Granddaddy, Aunt Olga, Lady Delilah, and Jessie Jo from Idaho shared jokes, stories, songs, and humor at the Moudy Mountain Summer Festival this summer near McCall, Idaho. They were joined by their intrepid handler, Elaine Ambrose.
Children were eager to learn how to make the puppets “talk.”
storyteller
“Melody” is a Global Winner for Children’s Fiction
Today the winners of the 2021 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards were announced. Idaho Author Elaine Ambrose won her 10th global writing award in six years. Her third children’s book, Melody’s Magical Flying Machine, won the Silver Medal for Juvenile Fiction – Early Reader/First Chapter Books. The delightful story features a 10-year-old girl who loves to tell stories and dreams of adventure. She also has Down syndrome. With the assistance of a talking bird, she uses a 3D printer to create a flying machine. Supporting characters include a little brother who tells knock-knock jokes. To accompany the book, two toys were designed and created by a 3D manufacturing company in Nampa.
According to Jenkins Group, sponsor and organizer of the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards program, the awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators and to celebrate children’s books and life-long reading. Medalists were chosen from nearly 1,500 total entries that came from children’s book authors, illustrators, and publishers from around the world.
Creating books that inspire children to read, to learn, and to dream is an extremely important task, and these awards were conceived to reward those efforts. Each year’s entries are judged by expert panels of youth educators, students, librarians, booksellers, and book reviewers of all ages. Award recipients receive gold, silver, and bronze medals with stickers depicting a mother and child reading and silhouetted by a full moon.
Melody’s Magical Flying Machine is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook read by the author. The chapter book was illustrated by Idaho illustrator Caroline Zina and published by Brown Books Kids. Earlier this year, the book won Distinguished Favorite from the Independent Press Award program. Ambrose donates copies of the book and 3D toys to area charities. This is the second Moonbeam Children’s Book Award for Ambrose. The Magic Potato won the Silver Medal in 2018.
Six books by Ambrose were published in six years and have won 10 global writing awards in three genres: humor, memoir, and children’s books.
Three Award-Winning Children’s Books.
- Melody’s Magical Flying Machine
- 2021 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award – Silver Medal
- 2021 Independent Press Distinguished Favorite Award Winner for Children’s Fiction
- Gators & Taters – A Week of Bedtime Stories
- 2017 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite Winner for Children’s Fiction
- The Magic Potato – La Papa Mágica
- 2018 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award – Silver Medal for Bilingual Children’s Fiction
Two Award-winning Humor Books!
- Midlife Happy Hour – Our Reward for Surviving Careers, Kids, and Chaos
- 2016 INDIES Finalist for “Book of the Year for Humor”
- 2016 Winner of Distinguished Favorite for Humor from Independent Press Awards
- 2016 Winner of Gold Medal for Midlife from Independent Press Awards
- Midlife Cabernet – Life, Love, & Laughter after 50
- 2015 Winner of Independent Publishers Silver Medal for Humor
- (Publishers Weekly reviewed as “Laugh-out-loud funny!”)
Two Awards for Memoir
- Frozen Dinners – A Memoir of a Fractured Family
- 2019 Winner of “Distinguished Favorite” for Memoir from Independent Press Award
- 2018 Winner of New York City Big Book Award for Memoir
Author’s Shameless Marketing Plug: Don’t wait on the predicted backlog of holiday and Christmas supplies and gifts. Books can be ordered now through independent book stores, online, or from the author.
RUPTURE – A Short Story in Five Scenes
1.
Julia was ten years old when her mother smacked her over the head with a tube of Pillsbury refrigerator biscuits. The can ruptured and eight Southern Homestyle clumps of molded dough wiggled from her brown hair onto the floor.
“Aha!” exclaimed her mother as she picked up the dough and arranged the raw biscuits on a cookie sheet. “That’s how you open these pesky cans.”
Helen had followed directions on the package, removed the label, and pressed the appropriate line with a spoon. Nothing happened. She twisted, pulled, added colorful language, and slammed the cardboard roll onto the counter. The stubborn tube refused to break.
With incredible bad timing, Julia happened to run into the kitchen and demand something to eat. That’s when her resourceful mother decided Julia’s head presented the perfect solution to the family’s dinnertime dilemma.
“Ouch!” yelled Julia, rubbing her head. “Why did you do that?”
“So you’ll have something to eat,” her mother responded as she slid the pan into the oven. “Dinner will be ready soon.”
Helen glanced in the mirror to straighten her skirt and smooth her frizzy blonde hair.
Julia made a mental note never again to demand food, especially from her mother. She knew none of her friends had mothers who would smack them in the head with a can of dough. They were lucky.
2.
Dinner commenced when her dad Hank, a big man with gnarled hands, and her two older brothers James and Teddy, skinny boys with shaggy brown hair and freckles, tumbled into the kitchen after working all day on the farm. After a quick wash in the kitchen sink, they sat down as Julia’s mother scurried to bring a platter of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, a bowl of green bean casserole, and a basket of biscuits with butter.
“These biscuits aren’t homemade,” mumbled Hank, washing down the warm bread with a large glass of milk.
“Didn’t have time to bake from scratch today,” Helen said, trying not to sound defensive. “The hose in the garden ruptured and almost ruined my carrots. I had to repair the hose and replant some vegetables.”
Hank grunted, so James and Teddy grunted, too. Julia watched in silence as the family finished the meal, all of them sopping the potatoes with the biscuits. Her head still hurt.
After dinner, Helen and Julia remained in the kitchen to wash the dishes while her father and brothers retired to sit outside on the porch. Julia could see a dim red glow as her father took a drag on his cigarette, followed by the usual coughing and spitting.
“Why does he still smoke?” Julia asked, stacking a dish in the drainer.
“He’ll cut back once the harvest is finished,” Helen replied. “You know it’s a stressful time.”
“I’m having a stressful time, and I don’t smoke,” Julia said. “I’d rather kick something or holler outside. Maybe I could smack someone with a can of biscuits.”
Julia glanced to her side and noticed her mother biting her lip.
“Someday you’ll be blessed with a family, and you’ll understand,” Helen said with a tone of voice more weary than usual. “I’m sorry about your head. But it came in handy.”
They both laughed and finished the dishes.
3.
The next morning, Hank pounded on Julia’s bedroom door. “Get up,” he called. “We need your help today to finish the potato harvest.”
Julia pulled on her work clothes and boots and joined the family in the kitchen. Breakfast was simple: hotcakes and bacon. In the hurry to go to work, James knocked the plastic syrup bottle onto the floor, and Teddy accidentally stopped on it. The bottle ruptured and a gooey mess spread across the room.
“Out!” ordered Helen as she reached for towels to clean the syrup. Julia followed her father and brothers outside to the pickup truck. She glanced back at her mother on her knees wiping the floor. Julia decided she might not want to be blessed with a family.
4.
They worked all day bringing in the last load of potatoes from the back 40 acres. Julia stood on the harvester pulling out weeds while James drove the truck. Her dad and Teddy rode beside the truck to collect the potatoes as they tumbled over the conveyor belt. Twilight cast long shadows over the cellar as Hank shoveled the final pile of dirty potatoes.
Suddenly Hank stopped, clutched his chest, and dropped to the ground. His three children screamed at him to get up, but he wouldn’t move. James ran to the house for his mother. She quickly called for an ambulance and ran to the field with water and a blanket.
Teddy sat on the ground, clutching his knees and rocking. Julia held her father’s large, weathered hand and watched as his chest heaved in spasms until it stopped moving. A deep sigh came from his mouth, and he was gone. She let go of his hand when the paramedics wheeled him away to the ambulance.
“He suffered a ruptured abdominal aneurysm,” the doctor explained later at the hospital. “At least he went quickly. A rupture of this type is common among smokers.”
Helen and her children drove home in silence. Friends and other family members arrived and filled the house with tearful stories, mugs of coffee, and plates of pie. Julia escaped to her room and opened her journal.
“My dad died,” she wrote. “I don’t know how to feel. I hope I remember the sound of his voice.”
5.
A few years later, James left for trade school and Teddy joined the Army. Helen sold the farm and moved into town to work at the library. After graduating from high school, Julia worked for a local veterinarian and saved money to buy a used car. It was a blue Toyota with one red door.
Her mother was sitting on the porch when Julia drove up in the car.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re breaking my heart,” Helen said. “I feel like life has ruptured me into shattered pieces that can’t be mended.”
Julia sat beside her mother. She could stay, but there was no future in the small farming community. In the distance, a mourning dove cooed a simple solo.
“I’ll always carry your strength and goodness,” Julia said. “But I want and need a chance to see what is beyond this place, and I want to go where the road takes me.”
Julia noticed her mother’s hair had become gray and brittle, her hands rippled with veins, and her eyes were tired. Julia’s heart softened.
“Give me your blessing, Mama.”
Helen patted her daughter’s hand. “Go tomorrow,” she said. “You have my blessing, but don’t forget me.”
The next morning, Julia backed the Toyota out of the driveway. Helen stood at the door and waved until the car was out of view. She whispered, “I want to go with you.” Julia didn’t hear her mother’s plea as she turned up the music on the car radio and accelerated toward the freeway.
©Elaine Ambrose
(Rejected submission for The Cabin’s anthology, Rupture: Writers in the Attic.)
Find Myself on Your Shelf
Flummoxed and bewildered about what to give for Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other celebration of choice? Buy and give books! Books last for years, they aren’t fattening, and they allow you to escape beyond your quarantined bedroom. I have a dozen award-winning, bestselling books in three genres: humor, memoir, and children’s books. Buy them, and we’ll all be happy.
My latest book, Melody’s Magical Flying Machine, debuted as the #1 New Release in a category on Amazon and features a delightful girl with Down syndrome who uses a 3D printer to create a flying machine. In addition to the paperback, eBook, and audiobook versions, toys were created with a 3D printer so children can use them in role-play activities. Toys can be purchased from me for $10 each. Proceeds from the November release resulted in a $2,000 donation plus books and toys to Special Olympics Idaho.
Order books, eBooks, and audiobooks through local bookstores such as Rediscovered Bookshop in Boise, retail stores, online, or from me. During the last six years, these books have won several regional and nine national writing awards in addition to receiving bestseller status and excellent national reviews.
For a tenth award, Midlife Cabernet was selected as a winner for the Top Shelf Book Award for Humor. Publishers Weekly reviewed the book as “Laugh-out-loud funny.”
I can deliver autographed, personalized books and 3D toys downtown in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, and Garden City. Stay safe and happy this holiday season, and find myself on your shelf for a better New Year. For more details, email me at elaine@elaineambrose.com.
New Children’s Book to be Released in the Fall
Melody’s Magical Flying Machine, a new children’s book by bestselling author Elaine Ambrose, remains in production at Brown Books Publishing Group with a scheduled released for late fall. The publisher and author believe this story can give children a positive distraction during uncertain times.
The story describes a spirited, 10-year-old girl named Melody who loves to daydream beneath a catalpa tree in the backyard. After being bullied at school, she meets an enchanted bird named JuJu, and they create a magical flying machine pulled by two funny dragons. Melody blossoms with a sense of adventure as she soars over the playground amazing her friends, frightening the teachers, and terrorizing a group of bullies. Melody uses her newfound confidence and creative ability in storytelling to educate others about children with special needs and proves why she is the most marvelous hugger in all the Universe. Other characters include a best friend who wants to be a famous singer and a little brother who tells knock-knock jokes
Artwork for the cover by Wayne Anderson is courtesy of Bridgeman Art Library in New York. Interior illustrations were created by Caroline Zina, an Idaho illustrator. Here are a few of the copyrighted illustrations:
Elaine Ambrose is a bestselling author of 10 books including two award-winning children’s book, Gators & Taters – A Week of Bedtime Stories and The Magic Potato – La Papa Mágica. Elaine lives in Idaho and is the winner of 12 national writing awards in three genres: humor, memoir, and children’s books.
Caroline Zina is an illustrator from California where she fell in love with the beauty of book illustrations at an early age. She currently resides in Idaho, where she uses her passion for art and storytelling to give author’s world’s a visual voice. Contact Caroline Zina through her website: carolinezina.com
How to Tell an Enchanting Story
“Please tell me a made-up story, Tutu,” my wee granddaughter begs as I close her picture book and tuck her into bed. I mentally scramble for an image and suddenly a little old lady pops into my imagination.
“Here’s one,” I say, much to her delight. Then I begin the spontaneous tale of a sad older lady who needs an adventure. I toss in the ability to fly and to find magical meadows with talking birds. It always helps to include at least one princess, a nasty troll, and a few immature bodily noises. For a successful story that pleases the most discerning child, I rely upon past experience: A flying princess, yes. Dead puppies, no.
I have a small collection of ceramic storytellers crafted in Peru and New Mexico. They represent the South American and Native American Indian tradition of using oral stories as a teaching tool for younger generations. The figurines depict a centered, nurturing, and powerful woman who inspires the children with lessons and stories about their culture. Back before the intrusion of electronics, I told stories to my children, and now it’s a privilege to do the same for my grandkids. Sometimes I need to think fast to create the story, but it works best if I make it enchanting.
For the novice entertainer, here are eight tips for how to tell an enchanting story.
1. Begin with a provocative set-up. One day a (pick one) little girl, puppy, mother, King woke up and discovered that no one was home.
2. Explain how something happens, either to the main character or the environment. She searched in all the rooms but no one was there. On the kitchen table, she saw a bright red arrow pointing to the back yard.
3. In one or two sentences, tell how the plot thickens. The stakes are raised when tension appears: She peeked out the window and saw a (pick one) fairy, pony, rainbow, salesman, monster.
4. Mentally analyze the reaction of the audience and adjust accordingly. If the listeners aren’t engaged by this time, strengthen the narrative. She was (pick one) afraid, surprised, happy, shy, vomiting.
5. Build a vision of a scene that involves the senses: sight, sound, taste, vision, and touch. The door creaked as she opened it and tiptoed barefoot in her calico gown into the cool grass. She felt a gentle breeze toss her red hair, and the air smelled of mint and oranges.
6. Weave a climax that produces an “aha” moment for the audience. Suddenly her family appeared with gifts for her surprise party. Or, if you’re feeling more creative, she followed a a cluster of chaotic clowns as they scampered over a rainbow into a secret castle full of toys and sugar cookies.
7. End when the story is resolved. It was the perfect surprise party. Or, she loved her imaginary friends and promised to join them again another day. Or, she scurried home to read adventure books and plan her next excursion.
8. Record your story. To improve your storytelling abilities, record yourself reciting an original fable. You may notice you speak too quickly or say “um” too many times. Also, a recording creates a fun gift to present to your children or grandchildren.
Some people are born to be storytellers, and their yarns and tall tales aren’t limited to children. They often regale adults with their creative narrations, and a friendly bar or boisterous camping trip only intensifies the renditions. Well-told narrations can enrich the imagination of children and entertain adults. As an added benefit, the regular practice keeps the brain energized so you’re ready any time a small voice begs, “Please, tell me a story.”
Published on The Huffington Post Aug. 4, 2015