Picture This - Author Barbara Bockman

I welcome Barbara Bockman today who'll be telling us about her new picture book, Fantastic Flight. Isn't that the cutest cover? Anyway, I'll leave it to Barbara to fill us in.

Hi Marva,


Thanks for inviting me to be on your blog today and share some good news. In addition to my MuseItYoung novel, Wounds, I now have a picture book published by Guardian Angel Publishing. The title is Fantastic Flight. The illustrations are done by Jack Foster, who has a charming, amusing style. Here is his website: http://jacktoon.blogspot.com/

Just as with many of my stories, I started this one because of an incident that happened in my family. When my granddaughter, Jessica, was a toddler, my husband and I went with her and her parents to Chucky Cheese’s. That is a fun pizza restaurant with games and an animated floor show. A good place for birthday parties. And lots of balloons. Jessica was going to take a balloon home. But as her mom was putting her jacket on, Grandpa offered to hold the balloon. He was a great kidder. So he pretended the balloon was carrying him up into the sky. He said, “Jessica, hold my hand! This balloon is carrying me away.” Jessica thought that was really funny.

That incident stayed with me. I wrote the story with the little girl protagonist being carried away by the balloon. It is she who offers to take Grandpa for a balloon ride. The adventures along the way include places and things that were part of our life when we lived at the beach—but told about in fantastical ways (for instance, the little butterfly on its way to Mexico, carrying a tiny suitcase and a tiny map).

The story gives an idea of how to overcome boredom or homesickness by using one’s creativity. Grownups can give kids a nudge by suggesting ways to keep busy and stretch the imagination.

The book is available in both electronic and print formats at Guardian Angel Publishing and other venues. http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/fantastic-flight.htm  Suggested for readers from 4-7.

Thanks again, Marva, and I’ll see you on my blog, Stories a la Mode, on Thursday, January 19. http://barbarabockman.wordpress.com/  Till then…

Thanks for letting us know about Guardian Angel Publishing as well as your new book. See you on your blog on the 19th. Marva