Valerie Hart sheds light on overcrowded animal shelters in new coloring book: Television show host teaches children about shelter animals in 'CaliClaus and the Christmas Contraption' MOUNT DORA, Fla. - Valerie Hart, author of "The New Tradition Cookbook" and "The Bounty of Central Florida," has been a community activist and food and travel journalist for 35 years. Her 10-year popular television show, "The Back of the House," featured chef-owners of independent restaurants in their kitchens. In her new coloring book, "CaliClaus and the Christmas Contraption: A magical cat finds homes for strays on Christmas Eve" (published by AuthorHouse), Hart's entertaining story of a magical cat and her team of pedigree felines, brings awareness to the plight facing animals in overcrowded shelters. CaliClaus has special plans for this Christmas. With her team of eight felines, she rescues 200 cats and six dozen kittens from a local shelter. The contraption they have built from wooden planks and pieces of a wire fence is just big enough to hold all the cats as well as the food and supplies they have stockpiled. They round up eight neighborhood dogs and attach them with ropes. Then she taps the dogs with her magical claw and, with a different member of her team riding on each of the dogs, they fasten their helmets and, with her in the lead on a "borrowed" Harley motorcycle, the contraption rises in the air to fly gifts of love to deserving homes. "The young reader - or listener - will be enthralled with this cat that performs magic and can fly followed by a bunch of dogs pulling her contraption over the rooftops on Christmas Eve," she says. "Perhaps the children will convince their parents to visit a shelter in their area to adopt a homeless animal." According to the Humane Society of the United States, about three to four million cats and dogs are euthanized each year because of overcrowded shelters. Hart hopes her book will not only be a fun read for children, but raise awareness to this issue and empower readers to adopt. She has dedicated this coloring book where children can color the illustrations to the animal shelters that do not euthanize cats and dogs, and to the many rescue groups who find homes for them. It is especially dedicated to her daughter, Katie, whose "Hart's Last Chance Ranch" gives new life to cats the local shelters cannot provide for. Hart invites readers to visit her at www.cookingandtips.com.

A Step 3 Step into Reading leveled reader based on Disney/Pixar’s Coco, coming to theaters fall 2017! Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael García Bernal), and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel’s family history. Directed by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist Monsters University), and produced by Darla K. Anderson (Toy Story 3), Disney/Pixar’s Coco opens in U.S. theaters on November 22, 2017. Children ages 4 to 6 will love this Step 3 Step into Reading leveled reader based on the film. Step 3 readers feature engaging characters in easy-to-follow plots about popular topics. For children who are ready to read on their own.

After he rolls in a bed of clover on St. Patrick's Day, Tucker the terrier's day goes from horrible to the luckiest day ever.

Witch Wun is disappointed because she is always told she is too little to take part in the Halloween plans of her older sister witches. While they are gone, preparing for their big night, she finds their secret recipes. Now she has the opportunity to toss special ingredients into their bubbling and boiling pot. She wants a broom and a big scary cat like her sisters have. What she gets is not what she expected. However, on Halloween night, it makes a lasting impression on the people of the valley.

Celebrate the uniqueness of each and every child, or monster, in this interactive board book that invites little hands to open flaps and explore touchable elements. 2018 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, 1st Place, Category: Special Needs/Disability Awareness 2018 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards, 2nd Place, Category: Charity/Making a Difference Look at the people all around you. No two people are the same! Some have freckles. Some wear glasses. Some may even use a wheelchair to get around. Join Elmo and his friends as they celebrate everyone's differences in this interactive book with flaps to lift and textures to feel on every page! Featuring the new character Julia!

Three Australian bush kids are alarmed by a plan the Welfare have for their future. By 'flying beneath the radar' of the authorities, they avoid being noticed as missing. On bicycles they explore the western outback of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia in search of a home where they can live together. Humorous, true to life incidents with plenty of ups and downs. FOR - Suit ages 7 to 70.Review: “I just want to say, this is one of the best stories, I have read in my whole life. I read the whole story, in one sitting, because I could not stop till it was over. I wish it could have gone on longer, but the ending was the best. It brought tears to my eyes, it made my heart fill with joy,. I give this book a AAA . ...I would like to say, “Thank You”, to the author & you can take me on another cross-country journey, anytime you want to. You have made it into my Hall of Fame!!! “

CaliClaus and the Christmas Contraption Heads the list of four delightful Christmas stories MOUNT DORA, Fla. Valerie Hart, author of The New Tradition Cookbook and The Bounty of Central Florida, Her new book for children and adults incorporates four delightful Christmas stories, with the title, CaliClaus and the Christmas Contraption (published by AuthorHouse). Harts entertaining story of a magical cat and her team of pedigree felines centers on the plight facing animals in overcrowded shelters. With her team of eight felines, she rescues two hundred cats and six dozen kittens from a local shelter. The contraption they have built from wooden planks and pieces of a wire fence is just big enough to hold all the cats as well as the food and supplies they have stockpiled. They round up eight neighborhood dogs and attach them with ropes. Then she taps the dogs with her magical claw and, with a different member of her team riding on each of the dogs, they fasten their helmets and, with her in the lead on a borrowed Harley motorcycle, the contraption rises in the air to fly gifts of love to deserving homes. The reader or listener (age 8 and older) will be enthralled with this cat that performs magic and can fly followed by a bunch of dogs pulling her contraption over the rooftops on Christmas Eve, she says. Perhaps the children will convince their parents to visit a shelter in their area to adopt a homeless animal. The second story, Peter Penguin Goes Home is equally delightful and light-hearted. Mollie and Maxie Mouse, Chuckie Chipmunk, Bubba Bunny Rabbit, and Robbie Raccoon find Santa on Christmas Eve to return Peter Penguin who has been with them since he sneaked into Santas sleigh last Christmas and got lost. Joeys Duck is a story about a boy who takes and returns - a toy duck from his neighbors bicycle basket. And, Sakies Adventure in Wonderland is a feline spoof on Lewis Carrolls Through the Looking Glass. All four stories are illustrated in color. Hart invites readers to visit her at www.cookingandtips.com.

Photos filled with the forlorn faces of hungry and impoverished Americans that came to characterize the desolation of the Great Depression are among the best known artworks of the twentieth century. Captured by the camera's eye, these stark depictions of suffering became iconic markers of a formative period in U.S. history. Although there has been an ample amount of critical inquiry on Depression-era photographs, the bulk of scholarship treats them as isolated art objects. And yet they were often joined together with evocative writing in a genre that flourished amid the period, the documentary book. American Modernism and Depression Documentary looks at the tradition of the hybrid, verbal-visual texts that flourished during a time when U.S. citizens were becoming increasingly conscious of the life of a larger nation. Jeff Allred draws on a range of seminal works to illustrate the convergence of modernism and documentary, two forms often regarded as unrelated. Whereas critics routinely look to James Agee and Walker Evans' Let Us Now Praise Famous Men as the sole instance of the modernist documentary book, Allred turns to such works as Richard Wright's scathing 12 Million Black Voices, and the oft-neglected You Have Seen Their Faces by Erskine Caldwell and Margaret Bourke-White to open up the critical playing field. And rather than focusing on the ethos of Progressivism and/or the politics and aesthetics of the New Deal, Allred emphasizes the centrality of Life magazine to the consolidation of a novel cultural form.

A coming-of-age story of a young white girl who discovers racism and betrayal as she tries to unravel the truth about her parents’ deaths and escape the town that lied to her. "Fly Like a Bird presents plot and subplot lines compelling enough to keep the reader turning the pages, and heart racing at times. . . Those who populate the story are colorful, loving, hateful, sad, evil, heroic and courageous, but never stereotypical . . ." - Verified Reviewer Ivy, a young girl growing up in a small town in the 70s where everyone knows everything, discovers her family and the people in her town are keeping secrets about the night a car crash killed her parents. The secrets she uncovers and her efforts to leave the town that lied to her, force Ivy to confront betrayal, death, racism, and the meaning of family. "I actually lived this book. Took me 8 hours to read it. Couldn't put it down. I'd recommend it to everyone. It doesn't matter where you were born and raised, home is really where your family lives, related or not." - Verified reviewer. "This was a great read! The author really dived deep into topics of racism, domestic violence, sexuality and the impact of family secrets via a young girl that loses her parents. This was well written and an enjoyalbe read - Goodreads review. ". . . I am pleased to recommend this noir-style Iowa historical to friends and family. It is an interesting read, telling tales of what it takes to make-or-break a family . . ." - Bonnye, Netgalley and Goodreads reviews ". . . I really connected with this book. I found it hard to put down. It resolved too quickly and perfectly in my opionion, and that felt rushed. . . I would have liked a cliff hanger and a follow up book . . . it was THAT enjoyable. I will definitely read more from this author and would recommend this book highly." - Colleen - NetGalley review "I love family stories, especially about grandparents. And this is a good one. Ivy has lived with her grandmother for as long as she can remember, ever since her parents were tragically killed. Theirs is a small town in the 70s, rife with racism and prejudice and suspicion and secrets. Seems like everyone knows those secrets except for Ivy. The older she gets, the more driven she becomes to find out the truth about what really happened that night so very long ago." - Shawna - NetGalley review