The best in children’s literature, selected by Jim Whiting.
Wave Walton
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the ‘one less traveled’ by,
And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost
Robert Frost wrote about it and it seems that Wave has lived it as well. Born the son of a Baptist minister, he was always an oddity. He never quite fit in and lived in a world of dreams and fantasy. As a young man going through school he delved into black and white photography and photographic lab work as a means to express himself. Later, this need led to art school and a painting concentration in college where realism was certainly not his forte. The stuff of dreams and abstraction with only vague form was where he put his paint. Life’s struggle and tragedy pulled him away from school and art. Perhaps it was running away. Perhaps it was a search for light amidst the darkness. He enlisted in the air force and traveled the world. On the way, he married, had a child, divorced, and as if it was nothing but a hazy dream found himself many years later, coming back to the imagination that was always a reality to him. Air force security policeman, Military Intelligence Officer, who knows what else could be applied as a tag but it’s not real to him. What is real? The light that he has found in his daughter to press him to become something greater is his reality. Now, his mind returns to tales and fantasy. Now, his mind builds realities for young minds to learn from. Now, he dares to shout to the world and say, “Dare to celebrate living!”
Behold, the Wuffle cometh!
The Wuffle (Booksurge Publishing, October 6, 2008) , early reader fiction, 34 pgs, ages 4-9, $13.99: The Wuffle is the tale of an imaginary creature that is until now unknown to the world, even the creatures of the forest in which he lives. This first tale of the Wuffle tells of his discovery by a little bunny that will become his friend. The creatures of the forest learn of his existence and the Wuffle is forced to deal with their awareness and overcome his fear of going out into the world.
The Dress-Up Attic (Booksurge Publishing, November 26, 2008), early reader fiction, 30 pages, ages 4-9, $12.99: Tessy enjoys visiting her Granny’s house where her imagination keeps her occupied during the summer. She loves to rummage about in the attic, playing dress-up with the many assorted costume items she finds there.
Tootsie: The Nibble Hunter (Booksurge Publishing, December 10, 2008), early reader fiction, 24 pages, ages 4-9, $12.99: Tootsie – The Nibble Hunter is the story of a little doggy that has gotten rather tired of the boring old dry dog food that her master gives her. Each day, while the kind old man takes his nap after lunch, she takes it upon herself to venture out and about town to find something yummy to eat.
Books by Wave Walton Coming Soon: All works to come in the future will be published via Walton Publishing Group as an independent publisher.
The Finding of Blue Bunny
Tootsie: 10,000 B.C.
To Jump A Fence
The Wuffle(Dual language-English/Chinese version)
Tootsie:The Nibble Hunter(Dual language-English/Chinese version)
The Butterfly Girl
Author Website: http://www.dawufflepage.i8.com
Why would grandparents want to buy your book for their grandkids? To whom would the book especially appeal?
As an author for children I not only wish to entertain but I also wish to challenge. I strongly disagree with the “dumbing down” of the English language to make reading “easy”. I very much agree with an idea of entertaining a child with a well-written tale that causes a child to have to take a book to mom, dad, gramma, or grampa in order to ask about a particular word usage. Clean, wholesome, and challenging works are the elements that set the tone for anything to come from Walton Publishing Group. Children naturally enjoy reading good stories. They will strive to improve their skills to do so and so I say trust in your grandchild’s inherent ability to learn and believe in their curiosity and natural sense of wonder.
I believe that grandparents today realize that we try to make too many things too easy in this day and time. Challenge is missing in many aspects of life but we shouldn’t deny children the challenge they need to excel early in their development.
For more information about Jim, please see www.jimwhiting.com. To inquire about availability of specific titles or to send a comment, write him at jimruns3@gmail.com.