Provided by Elizabeth Denham
Sister team Elizabeth Denham and Annie Malloy announce the release of their first book in The Magic Nation Series, Moving Day, on October 25, 2015.
The Magic Nation is a place where anything is possible. All you have to do is think it up! That’s what Markie and Gloria do in this new series filled with whimsical illustrations and imaginative prose – and with sheds that turn to castles and puddles to moats.
When Mom tells the kids to use their imaginations, Gloria, a little sassy and a lot spunky, declared she did not know how to use her “Magic Nation” because she did not know what that was. Well, she figured it out and discovered her new friend Lisa Merry-Go-Round. When Markie, a quiet thinker, came out to play with her, he brought Tommy See-Saw along.
The series, written by Elizabeth Denham and illustrated by Annie Malloy, is written to encourage children (ages 4-8) to see the world a little bit differently and to encourage imagination. Each story begins in the real world, morphs into the Magic Nation and resolves back to reality. The stories focus on different life lessons and offer children a positive perspective on issues they face in their everyday lives.
“We wanted to write a storybook series designed for parents to read to their children,” Elizabeth said. “Wevwanted stories like we used to read as kids – with fully developed characters who have personalities and quirks and with lessons to help kids figure things out.”
In Moving Day, Gloria and Markie are moving. This is not great news – no matter how fun Mom and Dad try to make it. How can they leave the Loop Kids and the awesome green box that is always home base? Maybe Lisa Merry-Go-Round and Tommy See-Saw can help.
Twenty-five years in the making, the story of Lisa Merry-Go-Round is one that Elizabeth and Annie have talked about writing since college. PWL Lisa Merry-Go-Round began as Annie’s childhood imaginary friend who was allowed to do everything Annie was not allowed to do. Annie’s standard retort to her mother was, “Well, Lisa Merry-Go-Round’s mother lets her do it!” As it turned out, Annie grew up to become an illustrator and Elizabeth grew up to be a writer. Time, experience and opportunity finally aligned for them to accomplish this decades-old dream.
“In making this book, we felt that encouraging imagination was important in today’s world of technology where kids tend to need to be stimulated by outside sources,” Annie said. “I wanted to include artwork that was not only beautiful, but also encouraged kids to imagine using the everyday things in their lives.”
Annie has a degree in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design and is a freelance artist and art teacher. Elizabeth has a degree in Creative Writing from Florida State University and is a freelance commercial writer and author of Sweeten the Deal: How to Spot and Avoid the Big Red Flags in Online Dating.
Annie’s website: anniemalloy.com
Elizabeth’s website: sweetenthedeal.com and elizabethdenhamwrites.com
