Friday, May 10, 2013

Boo's Bad Day



Today I am happy to host Penny Lockwood and her brand new picture book, Boo's Bad Day. I've had the opportunity to read this book, and as someone who's been owned by many cats, I loved it immediately. Written in short, simple sentences, this is a perfect book for beginner readers, as well as kids of all ages — even big ones like me. Deborah C. Johnson did a beautiful job illustrating Boo the kitten, as well as all of the exciting adventures he endures with her bright, vibrant, action-filled pictures. I love the cover. It reminds me of my cat, Denny.

BOO’S BAD DAY
By: Penny Lockwood
Picture book for children aged 18 months to 6 years
Published by 4RV Publishing
ISBN# 13: 978-0-9852661-5-8


Penny, thank you so much for letting me be part of your current book tour. I've read one of your other books, so I was really excited to learn you had a picture book coming out with 4RV Publishing. And as a cat lover, I knew it would be a good one. So without further adieu, I hope everyone will please join me in welcoming you to my blog today.


Rena, thanks for hosting me. At the end of the tour, I will pick out one commenter’s name and send an autographed copy of Boo’s Bad Day to a United States address only. If the name I pick is someone who lives outside the U.S., I will send a PDF copy of the book. So remember, readers, be sure to leave contact information when you comment!

If your readers missed yesterday’s post, they can catch up at http://barbaraehrentreu.blogspot.com.
Tomorrow, I’ll be visiting with http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02.


RENA:  What inspired you to write Boo's Bad Day?

PENNY:  Many years ago, we had a black teenage cat that got caught outside during an ice storm. At that time, we allowed our cats to be inside/outside cats. Unfortunately, Boo knew how to climb a tree, but he didn’t know how to come down. The first night, we looked for him, but he wouldn’t come down from his tree. We figured he’d be down by morning. The next morning, we heard him meowing, still stuck in the tree.  We finally had to have a friend, taller than my husband, climb our fifty-foot ladder to get him down. He stayed by our woodstove for the next week. I knew someday that would be a good story to bring to life.

RENA:  Do you have any pets? If so, do they influence your writing?

PENNY:  I’ve always had pets around me. As a child, we usually had a dog and a cat or two, as well as a great parakeet.  After getting married, my husband and I brought a dog each to the marriage, and since then, we’ve had two to three dogs at all times.  Right now, we have two Lhasa Apso/Poodle mix siblings: Ricky and Lucy. At one point, we had nine cats, but now we have two of our own, plus two we’re watching for our daughter and son-in-law while they wait to move from a rental into their own home. Besides the standard cats and dogs, we’ve had goats, rabbits, doves, cockatiels, parakeets, fish, and a turtle.

RENA:  What got you interested in writing for children?

PENNY:  As a child I loved to read and spent many wonderful hours engrossed in a book. I’ve also always known I wanted to be a writer. I’m sure you’ve heard “write what you know.” When I finally got to a point in my life where I could be serious about my writing, I had young children. It seemed natural to write for them. As they got older, my work seemed aimed at teens. Now, with grandchildren, I’m interested in writing to their age level.

RENA:  What are some of your favorite childhood picture books?

PENNY:  I really don’t recall any picture books from my own childhood. My family didn’t have a lot of money to spend, and books were a luxury. My dad told us stories at night, and from him, I got my love of storytelling. I’m from the era when we learned to read in first grade using Dick and Jane books. What I do recall having at home is a book of fairy tales that my mom or dad would read to us. Some of my kids’ favorites were Harold and the Purple Crayon, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who, The Poky Little Puppy, and the Berenstain Bears books.

RENA:  Where can readers learn more about you?

Twitter: @PennyEhrenkranz

Penny, thank you again for letting me host you on my blog today. I'm definitely going to add Boo's Bad Day to our picture book collection. Neil, my youngest, loves cats more than anything. Even though he's eleven, he still appreciates and enjoys reading picture books — as do I! Thank you so much and good luck with your new book!

14 comments:

  1. Boo is a cute kitten, and the message found in the book is a good one for kids without "preaching."

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    1. I liked that, Vivian, and how it showed that Boo was perfectly content staying inside afterwards.

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  2. I love the inspiration behind the story! That was a very nice friend to climb a 50 ft ladder and a very lucky cat! Enjoy the rest of your tour, Penny.

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    1. Yeah, no kidding. I would have gotten dizzy going up that high!

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  3. Replies
    1. It really is, Sherry. I've read the PDF, so I can't wait to get a hard copy to add to our library.

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  4. It sounds like you could run a hotel for animals, Penny. Great interview!

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    1. I know -- no kidding! The most we ever had (meaning Rick & I) was 3 cats and 2 dogs. Things were SO crazy with that many animals.

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  5. Hi Deb, thanks for following along during the tour. I do love our animals!

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  6. I love author interviews. This sounds like a sweet book.

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  7. Sounds so cute! Love the artwork! :)

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  8. I also got serious about my writing when I had a young child. My first stories came from the ones I made up for my son at bedtime:-)

    God Bless,
    Susan

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  9. Marcia, Erin, and Susan, thank you all for stopping to comment. Susan, I think most of us got our start as children. Reading and wanting to write seem to go hand-in-hand.

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  10. Congratulations to Susan York Meyers! She's the winner of an autographed copy of Boo's Bad Day.

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