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recommended children's book
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| Making “Terri
the Tadpole” Come To Life > > By Sandra Zunino > > When Robert Finecey Jr. of Kent Island wrote the first > installment of his “Terri the Tadpole” series, he had no > experience writing children’s fiction. The story simply > came to him one day and he recited it to his wife over the > telephone while she typed. > > A musician, singer and songwriter, Robert has a knack with words > and rhythm, which shows in his heartwarming tales. Robert > started writing songs at the age of 13 and soon took up playing > the guitar. Later he performed in local rock band, > Appaloosa until 1982. Currently he records Christian and > Country music. > > Robert’s manuscripts were first enjoyed by his own children in > the 80s, but as they outgrew them, the stories were relegated to > his files. Three years ago, Robert came across the stories > and his wife, Sharon encouraged him to submit them to a > publisher. Robert’s first book, “The Chase” was officially > released from Tate Publishing on Tuesday and distributed > nationwide. > > Robert admits it was a challenge finding a publisher as an > unknown author and says he is grateful for the experience. > “It was a pretty neat learning process,” says Robert who worked > with editors and illustrators. “They did a real good job.” > > “The Chase” is the first of seven books so far in Robert’s > “Terri the Tadpole” series. He says he is still writing > and will continue as long as he has inspiration. “Writing > these books takes me back to the time when my kids were > little,” he says. “The Chase” is dedicated to his > grandson. > Robert’s main character, Terri the Tadpole, lives in the > adventurous Land of Swails, where he and his friends travel from > Terri’s pond in the shadow of Smokey Swails Mountain through > Mysterious Forest, by waterfalls and over Swinging Bridge on > many explorations. Other characters include otters, > snapping turtles and a wise, old owl. The messages in > Robert’s books are positive ones dealing with friendship, peer > pressure and even growing. The first books relate to 5-9 > year olds; however, Robert intends for the series to grow with > his audience and has some stories planned for 9-11 year olds. > > Robert’s experience with children comes from many years of > working with church youth groups. “You always have to keep > a positive note with them,” he says. “Kids really need > everyone nowadays. They have a lot on their shoulders.” > > Robert says writing has been a hobby for him, but he wouldn’t > mind doing it full time. He has other works in progress > including a mystery and a science fiction thriller, but says > children’s stories are where he puts most of his > inspiration. “Kids are open minds,” he says. > “Anytime I can contribute to a kid making the right decision > through these books, that is more fulfilling to me than anything.” > > “The Chase” is available in paperback, audio book, and as a > digital eBook that can be downloaded to a computer. Once > purchasing a paperback, one can download a free narration of the > story including a song, written by Robert. “The narration > is good for youngsters because they can listen and read along at > the same time,” says Robert. > > “The Chase” can be purchased at Border’s Books, Barnes & Nobel, > Target stores and online at www.tatepublishing.com and > Amazon.com among others. > > |
