Book Giveaway Starts May 13th

In celebration of Children's Book Week, which runs from May 13th to May 19th, I am hosting a book giveaway. Beginning on May 13th, click on the link below to enter for a chance to win a set of Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk books. Just "like" Rachel and Sammy on Facebook, follow @JCPowelson on Twitter, Tweet about Rachel and Sammy books, or leave a comment on this blog post to enter. Thanks for entering, and good luck!

Click Here to Enter the giveaway.

The Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk Book Giveaway is in conjunction with the Kid Lit Giveaway Hop hosted by Mother Daughter Book Reviews and Youth Literature Reviews. Please visit all the other giveaways at: http://motherdaughterbookreviews.com/kid-lit-giveaway-hop-sign-ups-open/

Take Time to Enjoy the Turkeys!

Oftentimes life gets hectic, and the past couple of weeks were busier than usual. One daughter had the stomach flu for several days and another daughter had a cold, and we were ready for Spring Break, when morning and bedtime routines wouldn't be so rushed. It was the last day of school before break, and my daughter with the cold woke up with a leg ache too. Though she's prone to achy legs, she's never had a leg ache first thing in the morning, so this news was unexpected and unwelcome. I plugged in the heating pad, gave her some medicine, and hoped that she'd soon feel better.

Finally, her ache started to decrease, and I helped her finish getting ready for school but got myself behind in the process. I hurriedly dropped the girls off at school and ran home to eat a quick breakfast before dashing out the door myself, for a program at my older daughter's school. However, our dog decided that she didn't want to stay in our house, where we were having some work done, and the air hammer was disturbing her.  Patches bolted out the back door without a leash, hopped into my car, and would not budge. I carried her to the backdoor and tried to ignore the resulting dog hair and smell clinging to me.

Despite all that, the presentation for my daughter's class went well, though I arrived a few minutes late. I was finally on my way to work and driving along a county road known for its hills and wildlife. I usually look for deer on this road, but on that crazy day, a large, wild turkey scooted across the road in front of my car. Luckily, the awkward looking turkey was amazingly fast on its feet and made it to safety across without any problems.  I started to laugh at the morning's events and relaxed a little. Seeing the wild turkey was a rare treat, despite the surprise of it flitting in front of my moving car.

During this already busy week, another major thing happened; Rachel and Sammy Learn to Conserve was released!  Even though this is the fourth book in the Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk Series, it's still very exciting to have a new book published. This book contains beautiful and realistic illustrations, colorful photographs, and cute animal characters.  Rachel, Sammy, and their classmates will teach children about native plants, trees, recycling, wildlife habitats, energy, soil, and water conservation, and much more! Hopefully after reading this book, readers will appreciate the everyday wonders of nature, such as a glimpse of a turkey trotting across the road, while traveling on one of life's journeys.

Wildlife Wonders

     On Friday, I was rushing to get to work, earlier than my usual start time. We were hosting a seminar for land improvement contractors and serving breakfast. As I sped along a frosty and hilly blacktop, I was looking out for deer - trying to avoid them and the ensuing visit to the local body shop. It wasn't long before a flash of fur ran across the road in front of me. The animal was moving so fast, that I didn't even need to hit the brakes. This common Illinois mammal wasn't a deer, but a coyote. These native carnivores belong to the dog family and enjoy feasting on smaller mammals and even tasted a couple of my coworker's chickens earlier in the week.

     In my mad dash to get to on time, I frequently view birds and mammals. Lately I've enjoyed seeing bald eagles soaring above and perched in trees along the Hennepin Canal.  Many of the animals I see as an adult, I rarely or never saw as a child, even though we lived on a farm and had plenty of countryside for wildlife to roam. Whether I see a pesky coyote that may be bothersome to farmers raising livestock, or a majestic bald eagle, I am glad to have the opportunity to view these animals and even happier that my daughters can see them too.  On the way home from visiting our family this weekend, we spotted at least ten deer grazing n one field. My daughters were amazed. In my youth, it was unusual to see just one deer at a time.

     As children spend more and more time learning and entertaining themselves with electronic devices, getting kids outdoors is even more important. Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk books are intended to be read and used outdoors to teach readers about nature.  I am very excited that my fourth book in the series, Rachel and Sammy Learn to Conserve, is almost complete and will be released in the next few weeks. This book is a little different from the previous books, but it still contains realistic illustrations, colorful photographs, and a fun and educational storyline that will help children learn different ways to conserve natural resources. Please stay tuned for details!

 

 

Lucky Rainbows

Ideas for the fourth book in the Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk series spent months spinning around in my head. One day on my drive to work, I looked out the window at one of the many farms on my back road commute. I've done field work on this farm several times for work and enjoy the view of the farm's creek, well preserved red barn, rolling crop ground and pasture, and mixture of oak and hickory trees. As I glanced at the field, all the ideas in my head came together into a solid outline, along with the title of the book, "Rachel and Sammy Learn to Conserve". From past experience, I know that if I wait for the right idea to hit me, the piece is easier to write, the first draft, anyway. Still, I was amazed at how everything fell into place at once!

Soon after the ideas came together, I began writing the rough draft. Writing went smoothly, and I was getting close to having the text refined into coherent sentences that explained conservation methods. I worked to fine tune the rough draft into the final version and recently submitted it for editing. I started taking pictures for this book almost a year ago. On another recent drive to work, I went by the same field, and I noticed that a new conservation practice had been installed; several water and sediment control basins were constructed to help reduce gully erosion on the crop field. The dams are well constructed, and I thought that including a picture of them in the soil conservation section of "Rachel and Sammy Learn to Conserve" would be perfect. After a long, hot, and dry summer, the rains have finally started to fall, and the weather has prevented me from getting the final pictures I need. More importantly, this much needed rain is starting to cause soil erosion on areas containing bare soil, and the basins were already working to hold soil in place.

Driving to work last week, I was near the same farm, when I looked to the west and saw dark clouds looming. I also noticed a double rainbow and pulled over to take pictures. As you can tell, this farm draws my attention and inspires me with many ideas, but this time, the rainbow I saw near the farm was a symbol of optimism. My life has been very busy and stressful the past few weeks, as I try to balance my day job, book work, home and family life, and working with my partners to form and grow the Rising Phoenix Press. Seeing the beautiful rainbow against the dark, stormy clouds made me realise that with continued hard work, all will be well and that good luck will prevail!

Leave the Highway

Driving along the interstate highways in Wisconsin on our Columbus Day weekend getaway, I was amazed at how beautiful the trees looked. We had driven on some of these same roads in August, when trees were merely green, and the difference was astounding.

In early October, fall leaves are at their peak in this area and contain a rainbow of colors, including various shades of yellow, gold, orange, rust, brown, green, and red. The bright sunshine shown directly on the pretty leaves, making the contrast between colors even more striking.

Although we noticed beautiful scenery along the major highways, at least more so than on Illinois roads, the scenery along lesser traveled roads was even more spectacular. We left the highway and journeyed toward lovely state parks in Door County and were fascinated by the gorgeous fall landscapes. We enjoyed breathtaking views of Lake Michigan and its sandy beaches, mixed in with colorful trees; we were seeing nature's handiwork at its finest.

A particular favorite view of mine was the white birch tree bark highlighted against the scarlet leaves of maples and the burgundy leaves of ash trees. I snapped photo after photo of the peaceful splendor, in an effort to complete taking photos for my upcoming book, "Rachel and Sammy Learn to Conserve". I kept thinking of how these pictures would have also worked well in "Rachel and Sammy Learn About Trees".

Whether you choose to read "Rachel and Sammy Visit the Prairie", "Rachel and Sammy Visit the Forest", "Rachel and Sammy Learn About Trees", or "Rachel and Sammy Learn to Conserve", I try to capture the true beauty of nature to use for the books' photographs. The photos, in conjunction with realistic illustrations and educational and fun storylines, help readers learn to better observe and appreciate our many natural wonders.

We had a fun weekend of relaxing, eating, swimming, and a little shopping, but it was experiencing the stunning autumn scenery that was my favorite part of our trip. I hope that as leaves continue to change and drop, you can all find a place to relax and enjoy the autumn's magical beauty. It won't be long before the landscape is drab, cold, and bleak, as winter nears.
 

Have Book – Will Travel!

I’ve been working with a local library to set up an event using my book, “Rachel and Sammy Learn About Trees”, as part of the library’s summer reading program. I love the 2013 theme for summer reading, “Have Book – Will Travel”. That theme pretty much summarizes my life. I love books, and I love to travel!
 

Living in the Midwest is wonderful, but I always enjoy traveling to other areas to absorb different landscapes, cultures, and traditions. As I write this, I am headed north to our neighboring state of Wisconsin. It is Columbus Day weekend, so we have a break from work and school. The colors of fall are at their peak, and I’ve been looking forward to this weekend since we returned from our summer vacation. In addition to spectacular fall foliage, we are planning to enjoy Lake Michigan, which is the landlocked Midwesterners' version of the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans. Driving through the pretty and quaint Door County is on our list of things to do. The scenery along this peninsula is amazing, and we will visit state parks along the way.

In addition to doing the normal vacation things like seeing new places, relaxing, spending extra time together, swimming in the pool, shopping, and eating great food, I plan to finish taking photographs for the fourth book in the Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk series, “Rachel and Sammy Learn to Conserve”.

Rachel and Sammy books are intended to be read indoors and then taken outside and used to help young readers learn more about nature, so “Have Book -- Will Travel” is truly a reflection of my life and the books I write.  By reading Rachel and Sammy books, you can visit your backyard or natural area and turn that trip into a grand learning endeavor. Whether you are reading an old favorite book or a brand new one, reading is a great adventure, and the same is true with traveling to different places. If you are unable to travel to far away places, it is easy to get caught up in a great book set in an exotic location, and you can experience the world by reading. You don’t always have to travel far from home to learn something totally new and exciting. A good book will help you see the world with new eyes, no matter where you are!