Tag: animals

  • Storytime: Adolpheaux, the Adventurous Dolphin by Tommie Townsley

    Storytime: Adolpheaux, the Adventurous Dolphin by Tommie Townsley

    AdolpheauxIn this episode of Confetti Park, children’s author Tommie Townsley of Lake Charles, Louisiana narrates the story of Adolpheaux, the Adventurous Dolphin.

    In this Cajun animal tale, a small dolphin bravely sets out to discover what human beings are all about. His curiosity leads to an amazing alliance between himself and a sister and brother who will never forget him. This lovely tale teaches children to obey their mothers in order to stay safe in a world fraught with danger. This lively watery adventure is set in The Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana.

    This narration of Amos the Artistic Alligator is shared here with permission from Tommie. The book, illustrated by Anne Dentler, is available for purchase on Amazon and at http://kidscajuntales.com/

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    Tommie Townsley was born in Sulphur, Louisiana and now lives in Lake Charles. She is Cajun and has written numerous children’s books about Cajun life, many of them about animals. Tommie is the chairperson of the Southwest Louisiana Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Guild and publisher of Ally-Gator BookBites Publishing House in Lake Charles. Learn about Tommie Townsley and check out her books at http://kidscajuntales.com/

  • Interview with Alex Beard, fine artist and children’s author

    Interview with Alex Beard, fine artist and children’s author

    Photo of Alex Beard from http://www.alexbeardstudio.com/
    Photo of Alex Beard from www.alexbeardstudio.com

    Down on Julia Street in New Orleans, fine artist Alex Beard has a gallery where his gorgeous nature-inspired paintings and drawings are on display.

    Elephants, birds of paradise, and flowery fish are among the colorful creatures drawn out by Alex’s hand. Some are portraits, and some are whimsical landscapes of these exotic creatures interacting with the familiar street scenes of New Orleans. Imagine giraffes, tigers and peacocks strutting among streetcars, Mardi Gras floats and French Quarter balconies!

    There are also fine art children’s books and jigsaw puzzles for sale at 608 Julia, geared toward the young and the young at heart, for Alex is an artist with a mission. He wants to educate children about the importance of preserving the Earth’s wilderness and saving endangered wildlife.

    His first children’s book, The Jungle Grapevine, debuted in 2009. (Listen to Alex narrate this story.) It’s a comedic game of telephone between animals in the savannah….. “When Bird mixes up something Turtle says, he accidentally starts a rumor about the watering hole drying up. One misunderstanding leads to another, with animals making their own hilarious assumptions.” There are two more books in the  Watering Hole Trilogy: Monkey See, Monkey Draw, and Crocodile’s Tears.

    In 2012, Alex established The Watering Hole Foundation. The first project of the foundation was centered on protecting the Wild African Elephant in Northern Kenya. Today, the foundation funds conservation efforts locally in Louisiana, nationally, and internationally.

    Enjoy this interview on Confetti Park, where Alex shares the secret of how he first landed a children’s book publishing deal. Other aspiring writers—and anyone with a dream, really—will enjoy his advice.

    “There’s no single path,” admits Alex, “But I try to make it so that whatever meeting I go into, for whatever goal I have, I try to figure out…how do I make it that I have checked every box that they require to get it through the corporate structure? I’m trying to give ammunition to the people who would like to sign me up, so that they can sell it to the people they work with, who will have never met me.”

  • Storytime: The Jungle Grapevine by Alex Beard

    Storytime: The Jungle Grapevine by Alex Beard

    The Jungle GrapevineIn this episode of Confetti Park we hear The Jungle Grapevine by author Alex Beard!

    Alex is a fine artist who paints and draws beautiful animals and other inspiring sights from the natural world. He owns an art studio and gallery at 608 Julia Street where he displays his work, and which serves as a base for The Watering Hole Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on conservation. Alex wants to preserve the wilderness, natural beauty, and wildlife of our planet. He hopes that when children read his books, they will learn about the importance of conservation, even as they are entertained by the whimsical animal adventures.

    The Jungle Grapevine is his first children’s book (2009). It’s a comedic game of telephone between animals in an African savannah:

    When Bird mixes up something Turtle says, he accidentally starts a rumor about the watering hole drying up. One misunderstanding leads to another, with animals making their own hilarious assumptions.


     
No one is hearing anything right, and soon the animals are in an uproar from one end of the jungle to the other. Elephant is trumpeting, Croc is snapping, and the Flamingos are fleeing! 


    There are two more books in the Watering Hole trilogyMonkey See, Monkey Draw, and Crocodile’s Tears. Learn more about Alex and his mission in an upcoming interview with Confetti Park and at his website, http://alexbeardstudio.com/

    Thank you Alex, for narrating The Jungle Grapevine for us!