Bingo's Journal - It's October and Halloween is Coming

Since Halloween is coming at the end of this month I wanted to talk a little about my friend Lucky.  He's a black cat and black cats are NOT bad luck.  Black cats get a bad rap in some parts of the world and I want to say NO to that.  Black cats are awesome!  See how peaceful we hang out together.

And Lucky is a favorite of our little humans. He plays with them and tolerates their   games without question.  I think he is good luck since he gets such a nice response from the little humans!

I want all cats, especially black cats to feel safe and secure in their world like our Lucky!  I think black cats are just as "lucky" as any other cat!  So let's remember that black cats are not bad luck on Halloween.

While thinking about the fall, I took some time to reflect upon the long shadows at the afternoon's end.  I watched the human boy playing in the dirt. I think playing in the dirt is a great thing.  He's using his paws to DO stuff.  Kids need to just get dirty some times!  And adult humans just need to say YES to dirt too!

I was also thinking about how I get teased by this titmouse at the bird feeder - ALL THE TIME!   I sit and watch him and he screams at me!!!  Birds.....I'm just sayin' . . . they frustrate me.  

Bye for now,
Bingo the Mighty Adventurer

Bingo's Journal - I am Eclipsed with Summer Fun

I have been hiding a little bit this summer.  Maybe it is because summer has been stalking me slowly this year. The easy warm up to the longest days of the year are lovely cause I get more time to roam my property in search of adventure.  Because I am a cat, I can tell that there is something or someone watching me all the time . . . 

Then, there was this day a few weeks ago when the shadows were strange.  They looked like little half moons cast across the country side as the afternoon faded and the sun fell behind the trees.  I was awestruck by the beauty of the eclipse . . . for that is what the Tall Lady told me it was.  

But then I found the pool had been put out for me!  Whee!

Oh, how I love to get in that water and take fresh sips of cool refreshing H2O!

I can even find a few moments to reflect in my pool.  You know, ponder on what has come and gone and what will be.

Then I solved a very important mystery which has been on the top of my mind.  I kept hearing this saying over and over and over.  And I confirmed the truth.  

So, indeed the boy is composed from snips and snails and puppy dog tails!  He is a rascal like me.  I am not surprised to see his secret ingredients.  I have a few secret ingredients myself . . .  Greasy, grimy gopher guts, that's what little cats are made from . . . or is it something else?  Hmmmmmm.

Bye for now,
Bingo

Bingo's Journal - They Won't Stop Following Me

So, being a "Mighty Adventurer" I can claim much action and excitement in my daily life.  I explore, I hunt, I run, I hide. This picture, for example, shows my ability to evade be captured by human children.  I regret that they are always getting into my business.

But in exchange for the loving embrace that some children bless me with, I am a cat who is the master of this . . . amazing countryside.

And I am a cat who get to take naps under blooming shrubs where bees and insects gather nectar.  Somehow, there are quite a few pictures of me lazing around our property when I should be out doing something exciting.  But I must rest sometimes . . .

But then again, there is a line which I must draw.  I declair that if the Tall Lady takes just one more picture of me, her camera will break!  Yes BREAK!!

So to help her NOT damage her camera, I quietly crawl into my own little cat house and sleep where I can escape the paparazzi . . . well sort of.

Bye for now,

Bingo the cat, aka the Mighty Adventurer

Publishers Weekly Reviewed Bingo Explores the Farm!

We are happy to share that Publishers Weekly Select reviewed Bingo Explores the Farm.  A total of 221 titles were entered for review during this period and 52 were chosen for review.  Only three children's picture books made the full review section, so I am happy . . . my book was chosen this quarter for their self published review magazine!  I am so glad we made the cut!

Publisher Weekly Select said, "In this mild, meandering story, the feline star of Bingo's Big Adventure roams the farm in search of adventure. Loquacious narrator Bingo first tries unsuccessfully to start a toy car: "Oh dear, I am not a mechanic. I am only a cat. I do not have hands or tools either. I must admit my adventure is not starting well." When he wanders into an empty barn, Bingo thinks he has stumbled upon his adventure: "It is solving the mystery of who lives in this building!" Back outside, the cat discovers a horse, but "Tall Lady," his "human," warns Bingo that he's too small to play with the animal. Finally, Bingo finds a perfect companion (and an adventure) in "the Boy," who entertains the cat with a stick and gently pets him. The overly wordy narration and slow pacing (eight pages are devoted to Bingo's inability to start the toy car) drag this tale down; King's candid photographs of Bingo and his farm surroundings are the stronger part of the story. A farm q&a and some search-and-find activities are also included. Ages 3–8."

Well what can I say?  I am a talker . . . I can't think in short sentences and I like to use big words!  What else makes kids better readers than introducing them to more words to make them learn.  I am me and "me" means words.  I don't want to make books that are too simple for the smart kids and parents who will be reading them.

Recently, the Tall Lady heard a "big time" publisher say at a conference that all children's picture books should be under 1000 words.  She was shocked!  (My book is about 1300 words by comparison)  Then the speaker then said, "What parent wants to read more than one short book before bedtime to their kids?"   Whoa!  That was blasphemous to the Tall Lady.  Don't the publishers know about reading 20 minutes a day to your kids who are under 5 years of age?  Bed time is the perfect time to give your kids quality reading when they are calming down for the evening.  The Tall Lady reads up to 30 minutes with her kids every day and usually that takes two or three books.  It's a perfect way to end the day and bond and cover new ground with the stories in the books!

Now when PW says "the first eight pages," it really means the first four page couplets.  And in that section, I try to drive my car, I try to fix it, I get help from Jimmy, and I make an important decision NOT to fight or argue with Jimmy.  All of that in four page pairs with huge pictures!  This dragging down stuff I am not sure about.

Even though there was some mild criticism which will always be present in life, I guess my final word is that I am certainly happy, feel grateful, and am thrilled that my 2nd book - Bingo Explores the Farm - made it to the category of books that merited review in PW Select Magazine and for that I thank Publishers Weekly!

Bye for now,
Bingo

Bingo's Journal - New Book Update and iPad Apps Coming for Both My Books

Good news!  My book is off to the printers!  Now it's only a matter of a few weeks before it is available for kids to read and touch!  It will be available for delivery through Amazon and other wholesale distributors at the end of May.

Also . . . other news.  The Tall Lady - my personal human - will have the iPad app for both of my books available within the next two weeks!  So if you want to read my book on your iPad you can!  It is formatted just for the iPad and has real voices telling my story.  And the voices are special . . . real kids who read well AND who can speak in my voice AND tell my tale in a way other kids can relate too.

More updates coming soon!

UPDATE: MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR THE iPAD UNDER "SALE" ON THE RIGHT MARGIN!  MEW!

Bye for now,
Bingo

Saint Patrick's Day Sillies

As a cat I really like Saint Patrick's Day because it celebrates green.

I love all the greenery outside!  

I love to chew on new grass.  

I love hiding in the grass.

I love running through the grass.
I love playing hide and seek in the grass.

It's fun thinking of the fresh green landscape, and that maybe leprechauns are there hiding . . . with their pot of gold!

I had the Tall Lady make up a silly picture of me for the occasion.  Enjoy!

Bye for now,
Bingo