Wrapping Up the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour

Posted: July 22, 2024 | Author: kayelynnebooth | Filed under: Book Promotion, Book Release, Book Sales, Books, Children's Books, Fiction, Giveaways, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Charlie Chickadee Finds a NEw Home, Childrens Books, Heather Hummingbird Makes a NEw Friend, Kaye Lynne Booth, Kids Books, My Backyard Friends series, Robbie Cheadle, Timothy Turtle Discovers JEllybeans, WordCrafter Press | 11 Comments

This is the final stop on the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour. So today, we’re just going to recap a few things about this series and meet the three characters who haven’t been introduced yet: Ethan Eagle from Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend, and Nancy Nuthatch and Katy Cat from Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans. At the other stops, you should have met all the main characters, plus Becky Beaver from Timothy Turtle and Nicholas Nuthatch from Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home. If you missed a stop or two, don’t worry. I’m including a tour schedule with links at the end of this post, in the wrap-up section. Also, before we go, I’ll reveal the surprise which I promised at the first stop. So with that in mind, let’s get on with the introductions.

But first, a reminder that you can buy direct at the My Backyard Friends Store while the tour is running and through July 24th. Discounted eBooks, pre-orders for signed print copies, (if we can raise enough to have them done in color. Monies for this item will be refunded, if not.), and the My Backyard Friends poster with all of your favorite characters.

About Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend

If you miss the My Backyard Friends Store, which will disappear on Wednesday July 24th, you can get a digital copy of Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend through this retailer purchase link: https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird

Meet Ethan Eagle

Interview with Ethan Eagle

What type of eagle are you?

Isn’t it obvious? I am an American Bald Eagle; a national symbol, I am told.

You have lots of feathers covering your head. Why do they call you a bald eagle?

There are approximately two thousand feathers on my head, and they are all white. No other eagle has a white head. The label comes from the old English “balde” which means white.

Are American Bald Eagles and endangered species?

I am told that we are no longer endangered, although I still do not believe there are many of us. For a while there we were because humans were using some kinds of poisons that made their way up the food chain to us. It thinned the shells on our eggs so that they often were crushed under the weight of the mother sitting on them, causing our numbers to dwindle. My mother used to talk about how precious life was and how past generations struggled to keep their young alive and bring them to maturity, so us kids would not behave in a reckless manner once we learned to use our wings.

Eagles can fly very fast. Did your tiny hitchhiker slow you down much?

Not at all. Heather is only about three inches in size and I bet she only weighs about two and a half grams. I was woried at first that she might not be able to keep her hold at high wind speeds, since I have a six-foot plus wingspan and my cruizing speed is about thirty miles per hour, but she grasped some feathers with her tiny claws and tucked her body down into my underdown, leting the outer feathers block her from the wind. Heather is pretty smart for a hummingbird.

Why do you think yours and Heather’s is an unlikely friendship?

Normally, we larger birds of prey don’t bother ourselves much with birds as small as hummingbirds. When I first met Heather I found her kind of annoying. She never slowed down, and she spoke in quick, brief little snippits. She’d ask me a question and then zip away before I could answer. But the day she helped me, even when I did not believe there was anything she could do, changed the way I thought about hummingbirds, and Heather in particular.

Do you consider Heather to be your friend?

By all means. Eagles don’t have many friends. I believe we are intimidating to the smaller birds, even the hawks. We tend to be loners and we are territorial with our own kind, so we cannot ‘hang out’ together or the like. Heather is the only true friend I’ve ever had.

Fun Facts About Eagles

• American Bald Eagles can live up to 20-25 years.
• Bald Eagles have incredible eyesight, and can see in front of them and at a forty-five degree angle at the same time.
• Bald Eagles eat mostly fish, but they are also carrion eaters.
• “If a Bald Eagle catches a fish that is too heavy to lift, it may grasp the fish with its talons and use its wings like oars to swim to shore.” (“Fascinating Eagle FAQ”. National Eagle Center. https://www.nationaleaglecenter.org/learn/faq/)
• Bald Eagles have special circulation in their legs and talons which allows them to withstand very cold temperatures and stand on the ice for short periods of time.

You can meet Heather Hummingbird and learn more about hummingbirds here.

Meet Katy Cat

Interview with Katy Cat

It’s interesting that a cat is friends with a turtle. How did that come about?

I’ve known Timothy Turtle since he was not much bigger than a tadpole. Even when he was small, I couldn’t very well eat him, because of his hard shell. I’d swat him around with my paws, but I never did him any damage. As he got bigger, he’d come by my yard on his way to the raspberry patch, or the strawberry patch, or even sometimes he would visit the melon patch. No doubt about it. That boy has a terrible sweet tooth.

Why would you suggest Timothy to turn around in his shell?

Oh for heaven’s sake, I was kidding. He had a tummy ache, and I just said that he might feel better if his tummy were in the round part of his shell. I didn’t think he could actually do it. My girl, Kimmy, called me and I had to run. Kimmy gets upset when I make her wait. When I came back, I found Timothy in a terrible bind, but I have to admit, it was kind of funny, too.

You know, I agreed to come answer your questions, but I don’t think I like what you’re implying. I might have been teasing him a little, like I always do, but I waasn’t being spiteful or mean. I don’t think I want to answer anymore of your questions.

And with a flip of her tail Katy Cat has left the building.

Fun Facts About Cats

• Cats can run up to 30 mph for short distances.
• Cats use their whiskers to sense changes in the air through vibrations.
• Adult cats can leap up to 5 or 6 feet in the air, distances up to six times their body length, especially with a running start.
•  “Cats have three eyelids. The third eyelid is known as the palpebra tertia or the nictitating membrane, or more simply the haw. It’s common in animals and helps to keep the lens surface clean and moist.” (“39 Amazing Facts About Cats That You May Not Know”. I Heart Cats. https://iheartcats.com/amazing-facts-about-cats/)
• The bumps and ridges on a cat’s nosepad is unique, like a human’s fingerprints.
• Cats sweat through their paw pads.
• Cats have 32 different ear muscles and can rotate their ears 180 degrees.
• One study claims that male cats are left-pawed, while females are right-pawed.
• Cats sleep 12 – 16 hours per day, about 70% of their lives, and they dream. Science believes the dream about cat stuff like hunting a mouse or running for a food bowl, when their paws twtch in their sleep.
• Cats make over 100 vocal sounds and each one has meaning.
• The oldest known evidence of a pet cat was discovered by archeologists near Cyprus in 2004, and it predates Egyptian cat art by 4000 years.
• Cats walk like camels and giraffes with a pacing gate, meaning they move both feet on one side, then the other.
• Ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows in mourning when their cats died.

About Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans

If you miss the My Backyard Friends Store, which will disappear on Wednesday July 24th, you can get a digital copy of Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans through this retailer purchase link: https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle

Meet Nancy Nuthatch

Interview with Nancy Nuthatch

Why did you agree to take time out of your busy day to help Timothy Turtle?

What else was I going to do? Let him starve? I had to forage and find insects for my hatchlings anyway. It didn’t take that much time to drop him an insect or two each day. They were enough to keep him alive, but not enough to let him gain weight until his tummy shrunk down to size.

Do you know Nicolas Nuthatch?

I should hope so. He’s my little brother. He’s more of a softie than I am. That’s how he met his friend Charlie Chickadee. The little guy needed a hand and Nick was there to offer one. They’ve been best friends ever since, even though they have a big age difference. I think Charlie looks up to Nick. I can’t complain. Charlie has always been a good kid.

As for me, I see Timothy around here and there. I’m sure he’s grateful for my help with his dilemma, but it’s not like he’s my best friend for life or anything. If I had to do it again, I would. It might not be such a bad thing to be a softie.

Fun Facts About Female Nuthatches

• Nuthatches lay 5 – 9 eggs each breeding season. The female sits on the nest and incubates the eggs for 12-14 days, while the male brings food to the nest for her. They have one brood per year.
• Both parents feed the youngsters until they are ready to leave the nest between 14-26 days. Young are fed a diet made up entirely of insects and spiders.
• Pairs mate for life and remain together year round. Mating behaviors begin in late winter, as early as January in some areas. Male raises his head and spreads his tail feathers, droops his wings, sways back and forth, and bows deeply to his mate in courtship. He may also feed her when courting. (“The White-Breasted Nuthatch”. Audobon. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/white-breasted-nuthatch#)
• Nuthatches nest in large natural cavities or vacated woodpecker holes. The females line the nest with bark fibers, grasses, twigs and hair. And they sweep the nest inside and out with insects crushed in their beaks. It is believed that the chemical secretions fend off predators.

Meet Timothy Turtle and learn more about turtles here.

Meet Becky Beaver and learn more about beavers here.

About Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home

If you miss the My Backyard Friends Store, which will disappear on Wednesday July 24th, you can get a digital copy of Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home through this retailer purchase link: https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee

Meet Charlie Chickadee and learn more about chickadees here.

Meet Nicholas Nuthatch and learn more about nuthatches here.

Wrap-Up

That about wraps things up for the tour. If you’ve followed the tour, you’ve met all the characters introduced in the first three books in the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series. While we had them all together for the tour, we also put together a cool poster, kind of like a group photo, in honor of the tour. Every kid would love to have this poster, featuring Robbie Cheadles wonderful illustrations, on their wall. But you can only get this fabulous poster at the My Backyard Friends Store until July 24th, so get one for each of the kids in your life now.

But wait! There’s one more surprise to reveal.

Surprise Giveaway!

Tell me in the comments which character is your favorite and the most interesting thing you learned about them during the tour for a chance to win one of two digital sets of all three books in a random drawing. After the tour ends, I’ll leave the comments open until Wednesday, so that everyone will have time to go back and visit stops they missed and get their comments in. The winners will be announced in my August segment of “WordCrafter News” on Monday July 29th, along with who the most popular character turns out to be.

Tour Schedule

Monday – July 15 – Writing to be Read – Release Party & My Backyard Friends Store

Tuesday – July 16 – Roberta Writes – Mini-interview with Nicholas & Heather guest post by Kaye Lynne Booth

Wednesday – July 17 – Undawnted – Mini-interview with Heather Hummingbird & Review

Thursday – July 18 – Robbie’s Inspiration – Mini-interview with Becky Beaver & Timothy guest post by Kaye Lynne Booth

Friday – July 19 – Undawnted – Mini-interview with Timothy Turtle & review

Saturday – July 20 – Carla Loves to Read – Charlie guest post by Kaye Lynne Booth & reviews x3

Sunday – July 21 – Undawnted – Mini-interview with Charlie Chickadee & review

Monday – July 22 – Writing to be Read – Mini-interviews w/ Ethan Eagle, Nancy Nuthatch, and Katy Cat & Wrap up

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!

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