With Star Ship Reviews, our goal is to bring attention to some of the wonderful independent authors and publishers out there. For this week's entry, we'll be looking at "This Book Is Your Friend" by Misty Black.
This Book is Your Friend Misty Black
The Artist:
Misty Black is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author of children's books. When she's not busy crafting magical stories that inspire and delight children worldwide, you'll find her exploring her faith, spending time with her family, or engaging in a friendly competition over her favorite board games. She's only a bit competitive, or so she says (wink).
Her passion for cooking runs deep, as she learned the importance of a home-cooked meal from her mother at a young age. And while she can brew up a mean pot of soup, she'd be the first to admit that her singing voice leaves much to be desired. She loves the great outdoors and camping in the mountains. However, she doesn't get to go as much as she'd like.
But that doesn't stop her from seeking adventure in other ways, mainly through reading and writing. Her ultimate goal is to inspire a love for reading in every child so they, too, can embark on thrilling adventures without ever leaving the comfort of their own minds. If you're looking for a family-oriented author with a passion for inspiring young minds and a willingness to sing off-key while whipping up a cheesy lasagna, look no further!
The Story:
"Whatever you choose when you read in your nook, remember I'm here, your New Friend from this book. I'll always be near if you want to stop by. Just open me up, peek inside, and say, "Hi!"
The Review:
I loved reading "This Book Is Your Friend"! It brings about a beautiful message in such a fun manner and you can even go back afterward to try and find all of Misty's other books throughout the pages!
The story is about the power of books and exploring all of the different adventures that they can take us on! From saving the world with your superpowers to entering a triple-horse race, the possibilities are quite endless. The book really reinforces the importance of children's literacy, a strong message I wholeheartedly agree with. A good book can be just as entertaining as any other form of media and it's important that we read as much as possible! I also really enjoyed the self-inserts of Misty's other books within the story. I feel that helped drive home the whole idea.
The illustrations in the book were very well done and I feel the front cover was laid out in an extremely appealing way. Each page was as colorful and engaging as the last.
The Mini Interview:
To wrap things up, we've asked Misty to answer three quick questions for us!
What was your inspiration for the story?
I love to read, and sometimes when I’ve found a really good book, I’m so sad to finish it because the characters became friends and I miss them. I wanted to write a story to promote a love of reading and show kids that books are more than just words on a page.
What was your favorite book growing up?
I loved the Boxcar Children series of books growing up. My mom would read them to me and I have such fond memories of that. I never grew out of loving picture books and love so many authors. Among my favorites are Mo Willems and Audrey Wood.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring children’s authors?
If you’ve ever wanted to write a picture book, my advice would be to learn everything you can about children’s books. Read them. Study them. Take classes and learn the industry standards for writing children’s books. There is a craft to it, but it’s so fun to learn, and even more fun to write. I have published dozens of picture books and now make a living from it. I've made mistakes along the way, but I’ve learned so much too. I have a super inexpensive course to teach you how to write a best-selling picture book using my TIGER technique. You can find it here. https://www.mistyblackauthor.com/get-it-written-about
The Links:
If you'd like to grab your own copy of the book, it can be purchased here:
Cheers,
-JE
info@starshippress.ca
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