted my usually uptight inhibitions. His eyes sparkle and he holds his hand out to me. Long elegant fingers on a work strong hand, I like the combination and slide my own onto his palm. He curls his fingers around mine, not possessively but protectively and helps me stand. He leads me through the tight crowd to the handkerchief sized parquet dance floor. My brain does not even consider protesting my lack of dance skill; with his arm around me I can do anything. The music seeps into my muscles and his strong sure confidence moves me fluidly around the floor.  As holiday liaisons go, this one is perfect. Tall, handsome and confident and knows how to choose an expensive wine to woo me with and we don’t speak. I cannot speak his language. I lean my head into his shoulder and breathe in the scent of him. My senses are in ecstatic overload. Musk and spice and hot skin in my nostrils, music caressing my ears and wine tingling my tongue. Best of all, this wonderful  dance on my last night here. The last notes of the song fall into a hushed silence then dissipate into the appreciative roar of the crowd and I yell my own appreciation as if I were some teen groupie. He tugs me gently back toward the tiny table against the dark timber wall and I wonder at being in a place where my purse and wrap are where I left them.  A new tune starts. Lively and full of bounce and he leaves for the bar, smiling over his shoulder at me. I smile and wait for him to turn then squeeze my way through the crowd. I leave with no explanation. Better to go now and savour this lovely Valentines night and all the romantic ideal of an exotic encounter. I flag a taxi and give the address of my hotel. I don’t allow myself to imagine any what ifs in the ride through the night bright streets, no need to sully it with unrealistic expectations and no regrets. At the lobby I collect my key and smile my language ignorance at the clerk. In my room I pack my suitcase. It is an early flight.

I buckle my seat belt. I slept deeply and woke up still feeling mellow.  I found a smile playing around my lips. I have decided I like smiling and intend to develop a few smile lines of my own. I slide on the headphones. I don’t want to talk to my seating companions. I tilt my seat back, close my eyes and think about the man I met on my holiday; the one who will dance through my dreams for a long time to come.  I am interrupted by an air hostess tapping my shoulder. She hands me an envelope and says it is from the pilot. There is a CD case inside and a note in a fine strong hand inviting me to dance.  My whole face starts new smile lines.

587

  http://thetsuruokafiles.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/mid-week-blues-buster-week-48/

I also have three more ideas for the MiniWOW on day two which adds six more stories to my tally for Picture Book Marathon

http://www.kristenfulton.org/mini--wow-nonficpic.html

 http://picturebookmarathon.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/the-halfway-point.html

I also need to complete my 12 x 12 February draft so time to get off the internet and back to the word processing.