Animal Sound Fun Video

Hope you enjoy this bit of animal mixed-up sounds!

http://childrenbooks.webs.com

Visiting Preschools

Visiting schools is a wonderful way to share books with children, give them enjoyment, teach them important life lessons, interact in a positive way and have fun while doing it! They teach us things as well while we are sharing.

My husband, Tom, and I have been doing quite a few visits recently and are so blessed by the little ones, their excitement and enthusiasm.

Here is an excerpt from each book that the children really like:

From Olive and the Great Flood:  "Olive trilled soft peaceful songs to help them sleep at night. When the ark tossed back and forth, her coos relieved their fright."

From Count 1,2,3 With Me:  "Eight legs help a spider to climb, which leaves a web behind each time. Mama Spider traps eight flies to eat. Spiders find bugs a tasty treat."

From Animal Sound Mix-up:  "What if in a pond on a log a quack was heard from a small frog? Or in a forest you could hear a honking sound come from a deer?" (Of course Tom's animal sounds make these mixed-up sounds even more delightful for the children!)

Looking at those sweet, smiling faces reminds me why I do what I do, and I am extremely thankful!

Blog Tour Conclusion and Prize Winners

It has been a great two weeks traveling from blog to blog and sharing about Olive and the Great Flood. Thank you so much to all who visited each of the blogs. If you are late coming in or missed any of the posts, you can find the schedule and links here.

A special thank you to each of the blog hosts who shared posts during this time. You are so much appreciated!

If anyone would like a signed copy of Olive and the Great Flood, personalized for your special little one, for a birthday or Easter gift, please visit my website. It is also available from Guardian Angel Publishing and Amazon.

All your comments have been so welcomed and enjoyable, and I am please to announce the winner of the prize drawing for a copy of my Animal Sound Mix-up is Michelle W. and of the dove wind chime is Carla B. Congratulations to you both!

Picture Book Month

    

 

 

In honor of November being Picture Book Month, I thought I would post a selection from each of my picture books. As a grandmother, I have the great pleasure of sharing books with my grandchildren, and encourage all who have young ones to help develop the love of reading early. Enjoy!

 

 

What if a lion said meow . . .

or if a donkey said bow-wow?

Wouldn't it seem quite funny now

if they became mixed up somehow?

 

from Animal Sound Mix-up by Connie Arnold

published by Guardian Angel Publishing

illustrated by Kit Grady

 

 

 

Eight legs help a spider to climb,

which leaves a web behind each time.

Mama Spider traps eight flies to eat.

Spiders find bugs a tasty treat.

 

from Count 1,2,3 With Me by Connie Arnold

published by 4RV Publishing

illustrated by Ginger Nielson

 

 

It is my pleasure to let you know that my next picture book, Olive and the Great Flood, will be released by Guardian Angel Publishing. I will let you know when I find out the date!



Make a Joyful Noise

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.”

Listen for the sounds of worshiping and mirth.

Hear the trilling songs of birds in the trees,

The music of the wind, sighing in a breeze.

A joyful noise could be from the barking of a dog,

A chorus of cicadas, the croaking of a frog,

The purring of a cat, content to be alive,

The buzzing of bees, swarming in their hive.

Each individual makes their own joyful sound,

The gurgle of a baby, children laughing all around,

Singing in the shower, dancing in the rain,

Shouting, running, clapping, calling Jesus’ name.

Creation contains a myriad of joyful sounds everywhere

Which may be heard as music, rejoicing, worship or prayer.

Whatever the sound might be or however it is perceived,

All joyful noises made to the Lord are lovingly received.

© Connie Arnold

I thought this illustration from my Animal Sound Mix-up children's book was appropriate for this poem. It was done by Kit Grady. If you would like to see more of her illustrations, feel free to visit her website.

Fun Animal Videos

Would you like to enjoy a little animal fun with me today? I'd like to share a couple of videos with you. One of them, for my Animal Sound Mix-up, has 866 views on YouTube, and I'd appreciate your help as I'm trying to get to 1,000 views! Please click on the link to join in the fun as lions say "meow" and donkeys say "bow-wow" accompanied by lively, fun music. And please share the link with others if you enjoy the video!
Animal Sound Mix-up video

After you watch the mixed-up sounds, be sure to watch the video below so you can be sure you know the right sounds animals make from "THE AGGROLITES - Animal Sounds - YO GABBA GABBA"

 Hope you enjoyed the videos! Do you know of any other cute videos about animal sounds?

(If you're interested in a copy of Animal Sound Mix-up for your child, grandchild or another child, it can be purchased from Amazon, Guardian Angel Publishing (print, eBook or CD) or signed copy from my webiste.)

Fun with Animal Sounds

Hope you enjoy the fun of the mixed up animals!

Congratulations to Rena, the winner of a copy of A Wish and a Prayer by Beth Reinke from my previous post.

If you know of a little one who would enjoy it, Animal Sound Mix-up is available from Guardian Angel Publishing, Amazon or an autographed copy from my website.

Animal Fun Trivia

Since my children's book, Animal Sound Mix-up, is about animals and the sounds they make getting mixed up, I thought it would be fun to see what kind of animal trivia I could discover and share with you. Here are a few I didn't know about, did you? The illustrations are by Kit Grady and can be found in Animal Sound Mix-up.

Illustration © Kit Grady

• Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, dogs only have about ten. 
• Roosters can't crow unless they can fully extend their necks. 
• A duck's quack doesn't echo.
• A dolphin's hearing is so acute it can pick up underwater sounds from fifteen miles away.
• Crickets hear through their knees.
• Giraffes don't have vocal cords. (I'm glad to know that one since no one I've asked has been able to come up with the sound a giraffe makes!)

Illustration © Kit Grady 

• The fingerprints of koala bears are almost indistinguishable from those of humans, enough that they could be confused at a crime scene.
• The bottom of a horse's hoof is called a frog. 
• A donkey's eyes are placed in its head so that it can see all four feet at all times.

 Illustration © Kit Grady

• Camels have three eyelids for protection from blowing sand.
• Kiwi birds are blind and hunt by smell. 
• When opossums are playing opossum, they aren't "playing" but actually pass out from sheer terror.
• An elephant can be pregnant for up to two years. Elephants walk on tip-toe because the back part of their feet is made up of all fat and has no bones.

 Illustration © Kit Grady

• The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world. 
• The bones of a pigeon weigh less than its feathers.
• Camel hair brushes are made from squirrel hair.
• Bees have to collect nectar from 2,000 flowers to make one tablespoonful of honey.

You can read these and many other bits of animal trivia on Animal Trivia and Useless Facts.

I don't think the animals in Animal Sound Mix-up know these facts either. They can't even get the sounds they make right! Do you know any other interesting animal facts?

Be There Bedtime Stories

This is a press release about an exciting new way to read bedtime stories to children when you are far apart.  As a grandmother whose grandchildren live far away and who doesn't get to be with them and read stories to them very often, I think it's a great idea! What do you think? The publisher of my Animal Sound Mix-up children's book, Guardian Angel Publishing, is one of those with books on the site.

New Website Enables Families to Be There for the Holidays

IRVINE, CA, December 1, 2010 - Webcam bedtime stories is an innovative new technology being added to the list of family-friendly media, this Christmas. ALISON SANSONE is Creator of BE THERE BEDTIME STORIES, a new website that combines e-books and video of a family storyteller. 

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Grandparents Read Bedtime Stories with a Webcam

“We believe this broadens the scope of users and the value to families as a fun and new alternative to existing multi-media products on the market,”

Irvine, CA (PRWEB) December 1, 2010

The process takes place entirely on the BE THERE BEDTIME STORIES website in three steps: 1) select a children’s book from the bookstore, 2) read the story in front of a webcam as it displays on the computer screen, 3) the child receives an email with the link to view the e-book on the website with video of the storyteller positioned on each page.
The beta website went live in September of this year with over one hundred published children’s books available in the online bookstore. There are one hundred more titles in production with the interface, from five different publishers so far, including ten original works to be published by BE THERE BEDTIME STORIES.
The business model for BE THERE BEDTIME STORIES was inspired by her own problem of living far from her only two nieces, who live in Chicago. SANSONE was working in video production at the time, in Orange County, California. “I was unable to be a part of their development - unable to be recognized when I would visit once a year,” SANSONE explains her frustration. “Bedtime stories seemed a convenient and entertaining activity that would solve that problem.”
SANSONE explains the findings of the initial two months of testing. “The effects exceeded my expectations. When I visited my nieces for the first time after four story recordings, they instantly latched onto me from the moment I walked in the door.”
An additional finding from the beta launch is children were excited to read a story back to family members, regardless of their reading level. “We believe this broadens the scope of users and the value to families as a fun and new alternative to existing multi-media products on the market,” SANSONE concludes.
SANSONE expects grandparents and military families] to see the value of a recorded bedtime story over live or real-time webcam services as a way to utilize more family members for childhood development, and to preserve those family memories for future generations. The stories are priced at $11.99 for unlimited children and there is currently a Buy One Get One Free holiday special. Live storytelling and Mobile App delivery are options scheduled for subsequent development.
ALSO SEE:
Guardian Angel Publishing, Sylvan Dell Publishing, Illumination Arts Publishing and Lobster Press are the initial four publishers to license works for sale in the BE THERE BEDTIME STORIES online bookstore.
ABOUT:
ALISON SANSONE, Creator and CEO, started her career in the hospitality industry. After a decade of working in diverse leadership roles ranging from national Quality Assurance Manager to Human Resources Director to Investor Relations, Alison decided to pursue a focus in marketing and business development as her true passion. In 2005, she combined her training in videography with her marketing acumen to start her own company, producing web-based media tools for small businesses and non-profit organizations throughout Orange County, California.
The idea for Be There Bedtime Stories came from a personal frustration, during that point in her career. The youngest of 6 children with just 2 grandchildren out of the bunch, she was frustrated living so far from her only 2 nieces, who lived in Chicago. Her experience with video media inspired the business model of connecting families across miles through the simple activity of a bedtime story.
She began building the business plan in early 2007, but the idea ended up on hold for two years, after the unexpected death of her husband that summer. Beginning in October 2009, she decided to commit full attention to the business plan, dedicating her own personal time and resources to the launch of Be There Bedtime Stories, based in Orange County, CA. The Beta site went live in September 2010.

Happy Birthday to Lenny Lee!

 

Mixed up raccoon who said, "moo"

Soon found out that cows say, "moo"

So this raccoon and friend

Decided to send

Special birthday wishes to you!

Happy birthday to a special new young friend, Lenny Lee! I met Lenny online during my blog tour for Animal Sound Mix-up at Sharon Mayhew's Random Thoughts blog. Lenny has his own blog, Lenny's World, and I hope you'll pop over to say happy birthday to him and enjoy his great blog!

Lenny inspired this little poem through his comment to me about feeding cookies to some raccoons when they started saying, "moo." He wanted my advice since I know all about this stuff. After all, the animals in Animal Sound Mix-up are all mixed up in what they say. I'm happy to say I got the raccoons straightened out, and as you can see, they join the cow in wishing Lenny a happy birthday.

Hope you have a wonderful birthday, Lenny!

Gratitude and Prize Winners

A big congratulations to the winners in the prize drawings for Animal Sound Mix-up tour. The Animal Encyclopedia was won by Janet Johnson. The winner of a $10 Amazon gift certificate is Kathy Stemke.

Due to problems with my Google account and not being able to send me notification of book purchases, I'm extending the drawing for the animal ornament set until Monday to give you a chance to email a confirmation of your order for Animal Sound Mix-up to beautifulmomentsofjoyandpeace at yahoo dot com. Thank you so much to all who purchased copies!


A huge thank you and hugs to each of you who visited the stops on my tour and shared with me the joys of Animal Sound Mix-up through the great reviews, interviews and other fun! I appreciate you, your comments and the new followers. I've tried to follow you but Google Friend Connect has not been working for me, so I'll be back and follow as soon as it will let me.

My great appreciation goes to the blog hosts for this journey. Hope you will visit these great blogs again. They each have much to offer.

Beth Reinke at  Beth's Book Basket
J. Aday Kennedy at A Writing Playground
Lori Calabrese at Lori Calabrese Writes
Janet Ann Collins at OnWords Blog
Donna McDine at Write What Inspires You
Sharon Mayhew at Random Thoughts
Katie Hines at Walking on Water
Virginia S. Grenier at SFC: Families Matter
Rosemary Marotta at Rosemary's Reading Circle

Prizes and Animal fun

As the blog tour for Animal Sound Mix-up nears a conclusion, I've found that my gmail account has been having problems and not receiving emails. This was the address I had given to contact me when copies of Animal Sound Mix-up were purchased to enter the prize drawing. Please leave a comment below or contact me at beautifulmomentsofjoyandpeace at yahoo dot com to let me know if you purchased a copy of the book. That will ensure that you are entered in the drawing for an animal ornament collection.

There will also be drawings for a $10 Amazon gift certificate and Animal Encyclopedia from those leaving comments during the tour.

The complete schedule for the tour, in case you missed any stops and would like to visit, is below, followed by some animal fun.

  October 1:  Beth's Book Basket
                   review by Beth Reinke
October 4:  A Writing Playground
                   interview, bio and book blurb by J. Aday Kennedy
October 5:   Lori Calabrese Writes
                   review by Lori Calabrese
October 6:  Janet Ann Collins
                   review and animal trivia
October 7:  A Writing Playground
                   review and book marketing brainstorm by J. Aday Kennedy
October 8:  Connie Arnold, Children's Author
                   excerpts and illustrations featuring Kit Grady
October 11: Write What Inspires You
                    review by Donna McDine
October 12:  Random Thoughts
                   Q&A by Sharon Mayhew
October 13: Walking on Water
                    interview by Katie Hines
October 14:  SFC: Families Matter
                    review and Q&A by Virginia S. Grenier
October 14:  Rosemary's Reading Circle
                    with Rosemary Marotta
October 15: Beth's Book Basket
                   interview by Beth Reinke
October 16: Connie Arnold, Children's Author
                   blog tour conclusion and prize winners announcement


Below are some unusual animal sounds with links to information about those animals on Wikipedia. Enjoy!

Alligators - bellow, hiss
Falcons -  chant
Ferrets -   dook
Foxes -    bark, yelp or simper
Giraffes -  bleat
Linnets -   chuckle
Nightingales - pipe and warble
Ostriches - bleep bleep
Tortoises - grunt

Visit with Kit Grady, Illustrator

 It's my great pleasure to share with you a little about Kit Grady, the illustrator of Animal Sound Mix-up. I'm sure you'll agree with me that her illustrations are delightful, and it's interesting to learn what was involved in the artistic part of this book. Please be sure to leave your comments or any questions you might have for Kit, and enjoy!

Animal Sound Mix-up was a manuscript that when I saw it, I knew it could really be an enjoyable book to illustrate. What great creatures Connie had filled into this story with a wonderful message. I began my process of illustrating “Animal Sound Mix-up” by breaking up the manuscript, allowing for good flow and visual possibilities. I pulled out my sketch pad and began drawing. After several weeks and lots of drawing paper used, I scanned the art into my computer. I used Photoshop and my wacom tablet to work on the illustrations and do the coloring and tweaking. A couple of months later, I emailed the art  to the editor, Lynda Burch at Guardian Angel Publishing. She publishes in print and also ebooks which is a bonus in this ever changing world of publishing.

   

It was so much fun, yet there were challenging things like making  the illusion a deer honk, a bird oink, or having a bear baa. Animals are my favorite things to draw, so this book was a delight.

Connie and I conversed  a lot about  ideas and thoughts by email.  I haven’t met Connie in person yet, but since our imaginations seem to click in the same way I’m sure looking forward to meeting my author of “Animal Sound Mix-up.“

Thank you so much, Kit, and I'm really looking forward to meeting you as well. Here is one of Kit's illustrations from Animal Sound Mix-up, and you can see more of her art by visiting her website.

"What if when you went to the zoo,

all the monkeys were to moo?"

See the schedule for the rest of the tour and the prizes on the Blog Tour Begins post. Be sure to leave a comment to enter drawings for Amazon gift certificate and Animal Encyclopedia and let me know when you purchase a copy to enter the drawing for an animal ornament set. Animal Sound Mix-up can be purchased from Guardian Angel Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and most online bookstores.

Blog Tour Begins

Join in the fun as Animal Sound Mix-up goes on a virtual book tour October 1 - 15, 2010. Below is a list of the blogs hosting and dates. There will be two drawings from those who comment during the tour for a $10 Amazon gift certificate and an Animal Encyclopedia, and a drawing from those who purchase a copy of Animal Sound Mix-up and send confirmation of purchase (sent to conarnold@gmail.com) for a set of animal ornaments. Extra entries for all drawings by posting about tour on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog (be sure to let me know).

Aninmal Sound Mix-up can be purchased from Guardian Angel Publishing (print, ebook or CD),  Amazon or Barnes & Noble

 October 1:  Beth's Book Basket
                   review by Beth Reinke
October 4:  A Writing Playground
                   interview, bio and book blurb by J. Aday Kennedy
October 5:   Lori Calabrese Writes
                   review by Lori Calabrese
October 6:  Janet Ann Collins
                   review and animal trivia
October 7:  A Writing Playground
                   review and book marketing brainstorm by J. Aday Kennedy
October 8:  Connie Arnold, Children's Author
                   excerpts and illustrations featuring Kit Grady
October 11: Write What Inspires You
                    review by Donna McDine
October 12:  Random Thoughts
                   Q&A by Sharon Mayhew
October 13: Walking on Water
                    interview by Katie Hines
October 14:  SFC: Families Matter
                    review by D.M. Cunningham
October 14:  Rosemary's Reading Circle
                    with Rosemary Marotta
October 15: Beth's Book Basket
                   interview by Beth Reinke
October 16: Connie Arnold, Children's Author
                   blog tour conclusion and prize winners announcement

Animal Sound Mix-Up

My first children's book, Animal Sound Mix-up, has just been published by Guardian Angel Publishing Company! Hope you'll visit there to see a couple of pages from it, and be sure to check out all the great books for children!

I think you will agree that the illustrations by Kit Grady are colorful and fantastic! There are many talented artists and authors at Guardian Angel Publishing, and I'm thankful to be a new angel among them.

I'll be sharing more fun poems soon and hope you will enjoy them!