Happy Book Birthday, The Day That A Got Away by BCR Fegan

THE DAY THAT A RAN AWAY

by B.C.R. Fegan

Illustrated by Lenny Wen

Picture Book 

32 pages

ages 4 and up

While Mrs May is checking her students’ homework, she notices that Jet hasn’t managed to write down the letters of the alphabet. Instead of providing a familiar excuse, Jet offers Mrs May an elaborate story about how every letter happened to leave his page while he was walking to school that morning.

The Day That A Ran Away clearly and cleverly moves through the alphabet from A to Z. Each page has a number of items to find and the simple rhyme on each page will help readers remember the letter sequence. The story also touches gently on the concept of homework and the importance of making an effort.

MY TIDBITS

What a cute ABC read and, of course, perfectly timed for the school year. 

Master Jet (loved this name) must write the ABCs for his teacher. But he can't! When she asks him the reason, he explains what happened to each of the letters. Every single one has their own reasons for not being present. The question is...will the teacher accept his explanation?

This is a bright book, packed with tons of quirky silliness and imagination. The school scenes only take up a couple of pages...which in the beginning, I was missing a bit more to lead into the story...letting the rest of the tale concentrate on those frustrating ABCs. Each letter's predicament is described in a very short, two-line rhyme found somewhere on the illustration. This makes it great even for shorter attention spans and allows the illustrations to carry the book as much as the words. 

The letters are easy to decipher while still holding a very individual, slightly monsterly appearance. Each one has a very distinct personality, insuring that young listeners are sure to find their personal favorites. Giggles are guaranteed as the pages pass. But that's very much the point. Although this book does help introduce younger listeners to the alphabet, the concentration remains on silliness and fun. It's the kind of book kids are sure to enjoy.

And here he is...

I think you can tell a good children’s book by the desire of a child to hear it read to them again… and again! Or perhaps to see a child sitting by themselves engrossed in the story – turning each page and even reading aloud what they remember of the text. A good children’s book often goes beyond the narrative of the story itself and provides instead a platform from which the child’s own imagination takes flight.

It is from this place that the stories you find here have been crafted. Written not, by the adult carefully layering imaginative themes upon any number of agenda’s, but instead written by the child within. These are tales where anything can happen and where adventures lurk around every corner. Each story begins with the desire to delight young children; to tantalise their imaginations; and to kindle their curiosity.

Through each story’s natural progression, there are certainly lessons that parents can easily highlight to their children. However the main focus of each and every one of these books is for the reader and child alike to simply sit back, get drawn into the adventure, and enjoy a good tale.

I hope you enjoy them!

• Publisher: http://www.taleblade.com/
• Publisher Twitter: @TaleBlade
• Author: http://www.bcrfegan.com/
• Author Twitter: @bcrfegan

Review: Don't Ever Look Behind Door 32 by B.C.R Fegan

DON'T EVER LOOK BEHIND DOOR 32

by B.C.R Fegan

Illustrated by Lenny Wen

TaleBlade 

Picture Book

32 pages 

ages 4 and up

Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32 is a new picture book (recommended for ages 3 to 8), written by award winning author B.C.R. Fegan and illustrated by Lenny Wen. It is set to be released in March 2018, published by TaleBlade press.

Don’t Ever Look Behind Door 32 takes young readers on a journey through the magical Hotel of Hoo, a mysterious place with some very unusual occupants. As readers explore the strange hotel, they are invited to experience everything it has to offer with just one warning… don’t ever look behind door 32.

Behind each of the doors in the Hotel of Hoo, leading up to Door 32, readers meet and greet a bevy of characters who have taken up residence at the hotel, from ghosts cooking roasts, to paintbrush-wielding elves, tea-drinking monsters, miniature giants, and more.

This imaginative picture book aims to take children beyond the first ten cardinal numbers, and introduces them to the patterns of counting in a fun and accessible way. With rooms to explore and unique objects to count, children will enjoy lingering on each page as they make their way closer to the forbidden door. Recommended for ages 3 to 8.

 MY TIDBITS

Packed with slightly creepy but wonderfully fun fantastical creatures and monsters, this hotel carries surprises behind every door. . .just don't peek behind door 32.

Two children find themselves at the magical Hotel of Hoo, where the owner, Mr. Nicholas Noo, is ready to show them to their rooms and give them a tour. . .and what a tour it is!. . .along the way.

Deliciously delightful, goose bump raising fun doesn't even start to describe this book. It is exactly what young monster and creature fans are looking for. There's a bit of darkness, a bit of chill, tons of imagination and none of it is really scary at all. These monsters might sound awful and hint at frightening, but this book steers them into a dark yet completely humorous world.

The poems are clever, whimsical and flow nicely. While not for the youngest listener, slightly older ones (ages 4 and up) will enjoy hearing this one. And young readers who are more sure of their words  (ages 7 and up) will enjoy going through it themselves. There's always something unexpected awaiting on the next page, which makes it impossible to put this one down.

The illustrations fit the text and bring across the right amount of spooky and fun. There's enough details to allow young listeners to discover new things when they flip through the pages again and again. The characters and monsters appear friendly, keeping away any real scare but still hold a nice level of fascination and curiosity.

This is a great book for young listeners and readers who enjoy testing their toes in the darker side of things without having to worry about hitting any real fears.

My son and daughter both enjoyed this one immensely and insist that it gets a huge thumbs up.




Book Buzz. . .

"B.C.R. Fegan combines the whimsical spirit of a Dr. Seuss book with the spine-tingling mystery of a haunted house in his picture book Don't Ever Look Behind Door 32."

–BlueInk

“Fegan and Wen are, book by book, mastering the kid lit genre. With each successive book, their plots and accompanying illustrations take on more depth and even more vibrant characters. From the very first pages, this one has the feel of a classic in-the-making.”

–Literary Titan

“…these are the sort of books which children return to again and again…”

–The Bookbag

And here he is. . .

BCR Fegan is an Australian author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults. He is inspired by stories that resonate deeply with our desire for adventure, yearning for magic and search for meaning.

Author Website - http://www.bcrfegan.com/

Publisher Website - http://www.taleblade.com/

Happy Book Birthday, Henry and the Hidden Treasure by B.C.R. Fegan!

HENRY AND THE HIDDEN TREASURE

by B.C.R. Fegan

Illustrated by Lenny Wen

TaleBlade

Picture Book

ages 4+

32 pages

Henry and the Hidden Treasure is an imaginative adventure a young child has in defending his pocket money against his little sister. Henry constructs elaborate defensive measures that he is sure will stand up to the clever ambitions of Lucy. Little does he know, Lucy has a few tricks of her own.

With a focus on introducing children to the use of ordinal numbers, Henry and the Hidden Treasure also draws out some important qualities of being a kid – such as creativity, the value of listening to parental advice, and of course, being nice to your sister. 

MY TIDBITS

This is a cute story packed full of adventure, creativity and the tricky problem of sibling relationships.

Henry has some money. Mom and Dad want him to put it in the bank, but he's got a better idea. He's going to hide it. It's his secret ninja sister, who will be the biggest problem. Off he goes to create the perfect hiding spot--mazes, booby traps and monster guards. But that little sister isn't easy to stop no matter how fantastic his hiding spot may be.

A super confusing maze, dangerous traps and a ferocious guard pig (got to love the pig!)--this book is a kid's super-duper hiding spot come true. The challenges Henry dreams up to protect his treasure are something kids will completely understand, and probably have 'built' something similar once on their own. If not, they're going to want to give it a try after diving into these pages.

Not only does creativity and imagination take flight, but this is a sweet story about siblings. Sometimes they're enemies, but not completely and not always. The relationship between Henry and Lucy puts a smile on the face and is very true to life. And to top it off, there are some warm, fuzzy feelings too.

The illustrations are colorful and fun to glance through. The characters are nicely depicted and bring the written situations to life. They are great for simply flipping through, when no one happens to be around to help read aloud, and have enough humor to draw giggles all on their own.

The writing is well done. It's kept short, and lets the adventure and fun remain front and center. The wording is simple enough for young listeners to understand and get lost in the tale. It's fun to guess what the next page might hold, since Henry has come up with a new idea on every spread. The lovely ending rounds off the story, promising one last, big smile. And then, kids will demand to have the book read to them again.


And here he is. . .

BCR Fegan is an award-winning author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults.

Raised on a small hobby farm only minutes from some of Australia’s greatest beaches, Fegan grew up inspired by the power of natures ambience. From the intensity of the frequent summer storms, to the overwhelming serenity of a lonely beach in the early hours of the morning. His ravenous appetite for both reading and writing soon saw him drawing on the transformational influence of the world around him to craft short stories, poems and picture books

As time wore on, Fegan also found inspiration in the magic and depth of authors and compositors like Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. He was mesmerised by the potency of small but beautiful phrases that were carefully carved from the minds of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Robert Frost. He grew to appreciate the worlds meticulously created by David Eddings, JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.

Eventually, he began to forge his own complete works. Weaving his own magic, piecing together his own phrases and crafting his own worlds. Agonising over plots that would inspire, characters that would be loved and circumstances that would delight. In time, his efforts saw a number of children’s books and young adult fiction produced. Through the efforts of TaleBlade Press, these works are now being published with that same careful dedication.

You can find out more about BCR Fegan at his website: http://www.bcrfegan.com/

or more at. . .

• Publisher website: http://www.taleblade.com/

Review: The Grumpface by B.C.R. Fegan

THE GRUMPFACE

by B.C.R. Fegan

Illustrated by D. Frongia

TaleBlade

Picture Book/Fairy Tale

ages 4+

32 pages

The Grumpface is a poetic fairy-tale that tells the story of Dan, an inventor who ventures into a forest looking for a rose. Instead he finds the mysterious Grumpface who threatens to hold him captive unless he passes some difficult challenges. What follows is a humorous adventure that neither Dan nor the Grumpface could have anticipated.

The Grumpface is a tale in the spirit of any grand adventure. It is about a clumsy young inventor's quest for love and the challenges he must face to find it. It is also a tale of bravery, absurdity and happiness, and the power of these qualities over negativity and sheer grumpiness.

Every parent will be acquainted with their own little 'grumpface' now and then. This story stands as a small piece of hope - that no matter how ingrained the grump, there will always remain in every one of us a smile or a laugh just waiting to come out.

MY TIDBITS

With the whirl of a fairy tale, this book pits the grumpiest of grumps against a man that just might make him giggle.

Grumpface was once a normal man. . .or so they say. He was so grumpy that he was placed under a curse. Whenever travelers run across him, they are taken captive and must complete one of three tasks to gain their freedom again. But when a very clumsy traveler happens across, a strange end awaits Grumpface.

I love the cover on this one and the illustrations of Grumpface. His trolly glare hits hard, making it clear just how grumpy this guy is. The illustrations in general are bright and bold, and bring the story across nicely. The text is rhymed and sits alongside the illustrations to create an easy read aloud. Young listeners will quickly understand what's going on and sink into the tale. The message is clear as Grumpface starts to smirk, although the humor isn't exaggerated and remains, in most cases, more mild.

The fairy tale brings a little adventure, a little humor and a clear message. Children ages 4 and up are a fitting audience for this one.

And here he is. . .

BCR Fegan is an Australian author who has written a number of fairy tales and fantasies for children and young adults. He is inspired by stories that resonate deeply with our desire for adventure, yearning for magic and search for meaning.

Author Website - http://www.bcrfegan.com/

Publisher Website - http://www.taleblade.com/