I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank-you” to all the many readers who made Santa’s Birthday Gift such an amazing success in spite of its publication so close to Christmas! I sincerely hope that next season you will share your enthusiasm with friends and family; so that more children everywhere can realize that Christmas is not just about Santa, but is the celebration of the Christ Child’s birthday.
My next rhymed children’s book, Peter and the Whimper-Whineys is now under contract with Strategic Books and will be released sometime this spring. Peter is a small rabbit who does nothing but whine. His mother warns him that if he keeps on whining and crying, he’ll have to go live with the Whimper-Whineys. His nocturnal adventures convince him his mother was right! If only he can get back home… I am delighted with the illustrations so far, and am including a “sneak-preview” on this page. Here are the opening lines and the synopsis:
In a house in the forest all covered with vines
Lived a very small rabbit who did nothing but whine.
He'd whine and he'd cry from morning till night,
And nothing that anyone did would be right.
He'd cry and he'd whine, and he'd whine and he'd cry,
Till his mother said, "Peter, I want you to try
To stop all that whining and unpleasant noise.
Go take a nap, or go play with your toys;
If you can't stop that whining, I very much fear
That the old Whimper-Whineys will look for you here.
You'll go live with them in a land far away,
Where you'll join them in whining and crying all day."
Thus begins the story of Peter and the Whimper-Whineys! Peter’s adventure continues as he later on finds lots of frightening Whimper-Whineymen in the woods and discovers that the Whimper-Whineys are very ill-mannered and rude, and that everything is sour in Whimper-Whineland. He decides his mother was right…If only he can get back home…! According to a recent Critique, “I cannot imagine any parent or guardian not wanting to read this book to their child!...Parents everywhere applaud you!”
As I mentioned before, most of my books try to teach something like good manners and caring for others. Peter and the Whimper-Whineys is based on a story told to me by my mother, Beth T. Stalker, who was a second grade teacher as well as a wonderful mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She and I are delighted with this version of the story!
