CHARACTER COLOR SERIES

We’ve all had some experience with a wild dog that is constantly causing a ruckus and doing things it ought not to. In this interactive book, children can try their best to prevent Red the dog from doing things that most dogs aren’t allowed to do. Will Red settle down in the end? What could you possibly do to keep a dog like this out of trouble? Will you have the patience to deal with all of Red’s disorderly conduct?

Red is a crazy dog and loves to get into trouble! Can you keep a watchful eye out and try to keep Red in line for me?! While you’re at it, see if you can find Mouse hiding on every page.

CHARACTER COLOR SERIES

Pink, the pig, has a hard time making friends on the farm but doesn’t understand why. Will Pink find a friend? Or will Pink be all alone forever in the mud pit? You’ll have to read “PeeYew Pink! You Stink!” to find out!

Have you ever met someone like Pink before? Someone who makes you uncomfortable; who makes you want to run away and hide. Are you the one who avoids people like Pink? Or are you the kind of person that can see (or smell) through flaws and see the character beyond that discomfort? After all, we all have flaws.

CHARACTER COLOR SERIES

Brown, the bear, bullies every forest creature in his path, but eventually he gets hurt and falls down. Will anyone help Brown? Or did he just get what he deserved?

Is there really such thing as a bully who can’t change? Or are bullies in need of the same love that we all want for ourselves? What is the best way to help a mean bully become something better? This simple and fun story will help children (and maybe even adults!) to contemplate what real forgiveness looks like and could open up doors to meaningful discussion about love and mercy.

CHARACTER COLOR SERIES

A small, helpless, vulnerable chick, Yellow, wanders too far from the nest. Yellow becomes lost and tries to find her way home. Along the way, Yellow meets some questionable characters who, one after the other, invite her to join them for a meal, but Yellow is committed to finding her way home. Will poor, lost Yellow find her way back to the nest? Or will she take one of these suspicious strangers up on their offer and become their “guest”?

Are you anything like Yellow? It seems we all have a little Yellow in us. We all have distractions that can be detrimental to our missions and goals. Are you a person who lets the first distraction pull you further from your goal? What about the second, third, fourth, TENTH distraction? Will you stay the course? Will Yellow stay the course? You’ll have to read Hello Yellow to find out!

CHARACTER COLOR SERIES

A bothered young zebra asks fellow animals along the local water hole why Green is so mean. Green makes it very difficult for everyone to get a drink. Is Green mean or misunderstood? Chances are you’ve known someone who is quick to lash out and cause hurt. Why does it seem like some people “chomp” at others for no good reason? Should we judge them right away? Or should we try to grow in our understanding so that we can help?

This story is about the flip side of the Big Bad Brown Fell Down story. Brown’s story is about forgiving someone who is mean. This one is about understanding someone who is mean. Will the young zebra understand why Green is so mean? You’ll have to read to find out!

CHARACTER COLOR SERIES

We’ve all witnessed the dog that simply won’t do its business where we want it to. Blue is very particular about where he GOES. He wants to make sure he finds the PERFECT place to poo!

How patient will you be with Blue as he drags you to the most obscure places: through bushes, over rooftops, and into storms? Where will Blue finally settle on doing his business?

Every pirate story has a pirate parrot, but what about a parrot pirate? Purple, the caged parrot knows it is her destiny to become a pirate. But will she ever break free from the cage and set sail as the pirate she was meant to be? Or will she forever be a dirty pirate’s shoulder prop, with a hanging prison cell for a home and only crackers for food?

CHARACTER COLOR SERIES

Like most cats, Orange believes the whole world revolves around him. He is utterly oblivious of how big a nuisance he can be. Will you be patient with Orange as he goes about his day expecting everything to be done for him without giving anything in return? Orange You Glad To Have Me? is all about selfless love and patience. We show so much love and affection to cats, but do they show any love and affection to us? Or do cats only love to be loved? Is love about what we receive, or is love more about what we give?

Orange you gonna read it to see for yourself?!

CHARACTER COLOR SERIES

Uh oh! Red is back and up to no good again!

What sort of trouble will Red get into during the holidays? There is new excitement around every corner for Red to play with! Will you be able to keep Red out of trouble AGAIN?!

This is a story of a boy who doesn’t quite fit in at school. He gets picked on and bullied for being “different.” In his sulking he meets a magic ladybug who grants him unlimited wishes to change into anything else in order to become happy with who he is. What will he choose to be? Will he become content and happy with himself as something else? Will life really be easier if he changes into another form, or is he better off being who he is?

This story explores the struggles we all face with being ourselves, despite peer pressure, cultural pressure, etc… We will all at some point wrestle with who we are meant to be, but in the end it seems we are all much closer to who we should be than we think. Would you wish to change into something else? Or would you dare to be yourself even when others harass you for being you?

End of the story:

At first I thought they were mad, but then I saw they were glad

To have me back as me, the best me to be, was the best me they ever had.

 …And there’s nothing better than for me to be me.”

What sort of trouble will Tom Tiger’s tangly tail get him into? It isn’t easy getting around in the jungle with a tail this long! Many people get made fun of for having slightly unusual qualities, but isn’t it possible that those unique qualities can offer unique solutions to unique problems?

We’ve all heard tall tales, but this is a short tale about a long tail!

Can you imagine having a pet T-rex? What would it be like to take it for a walk? Where would it sleep? What would you feed it? How would you clean up after it? This little boy will tell you all about it!

This book is a simply illustrated poem about phases of relationships. What happens when the spark is gone? When we blow past the “infatuation phase,” how can our unity be more than a coexistence? The answer is simply because love is black and white. When you love someone, you choose to work past difficulties in order to love them well.

(CONCEPT/SAMPLE COVER)… This cover was done for a friend as a concept cover for one of her stories.

I illustrated this story, written by a friend, which he used to propose to his -now- wife! What a fun and creative way to start that phase of life!

Father Black and Mother White had Baby Gray, who always feels most at home in gray areas. How will Gray fit into this world full of vibrant and bold colors? Does Gray end up in gray areas because he wants to be there? Or does Gray have more to his character than meets the eye? Maybe Gray is more vibrant than he seems. Perhaps he just needs a little nudge to be more than just walking in others’ shadows…

Red and Blue cross paths and become unlikely friends. Red has a hard time adapting to Blue’s regimented and perfectionist lifestyle, while Blue has to deal with anxiety and panic as Red’s typical careless, chaotic antics resume. Will these two silly dogs remain friends by the end of the book?

You’ve looked for him on EVERY PAGE of the Character Color books, so why shouldn’t he have a book of his own? You would think a book all about Mouse would mean you don’t have to look for him anymore. Guess again! This book tells a story about Mouse, but Mouse doesn’t like being the center of attention, so you will still need to look for him on every page.

Crazy little Nora refuses to let her mother wash or brush her hair. What sort of critters might take up residence in Nora’s hair? It seems her hair has become a perfect nest for a host of guests!

Dedicated to my wild and wonderful, tough and tender, strong and sweet daughter.

This is a true-ish story, based on one of my fondest childhood memories. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite memories to tell children about, so naturally I thought it could make an entertaining children’s book.

Growing up homeschooled on a farm, there was no shortage of potential for imaginative adventure. One of those adventures was an elaborate attempt to catch a creature we had never seen up close before, a buzzard (or vulture). In real life, we went to pretty extreme measures to catch one, but is the book a bit of an exaggeration? Or should it be read as an historical document? You will have to read it and decide for yourself!

Who doesn’t love a good story about a knight who fights against all odds to rescue people from fierce and ferocious monsters? This is a classic tale of that sort, however, there is a twist to the story and a surprise ending.

Dedicated to my thoughtful, sensitive, caring, kind, imaginative son.

In this fictitious world, everyone’s worth is judged by how many trophies they are able to acquire. The chaos of competition and condescension is everywhere, and nobody is concerned with anything but their own collection of trophies as it compares to others. How will someone who is utterly disadvantaged make it in this culture? How will someone who is unable to secure a single trophy for himself be viewed here? That is, if he is even noticed at all… Is it possible for the least of these citizens to rise up to the top ranks? Is it even worth the effort? Or is there something more meaningful that he should strive for? You will have to read The Biggest Trophy to find out!

This is my adaptation of everybody’s favorite familiar tale of the three billy goats. This fun retelling of the age-old story will feel like something new!

It is well known that nature’s water holes can be dangerous places for thirsty wildlife. Especially herbivores (plant eaters), who are targets for all sorts of carnivores (meat eaters) that are waiting and hiding at the water hole in hopes of an easy meal. What could possibly be waiting at this particular water hole that even the fiercest of predators are afraid of? What sort of creature could be so fierce and terrifying?

The title should tell you right off the bat that this is a silly story. Silly, but fun and entertaining. Mikey’s mustache grows whenever he plays music on his magic guitar. He want’s the whole world to hear his wonderful music, but poor Mikey has a problem that makes it quite difficult for him to go anywhere with any haste at all. Enter Mary, the magical mare! Mary offers the perfect solution to Mikey’s dilemma. But will Mikey be able to achieve his dream and share his magical music with the whole world?

Barry, the berry bear, is berry- I mean VERY selfish and greedy. He is obsessed with collecting all the berries in the forest before other critters find them. In all his worry and paranoia, he takes drastic steps to ensure that only he has access to all the berries in the woods. Will his hoarding be worth all the panic, stress, hard work, and absence of friends? Is there a reward for his behavior? Or will it all end berry vad- I mean VERY BAD for Barry?

A conversation between two imaginative children yields a compelling argument for what could possibly be scarier than what is universally considered the scariest thing on earth: a shark. This humorous tale illustrates the twists and turns of a young mind’s imaginative ability to take ordinary things and make them extraordinary.

As the title suggests, Red has gone to the park. Is there no end to the mischief?! There are certainly plenty of ways Red can get into trouble at the park. And, of course, Mouse will be hiding on every page to keep an eye on Red!

Climbers come in all shapes and sizes, as do the things which climbers climb! It is quite evident that this world was made for climbers, and anything that is climbable must be climbed. The only things unclimbable are those which we cannot imagine climbing. This fun book is much more about the imagination involved with climbing.

We are constantly barraged by information and gossip through our TV’s, computers, tablets, and phones. We can’t seem to escape it all. When we are being thrown so much, we need to be careful with what we believe. Sadly much of the information we will believe, for whatever reason, may not be true, yet it will still cause us to act in a way that may hurt others. This story explores this problem, but it does so in a way that is child-friendly and fun (believe it or not). Here we have two characters: one who is a hero on screen but secretly lives as a villain in real life; and another, who plays a villain on the same show, but is very much a hero in real life. Most people despise the latter because of who they think he is based on the show they all watch, but little do they know that the one they all admire is in fact quite worthy of being despised. Can this story have a happy ending? What will it take for everyone’s eyes to be opened to the truth? Will anyone believe the truth when it so harshly contradicts the belief they’ve held for so long? You will have to read The Villain Hero to find out!

Here’s a switch-a-roo for you! How will brave Sir Dragon save the dragon village from the tall and terrifying giant knight? Sir Dragon’s most powerful weapon is fire-breathing. Or is it? Perhaps he will have to be more cunning to defeat such a foe. After all, Knights always tend to win in the end of these stories, so Sir Dragon’s chances are slim. I think it’s time the dragon gets a point on the score board, but will this story play out in Sir Dragon’s favor? Or will the all too predictable ending come true, with the knight reigning victorious yet again?

This story takes place in a neighborhood full of kids on bikes. One after another, someone crashes and breaks something on their bike, and before long a whole group of disappointed kids assembles without functioning bikes. What will they do to solve this dilemma? Will they have to move on to something else, or can they combine their efforts to get riding again?