Book Review and Giveaway: Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon

Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon
Published by Amazon Childrens Publishing
Pages: 36
Ages: 6 and up.
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summary:

Nothing ever happens to Ralph. So every day when it’s time to write stories, Ralph thinks really hard. He stares at his paper. He stares at the ceiling. But he has no stories! With the help of his classmates, Ralph realizes that a great story can be about something very little . . . and that maybe he really does have some stories to tell. Debut author/illustrator Abby Hanlon’s endearing text and charming watercolor and colored pencil illustrations prove that writing can be fun!

Turkeybird Writes It All Down: You know what? Ralph is kind of a silly guy. He can’t tell a story at the beginning of this book and so he lays under his desk at school! My teacher would not let me lay on the floor, never. Maybe that’s why his hair is sort of crazy though. Maybe. He does get a story by the end though and it’s super funny! The worm in his story goes in a baby diaper. A diaper! Hahaha! My stories aren’t that funny, but Ralph’s was super silly. I really liked all the ideas he had and so I might add them to my book I keep writing:

Mom’s Two Cents: Ralph is your typical little boy with one spectacular teacher and a handful of really great friends. Creative story telling time comes though and Ralph is stumped, he can’t come up with anything to write. Certain that his life is boring with nothing to share, he nearly gives up on writing anything. Only when he thinks about things in a different way and also gets the help of his classmates does Ralph discover he not only has one story to tell, but dozens.

Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon was not only the perfect book for the Turkeybird right now, but it was also a truly fun story to read and explore with both kiddos. As many of my readers know, Turkeybird is a storyteller. He loves sharing the numerous ideas that come to his head through a three-ring-binder storybook he’s created. I’m always surprised by what he comes up with, but after reading Ralph Tells a Story over the last few days Turkeybird has been writing even more than his normal three or four “stories” a day. It’s been wonderful in giving him a new way of looking at things and perfect for me trying to help him see the world around him.

What Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon addresses is something that most kiddos encounter at some point in their early education. Honestly, most adults have creative road blocks from time to time. Often all we need as creators and storytellers can be something as simple as an inch worm crossing our paths. Abby Hanlon addresses this beautifully by sharing Ralph’s struggle, he spends over half of the story focused on what he can’t accomplish and what others are able to do that he cannot. Who hasn’t done this? When Ralph relaxes, listens to the questions his friends come up with and thinks outside his own direct experiences he suddenly has volumes of stories to share.

Writing, creating, sharing, crafting and the numerous other creative endeavors we strive to accomplish can often become cumbersome simply because of tunnel vision or a focus on what we believe we cannot do, instead of knowing what we can do. Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon is the story of Ralph, a young boy in search of a story to share with his class despite believing that he has nothing to share. He spends the majority of the book convinced he can’t write, but after the near-constant encouragement of his teacher and friends Ralph discovers he has stories sitting right under his nose. Ralph Tells a Story is a book young kiddos, and likely adults, will relate to, especially as they strive to create or write. Filled with silly and extremely delightful illustrations, Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon is a book we’ve thoroughly enjoyed and one that has inspired a whole other chapter in the Turkeybird’s book of stories.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 3 to 9. Help get those creative thoughts flowing and teach kiddos to be creative in a whole new way. Perfect for giving imagination a good kick-start, especially with kiddos.

Writing Tip of the Day from author, Abby Hanlon, specifically for There’s A Book readers!

Stories with details are more fun because they allow the listener to create a picture in their head. Tell your child a story with no details, and let them tell you how boring it is. Then tell it again, this time full of details. My kids like to talk about “details” just because they like big words.

Giveaway!

Thanks to Amazon Children’s Publishing I have the opportunity to giveaway one copy of Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon to my readers! This one is open to US/Canadian residents and no purchase is necessary, just be sure to fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck all!

Visit the next stop on Abby’s blog tour: Lille Punkin’ Reviews

Find Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon at the following spots:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository | Goodreads

Thank you so much to the publisher, Amazon Childrens Publishing, for providing a copy of this book for review!
Purchasing products by clicking through the links in this post will provide us a modest commission through our various affiliate relationships.

a Rafflecopter giveaway