Giveaway and Author Interview
Book Title: Traveling Tootsie by Karen and Kathy Honaker
Category: Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 38 pages
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Publisher: Mascot Books
Release date: Nov, 2022
Content Rating: G. Suitable for everyone.
Have you ever wished you could go away on your parent’s business trip or hide in their suitcase to explore a new city all on your own? Well, Katie and Steven sure have! They wonder why they always have to stay home when Mommy or Daddy travel for work. Once their favorite yellow teddy, Tootsie, comes up with the idea to stow himself away for Daddy’s trip to Washington, DC, Katie and Steven realize that they’ll be able to travel along, too—but just not in the way they first imagine!
This is a fun book that many children will relate to, especially if someone in their family travels.
Kate and Steven want to travel with their dad on work trips, but they realize it isn’t possible. So they head to their playroom to act out traveling with their animals. But will that satisfy their desire to travel with Dad?
The first thing I noticed and appreciated was the problem-solving that happened with the children. Though it didn’t completely work for them, this was an important step in this story.
The illustrations are bright and kid-friendly and work well with the text.
I also liked that the story allowed children to learn and perhaps further explore the noted landmarks in Washington D.C.
My Concerns
This felt like a story that would work for older children due to the word length, which isn’t typical for books geared toward little ones, plus the content. (This isn’t a problem, just something to note.)
As I read it I wondered if it might have been better to show fewer landmarks and explain them in detail.
Final Thoughts
I think this would work well in a classroom since it offers so many opportunities for learning and discussions.
My thanks to the publisher, author, and iRead Book Tours. There was no obligation for a favorable review.
Kathy and Karen grew up in the Chicago suburbs and moved to Virginia as teenagers. They enjoyed many family vacations, which began their love of travel. They both reside in Virginia with their families and continue to instill a love of travel with their own children. This is their first children’s book written together, about a favorite childhood memory that they always wanted to share with others to enjoy. They hope to inspire a sense of adventure in you!
What made you write a book about a traveling bear?
We wrote a book about a traveling bear to capture our childhood memory of having our own Traveling Tootsie. We both love to travel so this book combines that love, and the memory of a very special part of our childhood. We both have a background that includes working with children, and we have children of our own that we loved to read to when they were little so it was a dream of ours to create a book for so many children to enjoy with their families.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
“Traveling Tootsie” is our first children’s book, and the inspiration came from our own childhood. Having a memory from growing up come to life kept us inspired throughout the process and has inspired us to want to keep writing. We hope to write about more adventures for Traveling Tootsie in the future and have him visit places we went as children and adults.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?
Yes! It’s great writing together because we feed off each other, and we both bring ideas to the table to help overcome writer’s block. We are twins so we think a lot alike, but we also have lived our own lives with our own experiences and memories. This helps us work together to come up with new ideas and keep us writing!
What genre do you write and why?
We have only written a children’s book, and this is probably the only genre we will write because it is where we are the most comfortable as writers. We can’t say we would never venture to another genre though…you never know where life can take you!
What is your next project?
Our dream is to take Traveling Tootsie wherever we can take him! Our dream is to gain a following of families who will read our book and create their own memories and interaction with each other. We grew up in the Chicago suburbs until we were 15, so the city definitely has a special place in our hearts. We plan to take Tootsie there this spring so our writing brains will be on overload as we explore the city in a new way!
connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Buy the Book
Amazon ~ B&N
Politics and Prose
BAM ~ indiebound ~ Bookshop.org
Mascot Books
Traveling Tootsie by Karen and Kathy Honaker Book Tour Giveaway
