Hard to believe that we are already talking about my 6th rhyming books for children already! When I decided to take this writing journey I was afraid at first about all the hurdles that would be ahead of me. I have to tell you that once you have those kids books online, everything changes. It isn't about the struggles of getting the books out there anymore, it is about trying to slow down all these ideas in my head and trying to get them illustrated. My commitment is always going to be from here out to create the best rhyming picture books for kids of all ages.
When I started to develop the idea for this book, "The Flamingo Who Loved Playing BINGO", I knew what the concept was going to be about from the beginning. The trouble I had was relating this issue to little kids. It wasn't until I saw how kids in kindergarten today are better on mobile devices than many of us adults that the idea was born. For this nursery rhymes for children book, I wanted to memorialize the passing of my favorite Uncle Frank, so the little flamingo was called Frank as a way to keep the memory of my uncle alive in my books. Living here in Florida, the flamingo is a staple of every zoo. So the idea was in place, now I had to tell the story of Frank and his love for playing BINGO online.
I don't think many children today realize how they are separating themselves at an early age from enjoying being a kid because too many parents are either addicted to their mobile devices and the kids follow, or they have found an electronic babysitter for cheap. The story of Frank the flamingo is about a cute little bird who is completely obsessed with playing games on his phone. What I wanted the kids to see in this children's picture book was how destructive it can be to always be on those mobile devices. The connection with friends is lost, the connection with family is lost, and it will have a negative impact on school if the issue gets too far. I understand many kids are extremely responsible when it comes to mobile devices, but I also understand gambling addictions is one of those hidden diseases that gets far too less attention these days. My hopes is that the kids of today do not fall victim to compulsive behaviors that can easily start with online gaming.
Frank has to learn the hard way what can happen if you play too many video games and don't listen to when your parents tell you it is time to take a break. Hopefully little ones will see the struggles Frank has in this rhyming kids book and how he has to turn things around or he could be in for a very challenging school year.