Author Archives: viviankirkfield

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About viviankirkfield

Writer for children - Reader forever - Mom of 3, educator, author of FOUR OTTERS TOBOGGAN: AN ANIMAL COUNTING BOOK (PomegranateKids, PIPPA'S PASSOVER PLATE (Holiday House), SWEET DREAMS, SARAH (Creston Books); MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: THE INSPIRING FRIENDSHIP OF ELLA FITZGERALD AND MARILYN MONROE (Little Bee Books); FROM HERE TO THERE: INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED THE WAY THE WORLD MOVES (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Jan 19, 2021); PEDAL, BALANCE, STEER: Annie Londonderry, First Woman to Bike Around the World (Calkins Creek/Astra, Feb 20, 2024) picture book junkie, lover of travel, hiking, fly-fishing, cooking, and playing Monopoly with my grandson.

#PPBF: My Warp Speed Mind Plus Giveaway

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Today is Friday – Not only do I have a children’s book review to add to the Perfect Picture Book resource list that author Susanna Leonard Hill is building on her blog…I also have, thanks to the wonderful author of today’s book, a GIVEAWAY! Just leave a comment on this post. Then, for more wonderful reviews from authors, educators and others who contributed today, please go to Susanna’s post here.

I got to know the author of My Warp Speed Mind when my parenting book was published and I started blogging and connecting with authors, educators and parents. Donalisa Helsley is a family and children’s therapist. She’s written several other books, each addresses a particular problem or concern of parents and kids.

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My Warp Speed Mind

Written by Donalisa Helsley

Illustrated by Kalpart

Publisher: Mirror Publishing (2013)

Ages: 5 and up

Themes:

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), behavioral modification

Opening Lines:

“My name is Drake. I always used to be in trouble. I didn’t like school because Continue reading →

Alayne Kay Christian: Goal-Buster Extraodinaire

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jeremys first day at soccer made a goal 9_7‑13

If you haven’t already done it, go and rip the month of January from your calendar!

That right…one month over and gone! Hard to believe…and January was one of the long ones.

Many of us make resolutions or do goal-setting at the beginning of every year – but often, after a couple of weeks, life gets in the way and those resolutions fall by the wayside and those goals remain unreached.

That’s why I’m so very excited to have Alayne Kay Christian here today as my guest for Goal Busters.

 ALAYNE headshot

I met Alayne through our common interest in writing for children – you will find her in just about every kid lit writing challenge out there – many times as an ‘expert witness’ so to speak. She’s an award-winning children’s author, life coach, founder of Sub Six, does awesome professional manuscript critiques (I can vouch for that) and so much more – scroll down to the end of the post to read her bio and find out how to connect with this amazing lady.

Welcome, Alayne! I’m thrilled to have you here today.

Thank you, Vivian, for inviting me to be a goal buster. I have decided to only share some of my bigger goals for 2014. If I shared all my goals, this post would become a total bore. I love goals that provide their own rewards. So, when it comes to rewards, you will notice that in most cases my rewards come from Continue reading →

#PPBF: Hoot and Holler – A Story About Friendship

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Today is Friday – I have a children’s book review to add to the Perfect Picture Book resource list that author Susanna Leonard Hill is building on her blog. For more wonderful reviews from authors, educators and others who contributed today, please go here.

reading with Jeremy

I spent the most delightful morning at my grandson’s Kindercare kindergarten class. We had made a book together – he drew the pictures and told me what to write. Then he told his teacher that he wanted his grandma to come in to read the book to his friends. The teacher was thrilled (another pair of hands is always appreciated in a classroom filled with active kids)…and today was the day. Jeremy could hardly wait to get to school…in the car, he told me that he was a gazillion and trillion excited.

Of course I had a ball – and read a whole bunch of picture books with them in addition to the book Jeremy had made. It’s always fascinating to observe the interactions amongst the kids – friends one moment and arch-enemies the next.

So I decided to bring a book to you that addresses the topic of friendship…and with Valentine’s Day just two weeks away, it seems very appropriate.

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Hoot and Holler

Written by Alan Brown

Illustrated by Rimantas Rolia

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (2001)

Ages: 3 and up

Themes:

Friendship, expressing emotions, overcoming fears

Synopsis:

Holler, a big owl, and Hoot, a little owl, played together every night in the woods.  They were both shy, and Continue reading →