I am really excited to announce that Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars won a Distinguished Favorite honor from the Independent Press Awards in the Picture Book Category.
This international competition is judged by industry experts and had entries from around the world. Eyen and I are truly honored!
Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars is available on Amazon. (Read for free on Kindle Unlimited)
Eyen read our book Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars to a preschool class today. They are studying space. How cool is that!
At our community holiday party on Friday, I sat at a table with a neighbor I had never met before. Her name is Anni Matsick. As we talked I discovered that she illustrates children’s books. I told her about the book I had written, that a former student of mine had illustrated. I also told her we had just won several awards in several book contests. One contest, The Royal Dragonfly Contest, had just announced its annual winners last week. As we talked we made a remarkable discovery.
The Royal Dragonfly Contest is a national contest for children’s books. Listed below are three of the categories from this contest:
BEST ILLUSTRATIONS
1st Place: Dinosaurs Living in My Hair! 2 by Jayne Rose-Vallee, illustrated by Anni Matsick
2nd Place: Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars by Ellie Smith, illustrated by Eyen Johnson
CHILDREN’S BOOKS 5 YEARS AND YOUNGER
Honorable Mentions:
Dinosaurs Living in My Hair! 2 by Jayne Rose-Vallee, illustrated by Anni Matsick
Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars by Ellie Smith, illustrated by Eyen Johnson
CHILDREN’S BOOKS 6 YEARS AND OLDER
Honorable Mentions:
Dinosaurs Living in My Hair! 2 by Jayne Rose-Vallee, illustrated by Anni Matsick
Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars by Ellie Smith, illustrated by Eyen Johnson
We had also both placed in the Mom’s Choice Awards. Anni’s book was a gold recipient, Eyen and I were a silver recipient.
What are the odds that Anni and I would live in the same community in Central Pennsylvania, a block from each other?
Royal Dragonfly Second Place: Best Illustrations Honorable Mentions: Children’s Picture Books 5 & Younger, Children’s Picture Books 6 & Older, New Author (Fiction)
Story Monster Approved
Chanticleer International Shortlisted
Available on Amazon
Tex the Explorer: Journey Around the Earth. Coming Soon!
Where will Tex go next?
Illustration by Eyen Johnson
Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars is available on Amazon.
Available on Amazon
A friend asked for ideas on how to use Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars in her classroom, and I thought this was a great question!
I came up with two ideas.
First of all, I hope it is a great book to use to support the study of the planets in the primary grades. All of the information in the book about Mars is factual. (I have space scientists in my family and had all my facts triple checked!) I have heard from folks who bought the book, that it is a great conversation starter for kids about space.
Another use for the book would be that it was written by a teacher and illustrated by her former student. Neither of us are professionals, and neither of us has done anything like this before. I hope it would be an authentic inspiration for students to write their own books about what they are passionate about. You don’t have to get your book published and sell it on Amazon for it to be a real book. With technology today, it is fairly simple to produce a book to share with friends. Holding a “book fair” to showcase student work would be a great way to present final products.
I would also be honored to communicate with students who are working on writing their own books. I am happy to email, Skype, or visit in person – if you happen to live in Central Pennsylvania, the DC suburbs, or any place I could use as an excuse for a good trip – Venice would definitely be doable! If you are in the DC area, I could also see if my illustrator is available. He is pretty busy with college, but I might be able to get him to join me on a visit. Again, it’s those interactions with real people that have accomplished real things that make the experience authentic.
*If you use Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars in your classroom, please let me know how!
Tex the Explorer: Journey to Mars is a
2018 Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient!
Available on Amazon
