Write What Inspires You! ~ Donna M. McDine: #donnamcdine #childrensbooks

Showing posts with label #donnamcdine #childrensbooks. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters are off to Spain!

Dee and Deb of children's book Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters are thrilled to share they are off to Spain with kindergarten teacher, Miss Christina! They are so excited to meet Miss Christina's kindergarten class and can't wait to share pictures of their visit. In the meantime, checkout all the other places Dee and Deb have visited...

Interested in staying connected beyond the Internet? Please feel free to opt-in to my Write What Inspires You Newsletter! I promise not to fill your email inbox, for I send out my emails no more than 1-2 times per month.

Opt-in today to the Write What Inspires You! Newsletter and join parents, teachers, and colleagues who receive Donna’s newsletter and receive two FREE e-Books: “The Story Behind the Books” and “Marketing Tips”

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Best wishes,

Donna M. McDine

Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Angel's Forever Home ~ March 2019 ~ Mascot Books ~ 2019 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Six and Older

Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters ~ December 2015 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2016 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Five and Under and Story Monster Approved

A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014 and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention Picture Books 6+, New England Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Ease your child into Kindergarten with Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters

The 2024-2025 school year is upon us! Wow!

Do you have a new kindergartener in your life and you'd like to ease them into kindergarten?

Look no further... Dee and Deb are here to help!

The anxiety of finding one's own place and friends in kindergarten without the comfort of having her fraternal twin sister nearby at first overwhelms Dee until she realizes even without her fraternal twin sister, Dee and her classmates for the most part are in the same boat.

Order you softcover or e-book copy today at:

www.donnamcdine.com/books.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,

Donna M. McDine

Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Angel's Forever Home ~ March 2019 ~ Mascot Books ~ 2019 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Six and Older

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Monday, August 5, 2024

Marketing Tips Monday with Donna McDine - Virtual Author Visits

One of the most beneficial ways of connecting with children through your books is connecting with parents and teachers

Create your announcement of offering 15-20 minute complimentary meet the author virtual sessions and watch your engagements soar.

Igniting the passion of reading in young children has long been a passion of mine and continues to this day.

For those parents and teachers reading my message, if you are interested in connecting together via Zoom so your child(ren) / students may ask their author questions, leave a message here or contact me via email at donna@donnamcdine.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

For now enjoy reading with your child(ren) / students!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,

Donna M. McDine

Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Angel's Forever Home ~ March 2019 ~ Mascot Books ~ 2019 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Six and Older

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Sunday, July 30, 2023

Donna McDine, Award-winning children's Author is Back from Blogging Hiatus

I am back from my blogging hiatus and my intention is to blog weekly with various happenings in the children's book industry and my own writing career.

I am delighted to share I am in the midst of submitting my collaboration with Jimmy Floyd for our children's picture book manuscript using the tool Query Tracker. If you aren't familiar with Query Tracking I am going to be posting about my experience and benefits of using this wonderful tool.

Until then, I invite you to subscribe to my Write What Inspires You Newsletter...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,

Donna M. McDine

Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Angel's Forever Home ~ March 2019 ~ Mascot Books ~ 2019 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Six and Older

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Monday, August 31, 2020

Marketing and Inspiration Mondays - A Fun Video of Where Dee and Deb Have Traveled

Changing things up a bit and sharing a fun video of where Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters have traveled...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,

Donna M. McDine

Multi Award-winning Children's Author

Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Angel's Forever Home ~ March 2019 ~ Mascot Books ~ 2019 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Six and Older

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Monday, April 13, 2020

The Importance of an Educator’s Guide for your Children’s Book by Donna McDine

The Importance of an Educator’s Guide for your Children’s Book

By Donna McDine

After I signed the book contract (oh my over ten years ago) for The Golden Pathway I took the time out to discuss with teachers what sparks their interest in children’s books for their classrooms beyond what the school provides. Many times over I heard they are under strict confinements with their curriculum and books need to fit into their daily teachings. I then took to task to research state curriculum guidelines and learned the creation of an educator’s guide for The Golden Pathway needed to be a comprehensive across the curriculum guide. After meeting homeschool specialist, Amy O’Quinn through the Working Writer’s Club I approached Amy about hiring her to write an educator’s guide for The Golden Pathway. The end result was beyond my expectations!

The educator’s guide is a teaching tool for English, Social Studies, Math, Science, and Art teachers, as well as for Homeschooling families. Activities include:

Language Arts: Writing/Vocabulary  

Integrated Language Arts/Social Studies: Topical Study/Presentation Boards  

Social Studies: Timeline, Mapping and Geography  

Math: Map Work Mathematics, Calculations, Time, Recipe Math, Quilt Math  

Science: Astronomy, Skin, Plants and Crops, Alcoholism, Five Senses  

Role Playing, Disguises and Escape/Safe Houses  

Toys and Games of the 19th Century: Make a Rag Doll, Make a Nettie Doll, Information  on Games/Toys  

Songs of Slavery and the Underground Railroad: Background Information and Lyrics  

More Fun Art Projects, Activities, and Resources: Coloring Sheets, Printables,  Juneteenth, Make A Tin Can Lantern  It is in my opinion well written children’s books have a better chance of finding their way into schools when it is accompanied with an educator’s guide. By having this guide for The Golden Pathway it has certainly helped spark additional interest with school visits. Case in point, when I participated in the New York State Reading Association, October 2011 I had the opportunity to meet with teachers from across the tri-state area (NY, NJ, and CT) and many commented on the educator’s guide I was chatting up with them as they stopped by my table. They were delighted and impressed to learn of this complimentary addition to The Golden Pathway, explaining their time is at a premium and to have activities already planned for them saves them valuable time. At this point in time, one of these conversations has turned into a weeklong visit to a local elementary school. The Parent Teacher Association purchased The Golden Pathway for each classroom and when I presented each teacher with the complimentary CD of The Golden Pathway Educator’s Guide their responses where overwhelming positive.

 As writer's many of us can and do create our own educator’s guides, but for myself I wanted someone with the expertise of being in the trenches of teaching to formulate my educator’s guide. By outsourcing this project, it has freed me to up to work on new manuscripts, marketing, and client work. Amy O’Quinn also created educator guides for my children’s books, Hockey Agony and Powder Monkey.

Details of my author school visit my website.

To learn more about my writing career or to order an autographed copy of any of my six children’s books visit my website.

Gift with purchase for The Golden Pathway, Hockey Agony and Powder Monkey comes with a customized Educator’s Guide for each.

I'd enjoy hearing if you have an educator's guide for your children's book. If yes, did you create it yourself or did you outsource this project?

Thank you for your time and interest.

Continue to be safe and well!

#educatorsguide

#thegoldenpathway

#hockeyagony

#powdermonkey

#donnamcdine

#childrensbooks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Multi Award-winning Children's Author
Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!

Angel's Forever Home ~ March 2019 ~ Mascot Books ~ 2019 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Six and Older

Dee and Deb Off They Go Kindergarten First Day Jitters ~ December 2015 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2016 Purple Dragonfly Honorable Mention Picture Books Five and Under and Story Monster Approved

A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014 and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Historical Fiction 1st Place, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2015 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Honorable Mention Picture Books 6+, New England Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review

The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist