Sherrill’s Blogs

This is my page for blogs – actually more like descriptions of my books – which I will add to at the beginning of this page whenever I have something new to post (so for previous blogs, keep reading!)

Poems of Love and Loss…
Feelings Into Words

Have you ever loved, been loved, been confused about love, or suffered from loss of love? All these feelings have been captured and shared in the words of heartfelt poems, compiled over many years by a former teacher and award-winning author. Sherrill S. Cannon now shares her thoughts in this book of feelings. “As a teacher, I used poetry to help counsel many troubled teens and friends, and have continued this pattern throughout the years.” There are three sections in her book: Heads, Spinning, and Tails … (Love & Loss: Coin Toss?). The variety of lyrical poetry forms include free verse, blank verse, haiku, and sonnets. Some poems are simply playing with words.

My Little Angel – Please share a day in the life of a little girl, while her guardian angel Angela sits on her shoulder and keeps her safe and guides her throughout her various activities throughout her day.

 

Treat Others the Way You’d Like to be Treated

The Golden Rule – What if you treated others the way you’d like to be treated?  What if everyone did that?  What kind of world could there be? What is this “Golden Rule”, and what does it mean?  Please join in the children’s quest to discover how to follow The Golden Rule and meet many of the classroom friends from previous books!

 

Mice & Spiders & Webs…Oh My! illustrates the importance of being a good listener. It also is a cute introduction to basic computer terms. Rosemary is worried about returning to school, after her teacher has warned the class that they would soon have some mice, spiders and webs in the classroom. Could Rosemary have misunderstood something?

 

Winner of 7 Awards!

My Fingerpaint Masterpiece is a little different from the others, since it deals with perception and perspective as well as self-esteem.  It also includes many characters from my other books, but they are mainly on-lookers as well.  The story is told from the point of view of a child (whether boy or girl is left up to the reader) and all the illustrations are what the child sees.  My illustrator, Kalpart, has created this artwork “masterpiece”, where readers can try to determine what they see in the painting, and whether or not they agree with the official judges.  The entire story is about perspective…which is a wonderful trait to develop when dealing with life!  There are several questions for the reader at the back of the book and I have enjoyed hearing from many of the readers.  Please let me hear from you!  (sherrillcannon@aol.com)

 

Winner of 7 Awards

Manner-Man  includes many of the characters from my previous books: James (who used to be called Jimmy) from Gimme-Jimmy and Elisabeth from The Magic Word.  (Peter and the Whimper-Whineys is also included, as part of an illustration.  Please see if you can find it!)

My youngest grandson asked me to write a story of a Superhero, so Manner-Man came to be!!  It seemed to be a good time to reinforce the lessons of the previous books, and attempt to help children realize that the best way to stop bullying is to stand up for the children being bullied!  Teamwork is what it takes, and I hope to get many more children joining the Manner-Man Team!  Please let me know if you know someone who would like to be a member, and I will send you a sticker!!

 

Winner of 5 Awards

Gimme-Jimmy came about because I loved the rhyming of the title!  I also had experienced the “gimme” stage with my own children, so I decided a book about how a bully learns to share would fit in well with my previously published books.  It was fun in this one to create a “cameo” appearance with Elisabeth from The Magic Word, as well as to incorporate the covers from my other books within the pages of this one – and then ask my readers to find them.  (I will continue doing this in my next book, scheduled for a 2013 release, along with some other ideas.  More about this later!!)

Previous Entries:

This is how this page ended before: ” Stay tuned for the story of how Santa’s Birthday Gift came to be!”  So here is the story:

When my granddaughter was 3 years old, I read her the story of the Nativity.  When I finished, she looked at me and asked, “But where”s Santa?”  That night, the entire story came to me in a dream – and when I sat down to write it, the words just flowed…with ideas I had not even thought about before!  How do reindeer fly, why does Santa wear a red suit, where do all the presents come from?  I know that God blessed me by allowing me to write this story – and I hope that its message will be shared with as many children as possible.  Santa’s Birthday Gift to Jesus was his promise to bring presents at Christmastime each year, to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.  “He remembers his promise in a wonderful way…He brings Christmas gifts for the Christ Child’s birthday.”

I am using this page of my website as a Blog page. This blog is an attempt to explain a little more completely the underlying purpose of my books.  As a former teacher and grandmother of nine, I feel it’s important to learn good manners early.  (I guess once a teacher, always a teacher.)  All of my books strive to teach good behavior, disguised as fun stories. In a society full of bullying and self-centered children, it is helpful to teach your children the benefits of consideration for others and being polite.

Emphasizing good manners as well as the Golden Rule is what The Magic Word is all about.  This book is a rhyming story of a little girl who was rude, selfish and demanding – and had very few friends.  Her mother suggested that she needed to improve her manners; so when she went to school the next day, she thought of her mother’s advice, “What is the magic word?” and she started saying “Please” and also “Thank You”. She tried to become more thoughtful of others, and discovered that she was a much happier person. The repetitive use of the phrase “What is the magic word?” has children answering “Please”!  One of the important lines in the story is “If you want to make friends, you must be polite and treat them the way that you know you would like”.  That’s what the Golden Rule is all about!

 

 

Whining is definitely an issue with small children, so frequently it helps for children to be read fun stories that illustrate the unpleasantness of bad behavior and ways to correct it. For instance, sometimes children don’t understand how annoying the sound of whining can be. Peter and the Whimper-Whineys is a story of a little rabbit who does nothing but whine. This rhyming book should be read with alternating normal voice and whining voice, according to the character speaking. Children learn that Whimper-Whineyland is not a fun place to be, not just for all the whining and crying that goes on but for all the other bad behavior and unpleasant character traits exemplified!!!  My three year old grandson loves the book, and repeats “no more whining, no more crying!”  I hope that this book might help your children as well as it has helped my children and grandchildren.

I have used the above information in many responses for questions about behavior on the internet, but now I am pleased to be able to share this with my fans.  Stay tuned for the story of how Santa’s Birthday Gift came to be!