An animal’s life – Lucy the Talented Toy Terrier!

Do your children love dogs? Read Lucy the Talented Toy Terrier and learn about my beloved pet, Lucy.

MOM’S CHOICE AWARD – SILVER MEDAL WINNER!

This book is based on my dog, Lucy, who I had for 16 years. She was quite a character and did all the things that are in this book. She loved my spaghetti with homemade sauce, watched TV shows featuring animals, hated baths, “sang” when music was played, and had two cherished possessions, a knotted rag and a ball. I hope you will enjoy reading about Lucy. She is no longer with us and can never be replaced.

Lucy was special in every way. I bought her at a difficult time in my life and she pulled me through. She cheered me up when I felt down and provided many happy years with all her antics. My children grew up with her and loved her almost as much as I did. She was, after all, my first baby.

If you have ever had a dog then you know what I mean. They provide much love unconditionally and keep us positive during difficult times. They make up laugh as they entertain us and help us forget our cares and worries. They were sent from up above to provide us with love and support, which is what they do.

Your children will love seeing what Lucy can do and learn the importance of unconditional love of a pet, and kindness to animals.

Recommended by @Mom’s Choice Awards!

Here are what readers are saying about Lucy on Amazon:

Here are the life lessons your children will learn from my children’s books:

Louey the Lazy Elephant – Louey teaches children the importance of not being lazy and always listening to your mother.

Ricky the Rambunctious Raccoon – Ricky teaches children to always listen to their mother.

Jerry the Crabby Crayfish – Jerry teaches children that it is okay to be different, be the best you can be and be happy with who you are.

Lamby the Lonely Lamb – Lamby teaches children to accept differences and to be kind to others.

Jesse the Precocious Polar Bear – Jesse teaches children that friends are important, and mothers know best.

Broose the Moose on the Loose – Broose teaches children to be kind and accepting of others who are different than you are.

Sebastian Meets Marvin the Monkey – Sebastian teaches children how important it is to be kind to animals, that animals have feelings too like humans and deserve our respect.

Colby the Courageous Cat – Colby teaches children to love one another and take care of their siblings.

Jeffrey the Jittery Giraffe – Jeffrey teaches children to be brave and help others in need.

Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab – Clarence Henry teaches children to work hard and do the best you can do and be happy with who you are.

Lucy the Talented Toy Terrier – Lucy teaches children to be kind to pets, how important a pet can be and how much this pet loves us unconditionally.

The First Star – teaches children that love of family is more important than all the riches in the world.

Drystan the Dragon Series Book 1: Drystan and Durward Save the Day – Drystan demonstrates to children that being kind and helping others is important and the right thing to do.

Drystan the Dragon and Friends Series, Book 2: Damara Helps Drystan Find His Roar – Drystan demonstrates the importance of friendship, being kind to others and helping others in need.

Drystan the Dragon and Friends Series, Book 3 – Delbert Finds Himself – Drystan teaches Delbert, a shy dragon, the importance of loving yourself as you are and that all colors are beautiful!

Drystan the Dragon and Friends Series, Book 4: Delfina Solves a Problem – Delfina helps Drago love himself and teaches him to be kind to others.

Drystan the Dragon and Friends Series, Book 5: Drago Does a Good Deed – Drago finds a rabbit in need of his help. He learns that it is better to be kind to others.

Drystan the Dragon and Friends Series, Book 6: Dragana Helps a Fairy – Dragana helps a fairy who is injured and in need. She doesn’t hesitate to help in any way she can and goes above and beyond to help this fairy. Being kind and helping others is what Dragana learns.

Make Believe: Bedtime Stories for Children Book 1: These six stories promote good behavior, encourage children to be kind to others, friends are important, differences should be accepted, and we are all unique and special.

Make Believe is Fun: Bedtime Stories for Children Book 2: These six stories help children to realize the importance of friendship, family, helping others in need and that it’s okay to be different.

Make Believe Again: Bedtime Stories for Children Book 3: These six stories promote good behavior in children as they learn valuable life lessons to be kind to others in need, family and friends are important and it’s okay to be different.

Make Believe Once Again: Bedtime Stories for Children Book 4: These six stories promote good behavior in children as they learn to be kind to others, it’s okay to be different, family matters more than riches or being famous, friends are important and be the best you can be.

Family and Friends: Tales for Children: These six stories teach children the importance of family and friends, that they matter, bullying should never be tolerated or accepted, help others in need, be the best you can be and never give up.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JEMSBOOKS! Remember to review books for all the hard-working authors out there who will welcome and appreciate your efforts to help spread work about their work. Thank you.

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

Posted in animal stories, be kind to animals, Children’s Books, Lucy the Talented Toy Terrier, Pets, Writing, book reviews and publishing, poetry, children's books, YA and novels | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

An unforgettable crustacean pet – Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab!

Do your children love crustaceans? I guarantee that they will love Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab. Clarence was a real crustacean that we had as a pet in our large fish tank. He was unusual and had to overcome some losses but never gave up.

If your children need encouragement to never give up and work to overcome any issues they may have, then Clarence is the one to teach them valuable life lessons as they enjoy reading about this unusual hermit crab and all his habits.

PINNACLE BOOK ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER!

Clarence Henry is different from other hermit crabs. He came to his new home minus one claw and a leg. He needs to protect himself until he can grow new appendages. Will Clarence Henry be able to meet the challenges in his new water world? Clarence Henry was a real aquatic hermit crab who lived in a saltwater fish tank in our home. We watched him interact with the other creatures in the tank. He was resilient, intelligent, and a joy to have as a pet. We took some photos of him as he grew his claw and leg and changed shells. We shared these photos and facts about hermit crabs in the back of the book. I hope you will enjoy them. This book will make a wonderful resource for classrooms.

Here are what others are saying about Clarence Henry on Amazon;

Posted in award-winning children’s books, Children’s Books, Children’s books for PS-Grade 3, Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab, Writing, book reviews and publishing, poetry, children's books, YA and novels | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jeffrey the Jittery Giraffe Teaches Children about being kind to others!

Jeffrey the Jittery Giraffe teaches valuable life lessons about being king to others, how to overcome something that frightens you and friendship is important.

I wrote this story after meeting a woman at one of my book signings years ago. She mentioned that her grandson was frightened easily and asked if I would write a story for him. I promised I would and created Jeffrey’s story. Unfortunately, I could not reach her to give her grandson, Jeffrey, this book. By this time he is all grown up and no longer in need of this story. I hope he conquered his fears.

PINNACLE BOOK ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER!

Jeffrey is a nervous giraffe due to a terrible storm on the day of his birth. He remembers that day and is frightened of any kind of noise or unexpected things happening to him. His mother tells him that he is stronger than he thinks.

One day Jeffrey meets another giraffe who needs his help. Read this story in rhyme and find out what important lesson Jeffrey learns when he thinks of others before himself.

If your child is frightened about something such as Jeffrey is about lightning, then this is the book for them. Jeffrey teaches children how to overcome their fears by thinking about others who are in need.

Here are what others are saying about Jeffrey on Amazon:

Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where there is always something brewing at JEMSBOOKS! Remember to review books for authors who appreciate and welcome your efforts to help spread word about our books.

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

Posted in award-winning children’s books, Children’s Books, Children’s books for PS-Grade 3, Jeffrey the Jittery Giraffe, Writing, book reviews and publishing, poetry, children's books, YA and novels | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Father’s Day! Blessings to all the fathers out there!

Here is a post for Father’s Day that I posted in 2020! It says all that I feel for my dad. I pray that all fathers out there had a wonderful day and were treated like kings.

image

This is my special dad!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Dad, you were a special man!

You were always there to lend a hand.

You treated us with kindness.

You were always fair.

You showed us how much you cared.

You wore a happy smile upon your handsome face.

And taught us how to appreciate God’s grace.

You made our lives so full and rich.

Teaching us to be good was your main pitch.

You would tease and joke.

While always a cigarette at your lips you would smoke.

You were talented with your hands.

Fixing and creating things on command.

You thought of others before yourself.

Your own troubles you put away on a shelf.

You left this world for a better place.

Leaving here on Earth a large empty space.

You gave us your love in every way.

I love you more than I can say!

I miss you more and more each day!

Happy Father’s Day with Love, Dad!

Your loving daughter,

Jan (my nickname by Dad)

I wish all the fathers out there a wonderful Father’s Day!

Here is another poem I wrote several years ago – WHAT IS A FATHER?

What is a father?

He is someone whose lap you can crawl onto and take a nap.

He is someone who reads you a story at bedtime.

He is someone who listens to you when you need a friend.

He is someone who picks you up and gives you a much needed hug.

He is someone who will play catch with you after you receive a new glove.

He is someone who will laugh at your poor jokes and tell some funny ones of his own.

He is someone who gives you a pat on your back for a job well done.

He is someone who says ‘I love you’.

He is someone who will give you money for your first date.

He is someone who will let you take his car for a drive right after you get your license.

He is someone you can call when you get into trouble.

He is someone who will listen to you and never lose patience.

He is someone who will never judge you unfairly.

He is someone who has taught you the difference between right and wrong.

And he is someone who one day you will treasure beyond reason when he is gone.

Love and appreciate your father while he is here for life is too short not to.

Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post. Thank you also for your kind support of me, my books and blog and for all the reviews you had posted wherever my books are sold. Keep reading and I will keep writing. Take care!

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

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A children’s book with family values – Colby the Courageous Cat!

Colby the Courageous Cat is a story about a cat who will teach your children the importance of family, especially about siblings taking care of one another.

I wrote this story about my daughter’s cat, Colby. He was an outside cat who loved to chase squirrels, roam around all night and only came home when he needed some food and love and attention. This story showcases Colby as a different kind of cat who cares for his siblings.

PINNACLE BOOK ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER!

Colby is one of a litter of four kittens. The kittens get into all kinds of trouble. Being the biggest and strongest, Colby’s mother expects him to watch over the smaller kittens and keep them safe. Read and find out what Colby does to meet his mother’s expectations.

Here are what others are saying about Colby on Amazon:

Introduce your children to Colby and let them learn the importance of family. Happy reading!

Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JEMSBOOKS! Remember to review books for all the hard-working authors out there who appreciate your efforts to help spread word about our books.

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

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Celebrating our 27th Anniversary!

It is our 27th wedding anniversary! I can’t believe the years have flown by. I feel so fortunate to have such a wonderful husband and thank God every day for him.

We usually stay at home and enjoy lobster and steamers but this time we are going out to dinner on our day and the following day we are taking in a show at a local live theatre. I look forward to each day spending time with my best guy.

My wonderful husband bought me a gorgeous vase of different colored roses. I was thrilled! He is so thoughtful. I gave him a poem, ordered a new gas grill and a summer bathrobe. The grill will be coming next week and the bathrobe is coming today. I will not share the robe with you. Haha!

Here are some memories over the years1

May we be blessed with many more, God willing! We have had many wonderful times and we look forward to many more.

Thank you for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where there is always something brewing at JEMSBOOKS!

Remember to review books for authors everywhere who will appreciate and welcome your efforts to help spread word about their books. Thank you!

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

Posted in celebrate, love, Wedding Anniversary | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

A sweet story for children about animals – Sebastian Meets Marvin the Monkey!

If your children love animals, then they will love my children’s book, Sebastian Meets Marvin the Monkey! It’s a sweet story which will have your children dancing along with Sebastian and Marvin.

I wrote this story for my youngest grandson who was three years old at the time. He is now going on 12. He loved his story so much that he brought it to school to share with his class and teacher.

PINNACLE BOOK ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER!

When a little boy, Sebastian, goes to the zoo he meets Marvin the monkey. Sebastian loves monkeys and likes to watch them climb the trees. Something amazing happens when Sebastian’s toy phone suddenly plays music.

Children will learn valuable life lessons about being kind to animals.

Here are what other readers are saying on Amazon:

Introduce your children to Sebastian Meets Marvin the Monkey today and watch how they react to this fun rhyming book with colorful illustrations and a valuable life lesson. It can be a time for family to read together. Happy Reading!

Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your kind support. Please come back again soon where there is always something brewing at JEMSBOOKS! Remember reviews are appreciated by authors everywhere.

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

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A new home for the 95-gallon fish tank!

Recently we sold our 95-gallon fish tank to a lovely mother and son. Susan sent me a photo of the tank in its new home and another tank that she has. Thank you, Susan and Dan, for creating such a remarkable home for fish in the tank.

Susan did a wonderful job of filling the tank with new innards that await the fish that she will introduce soon. It looks great!

A well-decorated aquarium featuring various aquatic plants, rocks, and driftwood, with several small fish swimming inside, positioned on a black cabinet with books and decorative items.

We may miss our fish but do not miss the work involved in caring for it. Our four remaining fish and anemone are happy in our small fish tank. Clown fish is reminding the rest of the fish that he is still king of the water there.

Here is our small tank in action.

An aquarium featuring colorful pebbles, green algae, and a decorative rock structure, with bubbles rising in the water and aquarium equipment visible in the background.
Clown hiding – other fish sleeping
Two seahorses among colorful pebbles in an aquarium, with a black fish in the background and green aquatic plants.
Clown and Scouter Blenny (in left back corner)

Thank you for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JEMSBOOKS! Remember to review books for all the hard-working authors out there who will treasure your reviews and appreciate your efforts.

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

Posted in clown fish, fish, fish tanks, Writing, book reviews and publishing, poetry, children's books, YA and novels | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Summer is here!

Before we went on vacation the weather was in the 50’s and 60’s F. Since we came back the heat is revving up and summer is here! This week it has been in the high 80’s!

There were no bushes blooming before we left but now that we are back all our roses and rhododendrons are blooming profusely. I snapped photos but since then they are slowly losing their blossoms too quickly.

As usual I am sharing some of the lovely flowering bushes for you to enjoy.

I love seeing all these flowering bushes display their beauty. I hope you do too!

My son and family gave me a lovely pot of varied flowers for Mother’s Day before we left for our cruise. When we returned home, unfortunately, it had tipped over unbeknownst to my son who checked the house daily and fed our fish. God bless him!

Today I tried to fix it with more soil and watered and gave it food to cheer it up. I hope it will do better over the next few days.

Wherever you live, I pray that you are having some good weather and are enjoying life each day that you are given. Each day is a gift. The older I get, I treasure each morning more when I wake that I can appreciate the day with many thanks to God. May all good things come your way. God bless!

Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where there is always something brewing at JEMSBOOKS!

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

Posted in Rhododendron, roses, Summer flowers, Writing, book reviews and publishing, poetry, children's books, YA and novels | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

We sold our 95 gallon fish tank!

I mentioned before that we were going to sell our fish tank. Well, we finally did to a lovely mother and son. We sold it on FB Marketplace. We had never sold anything there before and would recommend doing it. Great place to connect with buyers.

John has since set up a smaller tank with the remaining four fish and an anemone that I featured here before. Now we have a large area to fill in our foyer. It feels strange not to have the fish there but John doesn’t miss all the work to take care of the fish.

Here are some photos of the empty tank and before with all our fish. Sad to say goodbye.

So many memories of all the fish we had that we will always remember with fondness. I have kept one of our saltwater creatures alive in my book, Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab.

Than you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your kind support. Please remember to review books for the hardworking authors out there. Come back again soon where there is always something brewing at JEMSBOOKS!

Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!

READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina

Award-Winning Author

Jemsbooks for All Ages!

Jemsbooks.com

Jemsbooks.blog

Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net

AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)

AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE

AMAZON.CO.UK

BARNES & NOBLE

Posted in Clarence Henry the Hermit Crab, clown fish, fish, fish tanks, tropical fish, Writing, book reviews and publishing, poetry, children's books, YA and novels | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment