Bikers For Children's Books is designated to children's reads. Supporting Child Literacy and sharing the fantastic children's reads we find from the amazing authors crossing our path.
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Thursday, January 16, 2014

That Mama is a Grouch by Sherry Ellis


Book Description

 April 29, 2010
Will anything get a mother yelling about time outs and withholding favors faster than a toy-strewn house? In That Mama is a Grouch, an intelligent and very wise narrator reminds us in charming rhyme that mothers are human, most often loving, and that certain situations will guarantee driving them to their breaking point. When nerves are tested, pick up this book and start reading!

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My Review


This story was written very well for children and as a adult I enjoyed it.
I found this book educational for children and adults.

I would highly recommend this book






Interview With Sherry

Describe your earliest memories of writing: When I was about eight years old, I wrote my first “book.” It was called, The Kingdom in the Clouds. I was so proud of it! In fact, I still have it amongst all of my special treasures. I wrote a lot of stories throughout my childhood. As long as I can remember, I have enjoyed reading and writing.
Your book, That Mama is a Grouch has won several awards, including first place in the 2011 Pinnacle Book Awards, and was a the recipient of the Silver Award from the 2013 Mom’s Choice Awards. Tell us how you felt when you heard that your book was selected for these honors. I was really excited! It was such an honor to have my book recognized this way. I think it also gave me a little boost to move forward with my writing career. It’s nice to know that people like what you write!
Being a professional musician who plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano, does this helps with your writing? It does. I think I have an innate sense of rhythm and flow that comes from being a musician. When I read something aloud, I am usually able to pick up if something sounds good, or if a few words need to be changed. I also think that my involvement with music has helped nurture my artistic, creative side. Creativity is a necessity if you’re an author!

Were you encouraged to write or was it something that came natural? Writing does come naturally, but I have to say, I never intended to make a career of it. My daughter was the one who encouraged me to get my first book published. That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN was a poem I created in my head when my five-month old son kept me up during the night. I didn’t sleep much when my kids were babies. I suppose the lack of sleep somehow got the creative juices flowing. Anyway, I shared the poem with my daughter. She liked it and thought other kids would like it too. The rest is history.

Are you working on a new book? I’m working on a series for middle grade readers. I call them the “Bubba and Squirt” books. They are similar to Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series in that a couple of kids travel via magic to different countries. My books are all set in the present, though. The kids have an adventure while experiencing the culture and language of the countries they visit. I have recently found an agent, and he’s working on finding a publisher for the series. The first book is called, Big Hole to China. I’ve written five books so far, and am working on the sixth.

What do you do when you’re not writing or promoting your books? When I’m not doing “author stuff,” I’m either running around like a maniac with my kids, or I’m doing something with music – playing, teaching, or writing songs. I like to hike and do outdoor things too.

How did you come up with your characters? The characters in my first two books were based on personal experiences. So it’s fair to say that my kids were the models for the characters in those books (although my daughter really does not like to have people think she was the messy kid in That Mama is a Grouch).

What advice would you give parents on selecting the right books for their children to read? First, make sure the books you choose are age-appropriate. Kids have to be able to understand what’s going on in the story. Second, read books about things they enjoy. This helps to hold their interest. I think good pictures help too, especially with books written for younger children.

What advice you would give to new writers? Read a lot of books that are similar to what you want to write. This will give you a good feel for what publishers want to see, and an idea of what kind of stories people want to read. Then research publishers to see which ones might be interested in your work. Last but not least, always submit your best work!

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? Reading books is such a wonderful thing to do with your children. I’m so glad my parents read to me! I hope you’ll take the time to read about some of the other wonderful books on this blog. Thank you so much for having me as a guest!

Connect with Sherry: www.sherryellis.org

Biography of Sherry Ellis


Sherry Ellis is a freelance writer and children’s author. Her first book, That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN, was published in 2005. Her second, That Mama is a Grouch, was published in 2010 and was honored as a finalist in the 2010 USA Book News Awards as well as in the 2011 International Book Awards. It also took first place in the parenting category of the 2011 Pinnacle Book Awards, and was the recipient of the silver award in the 2013 Mom’s Choice Awards.

Sherry is also a professional musician who plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano. She has appeared as a soloist in Germany and was a semi-finalist in the 2004 International Viola Competition in Paris, France. Sherry is also a former PADI SCUBA instructor. She has travelled to many exotic places and has seen much of the world above and below the water.

Sherry lives with her husband and two children in Atlanta, Georgia.

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

If You Enjoyed This Read Please Comment

13 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for stopping in Sherry :-)
I really enjoyed your book.

Sherry Ellis said...

Thank you for having me as a guest, Burt! I really appreciate it!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I didn't know you played all those instruments - very cool!

Unknown said...

Great interview. My daughter can relate to the book, as can I. She also likes the mouse that helps.

Ava Quinn said...

Great interview, Burt and Sherry! Good luck on your middle grade projects. They sound awesome!

Burt, I love your site. As a motorcycle rider and writer, I really dig it!

Deborah Walker said...

I can see the link between music and writing. How fascinating.

And I'll tell you something, the title of your book really spoke to me!

Sherry Ellis said...

Alex - Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I do play all those instruments, and I love it! Music is my passion.

David - I'm so glad you daughter likes the book. I agree - the mouse is really cute!

Ava - Thanks for stopping by. I'm really excited about my middle grade projects. I hope my agent finds a publisher!

Deborah - I bet the title speaks to a lot of moms! LOL!

Pat Hatt said...

Many talents at your sea indeed, hopefully your new books get out and about soon too

Janie Junebug said...

What a nice interview. Thank you for featuring The Mama.

Love,
Janie Junebug

Heather R. Holden said...

Great interview! I think it's so cool how Sherry's musical side is able to help her writing side...

Sherry Ellis said...

Pat - Thanks for stopping by! I hope my new books get out, too!

Janie - It was really nice that Burt interviewed me. Glad you enjoyed it.

Heather - I have found that many musicians are also writers. Maybe the same part of the brain is used for both.

Tracy Campbell said...

Thank you for the great interview on Sherry. I have both of her books and they are terrific. Can't wait to read the Bubba series. :-)

Sherry Ellis said...

Tracy - Thanks for stopping by. It's so hard waiting to see the Bubba series published. Hopefully we won't have to wait too much longer!

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