The Ticklish Tree, by Bernice Seward
Armpits, elbows, fingers too,
all reach up and out from you.
If I tell you, “Goochie goo,”
could I really tickle you?
The Ticklish Tree
Votes are In! The Winner Is . . .
Thank you to everyone who voted on their favorite name for Ally’s teddy bear. The votes have been tallied, and we have a clear winner 🙂
Drum roll please . . . .
The teddy bear’s name is Coco!
This name was originally suggested by Jan Grueter of Winchester, Idaho. Congratulations, Jan! You have won an autographed copy of On the Bottom of My Shoe when it’s released (date tbd). I will get your contact information, then will let you know an ETA as soon as I know.
I’ve so enjoyed having all of you be part of the “behind the scenes” process for this book. It livens up the brainstorming and decision-making processes!
Be sure to check back often to keep tabs on what I’m up to –along with what the spunky array of characters I try to keep up with are up to!
Vote for Your Favorite Teddy Bear Name!
It’s voting time!
First, I want to thank everyone who suggested a name for Ally’s teddy bear. The names were very creative and sweet, and it was hard to choose between them.
I chose a top five from the list, and have included them in the survey. Please vote for your favorite name–and invite friends and family to vote, too 🙂 I believe the survey only allows one response per computer, so family members who live in the same house may need to vote on different computers or devices.
Voting is open until midnight on September 14th, 2014.
I can hardly wait to see what name is chosen, and who wins a copy of On the Bottom of My Shoe after the book is completed!
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
Name Ally’s Teddy Bear and You Could Win a Free Book!
Meet Ally’s teddy bear. He will be joining her for a tea party in my new picture book, On the Bottom of My Shoe.The problem is, this poor guy doesn’t have a name yet.
Suggest a name in the comments below, and you could win a free copy of the book when it’s finished!
This is how it will work:
1. Suggest a name for Ally’s teddy bear in the comments below.
2. On September 7th I will pick my five favorites from the names suggested, then will post a survey for everyone to vote on their favorite name for Ally’s teddy bear. The name with the most votes (by September 14th) will be the teddy’s name in the book.
3. If the name you suggested is the name with the most votes, you will win a free, autographed copy of the book when it is published! (Estimated delivery is between December, 2014 and March, 2015)
4. If more than five people suggested the name that receives the most votes, I will put their names in a “hat” and randomly choose five winners.
Thank you for helping to name Ally’s teddy bear! I can hardly wait to hear your ideas!
Update for On the Bottom of My Shoe Kickstarter Project
Progress updates:
I’ve developed a frame story to show what Ally is doing when she discovers the individual letters on the bottom of her shoe. This provides a framework for the illustrations and adds an additional element to the story structure.
I’ve chosen which art medium best portrays how I envision Ally and the story–colored pencil. I completed a number of illustrations two different ways and will upload both options to my desktop publishing software to determine which one works best on the page.
I’ve completed illustrations of Ally’s teddy bear and an initial sketch of Grandma.
This week I will create a more concrete layout for the storyboard and will draw most, if not all, of the remaining initial sketches for On the Bottom of My Shoe.
Thank you again for being part of this project. I enjoy sharing Ally’s story with you.
Kind regards, Bernice
On the Bottom of My Shoe Kickstarter Project!
It all began with a girl, a shoe, and a pile of letters.
When Ally saw a letter stuck on the bottom of her shoe, she was surprised. When she found another letter . . . and another letter . . . and another one, she was REALLY surprised. Where had the letters come from? Could her baby brother, Jason, be involved?
Most importantly, were the letters trying to tell her something?
I’m excited to share my next book project with you! Click on the photograph above to find out more about On the Bottom of My Shoe, and about how you can help donate books to libraries and to high risk children!
What is Kickstarter?
Kickstarter is a way to help fund creative projects, such as film, art, photography, publishing, game- and software-making, etc. Project creators (like me!) research to determine how much it will cost to complete a project. Then they set a funding goal and deadline for the Kickstarter funding period. People who like the project can pledge money to help fund it.
How does it work?
If you like a project, simply click the green “Back this Project” bar on the upper right hand side of the page. Type in the amount you want to pledge. You may select as many of the pledge/backer rewards as you would like. Once you have chosen your backer rewards, click the green “Continue to next step” bar at the bottom of the page. Kickstarter will walk you through the rest of the steps. Kickstarter uses Amazon.com to process pledges.
When do I pay the amount I pledged?
Pledges are not processed until the funding period ends, and they are ONLY processed if the funding goal has been met. Pledges for On the Bottom of My Shoe will be processed after 9:00 pm on September 5th, 2014 if the project is fully funded.
Can I change my pledge?
Yes. At any time prior to funding, you can increase or decrease your pledge amount and make changes to your backer rewards.
Other Questions?
If you have any questions I haven’t answered, you may find the answers on Kickstarter’s What is Kickstarter? page.
If you have any other questions, please ask. And don’t forget to check out my Kickstarter project for On the Bottom of My Shoe!
Book Signing at Lewiston Hastings
I’m excited to announce my first local book signing!
If you live close to the Lewis-Clark Valley, I’d love to see you at Hastings in Lewiston on July 26th. I will be there from 1:00 to 6:00, with interactive story times at 1:00 and 4:00.
Stop by for a story time and free craft activities, or just to say hi!
This Just In: Book Trailer for The Very Hungry Duck!
[embedplusvideo height=”300″ width=”584″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/1pTPHJy” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/pNDXLJiTa_0?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=pNDXLJiTa_0&width=584&height=300&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=¬es=” id=”ep3076″ /] Continue reading “This Just In: Book Trailer for The Very Hungry Duck!”
Free Printable Fruit Stick Puppet Set for The Very Hungry Duck
Here is the set of Fruit Stick Puppets that go along with The Very Hungry Duck Animal Stick Puppets. This set features the four fruits from The Very Hungry Duck –an apple, a pear, an orange, and strawberries.
You can download and print the pdf by clicking the picture above or by clicking here. Then simply color, cut along the dotted lines, and tape craft sticks to the back. Reenact the story, or make up a new story of your very own.
You can also use the Fruit Stick Puppets to help reinforce healthy eating, fruit recognition, colors and shapes, and numbers.
Watch for other activities that help make learning fun.
Free Printable Animal Stick Puppet Set for The Very Hungry Duck
Stick puppets are a fun way to reinforce pre-reading and pre-writing skills and to help young children be ready to read.This set of animal stick puppets features the four characters from The Very Hungry Duck–Duck, Bunny, Puppy and Kitty.
You can download and print the pdf by clicking the picture above or by clicking here. Then simply color, cut along the dotted lines, and tape craft sticks to the back. Reenact the story, or make up a new story of your very own with the characters.
Watch for the free companion The Very Hungry Duck Fruit Stick Puppet Set, coming later this week, as well as other activities to help reinforce learning while having fun.