Sunday 2 April 2017

Twin Tales by Ray J.F. Moore for International Children's Book Day 2017

International Children's Book Day 2017 poster
Today is International Children's Book Day, a celebration that has been observed since 1967, on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday of 2 April. Its purpose is to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books.

The event is organised by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), a not-for-profit network of people from all over the world, committed to bringing books and children together. Each year a different national section of IBBY has the opportunity to be the international sponsor of ICBD. It decides upon a theme and invites a prominent author from the host country to write a message to the children of the world and a well-known illustrator to design a poster. IBBY Russia is the sponsor for International Children's Book Day in 2017.

Among the very many events being held to mark the occasion, there is publication of two tales by a debut author, Ray J.F. Moore, vividly describing the world as it appears to those who are taking their first steps on the journey of discovery – where everything is a new adventure, a mystery waiting to be uncovered.

Ray J.F. Moore was born in Coventry, England to an Irish family that hails from Galway. He has worked as a stonemason while his travels and adventures have taken him to places as far-flung as Casablanca and Cuba. He has written over a dozen childhood tales, told in his friendly, inimitable free-verse style.

MacDaddy Spider by Ray Moore (illustrations by Michelle Hopkins)
He says that he "just started to write children's stories one boring Sunday morning", at the prompting of his friend, Michelle Hopkins, who asked him to write a story for her little girl, Amber. The same Michelle provides the illustrations that accompany these volumes. MacDaddy Spider and Twins 'n' Things are the first in what the author promises to be an "enthralling series, exulting in the joy of childhood experience."

MacDaddy Spider lives in a tree. He as eight very long black legs and a wee Tam o' Shanter on his head. "All day long, he clambers about, fixing his web inside and out." His work keeps him busy and provides for his needs but, "there was something he did have not but couldn’t remember, 'cos he forgot."
Twins 'n' Things by Ray Moore (illustrations by Michelle Hopkins)

Twins 'n' Things "can do very strange things: one can cause trouble; the other makes it double" in a story that charts the mayhem and mischief that abound when young minds unleash their natural inquisitiveness – to the torment of those who must look after them! A story to remind us that, while curiosity creates a world of possibilities and fuels our thirst for knowledge, we must use that knowledge to learn how keep ourselves safe.

Both books are published by The Manuscript Publisher and are on sale now (RRP €9.99 plus P&P), available to buy online from the publisher's website and other retail outlets. The Manuscript Publisher is an Irish-based provider of professional and affordable services for authors, writers, independent publishers, film producers.

International Children's Book Day is followed by an International Children’s Book Fair, another annual event that brings together organisations and professionals involved in all aspects of the children's books industry. This year it takes place in Bologna, Italy from 3-6 April.


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