I grew up on a farm in Western Kentucky. A few years ago the farms that neighbor ours were sold as part of an industrial park. It was hard to watch as many I have known my entire life moved away. The house at the end of the lane was an old piece of rental property. Over the years many of my cousins and friends had rented the property. The house was very old. As a child I never really knew the history of the home but was always captivated by the daffodils that would overwhelm the yard. When the house was demolished I began to form what I thought the history of the old house might be. I could imagine an old woman who had lived there her entire life and lovingly planted daffodils till every corner of the yard was filled. When the time came for her to move away the one thing she could not leave behind were the daffodils. She encouraged her family to take a moment everyday and to not forget the daffodils. With just a few minutes a day a field could be planted. It was not long till the old woman was gone. The family thought the flowers had never been planted and they regretted missing out on this one last memory with the Great Grandmother. They soon realized she had left them a field full of memories when the flowers began to bloom. All the boxes they thought were still full of daffodil bulbs were empty. She had planted them all.

Rory the Raincloud is an exciting story about an adventure of a raincloud who thinks no one likes him due to all the rain he produces. With the help of his friend, he soon shows everyone how useful he can be...

The first of a small series of "Weather People" books, the second, featuring Samson the Sun, will be published shortly.

The Great Picnic Disaster is a whimsical tale about an ant named Charlie. Charlie is excited that the spring picnic season has once again rolled around. He is well equipped with his favorite picnic napkin. It is tied securely around his neck and completed with a proper square knot. As a veteran picnic pro, Charlie knows all about the important tools an and should have. What are they? A knife and fork of course!

Charlie is dressed for the occasion sporting a trendy, yet decorative propeller styled baseball cap, brightly striped knee high socks and black platform shoes. Could it be that his great sense of fashion might not be enough to keep him safe?

Unfortunately for Charlie the answer is no! What could it be? This day will be filled with nothing but one mishap after another. If only it was a simple matter of sour apple pie or bad mayonnaise. It's even worse than chunky milk. Oh yes! Things are far worse than that. What could a fly, bird, spider, and the hokey pokey have to do with Charlie's mishaps? It's hard to guess the connection. To find out join Charlie in this disastrous tale and learn about the day in the life of a well-dressed and good hearted ant that only wanted to picnic peacefully.

This children's fiction picture book is written in rhyme and illustrated colorfully so even the youngest of children will enjoy it. The book will reinforce the connection with rhyming sounds, which is a major steppingstone for the pre-reader. The Great Picnic Disaster is an easy reader book well suited for kindergarten through 2nd grade. Although, even a child who is not yet able to read will enjoy this book independently because the illustrations do a fine job of telling the story.

A very English book of the countryside, telling the story of a little brown honey bee called Belinda, and her adventures through four seasons of the year as she gathers nectar and pollen to make honey for her growing family and some extra for her kind owner Mrs Watson. She has an epic battle with a wasp (the honey bees' mortal enemy), nearly gets caught in a rainstorm, leads a swarm indefence of her friends and nearly starves to death in the depths of winter.

The final chapter is a simple factual description of life in the apiary and the production of the honey we love to eat. The explanations are supported with photographs taken in the author's own apiary. The author hopes the first four chapters will awaken an interest in bees and honey, so the final chapter is there to answer any questions that may be asked.

This book is meant to be fun to read, pretty to look at and loosely educational (but don't tell the children that). Belinda Bee is written primarily for children under 10 with an interest in food and country life, however the author hopes that their adults will enjoy it too and find it informative.

Audra is a little girl living in a cottage-like home in the small town of Pearl. One day her mother suggests they plant a flower bed. Once the seeds are planted Audra becomes impatient to see the seedlings sprout. Her mother assures her that they will grow but she needs to be patient. Finally the flowers begin to grow, but Audra is disappointed that one is fairly droopy and much smaller than the others. Mother believes it to be a weed and that this particular plant needs to be uprooted from the garden. Audra asks her mother if she can replant the particular, droopy, flower. This flower is replanted into a colorful pot and placed in Audra's room where she nurtures it. As a result of her special attention and care he begins to straighten and bloom. He becomes a beautiful poppy, by far the most beautiful of all the flowers in the garden. Audra is proud of her flower and takes it to school to share with her class. The lesson learned is that is that if we treat living things with care and respect wonderful things can happen as a result.

The adventures of a hoot owl and her good friend and home, Terry the Tree, saving the forest trees and their friends that share the forest.

Discounts for large orders are avialable through the author. Please contact James Madsen via email at endoergic@netzero.net or contact Sydney Richardson at Trafford Publishing 1-866-638-6884 toll free in North America or via email sydney@trafford.com.

This story takes place where the seasons and its transitions bring color to our lives each year. Personifying characters in this book make me wonder with imagination and facts. The seasons reflects our moods and within, our environment intensifying our ways, a cicle of fun transform our lives.

The three stories in Awesome Skies, "Beautiful Clouds in the Sky", "Claps of Thunder and Flashes of Lightning", and "Awesome Rainbows"offers simple, exciting and fun methods from which children learn and understand the concept of how things happen around them.

The concepts are unfolded through a dramatic story that explains the subject discussed and then goes on to experiments and observations that can be done in the home and/or classroom with adult/teacher supervision.

It is a handy tool for teachers as it offers them eclectic means of putting information across marrying the Arts, Science, Geography, History and Language. It harnesses children's creativity in terms of their colouring skills, bringing out the children's aesthetic (appreciation of beauty) awareness, stimulating their appreciation of their environment. It harnesses their reading skills, improving their general knowledge and vocabulary, enabling them to articulate themselves in a sophisticated manner at an early age. It involves the children's participation in their learning through the carrying out of experiments in the home and/or classroom.

The book is a multi-sensory approach which heightens their awareness at grasping new concepts rendering the child eager to learn more. The book is not prescriptive or closed - it can be used by a kindergarten child and the same material can be developed to accommodate a grade 5 child. It can also be read to younger children by their parents or members of their family. Plays and projects can be derived from these stories, starting with the nasty drought (getting children to become aware about the importance of water and their environment), the formation of clouds (the desperate rain-dance), going on to thunder and lightning and finally the formation of rainbows, the clearing of the air and the rejoicing of not only people but animals, insects and plants in the celebration of water, this life-giving commodity that refreshes and cleanses everything.

Quietly showing the readers all the power and strength one can absorb from Mother Nature, Terra's story shows us how we all can feel overwhelmed at times. Through the voice of the older, wiser dog, Luna, we learn that it's okay to ask for help when we need it; that help is all around us in many forms and sizes. Terra uses this information to liberate herself from fear and worrying, and has a rollicking good time in the process. Luna uses the magical powers granted to her from her ancestors to change the day to night, in order to illustrate to Terra how many powerful forces are watching over us at all times. We see and feel the glorious warmth from the sun. The Mistress of the Moon presides over the luminous night sky, bathing all in her benevolent glow. We are visited by innumerable animals, airborne, and earthbound. Every one of these creatures make their presence known to the little dog, easing Terra's anxiety and loneliness. Through the eyes of Luna, we come to an understanding of the peace Mother Nature offers us all.

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Come and join owl and his friends. You can be a part of all the fun. This story has just begun. So don't run, read along. Hear the birds sing their songs... This book is a very imaginative description of the transition from Day to Night and all of the animals great adventure along the way! A very descriptive and fun story that all children can relate to. If you look hard at each picture, there are little hidden characters, like bugs and fairies. If you look really close, even get a little magnifier glass, you can have so much fun.

Makena is a curious, wide-eyed 4 year old who discovers the extraordinary, fuzzy creatures living in an ordinary tree that she passes every day on her way to pick up her brother from elementary school. The school crossing guard shares the child's enthusiasm as a treasure of nature is revealed to Makena and her excitement grows.

This story is designed to be told in classrooms and at bedtime. It will encourage children to wonder what treasures are hiding in their own neighborhoods and will make them eager to set out on a quest of discovery.

Sugarwing, a novice snowflake, is making her inaugural trip to earth. Scared and uncertain of what lies before her, she learns to enjoy her amazing adventure, gaining self-confidence and a sense of purpose while she witnesses the surprises of winter and the magic of love. A man made of snowflakes, the forest animals, and the magic of a midnight moon, reveal the greatest surprise of all.

Young children will identify with Sugarwing. Much like her, their young lives are a series of adventures, sometimes scary, sometimes exciting, many times both. They will understand her being scared and wanting to know everything beforehand. they may even feel reassured as Sugarwing does, when a fellow snowflake tell's her "it's not an adventure if you know everything before it happens."

Children will learn, as Sugarwing does, that she will "repeat her adventure endlessly, so long as Father Sun warmed the earth and set the seasons, and children needed snowflakes to build snowmen."

This is the story of an ear of corn that was just too curios to stay in the stalk and with all his faith, he grew arms and legs broke free and began to explore his surroundings. He has a close call with a cow before finding himself in the hands of a young girl who gave him the name of "Jimmy Krack Korn," but then by sleepy accident she lost him.

He then continued his exploration and met several other vegetables and fruits that had also come to life. Travelling together, they finally find Jimmy's young human friend and all are welcomed into her family with the reader's understanding that there will be more and better adventures ahead in additional books.

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Cubby Corn has fun filled days playing with his friends and going fishing.

This book chronicles the 2006 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail by a nervous backpacker. Starting at Springer Mountain in Georgia, Marley meets an experienced woods dog who helps Marley gain confidence as they share the adventure of hiking 2176 miles to Mount Katahdin in Maine. Along the way Marley learns important lessons on how to hike safely while protecting the environment. Based entirely on Marley's actual 2006 thru-hike, the only fictitious part of the book is our hero - Blaze.