MrsK Books: Heave Ho! by Jose Lucio

Friday, March 6, 2015

Heave Ho! by Jose Lucio

ISBN: 9780990890508

Book Synopsis:

Heave Ho! is a children's book about teamwork and outside-the-box thinking. When a cheerful little worm pops his head up above ground, he is surprised and grabbed by a hungry bird. The worm must get help from his other worm friends, but the bird has help too...which leads to an intense tug-of-war battle. The battle goes on until the worms are losing ground no matter how hard they try, which leads one worm to come up with a new idea!

MrsK's Review:
Such a delightful tale. Reminiscent of the Russian folktale, The Turnip, this story is about a happy little worm traveling outside its tunnel to play. Remember the saying, "An early bird gets the worm," which I don't believe anyone bothered to tell the little worm, well let's just say that there is a curious black bird looking for something good to eat. As that black bird nabs our happy little worm... let's just say it will take a bit of ingenuity to end this "tug-of-war."

On the black bird's team is a cat (obviously stalking the bird), and a dog (I'm rather sure had no intention of looking for any worms). On the happy little worm's team are four friends. No matter how much each side "Heave-Ho's" Who do you think will win?

Amongst giggles and gasps. With story-time shouts of "Heave-Ho!" Our Library friends put everything they had in to helping the not-so-happy little worm. With the last great bit of heroism... all of our story helpers were rolling on the ground in joy and laughter.

With a collage technique, this tale brings an irresistible invite to young audiences. They simply have to hold it, they must "yell" those words of encouragement, and they eagerly claim it as their book of choice to take home and read it again.

This happy little worm has more than a few "play" friends,
Enjoy this delightful read aloud... over... and over... again,
MrsK

So enjoyable!
A must add to every Library Collection!

Meet the Author:

Jose Lucio is an Illustrator living in beautiful Savannah, GA. You can catch him in his personal studio working on freelance projects, or just down the street at the Scribble Art Studio, where he works as an instructor.

"I received this book for free for this review."

Interview with Jose Lucio: January 31, 2015 - 12:13am: by Anne Hart

What do you hope children will take away from “Heave Ho!”?
“I hope, first and foremost, that children get a sense of enjoyment from the book. Any deeper messages there waiting for them will be lost if they aren’t initially captivated. That’s the great thing about kids, they’re really honest; if they don’t like it, they’ll let you know.”
What are the advantages of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing?
“I can’t really speak for traditional publishing since I haven’t been directly associated with it. But surely the No. 1 advantage to self-publishing is complete creative control. I’ve worked on a lot of creative projects before “Heave Ho!” I’ve always just done them because they were something that I was interested in and wanted to do. I didn’t have to wait for someone to give me the go ahead or help me along. But for some reason with this project I got hung up on trying to get published for a long time. Because of the publishing dilemma, I had been sitting on the book for years. I would always tell people about it and address it as a ‘one of these days’ sort of thing. After long enough of that, I asked myself ‘Why am I approaching this any different than the other projects I work on?’ That’s when I went forward with the self-publishing.”
What advice do you have for people who have ideas for a children’s book but are intimidated by the writing/publishing process?
“Talk to everyone about it. This helps in so many ways. It helps to iron out any ideas you’re working on, and it helps to find leads on what to do next. You never know, maybe someone you know has a cousin who ‘knows a guy’ in the field.”
Which was the most challenging part of the book process - illustrating, writing, publishing or promoting?
“The marketing. I’m still figuring it out every day. It’s all the cold-calling or should I say cold-emailing that can be tricky for me. I’m definitely not a salesman, but luckily I think the book speaks for itself. That’s why book festivals and readings have been the best avenue for me. It’s a matter of the physical book being there in front of them, instead of trying to get someone to click a link from an email of someone they don’t know.”
What is the most rewarding part?
“Seeing and hearing how the kids really enjoy the book. At readings, the kids love shouting out ‘Heave Ho!’ as another worm comes to help out the worm buddies. They also get excited when they pick up on the foreshadowing elements in the illustrations, which are in many of the pages.
“One of my 5-year-old students at Scribble Art Studio got the book for Christmas. When she came back to class, she was quoting the book to the other kids, which of course made me incredibly proud and overjoyed. Moments like that are priceless for me, because those kids don’t know the difference between self-publishing and the major publishing houses. To them, my book has just as much a chance as the other books on the shelf.”
Any plans for future books?
“There are definitely plans for more books in the future. When I established myself as a self-publisher, I did it in a manner that would secure spots for more books under my publishing house Annelidical Books. Get it? I have one in the works now about a group of chickens making the transition from caged to free-range, and all the scariness that the unknown brings with it. I’ve also been thinking about a counting book with our wormy friends from ‘Heave Ho!’”

No comments:

MrsK's Reading Bio

Reading is important! No questions asked, not even a blink of the eye from any student I grew up with. On the first day of the First grade, we were given our first books. Day two we all read aloud, round robin of course. Day three we were place in our first basal, now known as a lit circle group. Books were so important, publishers designed new curriculum so that every student was reading by the end of the first week. These early readers had images that looked like what we could see in the classroom, beyond the classroom, even on the big screen. Reading is important, throughout history every generation has believed that “Reading” opens up the world for endless possibilities.

I adore the 1950’s Dick and Jane books. Actually, most reading specialists and experienced (45+) educators believe that every student learned to read with Dick and Jane. Since these books are being re-issued, I have heard many parents, grandparents, and students claim that Dick and Jane stories of repetition does teach students to read.

Early influences from my mother influenced my desire to read. I would watch her read and we would go on “secret” excursions to the library. The library became my playground. I owned every book I could carry home, of course they needed to be taken back to their home after visiting with me for a week or two. My first book that I could pull off of the library shelf and read was, Father Bear Comes Home. I only saw my dad on Sundays for a few hours. I would pull this beginning reader off of the library shelf every week. Every week I would try to read the first chapter. Every week I got further in the story. My mom would let me check it out, only if I could read it myself (She didn’t like the illustrations therefore she didn’t want to take time to read it to me). One day, I pulled the book from the shelf and when mom came to get me from the children’s corner, I realized that I had read the whole story. I ran to the check out desk and the Librarian KERCHUNKED the checkout card. My mother, brother and neighbors read. My teachers read. We all read aloud all day long in school. The Priest read aloud every day at mass, even in Latin. Everybody in the Doctor’s office read. People on the bus read. Dad’s waiting in their cars as the Mom’s and children grocery shopped, read. In fact, once you could read and write, Sunset Magazine considered you a reader and sent you mail every day.

Reading is important; I’ve spent my life reading. I’ve traveled around the world and into space through books. My favorite genre is whichever book I have open at the time. Children’s Literature is my passion. Book clubbing is one of the best past times, especially if food is involved. In fact my friends of old are in a book club and we are about to embark on a beach trip to “read” and discuss our newest selection.

My “home-run” book story has helped every student find his or her own “home-run” reads. Every year, I have shared my, Father Bear Comes Home, and every year my students have brought in their “home-run” books. That’s the “diving board” into our Lit. Studies.

In “Growing Up Digital,” Tapscott’s insights into the new generations enthusiasm for the Net reminded me of my generation’s enthusiasm for reading, movies, TV, parties and our driving permits. The Net-Generation, as Tapscott describes, “are learning, playing, communicating, working, creating communities, and enforcing a social transformation.”
N-Geners are interactive “techies” who are always looking for a way to “work it” verses the TV Generation of “Baby Boomers” who started out looking for “how it works.” Reading development is tougher today, society moves too fast to invest their “non-working” free time into a book or even “home work.” Since I stepped into my own classroom, I have seen students being told to read, being forced to read, and threatened into reading. Homework is not any longer the vehicle for students to gain their future lifestyles or careers with. Yet, the Internet does create an enthusiasm for learning. Since I have been enrolled in these courses, I have used the computers in every subject. My students are using the newest technology in the classroom because I am giving them investigative sites to use as they learn from each other and books. I agree with Tapscott, in order to bridge the gap with this up and coming generation we must “live and learn with them.”

FTC Required Disclaimer: I receive these books from the publishers. I did not receive monetary compensation for these reviews. These reviews have been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)