Baby Boomer Cat Michaels Releases New Children’s Book

One fun thing about blogging is the awesome people you meet along the way. I connected with fellow baby boomer and children’s author, Cat Michaels, on LinkedIn and we’ve been cyber buddies ever since.

I love her story. Cat earned her master’s degree in special education and went on to support students with learning disabilities and Asperger’s Syndrome from kindergarten to college for more than two decades. Living in lovely North Carolina, she now uses her knowledge and skills to write chapter books for early and reluctant readers. Her books encourage children to use their imagination and solve kid-sized dilemmas with a twist of magic and mischief.

In a future blog, I’ll be interviewing Cat about living out her dreams as a children’s author later in life.

For now, I’m so excited to announce the release of her latest book, Sweet T and the Turtle Team, this month. If you have grandchildren, this delightful book is aimed at children ages 6 to 11. The book is available for pre-order now.

Sweet T and the Turtle Team is the third book of the Sweet T Tale Series. With a glossary, comprehension quiz, sea turtle hatch photo gallery, and discussion questions, the book delivers a powerful message about protecting marine life while helping readers empathize with children who struggle to read.

In celebration of the release of this book written by Cat and beautifully illustrated by Irene A. Johns, I am pleased to be part of a blog tour coordinated by BeachBoundBooks. The tour runs from July 12 to August 9, 2017.

Curious for a glimpse of the book? Here’s a quick summary and a peek inside:

It’s nesting season for loggerhead sea turtles on North Carolina’s Gull Island. Nine-year-old Tara (or Sweet T as her family calls her) is determined to see hatchlings make it safely from their nests to their ocean home.

Summering on Gull Island with Great Aunt Mae could be tons of fun, but T is having a hard time making new friends, let alone finding kids to help monitor a sea turtle nest. A lonely Tara finally befriends Billy, a moody island child with a secret, but he stomps away when she asks him to join her in saving baby sea turtles.

When a tropical storm threatens the island, just as the sea turtle nest is ready to hatch, T is forced to abandon the nest and seek shelter.

Will Sweet T stay safe in the storm? Will the sea turtles survive the angry ocean waves? And what’s up with Billy anyway? Will he ever reveal his secret? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

I was pleased to be sent a review copy of Cat’s book. A story about saving sea turtles caught my eye right away since I’ve scuba dived with these magical creatures and immediately fell in love with them.

When you add in the combination of a tranquil island setting, the gentle message about empathy and compassion, all the enchanting illustrations, along with the clever inclusion of modern technology such as texting and iPads that kids will relate to – I was an instant fan.

The book will be released tomorrow, July 21, 2017, and is available today for pre-order at Amazon or iTunes. You can visit Cat’s blog to learn more about her and other books she has published.