Curtis Christine Press

Beautiful Books for Children

“Silly Zoo Is All I Can Say”, Goes To School!

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The authors, Troy and Barb Muilenburg along with athletes from Ellsworth Community College visited elementary schools in Iowa to share the love of reading, writing and drawing! The authors read “Silly Zoo Is All I Can Say” to the children and shared fun facts about zoo animals. The authors created a “Write Your Way” program that the athletes were able to inspire the students with. It was so awesome to have the children draw, write and read THEIR way as worked together to create their own animal story!

Happier New Year with Free iBook!

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We are celebrating the New Year by offering the 2016 Award Winning Children’s book, “Mommy Loves Baby” for FREE thru iBooks. Soothe your little one to sleep with this book.

Just search iBooks on your iPhone or iPad for “Mommy Loves Baby”, and there it is, Free.

This endearing lullaby book will also be complimentary on Kobo and Barnes and Noble for a limited time.

Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Gold Medal winner for children’s books ages 0-3.

Review – Mommy Loves Baby, and baby will LOVE this book! From the sweet animal families on the wipe-clean pages to the simple but charming text, everything about this little book is baby-friendly. Expect dimpled smiles and pudgy hands clapping to hear it read again and again. It’s a winner!
– Lisa Kay Hauser, National Award-Winning Children’s Author and Editor

If you are looking for your very own “Mommy Loves Baby” board book, ask for it in your local book store or check out our website with Free Shipping https://curtischristinepress.com/wp/product/mommy-loves-baby-book/

Another award winning book by Curtis Christine Press is Silly Zoo Is All I Can Say which won Creative Magazines 2016 Book of the Year.

Please share and have a Happy New Year!!
Curtis Christine Press.

What’s not under the Christmas tree? That’s right! Curtis Christine Press is giving you a “Mommy Love Baby” eBook for Christmas!

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Free “Mommy Love Baby” eBook, just in time for the Holidays. Read this book to your little one tonight and by the way if you use your little one’s name while you read, it will be a book changer!!
Books will be free on iBook’s, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble for a limited time, so get yours and share with a friend. Just download to unwrap!
If you are looking for your very own “Mommy Loves Baby” board book, find your local book store or check out or website https://curtischristinepress.com/wp/shop/
Happy Holidays from Curtis Christine Press.

Benjamin Franklin Award

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We are so excited to announce that Mommy Loves Baby WON the Benjamin Franklin Award for best Children’s Picture Book 0-3 years old category!

During a gala awards ceremony held Friday, April 8, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) announced the 2016 Benjamin Franklin Book Awards gold medalists in 54 categories. Mommy Loves Baby was one of them! smile emoticon

A complete list of the categories and their winners, as well as more information about the awards, can be found here: http://ibpabenjaminfranklinawards.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Press-Release-IBPA-Announces-Gold-Medalists-in-the-2016-Benjamin-Franklin-Awards-041216.pdf

Ellsworth men’s basketball team participates in a reading day at Alden Elementary

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This was a great day for everyone. The Ellsworth Men’s basketball players split up and read the book “Silly Zoo Is All I Can Say” to kindergarten through 3rd grade classes. The players also answered a few questions about the book and Panther Basketball. The Panthers finished with a few assists as they helped some of the students work on their WRITE YOUR WAY activity sheets.

By the time all of the classes were finished, it was time for lunch – and who doesn’t like pizza?!

Looking back, it was an awesome day at Alden Elementary. We’re not sure who had more fun – the students or the basketball players! We are planning on going out again in a few weeks to follow up with the activities that we did together.

ECC at alden 1 ECC at alden 2 ECC at alden 3 ECC at alden 4 ECC at alden 5

Last Minute Gift Ideas…Sometimes Procrastination Leads to the Best Gifts

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Last minute gift ideas

Sometimes better late is sometimes just that, better. I have never really been one to go out and get the Xmas presents months ahead of time. It sounds like a great idea.  But still, to find the time and actually know what the kids want at that point is simply impossible. It seems that Christmas lists are ever changing and have a mind of their own. I cannot tell you how many times over the years that I have actually purchased a gift only to find out that it is not on the Christmas list anymore. You think there may some things you can get early that should be a sure thing, but even with shoes, clothes, and games the kids can have a change of heart, and in many cases grow out of them before they get a chance to unwrap them!

More often than not, my procrastination has turned out to be the smart move. I am able to get shoes and clothes that they like and fit right now. Sure, sometimes it is too late to find the more popular gifts like the “Tickle Me Elmo” or this year’s “Pie Face” game, but other things do come along and sometimes are even better because it is a surprise. You do find something that they really like and it is not on the list.

Do you still have a gift or two find?

There is still plenty of time out there for those of us who may have a gift or two to find. So here is a short list of ideas for the kid in all of us: A favorite movie on DVD or online, hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, a daily journal or notebook, nice socks, action figures, a handy flashlight, a nice picture with a frame, a board game, or a water bottle. A favorite for parents and children alike could be new book or in this case an ebook like Mommy Loves Baby or Silly Zoo Is All I Can Say…both now available as an ebook and an Ibook. These are two books that both the child and the parent will enjoy to together.

Reading to Your Child Can Be as Comforting as a Favorite Blanket

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Unknown-1The tool that promotes feelings of love and security in your child for a lifetime

If someone told you that they had a tool that could promote your child’s healthy growth and enhance their feelings of security and love for a lifetime, you would purchase it in a second, wouldn’t you?  Well luckily, this tool is readily available and free of charge.  The tool is…dah, dah, dah, dah…reading to your child.

Intellectual development is enhanced by reading but the bonding that occurs between parent and child is where the real action is.

The experts have told us that reading to infants can “jumpstart brain development and can even make them more receptive to learning.” “Brain jump starting” is a a great reason to read to your child.  Another reason, and one that is close to our hearts is the incredible bonding that occurs between parent and child during a reading session.  This incredible bonding is what motivated us to start our publishing company and write Mommy Loves Baby and Silly Zoo Is All I Can Say, the two books we have published so far.  We saw how reading promoted the health and well- being of own children.

The power of a reading session with your child or children

The power of a reading session with your child is truly remarkable.  Think about it.  The conditions are perfect.  It is just you and your child (or children.) They have your undivided attention and you have theirs. Everyone feels safe and secure, like a blanket.  You start to read in a soothing voice.  Your child points out a picture or asks a question.  You answer with no judgement. You are communicating with one another.   It is all good.

curtis-book-900BIf the book that you select to read is a family-oriented book, all the better!  You are providing a safe environment to read the book and on top of that, the book itself is about something family- oriented.  In the Mommy Loves Baby book, for example, every picture depicts an animal with his parent, mommy or daddy.  Again and again the book repeats…”Mommy Loves Baby” and “Daddy Loves Baby.”  Picture it. The child has Mommy or Daddy in their arms and they are being reinforced with the words “Mommy Loves Baby” and “Daddy Loves Baby.”  Talk about soothing and secure!

Have you experienced the phenomena of a book reinforcing the bonding between parent and child?  Tell us about it and please share the title of the book!

 

Live Appearance by Authors Troy and Barb Muilenburg at Robert W. Barlow Memorial Library, Iowa Falls, July 30th

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f7d86518-125f-440e-a314-31dc55e02c4dBarb and Troy will be appearing…live…at the Robert W. Barlow Memorial Library in Iowa Falls, Iowa. Come join them on Thursday, July 30th at 10:30 am. Monte the Monkey (stuffed animal) will be joining them because like all good little girls and boys he loves story time!

Mommy Loves Baby and Silly Zoo Is All I Can Say are the books the authors will be reading and sharing with the children. After the children hear the stories they will go home with activities and coloring sheets related with zoo animals.

If you are in the Iowa Falls area please join us and bring a few friends!  For more information, call the Robert W. Barlow Library at 641.648.2872.

What Motivates an Author to Write a Children’s Book?

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Unknown-3What motivates an author to write a children’s book?

I have always enjoyed reading books to my kids, the kids in my preschool and the kids at Sunday School classes. To see their faces as they absorbed the story warmed my heart! It was almost like they were right there in the story and part of it. I could see their imaginations come to life! It was the books that dealt with animals and animal families that peaked their curiosity and amazement the most.

Good stories come from your own experiences

Troy and I talked about writing children’s books by drawing from our experiences raising our children and the things we did with them, like, for example, taking a trip to the zoo. I began to reminisce about story time with my children and the idea for Silly Zoo was born. It has been a journey writing Silly Zoo Is All I Can Say, remembering trips to the zoo from when I was a child, to taking my own family. Everyone has their own favorite animal that they like to see and revisit every time they return to the Zoo. My favorite animals to visit are the monkeys and gorillas. I love to watch them groom each other and care for each other. Their attention to one another is so endearing to me. They love their babies like I love my babies!

The rewards from sharing a good book are endless

It is my hope that through writing these books with Troy that I will have the opportunity to visit schools and libraries to read to children and again see little faces light up as they enjoy the story. To see a child’s imagination light up through books is an amazing sight!

What is your favorite time to read books to your children? Is a gathering place you like to take your kids for story time, like a library, book store, or park?   Let me know and If I am in the area I will try and be there, Silly Zoo and all.