Children's Book "Marshall and His Green High-tops"

We'll let you know as soon as Camille has another book signing event scheduled so you won't miss your chance to get a signed copy of this adorable children's book, suitable for ages 2-6 for the children in your life!

You can order the book online directly from www.marshallmouse.com and you can request that it be signed for you before it is shipped. It is also still available at Chapters and Indigo Books & Music in Kingston, Ontario as well as at:

Sunart
307 Taylor Street,
Punta Gorda, Florida

Visual Art Center
20 Maud Street
Punta Gorda, Florida

Sarasota News & Books
1341 Main Street
Sarasota, Florida

If you are a children's author and would be willing to share tips on how to create query letters, approach publishers and agents and get the word out about a self-published children's book, I would appreciate hearing from you. I also invite you to join our fan page for Marshall on Facebook at www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Marshall-Mouse/28176752082?ref=ts - and to post about your own book on our discussion board there. We also have a new MySpace profile at www.myspace.com/marshallmouse and would love to be your friend. Networking is so important and Camille and I want to be your friend so that hopefully, we can all learn from and help each other.

I am excited to be posting Camille Blue Amy's very first reviews for her children's book, Marshall and His Green High-tops! Authors HELENA HARPER from Britain and DAWN MENGE from the USA have graciously written reviews for this delightful children's book.

"THREE STARS

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR - YOU MAY GET IT!

How often we wish for something that we think will make our lives wonderful,but when we actually get it, that's far from the case! This is the lesson that Marshall, the mouse, learns in this story. He's fascinated by the human shoes he can see in the room below his attic home and is particularly entranced by a pair of green high-tops, which he thinks are all he needs to make him a better baseball player, although he is already very good at the game. He does eventually get a pair, but then learns the hard way that reality is very different to fantasy. The text is clearly laid out and easy to read and the pictures are delightful. I could have wished for a few more illustrations, though, to enhance some of the other situations described in the text. Overall, a sweet story with a useful lesson that both adults and children can benefit from. And what happens to the green high-tops in the end? Well, that's not for me to tell!"

HELENA HARPER, AUTHOR OF "IT'S A TEACHER'S LIFE...!"

"Marshall and his Green High-tops is an enchanting tale about a young mouse who is dreaming of wearing a great pair of green sneakers.

Marshall dreamed of owning a pair of green high-tops as a present for his birthday. Marshall thinks, "If I only had those shoes, they would make me an even better shortstop and we could win the games. He could see himself as a star in the infield."

Marshall soon realized that the high-tops did not make him a better player. But how does he explain this to his Uncle?

He writes a note explaining that he has learned many of the important lessons mice need to learn, "mice don't wear shoes."

His mother reminds him, "And remember Marshall - in the future be careful what you wish for. You may just get it."

The illustrations for Marshall Mouse are bright and detailed. This is a must read for families and a good story to help solidify one of life's great lessons, "Be careful what you wish for."

I highly recommend this book as a welcome addition to all household libraries."

DAWN MENGE, M.A. Education Specialist
AUTHOR OF THE QUEEN VERNITA SERIES
including Queen Vernita's Visitors

"My two sons and I have had the pleasure of reading Marshall and His Green High-Tops by Camille Blue Amy. This is a fascinating short story with a good message for both children and adults. The book is laid out in a format that was very easy for even my seven year son to read and the illustrations by Lorena Pugh are fantastic.

Marshall daydreamed of having something no other mouse had, his own pair of green high-top sneakers. He just knew that a pair of those sneakers would make him an even better baseball player than he already was. Mortimer, Marshall's dad wanted to surprise his son with the best birthday present a mouse could ever get. With the help of family they hand made Marshall his own personal pair of.... you guessed it, green high-top sneakers. Marshall was so excited he got what he had been wishing for all along. But it doesn't take as long for him to realize you must be careful what you wish for.

The illustrations by Lorena Pugh alone are worth the price of the book but combined with Camille's story make a fascinating tale (or tail if you like)."

L. MICHAEL HELLUMS
author of The Adventures of Butterbean and the King

"The sight of a little brown mouse wearing green high-tops is reason alone for buying this book.

Marshall Mouse lives with his parents, Mortimer and Mabel, and uncles Grant and David in the attic of a laundry room. His favorite thing to do is peer down into the house to see what he can see. What does he see--a pair of green high-tops! Even though mice don't wear shoes, Marshall longs for his own pair of green high-tops- after all, no other mouse would have shoes like that! Day in and day out, that's all Marshall thinks about. "If I only had those shoes. They would make me an even better shortstop and we could win all the games." When Marshall's birthday rolls around, he's delighted to find the green high-top sneakers he had wanted for so long. The next morning, Marshall slips on his new kicks and heads off to play baseball with his friends. Marshall had always been one of the best players on the team, but instead of becoming a superstar, the shoes just get in the way and all Marshall does is fall flat on his face. Marshall had been so sure the shoes would make him special, but he learns one of the many lessons a mouse needs to learn: Mice don't wear shoes!

This warm tale brought back memories of getting brand new sneakers for the school year. There was nothing better than slipping on a glistening white pair and parading around school in new kicks! It made me feel as though I could run faster, jump higher, and do anything. The underlying theme that we don't need shoes or material things to make us special is a wonderful reminder in a day when we're surrounded by commercials, and marketing efforts. As Marshall finds out, you must be careful what you wish for, because it might not be all it's cracked up to be.

Lorena Pugh studied illustration at Pratt Institute in New York and has won many national awards for her animal paintings. The illustrations by Pugh are amazing and her attention to detail brings Marshall to life. The dust billows on the ball field, and the tears that well up in Marshall's eyes glisten."

For more information:
Visit Marshallmouse.com
Lorena Pugh's official website

LORI CALABRESE is a freelance magazine and children's book writer. She's a graduate of The Institute of Children's Literature and a member of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Lori also recently became the National Children's Book Examiner and you can read more of her reviews here: NATIONAL CHILDREN'S BOOK EXAMINER

DARCIE MAE, Author of Mother Mouse Book 2 Reviews Marshall!

"Marshall and his green high-tops is a cute story about a mouse named Marshall who loves to play baseball with his friends. He notices a pair of green high-top sneakers that a human wears to cover feet. He wishes he had a pair himself to wear. He believes if he had a pair to wear on his feet he would be better at baseball. Relatives tell him mice do not wear sneakers, but Marshall still wishes for a pair. His family gets together and makes him a pair for his birthday. Marshall is thrilled, puts them on, and goes to play baseball with his friends. He finds he is not better at playing baseball, he is worse, and keeps falling down. Marshall realizes his relatives were right and mice do not wear shoes. The green high-tops are then used for holding flowers.

There are two lessons that come to mind when reading this story:

1) What is useful or helpful to someone or something else may be a hinderance to you.

2) Be careful what you wish for. You might get it. It might not be what you really want or need.

The illustrations are absolutely beautiful in this story. Young children will pick this book up over and over again to look at the pictures.

I recommend a parent to read this story to your child and help them understand the lesson taught."

DARCIE MAE - Author of the Sammy & Robert series and the Mother Mouse series.

Darcie Mae's Website
sammyandrobertbooks@yahoo.com

On Saturday, October 4, 2008, Camille Blue Amy had her first book reading and signing event at Chapters in Kingston, Ontario and it went very well! She sold 24 copies of MARSHALL AND HIS GREEN HIGH-TOPS which impressed the staff at Chapters as that's very good for an unknown self-published author. The children who she read for enjoyed the book very much and were excited about getting their own autographed copy.

Camille is back in Punta Gorda, Florida for the winter and will be involved in more promotional events for the book in the not too distant future. I will keep you updated on them.

Marshall and His Green High-tops makes a perfect Christmas gift for the children (ages 2-6) in your life who love books and enjoy a good bedtime story! You can get your copy now at www.marshallmouse.com.

The lovely and talented Camille, also known as Mickey, is making her annual summer trek to Ontario this weekend (June 12, 2009) (with her husband Jack) to her summer home in Portland, which is about a 45 minute drive from where I live in Kingston. I am really looking forward to seeing her again and I'm sure we'll have lots to show and tell you this summer as she has some book signings lined up, a possible library reading or two and will also be participating in Kingston's annual Fanfayr Arts & Crafts Show. Camille will have her own booth and will be selling copies of Marshall and his Green High-tops, so if you're in Kingston, Ontario on July 3rd, 4th, and/or 5th, be sure to come down to Confederation Basin (across from City Hall) and look for us! We'll have an easel with a large Marshall poster on it to help you find us.

We're also very excited that Mickey's daughter Jennifer, who just happens to be my best friend of 33 years, is coming from Western Australia with her 12 year old son Jacob to visit us this July! We can't wait for that! Mickey is equally excited that her son Grant, daughter-in-law Anna & grandson Jackson are coming from Austin, Texas and her son David and daughter-in-law Carrie are coming from New York City for a visit too.

My own exciting news is that - inspired by Marshall of course - I have adopted two, baby male fancy rats and their names are Bob and Simon (The Boomtown Rats). They are really cute and very fun to have as pets. My almost 7 year old niece and nephew, Erika & Ethan, love to play with them too. Now, if I can just keep my dog Scully from being too overzealous about playing with them, we'll be fine! I will be posting some photos of the rats here and will also be posting some of my memorable photographs of Camille and her family over the years.

We look forward to seeing you at Fanfayr in July!

Summer blessings,
Christine

"Mice are friendly, affectionate and can make great pets.

They are cheap, easy to look after and don't take up much room. They're also very sociable creatures, so you might want to get more than one mouse. Make sure they're the same sex though - otherwise you could end up with a large family of mice very, very quickly!

Mouse Facts

* A baby mouse is called a pinky, or a kitten

* A female is called a doe

* A male is called a buck

* It's very important to keep males and females separate

* Mice live for one to two years. They can start having babies at 6-8 weeks old and have 5-10 in each litter (pregnancy lasts 3 weeks). Babies are born hairless with their eyes closed. One mother mouse can produce over 100 babies a year.

* NEVER pick up a mouse by its tail

Caring For Mice

* Mice are quite intelligent, so they need other mice or toys to play with. They also need regular exercise to stay healthy.

* Boys tend to fight. If you're planning on having a couple of boys make sure they are the same age and preferably from the same litter.

Feeding

* Mice are constant eaters, so food and water should always be available

* Commercial mouse pellets (from pet shops) are the best way to ensure your pets are getting all their nutrients.

* The RSPCA reckon that pellets should make up around 90% of the diet and be supplemented with fresh vegetables (not lettuce or celery), a small amount of fruit (like apples), oats or wholemeal bread. They like to chew carrots too.

* Mice love to gnaw things, so the hard pellets are good for their teeth.

* Dandelions, nasturtium, clover, comfrey and herbs like basil, mint and sage are also good for mice.

* Mice will eat everything, whether it's good for them or not. So you can feed them all sorts of foods as treats. They'll eat cheese, bread & butter, jam sandwiches, eggs, popcorn, banana chips. Seeds and nuts are ok as treats sometimes but they're high in fat. Special mouse seed mix is available at some pet shops. Dairy products can cause stomach upset in some mice.

* No raw onion, peanut butter, human chocolate

* It's important to keep food & water bowls clean. Do not use plastic bowls - they will get chewed and small pieces could be swallowed. Lots of people use a special inverted water bottle - they're cleaner and don't spill.

Housing

* If you're keeping your mice in an aquarium make sure you have a wire top for ventilation. Mice need a lot more air than fish!

* If you let your mouse out of its cage for a run around, be very careful that it can't chew telephone or electrical cables. Not only could the mouse be killed, it could cause a major electrical fire.

* Kitty litter can be used to cover the bottom of the cage to absorb the smell of wee (the recycled newspaper type is recommended).

* Mice like to have a nesting box - this can just be an shoe box - and should have some paper towel or cloth in it."

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