5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable addition to family and school libraries, January 20, 2015

By 

Deb Toor - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Paperback)

Magical Matthew by Penelope Cole

Matthew is a lot like other boys: His home is bustling with activity, he plays with toys and goes on lots of adventures with his best friend. He has a little sister, a strong bond with his grandmother, and busy parents. He is a lot like other boys with two exceptions.

He has a secret magical gift. When something breaks, all he has to do is wish it fixed: toys, watches, a favorite pen, a flat tire. But no matter how hard he tries, his magic can't fix his best friend Lily's legs.

Matthew's best friend is a girl who needs a wheelchair to get around. But this doesn't stop the two pals from embarking on many adventures. Author and teacher Penelope Cole portrays Lily as a strong, spirited girl who shares both a love of adventure and helping people with Matthew. Although in the beginning of the story, Matthew tries to fix Lily's legs, the story does not emphasize her disability. Instead, it shows how Lily is just like other kids.

When Lily begins to suspect Matthew's ability, he becomes worried. Can he trust her with his secret?

When his magical abilities begin to change, Matthew discovers the value of teamwork to make things better for people. The story ends with a cute surprise that leads to the second book, Magical Mea.

Kevin Scott Collier's vivid illustrations will keep kids entertained. Young children will relate to this charming story. Magical Matthew is a great book that celebrates diversity, friendship, good citizenship, teamwork, and solving problems. It's a valuable addition to family and school libraries.

See Two Great New ReviewsUup on Amazon!

 Dear Readers,

There are two new reviews up on Amazon for Magical Matthew:  One is from a student:

 

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical Matthew is a wonderful story about a magical boy and his friend in ..., August 18, 2014

By 

Sherri Richardson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Hardcover)

Magical Matthew is a wonderful story about a magical boy and his friend in a wheel chair. I love the positive message that this book delivers. I think this is an excellent book for elementary children. Easy read for them with a kind and caring story.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable book, July 18, 2014

By 

Kieran Mc - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Paperback)

The author Penelope Anne Cole wrote a fiction book called Magical Matthew which took place in Matthew's house, the park and Lily's house. Matthew, Lily and his grandmother are the main characters, Matthew, Lily and grandmother worked together to solve the problem. Matthew wants to keep his magic power a secret. But Lily finds out. He asked his grandmother and makes his own decision to tell Lily. Then they fix stuff together. Then one day he loses his power to fix stuff and he is sad. Then he goes to tell Lily that they could fix stuff but they would need help from their friends.

I like it when he uses the magic for good.

Kieran - aged 10

 

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Tages:

Magical Matthew, Children's books, Magical stories

Two New Reviews of "Magical Matthew" and "Magical Mea:

I'm pleased to share two Amazon reviews by Donna McDine of Magical Matthew and Magical Mea:

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming story of positive self-image and acceptance, June 24, 2014

By 

Donna M. McDine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Hardcover)

The world through the eyes of a child is a special time. They are untainted by the misgivings of the world and have the unique knack of visualizing their surroundings in a positive manner. Young Matthew ha a secret, one he feels must remain secret. He has the uncanny magical ability to fix broken objects by just thinking them fixed. His best friend, Lily, suspects something but can’t quite put her finger on it. Does Matthew lift the burden of his secret and tell Lily or should he keep it to himself? Discover the outcome by reading Magical Matthew.

Award-winning children’s author, Penelope Anne Cole brings forth a . The imaginative illustrations by Kevin Collier make the story come alive before your eyes. Magical Matthew is a must have for homes with young children.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The importance of listening to others with more life experience, June 24, 2014

By 

Donna M. McDine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Mea (Paperback)

Sisters can be mischievous and Mea is no exception when she takes her antics to a new level. Having obtained magical powers to fix things with her mind, Mea turned the wheels to cause chaos of hiding items instead. Ignoring her old brother Matthew’s steadfast warnings of her magical powers, Mea insists to do things her way. Matthew’s every growing frustration with Mea escalates when Mea goes off alone to most likely create havoc throughout the neighborhood. Will Matthew and his best friend, Lily, find Mea in time before she causes irreparable damage. Find out in Magical Mea by award-winning children’s author, Penelope Anne Cole.

Ms. Cole’s second book in the magical series teaches a valuable lesson to not only Mea, but to the reader of the importance of listening to others with more life experience and destructive decisions often conclude with disastrous results. Illustrator, Kevin Collier once again creates the quirky characters that have become the trademark of Ms. Cole’s Magical Matthew and Magical Mea series.

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Thanks to Donna and many other wonderful reviewers who keep giving my books such lovely reviews!

 

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Tags:

Magical Matthew, Magical Mea, Magical series, children's books, Kevin Collier, talent, good, helping, kind, sibling 

Great new review on Amazon

Here's another lovely review for Magical Matthew:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 Stars for Magical Matthew, June 17, 2014

By 

Karin Larson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Hardcover)

Magical Matthew, by Penelope Anne Cole, is a darling story especially suited for kids ages 4-9. Most kids (and some adults like me) wish for magical powers, so Matthew will certainly resonate with many. Matthew uses his magic for good by fixing things. He keeps his gift a secret, until he feels he can't, and shows with his actions how helping others and doing good deeds brings a sense of accomplishment and gratitude. What a great lesson for all! Magical Matthew also demonstrates the strong bonds of friendship and the value it has in the lives of children. Kevin Collier's illustrations are terrific and really enhance the reader's experience. I highly recommend Magical Matthew. It will not disappoint kids, parents and teachers alike.

 

 

Magical Matthew and Magical Mea win more awards!

I received a lovely surprise in my inbox from Creative Child Magazine:  My two Magical books won awards in the 2014 award program:

Magical Mea Book
a 2014 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
Kids Positive Learning Story Books category

Magical Matthew Book
a 2014 PREFERRED CHOICE AWARD
Kids Positive Learning Story Books category

also,

Magical Mea Book & Magical Matthew Book
a 2014 SEAL OF EXCELLENCE
Fiction Books for Kids.

This is great good news and keeps me plugging on with more books and more outreach. 

Reading is magical!

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Tags:  Magical Books, Magical Matthew, Magical Mea, Creative Child Magazine 2014 Awards Program, Seal of Excellence, Preferred Choice Award, Book of the Year Award.

My Interview on Book Bites for Kids on Blog Talk Radio today at 3 PM ET, Noon PT

 My interview with Suzanne Lieurance will be on today.  I hope you can listen.  Click here:


http://writingforchildrencenter.com/category/book-bites-for-kids/

My Virtual Book Blog Tour this week, Feb. 3-5 with the National Writing for Children Center

My virtual blog book tour for Magical Matthew starts today.  

Here's the first stop, if you can stop by and comment:

http://blogcritics.org/interview-penelope-anne-cole-author-of-magical-matthew/

There are interviews and background about my book and the next books in my Magical series: 

Magical Mea
Magical Mea Goes to School, and
Magical M and M

Plus my Halloween book, Ten Little Tricksters, coming later this year.

New Amazon Review of Magical Matthew

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT READ FOR KIDS, January 9, 2014

By 

speak4languages (Centennial Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Hardcover)

Penelope Cole’s Magical Matthew is about a boy with magical powers.
There are many lessons young children can learn from reading Magical Matthew, but two stand out.

First, you can use your talents to make a difference. The author has Matthew cleaning up litter left by others. What a great lesson for young children to learn.

The second is the value of true friendship. Matthew’s best friend is Lily. Lily is handicapped, but her disability does not stop Matthew from playing and being friends with her. In fact, they do just about everything together.

In a world where bullying has become the norm, it was very refreshing to see how Matthew interacts with Lily.

My favorite part of the book is when Lily finds out that Matthew has magical powers. Lily talks Matthew into using his powers to do many good deeds.

Lily nodded. “But you can do a lot. Remember how the beach was all trashy last year, and how long it took for the city to clean it? You could clean it instantly.”

The two friends talked a long time about the things he could fix, and things they could do together. They would be on the look out for things that needed to be painted, cleaned up, or repaired. Then Matthew would do something each day. It would be like a good deed of the day.

Kevin Collier’s artwork enhances the story. The detailed images are outstanding and help the reader connect with what is going on in the story.

Magical Matthew is a great book that teachers and parents can use to teach children about friendship, trust, and the joy of doing good deeds. Children from all cultures will enjoy this delightful book.

A Wonderful Review on Amazon

New Review on Amazon:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved everything about Penelope Cole’s Magical Matthew, January 6, 2014

By 

Karen Wiesner "karenwiesner" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Hardcover)

“I loved everything about Penelope Cole’s Magical Matthew. The characters were beautifully drawn. The artwork was perfect for this story. The story started with surprises that continued to evolve. Though I wouldn’t necessarily say the “moral” of this story was that magic can’t solve all problems, there was definitely a loose message that parents and caregivers will appreciate: Even without magic to solve problems, we have it within our powers as ordinary human beings to fix things around us by caring, by being kind and thoughtful. The thing I loved most was that it had all the elements of a full-sized novel (frequently children’s books don’t have many of these expected turning points). In particular, there came a crisis point where I was so worried the hero would be defeated and there would be no chance for happiness for him. But the author found the perfect way to resolve the story…and set the stage for a second, magical volume.” ~reviewed by Karen Wiesner, author of Keri is Cute Cute Cute and Cohesive Story Building http://www.karenwiesner.com

January 2014 Issue of Guardian Angel Kids eZine

Weather Wonders

January 2014 Guardian Angel Kids eZine

http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com

Tsunami Fog on the Beach as reported by Gak

A Sudden Storm by Robert Niven 

The Day It Rained Cats and Dogs by Arthur Carey 

Finding Your Place in a Storm by Carol Thompson 

Earth—A Stormy Planet by Irene S. Roth 

Everyone Knows it’s Windy by Mary Sue Roberts 

Down on the Windmill Farm by Mary Sue Roberts

Two New Reviews up on Amazon!

5.0 out of 5 stars A cute and imaginative book for children, December 10, 2013

By 

Shannon V. Brown (Dublin, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Paperback)

Magical Matthew is a really cute and imaginative children’s book that teaches children the value of helping, sharing and friendship in a fun way. It shows that being disabled doesn’t matter when it comes to true friendship and it’s important to do the best you can to help people out. Children will wish they had magical abilities like Matthew and will learn to tap into some magic of their own.
*****

5.0 out of 5 stars Children will love it!, November 26, 2013

By 

B. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Magical Matthew (Hardcover)

This is the kind of book that kids are drawn to. Matthew has magical powers which help him fix things. However, his magic does have limits, and Matthew has to learn how to use his secret power responsibly. But Matthew has his good friend Lily, who helps him learn about caring and the importance of doing good deeds. The story is short and simple, with great characters and an important message to kids. The ending has that sweet sadness that we all experience while watching our little ones transition from one stage of childhood to another. Both my 5-year-old and my 8-year-old loved it. Overall, a wonderful book.

My Wonderful Weeks of Magical Awards, Book Sales, and Signings

I've had a wonderful couple of weeks!  November 20-22nd, I went to Miami to receive my Bronze Medal for Magical Mathew!  I met some lovely authors and went to the huge Miami International Book Fair.  There were some lovely speakers (see 11/26/13 post).  Here are the official photos:

When I returned from Miami, it was a rush to get ready for Thanksgiving (overcooked the pie and stopped up the drain with potato peelings!)  Still, we had a wonderful family gathering at my brother's.

 Then it was the Black Friday weekend Book Sales and Signing with the Fremont Area Writers Club.  I sold MagMatt and MagMea books every day!




















Today was the icing on the cake:
I received my Creative Child Magazine Kids' Holiday Gift edition and found that Magical Mea won a Preferred Choice Award from Moms and Educators!

Then I received an email that Magical Mea won a Fall 2013 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award from NABE!  Woo hoo! 

 What a great couple of weeks!

Received my Bronze Medal for "Magical Matthew" at the Readers' Favorite Awards Ceremony

I just returned from the Readers' Favorite Awards Ceremony and the Miami International Book Fair!  There I received my Bronze Medal for Magical Matthew and was also acknowledged for Magical Mea being a finalist, too!  It was very exciting to be there and meet other award winning writers who were also being honored.

We had the opportunity to hear some great talks on marketing:
1) Find the audience for your book and pursue it relentlessly.  Sell yourself, sell your stories.
2) Make your presentations fun and memorable.  Tell them something new.  Share.  Joke.  Sell.
3) Dress up in costume, if appropriate.  Have a memorable image, gimmick, showcase.
4) Volunteer as a speaker to community organizations (libraries, service clubs, churches, schools, book clubs, parent groups, etc ).
5) Become well-known.  You = your product; brand yourself.  (T-shirts, stuffed animals, dolls, hats?)

How to pursue adapting your book for a movie or TV show:
1) When writing your book try to make it "cinematic," with 3 Act structure and castable characters.
2) Find out who wants/needs movies/TV shows with your theme/subject; communicate marketabilty.
3) Know your target audience and how to connect with them; have significant readership.
4) Write a great two page synopsis of your vision; be persistent, but not a pest; be passionate.
5) Set realistic goals.  One no just means it's not right for that producer/film company; be gracious.

And the future of the independent author and publisher.
1) Market to the right publisher for your genre and audience.
2) Investigate self-publishing as a viable alternative with growing interest, audience, and respect.
3) Be smart with marketing and PR; find your audience and market to them.
4) Know the business side of writing (budget, design, pricing, marketing/PR, outsourcing, website).

All were short presentations, but interesting, supportive, and inspiring.  It made me want to go back next year.  But then I'll have to enter another book by May 1st, 2014!

Here I am at the Miami International Book Fair where our award winning books were displayed.

 Here I am with Debra Gaynor, Founder of the Readers' Favorite Awards Program.
We'll get the official photo of the medal being awarded on December first and I'll post that, too.  And now it's back to work on the next book!

November 2013 - Guardian-Angel-Kids.com/ - Free Online Interactive Magazine for Kids: It Must Be Magic!

Published by Guardian Angel Publishing:   

http://Guardian-Angel-Kids.com/  

Free Online Magazine.

BOOK FEATURE- The Magic Violin 

POEM- It Must Be Magic by Robert Niven; 

SHORT STORIES-A Fairy’s Flight for Firefly Freedom by Shari L. Klase; Magic Mud for Sale by Billie A Williams; A Different Kind of Magic by Felicity Nisbet; 

NON-FICTION ARTICLES; The True Magic of Nicholas Flamel by Donna Marie West; Open Sesame–Is it Magic? Christine Collier

Magical Matthew translated into Spanish - Mágico Mateo

Magical Matthew has been translated into Spanish and is up on the Guardian Angel Publishing website as Mágico Mateo! 

Here is the link to see the first two pages and to order from GAP:

 


http://guardianangelpublishing.com/magmateo.htm



It should soon be up on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other quality online book sellers.

If you can't wait for Amazon, you can buy the softcover and ebook editions from GAP.

GAP Kids ezine October 2013

October 2013 Guardian Angel Kids ezine

 Down on the Farm

http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com/oct013.htm

BOOK FEATURE

The Odd Chick

POEM

Life on the Farm by Jennifer Buchet

Tractor Tour by Tracy Helixon

SHORT STORIES

Tractor goes to the City by Wendy Klein

Allie’s Farm by Felicity Nisbet

The Pig who did not want to be pink by Savannah Hendricks

NON-FICTION ARTICLE

Old MacDonald had an Alpaca by Shari L. Klase

ACTIVITY FOR KIDS

So you want to be a Farmer? by Sharon Stanley

Down on the Farm Word Search Puzzle by Tanja Cilia

thanks,

LYNDA S. BURCH. Publisher

GuardianAngelPublishing.com

Two Kid Companion Special Needs Interviews about my Magical Series

Here are two more interviews by Lorna d'Entremont (of Special Needs Book Review) about my Magical book series, Magical Matthew and Magical Mea, and me, too!

These interviews are in Kid Companions (for Kids that Love to Fidget and Chew):

 

Children’s Books: Magical Series by Penelope Anne Cole: Magical Matthew and Magical Mea http://kidcompanions.com/childrens-books-magical-series-penelope-anne-cole-magical-matthew-magical-mea/#.Ui8j7NI3uSo

Penelope Anne Cole: Author of Award Winning Children’s Books the Magical Series http://kidcompanions.com/penelope-anne-cole-author-award-winning-childrens-books-magical-series/#more-15549

 

 

New Review of "Magical Mea" by Lorna d'Entremont

I'm pleased to refer you to a lovely new review of Magical Mea, by Lorna d'Entremont on her Special Needs Book Review site. 

Here is the link http://www.specialneedsbookreview.com/2013/09/06/second-childrens-book-magical-series-magical-mea-penelope-anne-cole/ 

Guardian Angel Kids: An online Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2013

Anti-Bullying

http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com 

Book Feature

Benjamin Jay was a Bully by Emma Glover Art by KC Snider

Features

POEM

Chy’s Guys by Donna J. Shepherd

SHORT STORIES

Finding Frankenfeet by Jennifer Buchet

Saving Hercules by Debbie Allard

Shrimp by Felicity Nisbet

Frank and the Forever Flute by Elizabeth Glann

NON-FICTION ARTICLE

Hen Pecked by Shari L. Klase

PARENT TEACHER ARTICLE

Cyber Bullying: Its Prevalence and What to do about it? by Irene S. Roth

ACTIVITY FOR PARENTS/ TEACHERS & KIDS

Teaching Empathy Helps Stop Bullying by Kathy Stemke

Guardian-Angels-Kids.com

brought to you by

GuardianAngelPublishing.com

"Magical Matthew" is a Readers' Favorite Bronze Medal Winner 2013!

I just found out "Magical Matthew" won a Readers' Favorite Bronze Medal in their 2013 Awards Program.  http://readersfavorite.com/2013-award-contest-winners.htm#cat215

"Magical Mea" was a Readers' Favorite Finalist.

That's three awards Magical Matthew has won (and they all come with stickers!):

2013 Book of the Year from Creative Child Magazine Award Program

Summer 2013 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award from NABE

 and now,

Readers' Favorite 2013 Bronze Medal Award!

Celebrate with me by getting your own copy!