Bentley and the Magic Sticks by Claire Eckard

 

Join us for this tour from June 21 to July 16, 2021!

Book Details: 

 Book Title:  Bentley and the Magic Sticks by Claire Eckard

Category:  Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7),  38 pages 

Genre:  Children's Picture Book 

Publisher:  Mill City Press, Inc 

Release date:   April 2021 

Content Rating:  G for everyone.

Book Description: Bentley and the Magic Sticks follows this extra-large canine as he finds out that his favorite sticks have magical powers, thanks to a wonderful Fairy Dogmother called Tia! Because other dogs are afraid of his large size Bentley has no one to play with. However, with his magic sticks he manages to make new friends and he also discovers the special secret of why he is so big.

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS BOOK 

I have always loved the name Bentley for a dog so I was especially excited when I was able to read and review this amazing book about a big dog named Bentley. He is such an adorable dog, but lonely because he is so big. But his human loved him. And Bentley loved to collect Sticks. And the Sticks is the amazing thing in this story for Bentley. They are so very special to Bentley and he is no longer lonely.  But, in order to find out about Bentley's special sticks,  you will have to read the story to find out why he likes them so much. Claire Eckard does an awesome job writing this story, it is one children are not to forget. Every child loves dogs and can learn from them, just as the valuable lessons in this book. I love Bentley and his human. Bentley is so adorable even though he is so big. It makes you want to give him a big Ole hug looking at his pictures. And the illustrations by Anne York are just as awesome. I love the cover of the book and each page in-between. The colors are so bright and vibrant and the pictures are adorable and fit with the story perfectly. The pictures do an awesome job of bringing this story live before your eyes. Claire Eckard and  Anne York are the perfect duo to write and create this precious little book. I believe this book would be a wonderful addition to any library, home libraries as well as school classes and libraries. This is one book that will stay with your child for a while. This one is Five Stars for me! A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ B&N ~ IndieBound add to goodreads add to bookbub

Now join me in this very interesting interview with author Claire Eckard

What inspired you to write Bentley and the Magic Sticks? In December of 2019 I adopted the biggest, shaggiest dog you can ever imagine from The Humane Society of Yuma. He was underfed, his coat was dull, and he flinched when you went to pet him. He had obviously had a rough life, even though he was only around two years old. As a long-time volunteer and former Board President I know a lot about what some of these animals have been through prior to finding their forever homes. Watching Bentley thrive, and grow into the healthy, fun-loving family member he became inspired me to put pen to paper to honor this dog that remained so kind, despite everything he must have been through. Where did you find your illustrator, Anne York? She did such a fantastic job! Yes! She did an amazing job. Everyone raves about her illustrations! Luckily, I knew Anne before I became an author because we both own horses and enjoy the sport of endurance riding (where you ride horses cross-country for distances of 25 to 100 miles in one day.) Anne is also an amazing artist in other ways and so it was a natural fit that I should ask her to do the illustrations for me. Even though I knew how talented she was she still blew me away with what she did for this book. What time of day do you write? I tend to write early in the mornings. Really early! I get up around 4.30am and try to get a few hours done before my day begins to get crazy. If I do anything later in the day it’s not usually new material, but I often review and rewrite/revise what I wrote earlier. How many animals do you have? Oh my Gosh! Quite a list! I have 3 dogs, 10 horses, and a miniature mule! Have any of those animals featured in your books, other than Bentley? Yes! One of my horses, Flash, is featured in a book series I have coming out later this year called Gallant: The Call of the Trails. He’s the bad guy, which I feel a little bad about as he’s really very sweet! Most of the dogs in the Bentley book are dogs I know. Rex and Freddie belong to my son and daughter-in-law, Zeus belongs to my other son, and Stetson belongs to a neighbor. The Fairy Dogmother, Tia, belongs to my stepmother in England! The only dog we made up was Rachel, the pink poodle! Finally, what has excited you most about writing Bentley and the Magic Sticks? I have absolutely loved seeing the children’s faces when we do book readings at schools and camps. They always have some good questions afterward as well! And then being a Mom’s Choice Award Winner and getting five-star reviews from Readers Favorite has been such an honor! I’m thoroughly enjoying the life of an author!

Meet the Author: Claire Eckard is an animal lover and believes in volunteering to give back to her community, especially to the homeless animals that need to find their forever homes. Her animals often inspire her writing, weaving their way into the stories that she writes, blending reality and fiction to entertain, teach, enlighten, and share the joy that animals bring to our lives! Claire is an author, poet, songwriter, wife, mother and grandmother! She lives in Arizona, splitting her time between her home in Yuma, Arizona and her ranch in the mountains of Prescott. Claire has three dogs, eight horses, and a miniature mule! connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~instagram ~ goodreads ~ bookbub

 

Tour Schedule: June 21 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway June 22 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / author interview / giveaway June 23 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway June 23 - @twilight_reader – book review June 24 – A Mama's Corner of the World – book review / giveaway June 25 – Writer with Wanderlust – book review / guest post / giveaway June 28 – The Bespectacled Mother – book spotlight June 29 – Lisa Everyday Reads – book spotlight / guest post June 30 – Laura's Interests – book review / guest post / giveaway June 30 - Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway July 1 – icefairy's Treasure Chest – book review / giveaway July 2 – Cheryl's Book Nook – book review / giveaway July 6 – Pick a Good Book – book review / author interview / giveaway July 7 – Reading is My Passion – book review July 8 – Pause for Tales – book review / giveaway July 8 - Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / author interview / giveaway July 9 – Lisa's Reading – book spotlight / author interview July 12 – Bound 4 Escape – book review / giveaway July 13 – Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting – book review / author interview / giveaway July 14 – Sandra's Book Club – book review July 15 – Splashes of Joy – book review / author interview / giveaway July 16 – Kam's Place – book review

Enter the Giveaway:  Bentley and the Magic Sticks Book Tour Giveaway

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