Marta's Gargantuan Wings

While most kids won't know that Gargantua was a gigantic monster, that won't keep them from enjoying Marta's Gargantuan Wings. A PDF of that picture book was recently sent to me by my friend, author Jessica Kennedy.

The story is about Marta, a winged horse who is teased by a bird because her wings are huge and seem awkward. But, with encouragement from friends, she uses her wings to rescue other creatures. How does the bird react to that? Read the book to find out.

Since most kids get teased at times,Marta's Gargantuan Wings should appeal to lots of kids. And when those kids get older and encounter ancient stories, Pegasus and Gargantua will already be familiar to them.

The colorful illustrations by artist Eugene Ruble (I've mentioned him before) capture the feeling of the story.

Klutzy Kantor

I interviewed Jessica Kennedy on my other blog about special needs, http://janetanncollins.blogspot.com and she kindly sent me a copy of her picture book, Klutzy Kantor.

No, the book isn’t about a cantor who sings in a synagogue even though “klutz” was originally a Yiddish term for a clumsy person. Kantor is the name of a pegasus, or winged horse. (I wonder if Kennedy thought of the name because horses canter?)

Klutzy Kantor is a cute book and the main character’s awkwardness causes some incidents that will make little kids laugh. But Kantor is also smart and, with the help of his friends and a little magic, determines to find a way to put an end to his clumsiness.

Although the book is fun, it’s also educational. The author uses some advanced vocabulary, but the meaning is obvious from the context so children will learn new words. There’s also a challenging riddle that will make youngsters think.

The illustrations by Jack Foster are charming and do an excellent job of capturing the feeling of the story. I think lots of children will enjoy Klutzy Kantor.

Jessica Kennedy is holding a contest and I’ll include the information about that here:

I’m running a contest/drawing to celebrate my fifth essay’s inclusion in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. I will give one Chicken Soup for the Soul: Thanks Dad book to a lucky winner and, if fifteen or more people leave a comment, I will give two away. Be sure to leave your email address.

You can gain double the entries by announcing the contest at this blog and http://jadaykennedy.blogspot.com.

Here are the rules.

• Leave a comment at the two blogs for additional entries for each.

• Blog about the contest for two entries. (leave link)

• Tweet about the contest (leave link)

• Announce it on Facebook for two entries (leave link)

• For an additional entry announce the contest on Live Journal, Jacket Flap, Book Marketing Network, LinkedIn or another social network (leave link)

• The contest will end at midnight Monday May 3, 2010.