Ten zany birds have a tree party, until one by one they find other things to do. It’s a zany countdown – which bird will stick around?

What a cute book…and great, introduction to my special guest. Today my friend and author, Sherry Ellis has been gracious enough to take time out of her super-busy schedule to stop by my blog as, guest author. Sherry Ellis has always been an inspiration to me as she is an amazing woman,  not only is she a freelance writer and award-winning author, she is a mom and a professional musician.

Her books include, That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN, That Mama is a Grouch, and Ten Zany Birds.

She is also a professional musician who plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano.                                                                                                                                                   Sherry lives with her husband and two children in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can learn more about Sherry Ellis on her website, www.sherryellis.org

Ten Zany Birds

Description: Ten zany birds have a party in a tree, singing and dancing. Five have stripes, three have spots, and one has purple polka dots. They’re all having fun, but one by one, they become distracted.

One is frightened by a loud plane. One gets hungry. One wants to race and another needs a bath. Only one stays to sing in the tree, but who will it be?

Ten Zany Birds is a fun, beautifully illustrated picture book. As parents and teachers read, children are introduced to counting and basic subtraction skills. Whenever a bird leaves, the number of striped, spotted, and polka-dotted birds changes, teaching the application of simple classification rules.

Whimsical and entertaining, Sherry Ellis’s tale of ten silly, distractible little birds is an excellent choice for both prereader storybook time and early readers.   

Let’s get on with our interview: 

 What inspired you to write, Ten Zany Birds?  My daughter received a birthday party invitation a few years ago. On the front of the card was a picture of some crazy little birds. They ignited my imagination. I had been contemplating writing a counting book, and I thought little birds would be perfect for it.

How is Ten Zany Birds different from other counting books?  When I wrote Ten Zany Birds, I wanted to create a book that not only taught kids about numbers and counting, but also about colors, classifying, and basic subtraction.  Ten Zany Birds does that. Each of the birds is a different color. Some have stripes. Some have spots. One has purple polka dots. As each bird becomes distracted and leaves, the number of spotted and striped birds in each group changes. It teaches children to pay attention to these details. The simple rhyming text is also good for early readers.

The water color illustrations are so colorful and whimsical. Can you tell us about the illustrator? Charu Jain is the illustrator. She is a very talented lady who lives in India. I met her through a children’s writer and illustrator social media site called, JacketFlap. I looked at samples of her work and noticed that not only were they excellent, but she also seemed to really enjoy drawing birds. That was important for a book with lots of birds! She had also mentioned that it was her dream to illustrate a children’s book. I contacted her, and the rest is history. I think children will really enjoy the colorful world she created. They’ll like the little spider and snail characters she included on each page, too.

Do you have any other projects you are working on? Yes. My agent has another picture book manuscript I wrote called, Don’t Feed the Elephant! He’s looking for a publisher. He also has the manuscripts for my children’s chapter book series. The first book is called, Bubba & Squirt and The Big Dig to China.  I’m currently revising some of the manuscripts in that series. The premise of the series is that two kids, Bubba and Squirt, travel through a hole that goes through the Earth and takes them to different countries. There they have adventures, while learning about the language, history, and culture of the country. I have other ideas for picture books, and even a novel. They should keep me writing for a long time!

Where can readers purchase your book(s)? They can be found on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sherry-Ellis/e/B002BLHFN6/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ten-zany-birds-sherry-ellis/1121951429?ean=9781497404588

and Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/547690

Where can readers connect with you? I’m on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sherry-Ellis-388897186076/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/513sherrye

and Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4818957.Sherry_Ellis

They can also connect with me on my blog:  http://sherryellis.blogspot.com

And at my website:  www.sherryellis.org

Thank you for having me as a guest!

You are welcome, Sherry. As always you are an inspiration. I wish you the best with your new book Ten Zany Birds, it is an adorable book. I also look forward to your future writing projects!

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