Publisher’s Book Summary: Alycat hosts a big sleepover, complete with games, s’mores, and ghost stories. A surprise guest adds suspense!
People are talking . . .
The Alycat Series features Alycat and the Thursday Dessert Day, Alycat and the Monday Blues, Alycat and the Friendship Friday, Alycat and the Tournament Tuesday, Alycat and the Cattywampus Wednesday, and Alycat and the Sleepover Saturday.
The books in this series have won more than 17 awards, including the NYC Big Book Award, the Mom’s Choice Awards, and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards; have been featured in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly; and have appeared in the Oscars celebrity swag bag and the Grammy Awards gift bag. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, featured Bourque and her life-size mascot, Alycat, on her popular YouTube channel Little Red News.
Award-winning author Alysson Foti Bourque is a certified elementary education teacher and attorney who practiced law for six years before turning to writing full time. Her books featuring Alycat have been recipients of the NYC Big Book Award, the Mom’s Choice Awards, and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards; have been featured in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly; and have appeared in the Oscars celebrity swag bag and the Grammy Awards gift bag.
Alycat eagerly awaits her Saturday night sleepover with her kitten friends when she receives a phone call from Luna. The phone reception is poor, but Alycat thinks she hears that Luna cannot come but has an important secret to share.
The kittens enjoy playing Drop the Cake, cooking s’mores and telling ghost stories. As darkness falls, fear sets in. Suddenly a shadow falls on the outside of the tent and the kittens scream.
Who is stalking outside their tent? Will Luna reveal her secret? Read the newest release in the Alycat series to find out the answers.
Vibrant illustrations and large text will please the primary grade audience or beginning reader. The book includes a sleepover checklist for readers who would like to enjoy one with their friends.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a copy of Alycat and the Saturday Sleepover, autographed by Alysson Foti Bourque.
Two (2) winners receive:
A copy of Alycat and the Saturday Sleepover, signed by Alysson Foti Bourque
Copywriting Essentials: 4 Myths That Keep You from Writing Compelling Copy
You’re stuck. You’re not seeing the leads you want for your business. You’re offering quality products and great services but only a few people are buying from you.
You might be tempted to believe that the problem is that your platform isn’t big enough or that your website isn’t interactive enough. But for many small business owners and solopreneurs, these problems are usually the result of poor copywriting.
The good news is that persuasive copywriting is an essential skill that can be learned. But first, you have to understand that some things you might believe about copywriting are actually myths that are harming your business.
Myth #1: Copywriting is all about selling.
Some small business owners believe that copywriting is the equivalent of going to a cocktail party and screaming “Buy my product!” to every person you meet. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Copywriting is about so much more than selling your product or program.
Copywriting is about serving your audience. You can use persuasive copy to address your customers’ concerns, help them make smart buying decisions, and offer solutions to their needs.
Myth #2: Copywriting is all about action.
Many small business owners and solopreneurs think that every piece of content they create has to have a call to action, but that’s not true. Most of the time, you’ll be creating content to increase your customers’ awareness of your business. . This can be called the “know, like, trust” factor.
The ‘know, like, trust’ factor is about guiding your potential customers through the buying stages. In the first stage, the know stage, you’ll give potential customers content that informs them. In the second stage, you’ll share content that makes your brand likeable. The third and final stage is known as trust. It’s the point where your customers will decide whether they should purchase your productive or service.
Myth #3: Copywriting is all about you and your business.
Copywriting isn’t focused solely on you or even your customer. The best copywriting strikes a balance between “about you” and “about your reader”.
You want your copy to show your understanding of and compassion for your ideal clients’ situation. Your copy should highlight that your business cares and why your brand is the best one to choose.
Myth #4: Copywriting is all about making your brand look perfect.
Persuasive copywriting isn’t about positioning your brand as perfect. It’s about connecting with your reader on both an intellectual and emotional level. Your potential customers want to know about your expertise, but they also need to know that you understand them. One simple way to do this is to share stories about your brand. Don’t be afraid to include stories about your business’s failures.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your copywriting is set in stone. Even expert copywriters create several drafts before they find a version that truly connects with their readers. The important thing is to keep testing your copy until you find what works best for your business.
Journal Your Thoughts
Which of the copywriting myths do you struggle with the most? Why?
What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to copywriting?
Do you tend to make your copywriting all about you or all about your reader? How can you strike a better balance?
5 Steps to Reach Your Readers on an Emotional Level
When it comes selling yourself and your brand, it’s essential that you understand that your potential customers want to do business with people that they know, like, and trust. This is even more important if you’re a coach or service provider. Your potential clients may wonder if they’ll enjoy working with you, how you can help them, and if they’ll get their desired results.
This is where persuasive copywriting can help you. Copywriting will allow your ideal client the chance to know, like, and trust you. It also gives you an easy way to answer their questions before they even ask them. But before you start writing your copy, there are a few steps you’ll need to take.
Step #1: Identify Your Client
Describe your ideal client as detailed as you can. You need to be specific about their fears, frustrations, and feelings. Use forums and social media groups to see what words your ideal client uses to talk about their situation. Knowing how your potential clients describe what they’re dealing with will allow you to create copy that connects with them.You also need to think about what your potential client’s desired end result would look and feel like. For example, if you help overwhelmed working moms find time to prepare nutritious food to feed their families, then the end result might be less dinner time stress, more family time, and healthier bodies.
Step #2: Focus on your qualifications.
Next, think about how you’re uniquely qualified to help your potential clients. Describe why you’re qualified as a professional (education) and/or as a person (experience). You’ll want to offer proof of your qualifications in the form of diplomas, testimonials, and endorsements. These qualifications can be placed on the ‘home’ or ‘about’ page or a dedicated ‘testimonials’ page on your website and blog.
Step #3: Describe the milestones.
When you have a clear picture of what results your clients can expect from you, then you’ll want to think about the journey they’ll take. Try to describe the milestones your ideal client typically encounters during their journey. For example, if you’re a weight loss coach, one milestone might be losing the first ten pounds.
Don’t focus on just the good milestones. You’ll also want to consider the setbacks clients may face as well as the emotional aspects of their journey. For example, a setback might be gaining three pounds one week.
Step #4: Think about your clients’ objections.
Once you’re confident that you understand your potential clients’ journey, you need to take a moment to consider their objections. What hesitations might your client bring up when they’re ready to hire you? What are they afraid of if they take that first step? For example, if you’re a fitness coach that helps obese patients lose weight, you might find that potential clients are worried about visiting a gym for the first time.
When you understand these objections, you can offer solutions. Keep in mind that solutions don’t always have to be complex. You might simply tell clients that the first gym session is all about coming in and getting comfortable with the equipment, no workout required. Now, you’ve subtly eased a potential client’s objections to taking that first step toward fitness.
Step #5: Describe the action steps your reader would like to take.
Now that you know the journey your clients are on, it’s time to guide them to your product or services. You can do this by thinking about the action steps readers need to take when interacting with your content. For example, you might have a call to action at the bottom of your blog posts for joining your email list.
When you send emails to potential clients on your list, you might have a call to action at the bottom of each email that invites your subscribers to set up a free consultation with you. You want to continually invite your community to keep taking action. By doing this, you’ll have a list filled with valuable leads.
Understanding your client is the first step toward creating more persuasive copy. When you genuinely care about your clients’ journey, it will shine through in your copywriting efforts.
Journal Your Thoughts
Who is your ideal client? Why are you passionate about serving this client?
How will you be helping your ideal client? In what ways will you accomplish this (one-on-one coaching, webinars, etc)?
How will your clients’ lives be different after working with you and your brand?
Getting Started With Persuasive Copywriting: The First 3 Pieces of Content to Give A Makeover
When you’re ready to create some persuasive copywriting, you may be overwhelmed and wonder where to start. There are three places where your copywriting skills really matter and this is where you should start. Once you’ve mastered these three elements of your website, you can go on to tackle other areas of your site.
1. Your ‘About’ Page
The ‘about’ page on any website is usually the most visited one. That’s why it should be clearly labeled. Don’t use a cutesy name in the hopes that more people will click on it. You’ll just confuse your website visitors.
Your ‘about’ page should share your journey and cover why you’re qualified to help potential clients. Spin your journey into a story format that readers can relate to. For example, if you’re a business coach, you might share how you struggled to get your own business started for several years before finding success. By sharing your story, you’ll make it easy for your potential clients to relate to you and show them that you’re qualified to help.
2. Your ‘Services’ Page
Your ‘services’ page is your chance to stand out from other solopreneurs that offer similar services. But don’t cram every single service you offer on the same page. That will overwhelm visitors and they may leave your website before reading through all of the services you perform. That’s why it’s smart to have each service listed on a separate page of your website.
You want your service pages to show that you understand your ideal client and can deliver what they need. Then you should explain how you work and what end result your ideal client can expect. For example, if you’re a social media strategist, don’t tell potential clients that you can handle their Facebook advertisements. That’s vague and doesn’t describe what you can do. Instead, you might tell potential clients that you can increase Facebook ad conversions by 20%.
Now, include an easy next step, like joining your mailing list. Direct your visitors to your freebie sign up page with a helpful link, like this one: ===> Add Your Download Link to Your Free Report <===.
By doing this, you stay connected to potential clients that are interested in working with you but aren’t ready to hire you quite yet.
3. Your ‘Home’ Page
When it comes to your home page, you have less than seven seconds to make your first impression. You want that impression to be a good one.
When someone visits your home page, they should be able to tell immediately if they’re your ideal client or not from your copy. If you’re a social media strategist that works only with small businesses, then your copy shouldn’t be aimed at large corporations. It should be focused on small businesses and how you can help them.
Your home page is also your chance to state why you’re uniquely qualified to help. Don’t use the same wording you did on your about page. Instead, keep your qualifications to one or two sentences on your home page. If a visitor is interested in knowing more, they’ll click on your ‘about’ page for the full story.
Next, offer social proof on your home page. If you’ve guest posted on several popular blogs, share their logos. If you have testimonials from prominent clients, post those on your home page, too. If you’ve been interviewed in a magazine or podcast, be sure to add this information to your home page as well.
Before you post your new copy on your website, be sure to have a professional editor or proofreader look at it. An extra set of eyes can help you avoid embarrassing typos and make sure that your copy shines.
Journal Your Thoughts
How are you uniquely qualified to help your clients? Is this information on your about page?
How can you put more of your personality into your website or blog so that you stand out from other solopreneurs offering the same services?
What’s the story behind your brand? Does your copy showcase it or do you need to give some of your copy a makeover?
Publisher’s Book Summary: With bright, watercolor collages, My Love for You Is Like a Garden celebrates unconditional love with vibrant garden scenes that will delight fans of Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle. Perfect for baby showers, bedtime read-alouds, or anyone you love!
Say “I love you” with this charming picture book families will love reading together over and over again. Bold, colorful illustrations of flowers, butterflies, and animals will inspire readers of all ages to explore the natural world—and maybe even plant their own garden. Children will delight in finding ladybugs hidden throughout, and a glossary provides the names of each plant and animal featured. A beautiful book to share with a child, parent, or anyone who means the world to you!
If you’ve already purchased a copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, head on over to Laura Smetana’s website to receive two free downloadable 8×10 watercolor collage art prints:
–Print 1 – My love for you is like a garden
–Print 2 – My love for you flows freely
ABOUT THE AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR
Laura Smetana is the author and illustrator of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, a joyful picture book that celebrates unconditional love with bold, watercolor collages of garden scenes. She is also the author ofIce Cream with Grandpa: A Loving Story for Kids About Alzheimer’s & Dementia (illustrated by Elisabete B. P. de Moraes), which was winner of a Northern Lights Book Award, and Little Squiggle’s Lake Adventure, which she co-authored with her son, Stirling Hebda.
shaWhen she isn’t writing or painting, Laura can be found talking to kids at school author visits, gardening in her sunhat, and spending time with her family outdoors. Laura lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and son. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the Downers Grove Artists’ Guild.
What a beautiful way to express a message of love! This simple picture book contains soft, watercolors that match its gentle message. Smetana compares her love to the elements found in a garden like the warm sun, the smell of lilacs, the blades of grass, water flowing, and butterflies dancing, to name a few.
Its message correlated with our senses in short sentences presented in an easy-to-read font appeal to children of any age. Smetana includes a glossary at the end of the book. Young readers become participants when they search for each character mentioned in the story and the ladybug hidden on each page.
I would suggest this book as a fantastic gift for a reader of any age, including adults. Surely, a memento to be treasured or a valuable tool for a parent to express love for a child.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a glorious garden-themed grand prize, including a hardcover copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, autographed by Laura Smetana!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A cotton tote bag filled with:
-A hardcover copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, signed by author & illustrator Laura Smetana
– 4 oz of tea from Adagio Teas
– A bar of Italian rose soap
– Cherry blossom & tea rose hand lotion
– Sunflower & ladybug garden stake
– A 12 piece colored pencil set
– A mini sketchbook with elastic closure band
– 5 blank cards & envelopes featuring art from My Love for You is Like a Garden
Two (2) winners receive:
-A paperback copy of My Love for You Is Like a Garden, signed by author & illustrator Laura Smetana
A family enjoys a picnic in a local park. When a bottle-cap falls off the table, their dog Buddy runs away with it. He just wants to play fetch. But that bottle-cap finds itself on an unexpected journey when different animal groups in the park commandeer it to use for fun. The boy runs around trying to regain possession while readers are treated to a riotous adventure.
The funny picture book features huge, colorful illustrations and large font. It is a fun read aloud for adults or beginnng readers. Characters are multicultural and diverse including children with disabilities.
Highly recommended for children ages two through five.
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Katt Scallion and the Oracle Bird: Katt’s First Adventure
Written by E. K. Issacs
Illustrated by Taru Haimi
This is the first book in an adventure/mystery series for elementary and middle school readers. Katt is a feline space pirate, accompanied by a sloth named Speedy. Things have been slow in the pirate business lately until he is dispatched to retrieve the egg of an oracle space bird.
Off the readers go on this mystery adventure. Katt meets lots of interesting characters on his quest. The book features lots of dialogue and humor. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along quickly. I would describe the book as a chapter book for advanced elementary school readers or an introductory middle school read. There are a few black and white illustrations that enhance the tale.
Recommended for ages six through twelve who enjoy mystery, adventure, humor, and animal characters.
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A simple title for a book that delivers a lot of value in a picture book. The author employs rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, descriptive adjectives, and sentence building to offer a host of learning opportunities for toddlers and preschoolers.
The words are associated with the colors that represent them, each page adds more text so that as the book unfolds readers repeat and reinforce the learning. At the end of the book a glossary is included to remind young readers exactly what those “hard words” mean.
The female captain is a role model for young girls unaccostumed to seeing females heading up the captain’s job.
This book is one that will be read over and over, each time reinforcing and building upon the learning that has already taken place.
Highly recommended for parents, teachers, and librarians who work with toddlers and preschoolers.
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A beautifully written rhyming picture book that captures the imagination of a child and the adult who reads. it.
A child views time through the days of the week, the months of the year, and its seasons. The lovely color pastels complement the mood of the text perfectly. While all of us never seem to have enough time, seeing the concept envisioned through the eyes of a child is refreshing and perceptive. After reading this tale, the mood felt is restful and calming just like the beautiful illustrations.
Recommended for a child of any age, but I feel adults will enjoy it just as much.
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Adventures into the Heart, Book 2: Playful Stories About Family Love for Kids Ages 3-5
Written and illustrated by Eric Klassen
A rhyming picture book for preschool readers that explores the concept of beauty through an explanation of familiar objects in the ocean. Part of a book series featuring the characters of a bear and a fox.
Children learn through words and colorful graphics that when one has love in the heart its expression cannot be measured. A perfect bedtime or read aloud picture book for toddlers and preschoolers.
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Miranda grew up in an ordinary town, but her temperament was different from most children. While her friends discarded toys that were broken or in which they lost interest, Miranda collected and cherished these toys. Her friends thought her strange. Soon they abandoned her. So Miranda ventured far away, and became the Queen of Broken Toys. She lived a lonely life until one day a boy who had lost a toy came to her castle. An incident changes the lives of both.
The soft pastel illustrations are appealing and appropriate to the mood of the tale. Elementary school readers can learn many lessons from Miranda. I am sure many children will empathize with her.
A charming, quick read for children of all ages. It might inspire a few to take better care of their toys.
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Publisher’s Book Summary: Ten-year-old Molly has always loved having a sister, but sisters are supposed to live together, right? Molly certainly thinks so. Unfortunately, her older half-sister Alison lives on a whole other continent. Their video chats are great, and Molly is thrilled when Alison’s hand-written letters arrive in the mail like surprise gifts.
Still, it’s not enough, not compared to what other siblings have. That’s why when Molly finds out that Alison is finally coming to visit over the summer, she devises a plan to get her sister to stay. But then Alison arrives with plans of her own, a fragile heart gets broken, and Molly stumbles upon a painful piece of her sister’s past. Molly has always loved having a sister, but this is the August when she’ll learn what it really means to be one.
Ona Gritz is the author of two previous children’s books, including Tangerines and Tea, My Grandparents and Me, a Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Alphabet Book of the Year and Scholastic Parent & Child Magazine Teacher’s Pick. Her essays and poems have been published widely. Recent honors include two Notable mentions in The Best American Essays, a winning entry in The Poetry Archive Now: Wordview 2020 project, two 2021 Pushcart nominations, and a 2022 Best of the Net nomination.
Ten-year-old Molly is excited that Alison, her older stepsister, will be leaving her home in London to visit upstate New York. Throughout the years Molly has carried on a virtual relationship with her sister, meeting only once years ago. Now Alison has graduated university and Molly devises a plan to ensure her visit becomes permanent.
This tale is narrated in first person by Molly. Perhaps she loves Alison too much. Each of the girls have experienced troubles and losses. Molly needs to learn to recognize her sister’s needs as well as her own.
Gritz develops the characters in detail, using apt dialogue that conveys their emotions. She explores family bonds including complex issues like love and loss. The chapters are short and easy to follow. While the book targets a middle-grade audience, it also strikes a chord among adult readers. A great book for a book club or classroom discussion; the author includes starter questions at the end of the story.
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of August or Forever, autographed by Ona Gritz, and a glass heart necklace (like one that figures prominently in the story)!
March 15, 2023
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