Sunday, July 21, 2024

Undawnted Presents: A WordCrafter Blog Tour, My Backyard Friends, Meet Charlie Chickadee & Review of "Charlie Chickadee"

Flowery background. Digital copies of Heather Hummingbird, Timothy Turtle and Charlie Chickadee, and the My Backyard Friends logo in foreground on right. On left WordCrafter logo in foreground. 
Text: WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Presents The My Backyard Friends Kid's Book Series, written by Kaye Lynne Booth, Illustrated by Robbie Cheadle

Introduction

Charlie is a young chickadee who finds himself homeless and alone when he gets separated from his parents during an invasion by violet-green swallows. On his own he finds a new friend in Nicholas Nuthatch, who teaches him about the other birds in his neighborhood and he learns how to survive on his own, and uses his own ingenuity to build a new nest for himself.

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Mini-Interview with Charlie Chickadee
[Interview with Charlie Chickadee]

Flowery landscape background. Digital copy of "Charlie Chickadee" and My Backyard Friends logo in foreground.
Text: Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home,  Meet Charlie Chickadee, Early the next morning, Father began teaching Charlie to fly.  By that afternoon, Charlie could venture out of the nest to a branch on the tree next door. Then, after resting a few moments, he learned to take off and fly back. Charlie was proud of himself. He practiced every day, until soon he could venture out on his own for short distances. Mother teared up, saying her baby bird was growing up. Father put his wing  around him. "I am proud of you, Son. You're making progress."


How did it feel to fly around for the first time?

I felt really proud of myself, especially when my mother fussed over me about it. I usually hate it when she fusses, preening my feathers and making a big deal, but that day, I didn’t mind so much. Of course, now I fly all the time, as a matter of getting from one place to another, but that first time was pretty special.

What was it like having invaders chase you out of your home?

I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. But I did what my mother said, and pecked out a new hole to escape through, but then, when the hole gave way, I was lost in the detritus under the tree.

How did it feel when your parents left you alone?

That was kind of scary, too. I knew they had to flee to get away from the swallows, and I never doubted that they would return for me. The question was what to do until they returned. I was out in the forest alone and it was cold and getting dark, and the swallows were still swarming , you can above me. The first night, I was scared to come out of hiding. But, the next morning, hunger drew me out and I learned to fend for myself a little.

What did it feel like to make your first friend?

You’re talking about Nick? I mean Nicholas Nuthatch, right? Yeah, Nick turned out to be a really good friend. In fact, he’s my best friend, even though he’s older than me. But at first, my mother and father had warned me about talking with strange birds who I didn’t know, so I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. But he was really nice, and he showed me around my neighborhood and kind of looked out for me. And besides, since I’d never been out of the nest before, that strange bird thing covered just about everybody. Nick turned out to be a cool guy and now days, we hang out together a lot.

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My Review

My Backyard Friends, Charlie Chickadee edition, is a cute read for adults and children alike. Charlie goes on his own adventure when his home is attacked by other birds. He is separated from his parents, but along the way he meets interesting animals. 

Beautiful and insightful, this book guides readers on a path toward wisdom only found with a wildness full of backyard friends. 

Be sure to Pre-Order your copy below.

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Fun Facts About Chickadees

  • Chickadees are known to hide food, and they have good memories to remember where they hid it even days later.
  • Chickadees have the unique ability to lower their body temperature during colder nighttime temperatures, in a torpor state, similar to that of hummingbirds.
  • They are curious, and often friendly. It is said they can be trained to eat out of a person’s hand. (I put birdseed in the brim of a sombrero one day and sat very still and they lit on the hat and ate the seed from it, but I don’t know if I’d call it training. I do consider them to be very brave, though.
  • In addition to their distinctive chick-a-dee-dee-dee, from which they get their name, this small birds have a variety of whistles and trills, and they are considered to be songbirds.
  • Chickadees are partial to sunflower seeds. They are one of their favorite foods. They also eat a variety of other seeds, nuts and insects.
  • Chickadees mate for life.
  • Chickadees build cozy, well insulated nests from leaves, grasses, moss, bark, lichen and/or feathers.

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Pre-order the My Backyard Friends books here:

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/471vzj

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/u/3LL5K7

Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/u/md2YLO

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About Kaye Lynne Booth

Author Kaye Lynne Booth with a dogKaye Lynne Booth is a freelance writer, editor, multi-genre author and independent publisher. She holds dual MFA in Creative Writing – Genre Fiction and Screenwriting, and an M.A. in Publishing. To earn her publishing degree, she worked under the mentoring of International Bestselling author, Kevin J. Anderson on the Gilded Glass: Twisted Myths & Shattered Fairy Tales editorial team from Western State Colorado University and WordFire Press and she compiled and edited Weird Tales: The Best of the Early Years 1926-27, under Jonathan Maberry.

 
About Robbie Cheadle

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

Find out more about Robbie Cheadle on her blog here: https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/



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Undawnted's DL Mullan can be booked for your online Blog Tour, Book Event, Book Review (w/ARC), Interview, Writing Conference, or Genre Convention. Ms. Mullan has years of experience in public speaking, readings, presentations, events, and tours.

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