A Christmas Tail

It’s Christmas and Scat and his friends are experiencing all that comes with it for the first time. Everything is new, and exciting, and a wonder for all the cats and they all wonder what this ‘Santa’ could be bringing them.

Join Scat, Chips, Alleyoops, Tiger, and the others for a fun Christmas of snow, presents, food, and a bellyful of laughs.

A different kind of Princess story

Should a princess be happy with her castle and the plans her parents have made for her to marry a prince? What if that story isn’t as rosy as it sounds? What if the princess wants something more, and why shouldn’t she!

Read on to find out in this beautifully illustrated book for children.

A Wish in Lockdown

Harriet, while in bed, said out loud that she wished she could have a lovely day out and forget all about the lockdown.

Immediately, a small Wish Fairy appeared and said she may grant her the wish. She then magically transported Harriett to her brother’s room where she told them that she would only grant the wish on four conditions:

1. The children didn’t mention they had seen a fairy.

2. They helped their mum and dad with the chores around the house.

3. They didn’t argue…

4. They completed all their school work for a whole week.

The children agreed but knew it would be difficult, particularly the no arguing part.

Could the children keep to the agreement?

At the end of the week did the Wish Fairy think they had been good enough for her to grant the wish?

Did their magical day out take place?

An Amazing Cooking Class

In this first book of a series, country boys Billy and Lionel meet an elf, Alfred. They are invited to his village hidden in the local bushland. This starts a series of adventures and even joining a cooking class with Chef Lou Mae. As they get to meet more of the community they realise there is another world down here. Madam Erle causes all sorts of problems and Billy saves the town from a horrible flood. It is a wild ride for the boys.

Anchor Moon

Some children have comfort blankets, others have their favourite nursery rhyme or book that they must have before they can go to sleep each night. Anchor Moon is all three combined. Anchor Moon is the ultimate hug before drifting off into a beautiful sleep, full of hopes and dreams. The story is the latest must-read for children before bed. Comforting, exciting and opens the mind to your own world of imagination, fun and, of course, adventure. The main character, Rupel, is quite like any other child, longing for magical adventures. One stormy night, he voyages on the most exciting journey as Captain Screye needs Rupel's help in sailing to the moon to hide his treasure from the pirates. As Rupel flies over the roof-tops and into space, he looks back at the world, amazed at its beauty in lights. Rupel meets his new best friend, Ronnie the Robot, and they embark on lots of fun on the moon. Rupel discovers how courageous he can be and realises the endless possibilities there are when he just believes. Heart-warming and comforting, this story will live in the hearts of many children, who will then pass it on to their own children one day, for even adults need a little bit of hope and magic in their lives.

Angel Shoes

While reading different stories to my grandchildren I saw how much they responded to hearing and enjoying stories in rhyme, so decided to write for them. Seeing how much they enjoyed them and how Angels fascinated them and me, I decided to write for a larger audience with Angels becoming a focal point.

I have had a long term love of writing in prose, sending handmade birthday and Christmas cards to family and friends in this format, and seeing the huge amount of enjoyment they received out of receiving a personalised card.

I love to see people smile or laugh and if some of my poems achieve that, I get to smile too.

Encouragement can be your smile.

Let that encouragement be your daily goal.

S. McCulloch.

Bella and Anton Enter The Dragon's Realm

The Dragon’s Realm is unknown to all except ‘the chosen’. It has existed long before humans walked the planet Earth. The Dragons are invisible except to those who enter their Realm. Bella and Anton enter the world of magic, travel, danger, adventure and the unknown. They are forced to face their greatest fears and insecurities if they are to achieve their destinies as revealed by RichStu the multi-coloured Dragon.

They visit countries beyond their wildest imaginings and discover hidden depths of courage and abilities that leave them stunned. They encounter challenges that test them to the limit.

Join them in the adventure of their lives and discover the secrets of the Dragon’s Realm.

By Jove!!!

Jove the wizard has unwittingly released a demon from the underworld. Aided by the Cosmic Dancer, the spirit that keeps the world in balance, he must return it from whence it came. Attacked by the Electric Warrior, foxed by the Flowers of Evil, this is not going to be easy.

Why is there a giant Glass Onion in the village pond and where did it come from?

Will the witches help, and can the Rainbow Demon finally be defeated?

All this, not to mention a dragon…

I said not to mention the dragon!!!

By Jove, this is going to be fun.

Charlie Ant 2: The Wizard Ant

Charlie Ant is desperate. His best friend, Sam, has just fallen into a tray of curry and chips! He needs to find a way to rescue Sam before he drowns…but what can he do?

Sam is shocked when Charlie returns to help as he looks completely different!

There is no choice but to ask The Wizard Ant for help…but he is really scary!

Christmas Eve - Seeing Is Believing

Ever wondered what it’s like, or even dreamt what it’s like, being transported from one place to another? Well, that’s exactly what happened to Nash. One minute he’s sat in his chair at home and the next his life was about to change forever. Now Nash was a quiet and somewhat shy person but strange things happen when you’re seeing and believing... Nash was well groomed and always keeping up with the fashion, in fact, he owned over 50 pairs of training shoes. Like a lot of young men he followed football and supported Arsenal and liked to go out with the boys at weekends. However, deep down Nash always thought that one day he would get married, live in a nice house, and have children of his own. Unfortunately, life isn’t always as simple as that and sometimes you really have to work hard to fulfil your dreams and wishes, and sometimes things don’t even seem to make sense and this was definitely the case in Nash’s story.

Clavius: The Hapless Tooth Fairy

Clavius longs to be accepted by the tooth fairies on the highest hill. However, his appearance is less than 'enchanting'. With the help of his friend, Iron Gray, the bat, Clavius begins a journey to become a proper tooth fairy. But Clavius learns that it's not what you leave underneath pillows that will make children remember your name.

Dragons Out!

Learn about software testing in a fun way, by reading stories about dragons and knights. The book is a great read for children on their own, with their parents, or as an additional reading in schools. It is also for anyone who wants to know what software testing is, they will enjoy this book tremendously.

The book talks about adventures of two children, Laura and Tom, who tumble into dragons annoying villages and castles. They learn about different dragons and how to defeat them with the help of knights. The children grow into exceptional dragon experts.

Stories are explained in information technology and software testing terms and concepts, e.g. a dragon represents a software defect, and knights represent testers and developers. Reading parallels is an easy-to-understand way of learning.

In this book, Kari Kakkonen combines his passion into fantasy and software testing in a new and fascinating way, creating an enjoyable experience for the readers.

The book is suitable for ages of 9-99, although it is written for children.

“I love the idea of bringing testing and dragons together. Explaining testing ideas in this way is great for new testers to give them a broad idea of the depth of testing. The stories can sit on their own for children as well, and may encourage them to think about how they could test some of the apps they use.”

Janet Gregory, DragonFire Inc, co-author of three books on agile testing.