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Are you always on the lookout for a good books for kids — especially a quality chapter book series?
One that’s pleasant and engaging?
One that focuses on positive interactions among kids instead of bullying situations?
One where your kids will learn something about the natural world while they’re immersed in a good storyline and can’t wait to find out what happens next?
One where the heroes are positive role models that you would actually want your children to adore and imitate?
“Holy Grail” of Children’s Books
Every time I’m in a bookstore, I scan the shelves in hope of this “holy grail” of children’s books.
And I’m always discouraged by the abundance of books that focus on bullying, violence, dark magic, negative images of schools and teachers (even though I tend to agree with the overarching theme of public education suppressing children’s natural joy and curiosity … but I digress), insecurity about one’s self-image, peer pressure to keep secrets or conform, … etc.
As kids learn to love to read, their appetite for books often opens doors to topics and subject matter that they may not be developmentally ready for.
So when I do come across a book (or series, ideally!) that focuses on positive things, holds my kids’ interest, and at least a tiny bit educational – I count it as a huge win!
New Book Series
I’ve recently discovered a new book series by kid’s author Carolyn Leiloglou (website: http://www.housefullofbookworms.com) that meets all these criteria!
NOAH GREEN: JUNIOR ZOOKEEPER and the GARAGE SALE PET
Her debut children’s novel, Noah Green: Junior Zookeeper and the Garage Sale Pet was recently released, and I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of it with my kids.
Brief Summary
Noah Green wants a dog for a pet more than anything, but she knows her parents will never agree to it. One day she discovers something at a garage sale that might be a guinea pig, and convinces her parents to let her care for it.
The new pet proves harder to care for than anyone expected, and in the process of learning how to feed and entertain this mysterious pet, Noah stumbles into a much larger mystery – and decides she wants to be a zoo-keeper when she grows up!
Author Interview
I had the opportunity to do a brief interview with the author about this book and her writing experience:
1) Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
This is a hard question because, like a lot of moms, I juggle a lot of hats. I’m a homeschooling mom of four kids age 6 – 13. I’m the part-time office manager for my husband’s pediatric clinic. I teach the AWANA Sparks group at my church.
And I write! Besides writing for kids, I also blog about my favorite children’s books at housefullofbokworms.com.
2) Where did you find the inspiration for this book?
I can’t completely answer this question without giving away part of the mystery in the book. But let’s just say I got my story idea while visiting the zoo! San Antonio has a wonderful zoo, and we’ve been members more often than not over the last decade.
The other half of the inspiration came from remembering my own childhood. I loved animals, just like Noah. But, unlike Noah, my parents let me have a lot of pets. I had two dogs, parakeets, hermit crabs, a frog, and a hamster. Not all at the same time, of course! And I was constantly catching lizards and toads in my yard.
3) What else have you written?
My stories and poems have been published in children’s magazines including Ladybug, The School Magazine (in Australia), Clubhouse Jr., and Wildflowers.
My first picture book, Library’s Most Wanted, will be published by Pelican in 2020. My agent has another picture book out on submission, so we’ll see what happens!
4) What projects are you working on currently?
I’m always working on picture books! I’m a member of the 12×12 Picture Book Challenge. It’s a wonderful community for picture book writers, and the goal is to write 12 picture book drafts per year. With picture books, you end up writing a lot more than will ever be published, and you spend most of your writing time revising.
I have a middle-grade novel idea on the back burner, too. We’ll see what the future holds.
I also have to work on edits for the second and third book in the Noah Green Junior Zookeeper series! Book two is called Save the Cave and is about bats!
We are looking forward to future books in this series and other stories by Carolyn Leiloglou!
You can find Carolyn on instagram, facebook, twitter,and her websites: http://www.carolynleiloglou.com and http://www.housefullofbookworms.com
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