A writer inspired by nature and human nature

Posts tagged ‘AMAZING MATILDA’

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AMAZING MATILDA Only 99¢/p for a Limited Time…


Looking for the perfect picture book for the kids this spring?

AMAZING MATILDA’s got you covered!

ONLY 99c/p thru APR 18! Celebrate SPRING with a monarch butterfly adventure #monarch #Butterflies endangered AMAZING MATILDA, A Monarch's Tale (Ages 5-11) #metamorphosis #EarthDay #education GRAB THE BOOK at bit.ly/19Qr3Y0

 

One concern parents have is how to inspire their children to meet challenges with patience and persistence. This is the plot of the award-winning picture book, AMAZING MATILDA, A Monarchs Tale, written and illustrated by Bette A. Stevens. In this story a caterpillar wants to learn how to fly. She asks all of her friends in the meadow, but doesn’t find an easy answer. Yet, she continues the quest until, at last, she becomes what she wants to be—a butterfly. AMAZING MATILDA offers adults the opportunity to inspire the children in their lives to meet their own challenges with patience and persistence.

  • For a Limited Time you can DOWNLOAD the eBook of AMAZING MATILDA for ONLY 99¢/p at http://bit.ly/19Qr3Y0 GRAB A COPY TODAY!

 

  • Be sure to check out the #FREE PDFs.  Amazing Matilda Finger Puppets and Fun & Learning with Monarch Butterflies— two excellent reading and life/environmental science resources to go along with the book. Find the download links below.

 

  • Missed the Limited Time Deal? NO WORRIES… Award-winning AMAZING MATILDA is available in paperback and eBook versions and it’s an AMAZON KINDLE MATCHBOOK every day—that means, when you purchase the paperback for $9.49, you can download the eBook version for FREE! Click the link to Order your copies today

Check out these #FREE Reading & Monarch Butterfly Resources from Bette 

Stevens has put together two (2) FREE #PDF companion pieces to make talking to the kids about AMAZING MATILDA and learning about Monarch butterflies exciting and fun.

am-finger-puppets-handout-12funlearningwith-amazing-monarchs-2016

 

CLICK THE TWO LINKS ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD. These resources will not only keep the kids talking about the book with their finger puppets, they’ll learn even more about Monarch Butterflies, their endangered habitat, monarch and milkweed conservation and preservation.  Fun & Learning offers activity sites and resources for butterfly gardeners and teachers as well.  Don’t miss these two great resources for families, clubs, classrooms and homeschoolers.

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

 

Written

on 04/12/2022

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Looking for the🎄 Perfect Picture Book for the Kids this Christmas🎄?


AMAZING MATILDA’s

🎄 got you covered!

matilda-expertly-as-a-cirus-acrobat-2016

One concern parents have is how to inspire their children to meet challenges with patience and persistence. This is the plot of the award-winning picture book, AMAZING MATILDA, A Monarchs Tale, written and illustrated by Bette A. Stevens. In this story a caterpillar wants to learn how to fly. She asks all of her friends in the meadow, but doesn’t find an easy answer. Yet, she continues the quest until, at last, she becomes what she wants to be—a butterfly. AMAZING MATILDA offers adults the opportunity to inspire the children in their lives to meet their own challenges with patience and persistence.

  • Be sure to check out the #FREE PDFs.  Amazing Matilda Finger Puppets and Fun & Learning with Monarch Butterflies— two excellent reading and life/environmental science resources to go along with the book. Find the download links below.
  • Award-winning AMAZING MATILDA is available in paperback and eBook versions and it’s an AMAZON KINDLE MATCHBOOK—that means, when you purchase the paperback for $9.49, you can download the eBook version for FREE! Click the link to Order your copies today.

#FREE Reading & Monarch Butterfly Resources from Bette

Stevens has put together two (2) FREE #PDF companion pieces to make talking to the kids about AMAZING MATILDA and learning about Monarch butterflies exciting and fun.

CLICK THE TWO LINKS ABOVE TO DOWNLOAD. These resources will not only keep the kids talking about the book with their finger puppets, they’ll learn even more about Monarch Butterflies, their endangered habitat, monarch and milkweed conservation and preservation.  Fun & Learning offers activity sites and resources for butterfly gardeners and teachers as well.  Don’t miss these two great resources for families, clubs, classrooms and homeschoolers.

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

Written

on 12/12/2021

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“Milkweed Wishes for Monarchs” a poem by Bette A. Stevens


Milkweed Wishes for Monarchs POEM bas 2015

The poem “Milkweed Wishes for Monarchs” was inspired during a walk out to the mailbox one morning when I spotted an exploding milkweed pod in all its glory. I ran back into the house to grab my camera and was delighted with the results. I also captured a shot of two more pods mostly intact and picked them for a friend (photo below).

I am a writer inspired by nature and human nature. As a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five, I live in Central Maine on a 37-acre renovated farmstead where I enjoy reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. I advocate for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies—an endangered species (and milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).

My children’s book AMAZING MATILDA follows an amazing monarch butterfly through her metamorphosis. I wrote and illustrated this picture book to inspire kids to have patience and to follow their dreams.

 ~ Bette A. Stevens

 

MILKWEED Pods

  • AM Look Inside NEW 2015Find AMAZING MATILDA and all of Bette’s books at YOUR AMAZON

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

Written

on 11/19/2015

It’s #IndieBooksBeSeen Day!


Bette A. Stevens is an indie author and DYI-er (mostly) who has written and self-published four books—The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!, Amazing Matilda, Pure Trash and Dog Bone Soup—since 2012. You can out more about the author and take a ‘Look Inside’ her books on YOUR AMAZON.

FBAS & Books INDIE 2rom the author

I’m an author whose first book was published in 1997 by Windswept House, a small regional press in Mt. Desert, Maine. When the company went out of business and the original rights to the first edition of The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too! were returned to this author, I decided to check out local publishing houses and self-publishing as well. In the process I discovered CreateSpace—a self-publishing affiliate of Amazon—and decided to give it a whirl. I had been an editor and desktop publisher for several years before embarking on a teaching career. Self-publishing doesn’t have to be a ‘go it alone’ experience. There are abundant resources available locally and online (excerpt and article link below) to help you get your own book(s) in print and on the way to readers.  ~ Bette A. Stevens

What exactly is an Indie author anyway?

“Indie authorship and self-publishing are not quite synonymous but an independent author will have self-published at least one book.”

Read more about Indie Authorship from New York Times + USA Today bestselling author Steena Holmes at http://www.steenaholmes.com/whats-an-indie-author/

 [Bette’s Blog]

Category:

#IndieBooksBeSeen, About the Author, Book Picks, Books, Children's Literature, Children's Picture Book, Fiction, Indie Authors, Literacy, Literature, Maine Author, Monarch butterflies, My Books

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Celebrate EARTH DAY with a FREE Butterfly Adventure eBook by Bette A. Stevens


Celebrate EARTH DAY with a FREE (April 21 & 22) Butterfly Adventure eBook by Bette A. Stevens
AM Look Inside Cover

EARTH DAY April 22

AMAZING MATILDA is an award-winning picture book adventure that follows a monarch butterfly through her life cycle and teaches kids life lessons along the way!

“A lovely children’s book, with beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and a profound message.” ~ Nicholas C. Rossis, author

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ★
`*★..•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•. ★ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Follow The Magic! DOWNLOAD YOUR Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ FREE COPY HERE!

  • Please share... Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Monarch butterflies are a threatened species. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Food Safety filed a legal petition requesting Endangered Species Act protection for the Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ monarch and its habitat.

Written

on 04/21/2015

Books inspired by nature and human nature


Inspired by nature & human nature bas books

DOG BONE SOUP IS COMING SOON…

“Dog Bone Soup by Bette A. Stevens is the poignant tale of a dysfunctional family struggling to survive in America in the 50s and 60s, when most others were on the crest of a wave. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. But most of all it will make you glad you read it.” ~ Charlie Bray, founder of the Indietribe, a body dedicated to supporting self-published authors 

Bette A. Stevens is a retired teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families; for childhood literacy; and for monarch butterflies, an endangered species.

Stevens’s children’s activity book, THE TANGRAM ZOO and WORD PUZZLES TOO! was first published in 1997 by Windswept House Publishing, Mt. Desert, ME; a second edition was self-published by the author in 2012.  AMAZING MATILDA , Stevens’s second children’s book, self-published in 2012, won a 2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Award (Honorable Mention for Excellence in Children’s Literature – Ages 6 and older category) and placed #9 on The 2013 Gittle List TOP 10 for Self-published Children’s Picture Books. Stevens has written articles for ECHOES, The Northern Maine Journal of Rural Culture based in Caribou, Maine. In 2013, the author published her first book for the YA/Adult audience: PURE TRASH, a short story about a boy growing up in rural New England in a family whose poverty and alcoholism mark him as a target for bullying by young and old alike. This short story is a prequel to Stevens’s debut novel, DOG BONE SOUP, A Boomer’s Journey.

Category:

Books, Children's Activity Book, Children's Literature, Children's Picture Book, Fiction, My Books

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Nine-year-old Fan MAKES an Author’s Day!


The best way to thank an author is to let them know how much you enjoyed their book(s). Often it comes from an adult fan in an official review on a blog or posting on Amazon/Goodreads. Sometimes it comes from younger readers at a school/group visit and once in a while a young reader will send a personal note. Early this week I received a wonderful letter and picture from Lexi Stevens, a talented nine-year-old fan.

Here’s what Lexi had to say:

I'm Lexi Stevens. I hope to be an author, like you. Oh, and talking about writing, I love the books and I'll send you a book.

I’m Lexi Stevens. I hope to be an author, like you. Oh, and talking about writing, I love the books and I’ll send you a book.

 

Hi, you probably don’t know me. I’m Lexi Stevens. I hope to be an author, like you. Oh, and talking about writing, I love the books and I’ll send you a book from me. Also, I’m doing a state report on Maine! I had Alaska at firs, but nobody had Maine, so I switched. I’m sooo excited! Happy Easter!

Love,

Lexi Stevens

P.S. Can you please reply!

 

Indeed I will, Lexi:

Dear Lexi,

Your wonderful letter and pictures (your illustrations and portrait) made my day! I can see that you have a gift for writing and illustrating and I can hardly wait to read your books one day. Follow your dreams and they surely will come true. We must stay in touch. It’s awesome that you’re doing your state report on Maine. Keep me posted on the great things you are doing. I’ll be following you!

HAPPY WRITING & ALL OF THOSE OTHER AMAZING THINGS YOU DO,

Bette A. Stevens

Dear Readers,

Needless to say, there’s nothing that touches the heart of an author like hearing from her fans. I thank each one of you for reading/following my blog and for your wonderful comments. They mean a lot to me.

Blessings to all,

Bette A. Stevens

RELATED LINKS:

1234661_10200451618078683_470626543_nFind the award-winning picture book AMAZING MATILDA and all of Bette’s books at http://www.Amazon.com/author/betteastevens

Written

on 05/09/2014

Aside

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY with an amazing monarch butterfly!


Award-winning picture book AMAZING MATILDA is FREE from April 19-23 to CELEBRATE EARTH DAY! Download your FREE copy of AMAZING MATILDA: A Monarch’s Tale and share the gift of reading with the kids in your life http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Matilda-ebook/dp/B00AU9ZISA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363893998&sr=1-1&keywords=amazing+matilda

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Why, Oh Why, A Butterfly?

After I read AMAZING MATILDA to a group of students, the kids had excellent questions about writing, illustrating and publishing a book. They found out that research was essential for both the story and the illustrations. They also learned that this story was written, edited and rewritten many times. We talked about a story needing a plot (a beginning, a middle, an end and a problem to be solved). We had a chance to discuss some of the TOOLS in a WRITER’S TOOL BOX—consonance and assonance (repetitive consonant and vowel sounds that help to make reading fun), vocabulary, metaphors and similes, repetition. We also had the opportunity to discuss the story’s characters and the parts they played:  AMAZING MATILDA (hatching from her egg as the story begins) dreams of flying SPARROW (a bird who encourages MATILDA to follow her instincts) “DON’T BIRDS EAT CATERPILLARS?” one of the students asked. That’s when we had the opportunity to talk about milkweed (the monarch caterpillar’s only food source). Milkweed gives the monarch’s their color and it is poisonous (not deadly poison, but it does make birds vomit so they learn to stay away from monarchs during any stage of life cycle development). TOAD and RABBIT (friends who hop up onto the ledge near MATILDA where they can see the whole world). These friends are not Matilda’s friends at first. They laugh hysterically at a creature who has no wings but wants to fly. But then, they remember that they couldn’t leap or hop onto this very ledge when they were younger. They had to keep trying— it took a lot of hard work and time (persistence and patience) before they could sit on top of the ledge and see the whole world anytime they pleased. (These characters gave the class a chance to talk about teasing and bullying.)Toad and Rabbit tell MATILDA all about their challenges and keep reminding her that if she keeps trying, she will be able to do all of the things that she really wanted to do.(Now we get to talk about friendship.)

So why did I choose a butterfly? MATILDA’S not just any butterfly—she’s a monarch butterfly! Monarch butterflies and other pollinators such as bees and hummingbirds are indicators of how healthy our environment is. The monarch, indigenous to The Americas, is the only butterfly species known to migrate. They travel from the Northern US and Canada to over-winter in California and Mexico and these magnificent creatures are disappearing at alarming rates. Why? There are many reasons for this decline:

• Current agricultural practice
• Genetically modified crops
• Pesticide use
• Loss of habitat
• Destruction of larval host plant by Roundup and other weed killers
Weed killers are a major concern since they are destroying the only food that monarch caterpillars will eat and they are also adversely affecting farm crops harvested for human consumption.
What can we do? Monarch butterflies are extremely resilient and their decline can be reversed. But, for that to happen, we’ve got to save the milkweed!
• Plant native milkweed
• Provide nectar plants
• Avoid pesticides
• Report your monarch observations

Find out more about protecting monarch butterflies and print out your FREE POSTER at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/conservation_action.html

And don’t forget to visit my website to download your FREE FUN & LEARNING WITH MONARCHS (A companion piece that I put together for AMAZING MATILDA). You’ll find awesome links (See poster below) to Amazing Monarch facts, crafts, games, coloring pages, gardening tips, teachers’ guides and more at https://4writersandreaders.com/fun-learning-with-monarchs-2/

 

 

Written

on 04/20/2014

Aside

Looking for the Perfect Picture Book for the Kids this Spring?


AMAZING MATILDA’s
got you covered!

matilda-expertly-as-a-cirus-acrobat-2016

One concern parents have is how to inspire their children to meet challenges with patience and persistence. This is the plot of the award-winning picture book, AMAZING MATILDA: A Monarchs Tale, written and illustrated by Bette A. Stevens. In this story a caterpillar wants to learn how to fly. She asks all of her friends in the meadow, but doesn’t find an easy answer. Yet, she continues the quest until, at last, she becomes what she wants to be—a butterfly. AMAZING MATILDA offers adults the opportunity to inspire the children in their lives to meet their own challenges with patience and persistence.

AMAZING MATILDA is available in paperback and eBook versions and it’s an AMAZON KINDLE MATCHBOOK—that means, when you buy the paperback, you can download the eBook version for FREE! Order your copies right here.

#FREE RESOURCES: Stevens has put together two (2) FREE companion pieces to make talking to the kids about AMAZING MATILDA and learning all about Monarch butterflies  exciting and fun.

am-finger-puppets-handout-12funlearningwith-amazing-monarchs-2016Amazing Matilda Finger Puppets and Fun & Learning with Monarchs can be downloaded at the tab at the top of this page. These resources will not only keep the kids talking about the book with their finger puppets, they’ll learn about Monarch Butterflies and their endangered habitat and includes learning and activity sites for butterfly gardeners and teachers as well. They’ll also learn about monarch and milkweed preservation. Don’t miss these two great resources for families, clubs, classrooms and homeschoolers.

[Explore Bette’s Blog]

Written

on 04/12/2014

Super Sweet 3-Book VALENTINE’S GIVEAWAY!


Facebook-Cover-Image-Template GIVEAWAY HAPPY LOVE MONTH!

  • AMAZING MATILDA—
    February 1— #9 on The Gittle List: Top 10 Children’s Picture Books of 2013  Aviva Gittle Publishing (San Diego, CA): “On the surface, the story is about the birth and transformation of a Monarch butterfly. The underlying story is about the challenges children experience as they grow and learn. It can foster a discussion with your child about the power of perseverance. Heck, it’s also just fun to read!”
  • THE TANGRAM ZOO—Tangram puzzles and riddles for hands-on learning and fun for the whole family/classroom: “Awesome and Creative!” —S.B.
  • PURE TRASH, The Story—1950s short story adventure (bullying, poverty & prejudice) for the YA/Adult reader. “Truly moving short story.” Michael Carrier

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

Simply click this link to enter…   a Rafflecopter giveaway

Category:

Best Book Award, Books, Children's Activity Book, Children's Picture Book, Fiction, Literature

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