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Just Another Monday (DoU Adventure) Children’s Book {Review and Giveaway}

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JustAnotherMonday_ActivityBook

When I was a kid some of my favorite books were Choose Your Own Adventures. These were aimed at young readers and the chapter books would have a moment in the story where the reader made a choice for the hero. My favorite was a ski adventure where no matter the choice I seemed to wind up flying off a cliff or with a broken limb. New children’s book publishers, Anna Skarie and Joy Dey (SWAK Publishing), recently launched a similar idea but for much younger children in a picture book. They call them DoU (do-you) Adventure books and have an entire series in production.

JustAnotherMonday2

That pesky dragon keeps popping up.
Is he friend or foe?
Yikes! Do you run like crazy?. . . or hop on?
Why is he eating your camera?
And where is a skateboard when you need one?

JustAnotherMonday_spreads 3-in-1

 

70 books in one 

Just Another Monday is a tabbed, create-your-own-story picture book for young children. Your child makes choices on every page, creating their adventure as they go. They find the picture that represents their choice and turn to the matching image tab at the right. There are over 70 possible pathways through the book!

My daughter was very excited to get her Do-U Adventure but struggled a bit with the concept at the start. She likes things to be done a certain way and in a specific order and that very much includes books. I showed her how it was sort of like a puzzle where the image matched the tabs and she liked that idea and finally got it. After that it was exciting for her to read through and find different endings to her story.

We were able to listen to the authors present this book at their local book release. The stories are simple enough for young readers to stay interested but complex enough for even adults to be intrigued about where the adventure is leading. I still haven’t seen all of the story combinations myself! I worked with this talented author, Joy Morgan Dey, on the beautifully written and painted (illustrated by Nikki Johnson) children’s book, Agate What Good Is a Moose. Although I tend to enjoy the more intricate illustrations of a hand painted/drawn children’s book over the computer generated and simplistic illustrations of Just Another Monday, I think the interactive features keeps the book intriguing. In the world of tablets and battery operated toys I’m thrilled to see a children’s story book that allows parents and children to interact with the story in a tangible book form. That said Anna and Joy hope to see the book series evolve into a app format for children who utilize tablets. I think it’s wonderful that they’re starting out in the traditional format and wish them the best with their future adventures in the Do-U series.

What’s next?

Anna and Joy have another DoU Adventure coming soon and it’s titled Just Another Tuesday, of course: “You open your lunch and take out the juicebox. Over there! You whip around and see a tentacle slithering out of the room. Holy frijoles! Do you follow it?” I look forward to seeing what they have up their sleeve next.

About the authors

JustAnotherMonday_AnnaA 3D artist with an advanced degree from Vancouver Film School, Anna (www.annabelleskarie.com) lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she is a practicing web designer. She works on everything from corporate sites to computer games.

 

JustAnotherMonday_JoyJoy (www.joymorgandey.com), a career graphic designer and art director for Old Turtle and The Quiltmaker’s Gift, lives in Duluth, Minnesota. She is the author of Agate: What good is a moose?, winner of the Independent Publisher’s Book Award (IPPY) for Best Children’s Book 2007 and the Midwest Bookseller’s Choice Award for Best Children’s Picture Book 2008. Joy and Anna are mother and daughter.

BUY IT

JustAnotherMonday_coverAvailable at bookstores, at our affiliate Amazon, and at the SWAK website.
Just Another Monday
A DoU Adventure
by Anna Skarie and Joy Dey
ISBN: 978-0-9853228-0-9, $15.95

SitWithAKid.com • Facebook.com/SWAKpublishing •Twitter.com/SWAKpublishing • sitwithakid.com/blog

WIN IT

FIVE lucky readers will win their own copy of the Do-U Adventure Just Another Monday along with the activity book (my daughter LOVED the puzzles and games that accompany the story)!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for the purpose of this post however all thoughts remain 100% my own.

About Janelle

Janelle, contributor of Finding Zest since 2012, is the proud mom to Nora (9) and Kate (2), and a freelance graphic designer (www.designsbyjanelle.com). She enjoys spending time with family, writing, crafting, and bargain shopping. Janelle dedicates much of her time to baby loss grief support, having lost five of her own, by donating memory boxes to local hospitals. Visit her at blessedwithmore.com where she shares her journey through infertility and loss.

Comments

  11. Carrie Phelps says

    I love the idea of this book, it’s so creative! All three of my grandchildren would enjoy this.

    Reply

  12. Kristie says

    I’d love to win this for my kids! They love the choose your own adventure books from the library, so I think they’d enjoy this too! 🙂

    Reply

  14. Deborah says

    I like that they’ve made these for younger children to enjoy! I’d like to win it for my granddaughter!

    Reply

  17. Jeanna says

    My daughter loves to read & i’m always looking for new books to entertain her with! I’d like to win this for her!

    Reply

    • SWAK says

      Thank you – and thank you to everyone for the encouraging comments! We’re really touched by how many of you have expressed an interest in our book. I hope your kids keep up with the love of reading! Kudos to you 🙂

      Reply

  24. Audra Weathers says

    I’d like to win this for my daughter. She loves her books (thank goodness) and we read several a night before bed. This looks like a great one for her to read by herself and do the activities that come with it.

    Reply

    • SWAK says

      Either way, if you’re interested, we do official school visits and if you’re located nearby, maybe we could come in just to read it to your class. Feel free to email me.

      Once again, thank you to everyone for the kind comments!

      Reply

  31. Suzie Williams says

    This is such a fun book. I think my 5 year old would enjoy it and my 7 year old would read it to herself too.

    Reply

  34. Candice Hull says

    I would like to win for my boys because they love to read and this looks like an interesting book
    Thanks

    Reply

  35. Laurie Emerson says

    I would like to win this for my daughter as I really like how you can create your own story with your child.

    Reply

  38. Carly says

    My daughter would love this! She loves making choices and having a say in everything, so it’d be the perfect book for her.

    Reply

  39. Carly B. says

    I love that it is interactive and let’s the child help guide the progress. I would use these with my daughter.

    Reply

  42. Sharon Schoepe says

    I would like to win this for my son because he loves reading and puzzles so this would be perfect for him.

    Reply

  43. Vikki Billings says

    I would love to win because you can never have enough books and my grandson loves to read, this would be a great book for him.

    Reply

  44. SWAK says

    Thank you to everyone for the interest. It means a lot to have so many people looking into our book. This is a wonderful site for drawing creators together with patrons. You ladies have done an amazing job. We hope our book brings you as much joy as it has brought us. Cheers!

    Reply

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