Books Brain

In her Caribbean fairytale of untouched beauty and effervescent wildlife, “Islands Enchanted” Kathy Badenock brings to life the stories of a family of islands, sharing their unique temperaments and the dynamics that develop between each family member and the humans occupying their bodies of land.

Revolving around five main islands who live on the Enchanted Sea, Yuru, Hairo, Noan, May and Uni, “Islands Enchanted” shares their eclectic personalities and adventures. Yuru is the eldest sister island and looked upon as the most beautiful of all the islands in the family. Full of pride over her beauty, Yuru began to ignore the advice and thoughts of others and became a victim of her own vanity when she was punished with a cold. After sneezing, coughing and hurling hot rocks and lava, she finally learned her lesson and began to feel better.

The other siblings include Hairo, or “Land of the Clouds,” who plays hide-and-seek among the clouds with her sister Yuru, and May, who loves to play and is reluctant to grow up. Uni is the quietest of all the siblings, she likes humans and enjoys looking at them and providing for them. In turn, her humans return her attentions with care and festivals. Sometimes, the humans are not as loving and turn to fighting and hurting each other. Uni, a truly objective judge of events, makes peace between them in interesting ways. Despite the small troubles, she still loves the sound of the drums when the humans dance to bring rain or celebrate a wedding, cherishing most of all humanity’s ability to stand together unified.

The world in the Enchanted Sea will be forever changed when the Europeans approach their shores for the first time. How will the island family react to their presence? Can they survive through the changes that these visitors will bring?

Based on the rich history and cultural background of the island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines of the Caribbean, “Islands Enchanted” offers readers a fresh perspective on the stories held within the heart of a land. The intimate relationships between the sibling islands and the dynamic connections between the landscape and its inhabitants prove that the old adage “no man is an island” still holds true.

Escape to beautiful, sunny isles and discover their mysteries within the pages of “Islands Enchanted.”

Kathy Badenock grew up on Union Island of Grenadine and completed most of her studies on the mainland. She earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education and sports and currently lives and works on St. Vincent as a physical education teacher. This is her first book.

SOURCE AuthorHouse

“Veggiesaurus Lex” Teaches Children that Eating Vegetables Is Important and Fun

At a time when parents spend more each year on fast food for their children than on books, educational materials, DVDs, music, trips to the movies and video games combined, it can feel like instilling healthy eating habits is a losing battle. With the publication of her third book, “Veggiesaurus Lex” (published by AuthorHouse), Karen Fine offers parents, educators and caregivers a new resource to combat the seemingly endless array of easy, cheap and available unhealthy food.

Meet Lex, a big pink dinosaur who has a big tummy ache after she eats too much junk food. Lex, feeling sluggish and slow, seeks the advice of her vegetarian friends who immediately have an answer for her. Fine writes:

Veggies are great

And they don’t slow you down.

They’re easy to find all around town.

Carrots are roots

That grow in the ground.

Peas are quite yummy; smooth, green and round.

Looking for color?

There’s plenty, they said.

Green peppers also come in yellow, orange and red!

As her friends go on to describe other types of tasty vegetables, Lex decides to try some for herself and discovers that they truly are delicious! With charming illustrations by Ross Novak that bring Lex and her friends to life on each page, “Veggiesaurus Lex” combines a fun, rhyming story with an important message: to stay fit and energized, it’s important to eat vegetables. Find out more in the pages of this whimsical new book.

Karen Fine was inspired to educate children about living a healthy lifestyle after her oldest son was diagnosed with celiac disease and restricted to a gluten-free, wheat-free diet. Her other books, “How I Eat Without Wheat” and “Nature’s Candy” (both published by AuthorHouse) are the first two installments in a trilogy she hopes will inspire children to make healthier choices.

For more information, visit http://www.karenfine.com.

SOURCE AuthorHouse