More than ever kids love cats but it’s up to adults to teach kids about cats. The easiest and most fun way to learn is by reading books with kids and casual chatting while doing crafts. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Helene Sola, the author of a meowvelous new children’s book Loo Loo and the Fabulous Marvelous Rexxaroo. There are two optional craft kits available and I fell in love with all of them. Everything is beautifully designed and packaged.
Our feline book reviewer Merlin agreed with the sunny colors and message about a girl who overcomes her shyness with the help of a feline friend.
Helene is a Registered Nurse specializing in Neonatal Intensive Care and teaches clinical Pediatric Nursing. She shares her Hudson Valley home with her husband, two children, one dog and three cats.
Author Q & A With Helene Sola
LMW: Rexxaroo, the character in your book is inspired by a real cat. What
can you tell us about him and how this project came about?
HS: Rexxaroo is a real cat, he is a beautiful orange, white and cream
swirly tiger. I adopted him as a kitten 3 years ago from the Mid Hudson
Animal Aid shelter in Beacon, NY.
He developed an intestinal illness two days after we brought him home; he was quite sick and dehydrated, the vet did not think he would survive. He
was one of a large litter found in a barn and brought to the MHAA, he
is the only survivor of that litter. My husband and I gave him IV
fluids at home and syringe fed him bits of kitten milk and rice…it was
a slow recovery but needless to say he survived! I have had many cats
in the past but Rexxaroo is the most special. He is the most loving
cat. He kisses me good morning and good night and follows me wherever
I go, even into the closet to pick out my morning clothes.
The project came to be: I always wanted to write a children’s book; my
husband always says”do what you love and success will follow”. When I
was thinking of a subject for my book, I immediately thought of Rexxy.
LMW: What is the core message or take away you’d like readers to
experience?
HS: Children can benefit greatly from the bond between cat and child. Pets
teach children how to love and care for another living creature. They
teach them responsibility; they offer companionship, friendship and
love. Shelter cats in particular: children can see that helping a cat
that was lost or does not have a home…and giving that that a home and
love will bring them a sense of pride and this “feel good” deed will
lift their spirits and give a sense of self worth.
LMW: Tell us about the shelter outreach work you do with your book.
HS: I launched my book on December 6th as a fundraiser for the MHAA, the
shelter where I adopted Rexxy. I donate a portion of book and craft
sales to the shelter; I also reached out to local merchants for gift
cards, restaurant certificates etc and created beautiful gift baskets
worth $200-$300 that were raffled at the event. Artists and a local
jeweler donated pieces that were also won that evening. We raised $1000
in a little over 2 hours!!!
I am interested in doing other book reading/signing/craft events for
animal rescue organizations. I also plan to connect w/ the March of
Dimes to raise money for the fight against premature birth. I am hoping
to help organize a community event for children and perhaps involve
other authors as well.
LMW: There are two really cute optional Rexxaroo craft kits available. How do they tie in with the book?
HS: The crafts came about after the manuscript was written. I thought
about how cute it would be for a child to have their own Rexxaroo which
was made from a pair of socks…(Rexxaroo appeared in the book when Loo
Loo put on a pair of orange swirly socks she found amongst her things).
I developed the “Sew Your Own Rexxaroo Sock Cat Kit” for parents to be
able to create this for their child; a good parent/child bonding
project.
Then I thought, when I was a kid I loved to do crafts. I developed the
“Sew Your Own Rexxaroo Felt Cat Kit” for children to be able to
complete w/ minimal or no assistance from an adult (depending on the
age). The felt has pre-punched holes, it includes a plastic safety
needle. I grew up making crafts like this; I thought it was more
special than just producing a custom Rexxaroo plush toy.
LMW: The book is beautifully produced and printed in the U.S. What
motivated you to choose the costlier route instead of the common cheaper
version printed in China?
HS: I was referred to a “hybrid publisher” to help me produce and publish
the book. The company is Book Bridge Press, located in Minnesota. They
were connected to a printer that they were accustomed to working with,
they assured me the book would be high quality. It is my understanding
that paper and ink products for books printed in China emit an odor. I
did not want to chance exposing children to harmful odors or chemicals
for the sake of saving money on the project; the difference in pricing
was significant but I felt it was not an option.
Visit the fun Rexxaroo website at Rexxaroo.com or like Rexxaroo on Facebook
Merlin gives his highest rating of 4 paws.
Win a prize pack of:
- 1 autographed copy of Loo Loo and the Fabulous Marvelous Rexxaroo
- 1 Rexxaroo felt cat craft kit
- 1 Rexxaroo sock cat craft kit
To enter to win simply leave a comment any time before midnight PST January 19, 2013. The winner will be announced next Sunday. Good luck!
Last week’s giveaway winners.
1) The winner of Compositions in Green and Black is Jaetta Hall
2) The winner of Cooking With Cookie is Heather C.
Congratulations! Look for an email from Layla and Cat Wisdom 101.
These are wonderful craft kits with an endearing story behind them. I would love to send one to my human niece! Thank mew for the chance!
Oh Good Luck!
Boy would my babies love to win this one. We all have the Winter blues and would love this giveaway. Thank you for the giveaway.
6629 facebook hack rar [link=http://bestfacebookhack.com/]facebook hack for android[/link] facebook hack tricks sandfilteranlage r��ckschlagventil [link=http://sandfilter.tumblr.com]sandfilteranlage[/link] sandfilteranlage top 300 [link=http://cashadvanceace.com/]easiest online cash advance[/link] online cash advance oregon
Ginger cats are the best! This looks like a great prize pack.
Yes! I agree, Gingers Rule
What a fantastic idea! I am currently “mom” to nine rescues and have placed many more in the past.
Wow Holly!!
What a fantastic Idea. I am “mom” to nine rescues right now and have had and helped many more.
Absolutely wonderful idea! I have three cats and two little girls, so there would be much enjoyment all the way around if we won this prize pack.
Good luck! Check out http://www.rexxaroo.com if you don’t, we have a special offer right now of a “Free” kit with book purchase.
Would love to win this contest but since I won last week I won’t be greedy.
I was wondering though what the age range for the book and the child’s felt Rexxaroo craft kit would be good for. I have lots of children in my family of various ages and think this might make a great gift!
Hi Heather!
The felt kit is for all children, they can do it themselves at about age 6-7, the younger ones need a bit of help. They learn the art of sewing with a plastic safety needle, there are two stitches involved…both simple. We are offering a “free” felt kit with a book order (one per order) on the website http://www.rexxaroo.com…pass that along!
Thanks and have a great day-Meow-
We can’t imagine raising children without animals around! Thanks for using a domestic printer, too. Our mom works at a printing company (she’s one of their estimators) and the industry has really suffered for the last decade or so. So many printers have gone out of business!
Oui Oui recently posted…MICA MINNIE MOO MONDAY
Thank you for checking in!
This sounds like a wonderful book! We don’t have any children here, but we have friends who do. We know they’d LOVE Rexxaroo.
meowmeowmans recently posted…What the Mom and Dad did in NYC!
Hi Meow Man,
I get a lot of orders from people who give Rexxaroo as a “welcome to the world” gift to new parents.
What an awesome book and craft! I love that Helene Sola is using a US printer and contributing to a shelter with a portion of the proceeds!
Rock on!
Nellie’s Mom
Penelope recently posted…Black and White #1
Thank you Penelope!
What an awesome idea to incorporate crafts – kids read, learn and participate. Coool!
Hi There,
Kids love to create things, I developed the kit from the things I loved as a child, much fun!
Greatly recommend! I gave this book to children this Christmas and they loved it! I kept a copy for myself as well!
Thank You Domenica!
That looks like a really cute book, and what a great giveaway!
Julia Williams recently posted…Have You Ever Fallen in Love with a Pet at First Sight?
What a wonderful idea, including the craft projects! And I fully agree with printing and manufacturing here in the US with a network of vendors. Good luck!
Bernadette recently posted…Daily Photo: Five Blue Cats
Sounds so interesting! My daughter adores crafts and of course loves cats (namely “her” cats) so this sounds like a lot of fun!
Katie and Coccolino the mini pig recently posted…Sunday Spotlight
[url=http://buypheromones.webs.com/]pheromones work[/url] pheromones on humans dsw7vldd, [url=http://usepheromones.webs.com/]pheromonoes[/url] ozga3vl5lubypeu, 2727 pheromones psychology definition [url=http://pheromone101.webs.com/]pheromones kuwait[/url]
love the craft idea, have to get them for my kids
They will love them Karen!
The children’s section of our public library would love the book and my cats would love the toys – they will probably help make them!
Oh Hi! Check out my book and let us know what you think!
If anyone is having an tech issue leaving a comment, please sent it to info@catwisdom101.com
Sounds like a great read! Wish I was eight again!
I’m with Merlin… Thumbs up!
YAY!
Spread the word about Rexxaroo and the fabulous marvelous work he does with his book!
I am so thankful for children’s books about cats. Adding the crafts is a bonus. Thanks for sharing about this wonderful book.
Oh this just looks so adorable! I have an 8 year old daughter who would probably just love this!
Ann Paws recently posted…Finn McCool the Magic Leprechaun Cat: Author of Irish Holiday Fairy Tales
8 years is the perfect age for RexxaRoo!
Concats to Jaetta and Heather!
Rexxaroo sounds so fantastic! The craft kits are so nice to tie it all together.Thanks to Helene for all the wonderful work she is doing and for offering the great prizes! Luvs Skeeter and Izzy >^@@^<
Oh Thank you!
Check out Rexxaroo and share with your friends!
“LIKE” his page on Facebook too!
These are so cool & Rexxaroo sounds like a great kitty to share with my 6 year old & 2 year old grandsons! He’s quite a kitty & the book/crafts are things I’ll order for the boys any way! Thanks for sharing!
^.^< <3
Lisa Anne, Yin, Wrath, Kherridwen & Morgaine La Fey
Oh Hi!
Thank you, Rexxaroo Rules, yes..please share the information with your friends too!
A lot of positive feedback coming in from recent school/author visits and trade shows!
What a marvellous idea! Just today I had 2 of my grandchildren over and was showing them how to tell if a cat was upset or not by looking at their tails & ears, etc. They are 6 & 8 years old, and love to read & do crafts. I would so love to win this so I could share it with them!! Thank you!
Good Luck!
If you don’t win, please order a book and craft online at http://www.rexxaroo.com
The kids will love it!