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Danny the Dragon iPad App Featured in Notable Children’s Market Blog
Great news to share with everyone- read this! Tina
Ever since Tina Turbin, the multi-award-winning children’s author, released Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, the first book of her illustrated kids book series, she has been recipient of critical praise, numerous awards and honors, and media attention. The release of her book was followed by that of a Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy iPad and iPhone app, the first one for the hearing impaired, featuring a reading of the author’s acclaimed book with sign language interpretation. Now the author is generating even more media attention with her app than with the debut of her book, as coverage of the groundbreaking product is appearing in some of the leading news blogs in the publishing world, specifically Alice Pope’s SCBWI Children’s Market Blog and MediaBistro.com, the global web resource for media professionals.
“I knew when I decided to launch Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy as the first [app] to offer sign language interpretation that I should expect some media interest,” the author said on her blog at DannytheDragon.com.
“However, nothing could prepare me for the attention that the Danny the Dragon app has generated.” Turbin said she was “honored” to find her app mentioned by Alice Pope in her SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and
Illustrators) Children’s Market Blog and by MediaBistro.com.
Alice Pope is a former editor of the Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market and authors a blog covering the children’s book market for SCBWI. In her Friday feature, “In the News This Week,” where she shares the latest children’s publishing news, she included the release of Turbin’s Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy app with a link to the story in the Ebook Newser Blog at MediaBistro.com.
Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy tells the story of Jimmy’s chance meeting with Danny the Dragon at the beach. An unlikely friendship develops and Jimmy’s family invites their son’s new friend home with them where they show them hospitality and family togetherness. The book has been praised for its pro-family themes and has received several awards, including the Purple Dragon Book Awards, Mom’s Choice Awards®, Indie Excellence® Awards, and the International Book Awards. Turbin’s iPad app was produced by iStoryTime, the app developer for DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon.
Turbin is not only an acclaimed author of kids books but is an active humanitarian in various arenas, particularly on behalf of the gluten-free community. The author was diagnosed many years ago with celiac disease, an autoimmune reaction caused by gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, and rye, which damages the intestinal tract and interferes with absorption of nutrients, resulting in a variety of serious health issues. In an effort to help celiac patients and other gluten-free individuals with the challenges of the gluten-free diet, Turbin founded GlutenFreeHelp.info, which was voted in the number-two .info website in the world. Her Gluten Free Help blog offers news, gluten-free product reviews, book reviews, gluten-free recipes, and more. Turbin advocates for children’s literacy and education; her storybook app with sign language is a testament to her support for deaf literacy. The profits for her Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy app are being donated to support the author’s favorite causes.
Despite her already hectic schedule, the author with the help of her publicity team is busy managing the media interest and booming sales her iPad app release has generated. Meanwhile Turbin is wrapping up her West Coast book tour and getting back to what she enjoys most-writing.
Kris Newby—-New World Post
Tina Turbin
www.DannytheDragon.com
Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure by Kevin and Laura Sanchez
Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure is a children’s book enlightening the senses through a cat’s journey back home to his family. The book sales are devoted to helping find a cure for cancer.
Nikki is a cat who was separated from her family in 2008 during an evacuation for Hurricane Gustav.
Her adventures that followed were all in the hope of finding her family and getting back home.
This delightful tale leaves one with a smile all throughout, resulting in a happy ending. You will want to read it again and again.
The story and purpose behind this book has a meaning all in itself. Rather than summarizing it myself, I’ve asked one of the authors, Laura Sanchez, to share her story:
~
When Nikki came home, she was skin and bones, her beautiful coat was matted and dirty, and she had no voice. Kevin and I would sit on the porch, brushing and petting her while she regained her strength, and telling her how happy we were that she was home. We tried to imagine what she had been through those four long months and so many miles. We knew she had made it through a hurricane and snowstorm, had crossed roads and rivers, and avoided cars, trucks, dogs, and who knows what other Louisiana wildlife she had encountered. In the spring we would sit on the porch drinking coffee in the morning and watch her playing in the yard, chasing birds and squirrels, back to her playful and loving self (still no voice, and definitely no longer the pampered house cat).
In July Kevin had a “mishap” while we were riding our mini-bikes and had to go to the doctor. During an ultrasound they noticed a shadow on one of his kidneys. He was sent for additional tests and was diagnosed with kidney cancer. We were of course devastated. Kevin’s father had died from cancer at 59, and we knew a couple of people who were currently undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. We knew our lives would be forever changed. As we sat contemplating our future, Nikki came up and jumped in Kevin’s lap as though she knew something was wrong. It was at that moment that I had an idea to write down Nikki’s story. Kevin loved the idea, and it gave us something else to focus on rather than the upcoming surgery and whatever other treatment was forthcoming. We decided that if we ever had our book published, half of whatever we made would be donated to cancer research.
We made it through Kevin’s surgery and recovery, while I was sitting next to him writing page after page of things that might have happened to Nikki in no particular order. One day when my mom called from North Carolina, my three-year-old niece, Sarah, got on the phone and asked, “Aunt Laura, do you really have a Nikki the Cat?” We had told my mom and family and friends, when Nikki first came home, some of the stories we had come up with. She told me that every night little Sarah wanted Grandma to tell her a bedtime story, and Nikki was her favorite subject. She would tell her a different adventure every night, and it always had a happy ending with Nikki coming home. We decided that the story would make a good children’s book. I started researching how to write a book and how to get it published. Kevin’s cousin Danny Wiggins (our illustrator) had also overcome a cancer diagnosis and was happy to do the illustrations for a worthy cause.
I sent the text to several publishers, but it was a long process with little encouragement. The following Christmas, my father was diagnosed with an aggressive esophageal cancer. It was the push we needed to pursue our book and its cause again. When we found Author House, they were very encouraging, and we decided to self-publish our book. Nikki’s Hurricane Adventure was finally completed in February 2011. We are in the process of promoting the book, we have contacted Ochsner Hospital and made clear our intentions that half of the proceeds are going to cancer research. We have sold several copies to family, friends and co-workers, built Nikki’s webpage, introduced the book to our son’s elementary school, and pitched the idea of a school fundraiser. We have sold a few copies to a local bookstore and have sent out close to 1,000 e-mails (still ongoing). We have sent copies of our book to several distributors and are helping with a local fundraiser for a gentleman in our community who has medical bills associated with his cancer treatments. In addition, Kevin’s friend since elementary school was diagnosed with brain cancer in September and died just before Christmas at the age of 46. He left behind his wife and two young children. We believe in our book, and even more, we would love to be able to contribute toward finding a cure for this devastating disease.
On a good note, Kevin has been cancer-free for 18 months, Danny Wiggins has just passed the five-year cancer-free mark, and my dad is on his second month, although he remains on chemotherapy treatments. Laura Sanchez
~
This is a book that is a delight to have, to hold and to read. The story touches your heart and soul and your are left with a smile. It is a “feel good” book and I can only highly recommend it.
Tina Turbin
k.m.
Danny The Dragon DVD Receives Accomplished Review From MidWest Book Review
Children’s Bookwatch: April 2011
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane C. Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575
The DVD Shelf
Danny the Dragon “Meets Jimmy”
Imagination Publishing Group
PO Box 1304, Dunedin, FL 34697
$24.95 1-888-701-6481
Danny the Dragon “Meets Jimmy” is the DVD adaptation of the award-winning first children’s picturebook in a widely beloved series. The full color images from the story about a child’s first encounter with a curious and friendly dragon are enhanced with a sign language interpretation by Carol Downing of Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf, making Danny the Dragon “Meets Jimmy” thoroughly accessible for hearing-impaired children as well. Danny the Dragon “Meets Jimmy” is a delightful, gentle, family-friendly DVD story especially recommended for public library children’s collections. 12 min.
Children’s Materials for Deaf Kids: Some Helpful Resources
As a children’s author and mother of three, I’ve been passionate about children’s literacy and education for many years. It wasn’t until my East Coast book tour that I became interested in education for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, after I had the wonderful experience of reading my title Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy at a school for the hearing impaired. I was so inspired that I released a Danny the Dragon DVD and iPad app with a signed reading of my book. I’m proud to have contributed children’s materials to deaf children. Although I created the very first children’s book app with sign language interpretation, it is just one of many materials out there for deaf children.
Before we touch upon the subject of children’s materials, the issue of language must be considered. One of the most important decisions parents of a deaf child make is which language or languages to teach their child, as communication is one of the most important skills people—deaf and hearing—need. Language instruction has been the subject of much controversy in the deaf community. Children who are born deaf or become deaf early in life can end up having difficulties understanding written English, which is a phonetic language, based on sounds.
For the many deaf children who retain some residual hearing, parents are increasingly opting for oral deaf education, which teaches children to learn and speak using advanced technology, allowing them to learn English more easily. The question arises of whether your child should learn sign language first. Parents should consult with specialists and qualified professionals to help them make the best decision for their child.
Whatever method of language instruction you choose for your child, there are many materials at your disposal. If you’ve opted to teach your child sign language first and then English, you’ll have many books at your disposal for teaching ASL and English. The Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing have posted on their website an extraordinary list of deaf children’s materials, including well-illustrated primers for either or both languages such as Sesame Street’s Sign Language Fun with Linda Bove, storybooks dealing with deaf characters and issues such as I Have a Sister, My Sister is Deaf, and books on important deaf topics such as Hearing Aids for You and the Zoo, which instructs deaf kids on how to take care of their hearing aids.
There are many other deaf children’s materials available in other media such as computer games and programs as well as DVDs. About.com’s deaf writer Jamie Berke recommends the following sources for deaf children’s materials: the Clerk Center product catalog, the Institute for Disabilities Research and Training, which has computer software for deaf kids, BoysTownPress.org for a video series of sign language interpretations of famous children’s books, and PBS’s Cornerstones program, which teaches language skills to deaf children.
If you’ve decided to get a hearing aid for your deaf child, hearing aid materials will also be important to acquire. Some examples of such materials include a battery tester, air blower to blow out moisture from hearing aids, hearing aid retainers, and an earmold lubricant. You can learn more about hearing aid supplies through a specialist.
In the end, there are so many materials and resources for deaf children that to list them here is not possible. The best solution is to stay well-connected with professionals, deaf organizations, and others in the deaf community for information about helpful materials for deaf kids. As time goes on, deaf children will be able to enjoy more and more materials to help them learn necessary information and language skills—and of course for their fun and enjoyment.
Tina Turbin
Resources
About.com: Literacy Resources for Teaching Deaf Children http://deafness.about.com/od/literacy/a/deafliteracy.htm
Bella Online: What language should my deaf child learn? http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art67247.asp
The Listen-Up Web! Helpful Products to Know About http://www.listen-up.org/htm/products.htm
Hartford Books Examiner Interviews Danny the Dragon Author Tina Turbin
As if Tina Turbin, the multi-award-winning children’s author, wasn’t already overwhelmed with praise for the first book in her Danny the Dragon children’s series, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, she decided to release it as the first-ever children’s book app for the iPad and iPhone to have sign language interpretation. The author and her publicity team are now working hard to manage the soaring sales and intense interest the iPad app release has stirred up. Despite her busy schedule, Turbin was able to set aside some time to meet with the Hartford Books Examiner for a Q&A interview to talk about the latest Danny the Dragon news.
Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, the story of how Danny forms a special friendship with Jimmy and his family, is the recipient of a number of awards including the Purple Dragon Book Awards, Mom’s Choice Awards®, Indie Excellence® Awards, International Book Awards, and the list goes on. The book is celebrated for its pro-family values and lessons of mutual kindness.
Turbin had already stood out for her humanitarian work in various fields, including children’s literacy and education, women’s issues, health, and the gluten-free diet. Then she decided to do something that would set her entirely apart from other children’s authors—she created a Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy app for the iPhone and iPad. This wasn’t an ordinary children’s book app; it contained sign language interpretation for deaf children.
In her interview with the Hartford Books Examiner, Tina said she “wanted to reach out to children and families on an even broader scale, and having Danny the Dragon as the first-ever available iPad download with sign interpretation for the deaf and hearing impaired was a milestone.” Indeed, it was the first-ever app of its kind for the hearing-impaired community and was showcased by Apple on its featured apps page. Not surprisingly, the author has received much positive feedback for her innovative product.
In the interview, Turbin offered advice to other authors who are interested in making their own children’s title into an app. First she says, “Make sure that the company you connect up with is going to do your book justice. A lot of work goes into a book by any author and to have it put up as an app by some company who doesn’t know what they’re doing can only be a disservice.”
Turbin’s iPad app was produced by iStoryTime, the app developer for DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon. The author has nothing but praise to share in regard to her experiences working with iStorytime.
At the close of her interview, the author shares some advice for parents from her heart: “…allow for your child’s quality of imagination to remain as long as possible, because that’s where their dreams are made and they can form their future through their dreams.”
When asked if she has plans for future children’s books, and whether they’ll be made available as apps, the author exclaimed, “Absolutely!” In fact, the author is actively working on future books in her West Coast studio, balancing her writing schedule with research and book tours to bookstores, libraries, and other venues. Until Danny’s next adventure comes out, readers can purchase the iPad app through iTunes or through DannytheDragon.com, where Danny fans can keep up with their favorite dragon and sign up for the Danny newsletter.
Tina Turbin
Resources:
Hartford Books Examiner: Children’s Author Tina Turbin Brings ‘Danny the Dragon’ to iPhone and iPad (Q&A) http://tinyurl.com/6682tqf
Hartford Books Examiner: Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy by Tina Turbin (a book/DVD review) http://www.examiner.com/books-in-hartford/danny-the-dragon-meets-jimmy-by-tina-turbin-a-book-dvd-review
Danny the Dragon is Featured in Notable Children’s Market Blog
I knew when I decided to launch Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy as the first iPad/iPhone children’s book app to offer sign language interpretation that I should expect some media interest. However, nothing could prepare me for the attention that the Danny the Dragon app has stirred up! In fact, I’m honored to find my app was mentioned by Alice Pope in the esteemed SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Children’s Market Blog.
Alice Pope, former editor of the renowned Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market, blogs about the latest in the children’s market on her SCBWI Blog. On Fridays she shares the latest publishing news that caught her eye during the week with links to main articles. In her Friday column, “In the News This Week,” she featured the release of my Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy app with a link to the Ebook Newser Blog at MediaBistro.com: http://www.mediabistro.com/ebooknewser/istorytime-launches-story-app-for-deaf-children_b1479.
The launch of my iPad app has been a dream project from the very start. I had always wanted to do something special on behalf of hearing-impaired children and considered this the ideal opportunity to fulfill this promise I had made to myself after visiting a school for the deaf on my East Coast book tour. It was a pleasure working with iStoryTime, the app developer for DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon, who has created a high-quality product I can be proud of. The profits for my Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy app are being donated to support my favorite causes.
I’m happy to report that although I’ve been swamped with the media attention my app has generated, I’m still working on what I enjoy most—writing.
You can check out the story on Alice Pope’s blog yourself: http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2010/08/in-news-this-week.html.
Tina Turbin
k.m.
Danny the Dragon Recognized in the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
The multi-award-winning children’s author Tina Turbin has been recognized again for the first book of her children’s book series, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy. The illustrated children’s book, which is already the recipient of a number of awards, has been awarded in the Purple Dragon Book Awards.
The adventures of Danny the Dragon begin with Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy, the story of how Jimmy comes across Danny and his little travelling buddy, Skipper, on a family outing. The book has been acclaimed for its portrayal of family values and togetherness. The Mom’s Choice Awards®, according to its website, “recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services.” Not surprisingly, this program has selected Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy as an awards recipient.
The Annual Purple Dragonfly Book Awards announced its winners in Chandler, Arizona. It is one contest in a family of Five Star Dragonfly Book contests, such as the Green Dragonfly Book Awards, which honors books that raise awareness about the environment. The Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, which recognizes high-quality children’s literature, is highly competitive.
“Winning any place in the Purple Dragonfly Contest is a huge honor because in order to maintain the integrity of the Dragonfly Book Awards, a minimum score of 55 out of 80 must be earned for a place to be awarded to the entrant – even if it is the sole entry in a category,” explains Linda Radke, president of Five Star Publications, who sponsors the Dragonfly Book Awards. “Competition is steep, too, because there is no publication date limit as long as the book is still in print.”
“It’s such an honor to have been recognized by the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards,” Turbin said about the honor. “It’s so gratifying to see that Danny the Dragon has resonated so deeply among both children and adult readers.”
The announcement comes after Turbin launched an innovative application for deaf children with iStoryTime, the iPhone App Developer for DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon. The app features sign language interpretation for the first book in Turbin’s series, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy. The author, a renown humanitarian, is donating profits on behalf of literacy and other worthy causes.
Aside from her work as a children’s author, Turbin runs a non-profit gluten-free resource website, GlutenFreeHelp.info, which was selected as a finalist out of 6.7 million registered .info websites around the globe in the Best .Info Website Awards Program of 2010. Turbin suffered for years without an answer to her painful physical symptoms before finally, as the result of her own research, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune reaction caused by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Turbin created her website in an effort to raise awareness for the autoimmune disease and to help the gluten-free community deal with the challenges of gluten-free living. The Gluten Free Help Blog shares news, tips, recipes, and Turbin’s reviews of gluten-free books and products. The author’s other advocacy efforts include supporting children’s literacy and health, family issues, and the food allergy community.
As far as what’s next for the author, she says she’s excited to get back to work in her studio on her Danny the Dragon series. With her busy West Coast book tour wrapped up, however pleased she is with all her recognition for Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy and her gluten-free advocacy, Turbin says she wants nothing more than to do what she does best—write.
Kris Nickerson
Immunization and Children: A Look at Australia’s Ban on the Flu Vaccine in Small Children
In my work as a children’s author, researcher, and kids’ health advocate, I stay abreast of the latest health news in an effort to safeguard the health of children. In my research, I have come across alarming reports from Australia, regarding the health risk of the flu vaccine in children, the same vaccine we use in the U.S. Several startling symptoms have been reported in dozens of children, and the vaccine is now banned by Australian authorities for children under five. In the U.S., however, the vaccine is still being implemented.
According to WA Today, it was announced by the Commonwealth chief health officer, Professor Jim Bishop, that flu vaccinations in kids under five were banned in Australia after 23 children in Western Australia were admitted to hospitals due to convulsions after their injections. One of these children, a one-year-old, went into a coma. It turns out that more than 60 children reacted adversely to the vaccine, showing symptoms such as vomiting and febrile convulsions.
Child Health Associate Professor Peter Richmond of the University of Western Australia School of Pediatrics said that only Fluvax, produced by the largest biopharmaceutical company in Australia called CSL, was being used to vaccinate children in WA. Concerns have been raised regarding why it took two weeks of reports of adverse reactions to the vaccine in children before the ban was implemented. Professor Richmond stressed that the vast majority of children receiving Fluvax hadn’t reported such complications.
Despite the fact that the Commonwealth chief medical officer issued a warning to the country regarding the vaccine, the U.S. and U.K., which are using the same vaccine, haven’t suspended vaccinations. According to Natural News, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) “has insisted that all children in the USA — regardless of age — should now be injected with this very same flu vaccine,” according to Natural News.
What is responsible in the vaccine for these convulsions? There is a chemical called an “adjuvant,” a standard vaccine ingredient added in order to stimulate the immune system to respond to the weakened virus in the vaccine. According to Natural News, adjuvants are made up of a very inflammatory chemical that can cause brain tissue and nervous system damage, and researchers suspect that it can increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. According to Mike Adams, the editor of Natural News, “It is this adjuvant that most likely caused the convulsions in children.”
There’s no doubt that most parents have heard about the possible health risks associated with vaccinations. With an alarmingly high and growing number of autistic children in the U.S., the link between vaccines and the neurodevelopmental disorder is being examined by the medical community with more fervor than ever. The vaccine health emergency in West Australia is an important reminder to the U.S. that medical authorities may not be fully informed about the effects of vaccines and that the wide-scale immunization policy we apply in our country may perhaps not be the optimum for safeguarding the health of our children.
Along this line, it’s interesting that, while noting that even though it hadn’t been determined yet whether the flu vaccine itself was responsible for the convulsions in children, Dr. Richmond nevertheless recommended that people over the age of five in the meantime should still get vaccinated with it.
Natural News raises the question of whether immunization is necessary at all. The news website posted a series of graphs of incidence of children’s diseases, including whooping cough, diphtheria, measles, typhoid fever, and polio, which indicated that the rate of disease incidence was already following a declining trend before the vaccines were introduced.
In the end, it’s up to parents to make informed decisions regarding immunizing their children. Studies show that vitamin D and probiotics are effective in preventing the flu in children; these supplements aren’t embroiled in controversy nor are there any risks associated with them. By taking the time to inform ourselves as parents, speaking with qualified health care professionals, and examining the facts, we may be able to avoid putting our children in harm’s way before it’s too late. This is true in immunizations as well as many other aspects of your children’s health.
Tina Turbin
k.m.
Resources:
WA News: Flu vaccination ban goes national after fever, convulsions in children http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/flu-vaccination-ban-goes-national-after-fever-convulsions-in-children-20100423-tglp.html?from=age_ft
Natural News: Australia bans flu vaccines in children after vomiting, fevers, seizures http://www.naturalnews.com/029586_Australia_vaccines.html
Natural News: Probiotics Controls Colds and Flu http://www.naturalnews.com/027574_probiotics_colds.html
Nutra Ingredients: Vitamin D Shows Promise Against Seasonal Flu: Study http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Vitamin-D-shows-promise-against-seasonal-flu-Study
Chatting with the Hartford Books Examiner
It was a pleasure to be interviewed again by the Hartford Book Examiner. This was the third Q&A I’ve done so far with Mr. John Valeri since the release of Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy and the whirlwind that followed during my East Coast and West Coast book tours.
I can always count on insightful questions from the Hartford Books Examiner. In the latest interview, we talked about the release of my iPad and iPhone app for Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy. The app stands out for being the only children’s book app to have sign language interpretation.
Check out my interview below!
Children’s author Tina Turbin brings ‘Danny the Dragon’ to iPhone and iPad (Q&A)
In case you missed them, here are the past interviews:
“In conversation with children’s author & activist Tina Turbin” Part 1
“In conversation with children’s author & activist Tina Turbin” Part 2
Tina Turbin
k.m.