I am Mark, Guardian of Mawson Bear. Mawson sits on Bed-Top Hill. Between naps he ponders about Baffling Things. After deep ponders, most things remain for him as completly baffling as they were before. But they do seem friendlier, somehow. If you, too, are baffled by, well, Things, his little books of ponders could be just right for you.
At The Tedettes’ Jane Austen Book Club, confusion reigns. No one seems to be able to find the the correct period style of bonnets. Wedding veils, sun hats, sleeping hats and Bonnie Bear’s bonny tartan bonnet do not seem to be quite right. But they do go on the head, so they will have to do.
As for wearing the correct period style of spectacles, all hope seems lost.
Obviously the Tedettes have got their paws on a pile of Austen books. Possibly a ‘Janite’, an ‘Austenphile’, lives in this house. So which of Jane Austen books are our fellow bears reading when no-one is about? (Lets agree that Honeypot is reading, even though she seems to be asleep. Again.)
And they’re off! The Tedettes are rapidly entangled in subplots and knitting. Are they reading Emma? Chocolate Makers Abbey, ummm, Pride and Bears.. sorry, Pride and Prejudice? Lady Susan?
In the next posts you can see The Teddettes learning more about Jane Austen, her novels, and the Regency.
Rev Rebecca L. Holland is a disability advocate and author. To take a look at her blog about her work and interests, plonk a paw here. You can follow Rebecca here on Twitter.
This is what she kindly said on Amazon and GoodReads about Mawson’s little books.
Sweet and heartwarming. I’ve been in a reading rut during the past few months, and Mawson is just the dose of cuteness I needed to help pull me out. This book is a little work of art. If you love bears and cute heartwarming stories, you’ll love Mawson.
And, about She Ran Away From Love: Like The Velveteen Rabbit meets Pooh Bear! I stumbled across this picture book for adults after seeing it advertised on a blog tour. I’m so glad I read it! The photos are adorable little works of art and the story is a lovely extended metaphor than can be applied in many different ways. I love teddy bears and the details In these photos are so clever. Mawson is reading “For Whom the Bear Hugs,” and the tiny brush he uses to pamper Frilly is too sweet. Her cute little Island has a sign that is spelled phonetically and the stuffed bird was precious. A great book for all ages.
Thank you so much Rebecca. Every word warms a bear’s stuffing.
Mawson’s book She Ran Away From Love is about an exciting quest by Frilly. Although she is small and nervous she is determined to find herself. Look for the pink! Read more about Frilly here.
Some other reviews: Mawson is all about niceness, warm fuzzies, and pawsing, umm, pausing to take a little time for yourself. And then perhaps to nap. Certainly these reviewers thought so: Praise for Mawson, a writer-bear.
You have wandered into Mawson Bear’s web-den. Mawson is the Writer-Bear of It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In . “Reading this book is like receiving a great big hug of reassurance and a huge hot chocolatewith fluffy marshmallows.” Review by Lady Bracknell
I could say, Dear Fellow Bears. But I know not ALL of you are bears. And not everyone in my house is a bear either. All sorts of creatures arrive. Some wandered in because they had lost their old homes and some arrived in boxes and baskets as gifts of love. They looked about and felt safe and welcome, and they decided to stay forever. Ours feels like that sort of house – a Forever House.
In our first family portrait of our Not-Bears, we have the penguins, parrots, roosters, chickens, ducks (wearing boots), and ducks (snoozing). Everyone feels comfortable. Umm, is somebody on my head?
Friends of Me, Mawson, who are not bears at all.
And here is our next family photo. You might all recognise Lionel our ferocious lion and .. Where is Lionel? I can’t see him. Probably asleep somewhere. Lionel spends a lot of time sleeping, which is a wise thing to do. Between sleeps he helped our Hilda Bear visit the House Frogs.
Our not-bear friends from Africa. Except for the ones who aren’t
Lionel and all my friends here are from Deepest Africa. Ummm, wait, Heffy the Heffalump is telling me something … Really Heffy? … Oh, it seems that she and Gerry and Geraldine Giraffe are from Rather Sunny Savannah Africa. Errr, a moment please … Ahhh, the Hippo Slippers now tell me they are from Quite Shallow Waters Africa themselves. Fancy that. Africa must be quite big.
Umm, the pink fellow and the blue fellow? They are the Old Goats. They and the mice on my lap and and Tammy Turtle are quite possibly not from Deepest Africa or Shallowest Africa or Sunniest Africa at all but they wanted to be in the photo too. Where is that Lionel?
Dear fellow Baffled Ones, here is the blob, the blot, umm, the Blurb about my new book. It’s almost ready to yawn, stretch, and wander out to meet you. It’s all about .. Well, read on!
‘Mawson Bear (that’s Me!) awakes. He ponders on the art of creative napping. Scotland The Brave imagines doing great deeds. Professors Caddy and Bree hold the highest hopes for their visionary inventions. Samantha sees wondrous things all round her. The Seekers journey all the way to the edge of the world, being sure to return, of course, by bedtime.
Flop down and relax awhile with Mawson and his drowsy friends. Refresh the soul in the tranquility of simple joys and innocent dreams.’
Friends, I am sure that Napping is one of your favourite things. It is certainly mine. I also like Sitting, Hugging, Reading, Pondering and Growing Plump. But I like to nap between all of those.
My book is full of tips on napping. My friends and I demonstrate creative ways to nap. Try some for yourself! In between our naps .. because, sadly, you have to wake up for a while to be able to enjoy falling asleep again .. In between our naps my friends daydream and imagine wondrous things.
As soon as it’s ready you can drowse along with us. For more news about it, and my other books, and about ME, Mawson, why not plonk a paw on one of the Follow buttons here.
It’s all terribly exciting, and the excitement has worn me out. Just off to nap now.
My book It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In: You can plonk your paw to find it at Book Depository (free shipping all over the world). Also at Amazon and Goodreads.com .
Mawson’s Guardian Mark says: We met Babushka when she told a story to little Katrina in Tell Me A Story, Babushka. (Mawson read all about it on this post here.)
These days, Babushka lives surrounded by children and grandchildren. ‘For a matriarch, a house with children means joy.’ She gets the chance to journey back to Ukraine where she was born. In Babushka is Homesick we read of her excitement, her hopes and fears about the journey, and of what happens to her there.
Mawson is reading Babushka is Homesick, in which Babushka makes a journey to find the place that feels like Home.
‘Maybe she would have a sense of home in Ukraine – after many years far away from there .. She hoped she would feel like she belonged.’
Carola Schmidt is also the author of Tell Me a Story, Babushka and Chubby’s Tale: The true story of a teddy bear who beat cancer.
This picture book for children, beautifully illustrated by Vinicius Melo, is an interesting read for adults too, especially if you are reading it along with a child or grandchild. For it brings back to the reader that lingering background feeling so many of us have experienced of not being quite anchored, of wondering what the place of our childhood is like nowadays, of homesickness in fact, and also of perhaps of not quite realising how much things have changed while we have grown and worked and loved in another place far away.
Babushka takes back lots of gifts including a matryoshka doll for grand daughter Katrina. But what gift does she take back that means most of all?
About the Author: Carola Schmidt, the author of the Babushka Tales series, is a Pediatric Oncology Pharmacist. For children who have leukaemia and their families she has created the uplifting Chubby’s Tale . Mawson and friends proudly reviewed Chubby’s brave story here. You can find Chubby on Twitter and on Facebook.
Carola’s Amazon Author Page is here where you can find these books and her other titles listed.
Mawson with some help from Mark, Mawson’s Guardian, reviewed Tell Me A Story, Babushkahere, and Chubby’s Talehere.
You are in the web den of Mawson Bear, Ponderer of Baffling Things (between naps) and Writer-Bear of She Ran Away From Love.
“Would you like a story about a princess, Karina?”
“Maybe one of those stories about a princess and monsters, Baba.”
Mawson Bear reads about what happens to a little girl in the story that Babushka tells.
The direction Baba’s story takes surprises herself as well as her granddaughter. This folk tale ‘about memories and families’ begins with a lovely cottage in the Ukraine and a little girl ‘poor of money but rich of soul.’ But all too soon the Monsters come. And everything changes forever.
What will happen to our princess and all the other children in this frightening world where the monsters roam? After sad events, the little girl finds a matryoshka doll, and inside the doll a message of hope. Will the children be able to escape to safety? Listen closely, as Babushka unfolds her story.
Mawson’s Guardian says: Who do you think the monsters might be? They are the soviet soldiers who, in 1932, stripped the Ukraine of so much grain that millions died of famine, and who transported thousands of people to Siberia. It is a hard story of awful history (‘The Holodomor’) and I am only now learning about it (!) in a deftly written children’s picture book.
I admire this approach to telling about a confronting subject. Using the form of a folk tale the author employs just enough words and no more. Being a children’s book, the illustrations by Vinicius Melo do not directly show awful things but the colours and details suggest more than enough, and the images are all the more powerful because of that. The contrast between Katrina’s gorgeous little cottage with the sleeping dog, for instance, and the harsh red sky and black silhouettes on the next page tells us in one instant how much her world has changed. In the picture of Katrina hiding under the bed in the darkness, everything in the shadows looks scary, even the old stove, and her big eyes show her terror.
With this story of drama and hope, Carola Schmidt has, I think, created a wonderful little book that confronts a hard part of history that will intrigue grownups as well as children.
Boumund Bear and Mawson read three of Carola Schmidt’s books, Tell Me A Story Babushka, Babushka is Homesick and Chubby’s Tale.
About the Author: Carola Schmidt, the author of the Babushka Tales series, is a Pediatric Oncology Pharmacist. She has written scientific books on paediatric oncology and also, for children and their families, Chubby’s Tale . Mawson and friends proudly read and reviewed Chubby’s brave story here. You can find Chubby on Twitter and on Facebook.
Carola’s Amazon Author Page is here where you can find these books and her other titles listed.
You have wandered into Mawson Bear’s web-den. Mawson is the Writer-Bear of It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In . “Reading this book is like receiving a great big hug of reassurance and a huge hot chocolatewith fluffy marshmallows.” Review by Lady Bracknell
I was just sitting on my cushion pondering about Things.
Oh, Look. It looks like a gift.
Could it be for Me, Mawson?
It is! It is a gift for me. And oh my goodness!
It’s by me too!
It’s A Bright World to Feel Lost In, by Me, Mawson
is published by Odyssey Books.
“Like the aroma of freshly baked bread or the sound of your child laughing, Mawson’s simple (but never simplistic) book hits its mark in a way that you will intuitively understand but will not be able to put into words.” Dan Djurdevic, author of the remarkable Mirror Image of Sound.
Mawson’s Guardian Mark is proud to talk today about a bear so brave that all of Mawson’s friends are very impressed.
On reading Chubby’s Tale this Guardian learned things about leukemia treatment he didn’t know. It’s a grand book for children who have this sickness (and their bears). It’s also very helpful for the Grownups who want to know more about it because the explanations given to Chubby by Dr Doll are so clear and understandable. Grownups and children can talk about it together as they read.
Chubby’s Tale helps children to learn about Leukemia
The Story: Chubby has a good job sitting on a shelf in the La La Land Toy Store waiting for someone to take him home. But he doesn’t feel well.
Urged by his shelf neighbour, Superhero, he sets off to find help. Guardian Angel in the Christmas Department knows what Chubby has to do: he must see a Doctor. La La Land is a big store and Chubby has a long way to go. The yellow Beetle car takes him all the way.
Gustave, HB Bear, Scruffy and Mawson read about Chubby travelling to see the Doctor
Dr Doll gets right to work. Chubby learns about exams and blood tests and scientists and pharmacists and cancer cells. It’s not good news! On the other hand, Dr Doll knows the right kind of treatment. She explains all about it with useful diagrams.
Explaining about bone marrow matching
We follow Chubby’s brave journey. The chemotherapy makes some of his hair fall out. Oh dear, who will take home from the shop a teddy with bald patches? How does it all work out? Well, that’s all in this book which I (and Mawson and his friends) recommend highly.
Chubby’s Tale is illustrated by Frederico Schmidt. Carola Schmidt, the author, is a Pediatric Oncology Pharmacist and also author of several scientific books on paediatric oncology.
Carola also wrote Bald is Beautiful: A Letter for a Fabulous Girl, a book about ‘about love, beauty, happiness, and friendship when going through various changes in our lives ‘. Find it at Amazon and Abebooks.
And next here in Mawson Bear’s web den you can see us reading Tell Me A Story Babushka, by Carola Schmidt.
You have wandered into Mawson Bear’s web-den. Mawson is the Writer-Bear of It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In .“Reading this book is like receiving a great big hug of reassurance and a huge hot chocolatewith fluffy marshmallows.” Review by Lady Bracknell
Fellow Baffled Ones, greetings. What kind of explorations are you doing around your house? Houses are grand places to go exploring and visiting.
Today our Hilda Bear is setting off to visit the House Frogs. Hilda enjoys knitting and wearing hats. She likes to make sure everyone in the house is feeling comfortable. Last time she visited the Door Stop Family.
Today she put down her knitting and asked our ferocious lion, Lionel, to join her on a tour of the house frogs. Lionel was a bit sleepy – he sleeps most of the time – but was happy to see different parts of the house.
First Hilda and Lionel checked on the Bedroom Frogs. These frogs reported that they were very comfortable indeed.
Next they came to the Mantlepiece Frogs. While Hilda and Lady Frog admired each other’s hats, Fisher Frog gave Lionel fishing tips. Lie-About-Under-A-Leaf Frog shared tips with Lionel about being as relaxed as possible.
Next, Hilda took Lionel all the way over the room to the Television Frogs. All the little Television Frogs seemed to be mesmerized by Lionel. They had only seen lions on the telly before. They were under the impression that lions were terribly fierce and scary. Lionel assured them that although he was indeed a scary and ferocious lion, he usually felt too sleepy to do anything about it.
Over by the stereo sat Big Bull Frog and his friends. Big Bull first arrived in the house as one of the Doorstop Family. Big Bull did not like the stress of the door-stopping job. It played havoc with his suit and tie and hat. Just when he was in the middle of adjusting his bowtie, for instance, he’d have to work the door. So he retired from door-stopping. These days, he can meticulously adjust his attire all day long without interruption. In the way of old Gentleman frogs, he likes to tell the little frogs and any visitors tales of past lily ponds and swamps that he has splashed through. He warns them to avoid such places -they are dreadfully messy.
Lionel listened avidly to Old Bull. He had never sat on a lily pad in a pond and was keen to hear all about it. Old Bull was pleased to have such a listener. “You are a scholar and a gentleman, Lionel’, he croaked.
‘Reading this book is like receiving a great big hug of reassurance and a huge hot chocolate with fluffy marshmallows.’ Review of Bright World by Lady Bracknell
Mawson’s Guardian Says: Calling all dogs, cats, and fur-friends. Flop your bellies down and flap your ears up, for we have news. Now available are ( the Furtastics!
Now everyone can enjoy the adventures of Shelby and her friends as they gain super powers, discover the hero life – and get to wear great costumes!
We’ve been thrilled to read the first adventure of The Adventures of Firebolt. My goodness, this is just the right sort of read for Little People and all those who love them. It’s just right for reading aloud and smiling together at what Shelby gets up to.
In the opening story we meet Shelby. She is an ordinary dog who likes to play catch and snuggle on the recliner along side her friend Chester the Cat. Then, one morning, after a mysterious encounter with her water bowl, she gains super powers. She doesn’t even realise it at first. But with Chester’s help, and a great costume, Shelby can become Firebolt!
Firebolt is based on Shelby, the heroine dog from the 2019 movie A Dogs Way Home. We are going to also meet Fast Eddie, Captain K9 and Aero Star. ( Here you can see the inspiration for Fast Eddie – what a hero!)
We are also excited by the motivation behind these stories, which authors Debbie Pearl and Brittany Nicole Lewis describe as follows: “Teaching children “invisible lessons” with stories that promote healing and well-being, bringing happiness and comfort to children all over the world. “
You can sniff out The Adventures of Firebolt, of course, on Amazon.
And follow Firebolt and his Furtastic friends on Twitter here and you can also get links to video teasers . Learn more about Firebolt and the Furtastics and their creators at TheFurtastics.com.
You have wandered into Mawson Bear’s web-den. Mawson is the Writer-Bear of It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In . “Reading this book is like receiving a great big hug of reassurance and a huge hot chocolate with fluffy marshmallows.” Review by Lady Bracknell
Fellow Baffled Ones, greetings. Here is our Hilda Bear. Hilda enjoys knitting and wearing hats. She likes to make sure everyone in the house is feeling comfortable. When she isn’t knitting she likes to visit them all. Today she is going to visit our Door Stop family.
Hilda’s first stop (chuckle) on our way is with Owly Homebody Stop. Homebody likes the feel of gentle breezes from the window at night. From his door he can often see up and out through the window to the night sky. He likes the sky.
Further along we come to Owly Passageway Stop. Hilda and Passageway admire each other’s sense of colour and style. They often discuss hats and fabrics and patterns. Passageway often feels pleasantly warm from the dappled sunlight that comes through the windows along the way and can sometimes see birds. She has never seen an owl out there though.
Wandering along, Hilda reaches Penguin Stop. Penguin has an important door to Stop but his duties are light. He only has to work when the wind blows really strongly against the front door. Most of the time he chats the day away with the floor ducks by the potted plant.
Over by the family room entrance Hilda meets up with Dora Cat Stop. Dora is a good source of gossip. She has the prime central position to see all the comings and goings. Hilda likes to catch up on what Dora has noticed lately. Has Dora, for instance, noticed the fridge being refilled with Honey-Choco-Mello-Creams? If so, Hilda will let Mawson know and raids on the fridge will be attempted by the bravest of the bears. But today Dora’s news is disappointing: no honey-choco-mell-cream shipments to report. Oh, and who is that in the background?
Yes, its Shaun Sheep Stop. Shawn is our latest Door Stop Family member. He still looks bewildered by his new surroundings. Hilda has visited every day to reassure him but he still looks like a,well, a lost sheep.
Dora confided to Hilda that she thinks Shaun might always look bewildered. ‘He’s just that sort of sheep, Hilda’, says Dora.
Do you have a Door Stop family? Do they like hats too? Do they look sheepish? Do they like to gossip? What about Owls? And have you spotted movements of Honey-Choco-Mello-Creams into a fridge near you?
You have wandered into Mawson Bear’s web-den. Mawson is a Ponderer of Baffling Things (between naps) and the Writer-Bear of It’s A Bright World To Feel Lost In . ‘Reading this book is like receiving a great big hug of reassurance and a huge hot chocolate with fluffy marshmallows.’ Review by Lady Bracknell
Mawson’s Guardian Says: Excitement spreads through Mawson’s House. A box has arrived. Could it contain Mawson’s writer-bear copies? Bears roll off cushions and waddle over to see. Bomund and Gold Paws open the top. Frilly strains to see.
Bomund and Gold Paws push the box over. Wurry Bear climbs over the top and almost falls inside trying to see. Yes, there are books inside! Frilly runs into the box. Pink books! Yes, She Ran Away From Loveis real. It’s a book. It’s ready for the wide bright world.
Everyone wants to read the story of Frilly’s quest. They all know it well. They all helped make the words and pictures. But to actually hold the BOOK and turn the pages is so exciting.
You have wandered into Mawson Bear’s web-den. Between naps among cushions, Mawson ponders about Baffling Things. ‘The book brings back such nostalagic memories that it made it comforting, like a old security blanket.’ FNM Book reviews about Bright World.
Mawson Bear’s Guardian Mark speaks: As you know our Mawson is a Writer-Bear. She Ran Away From Love is his brand new book. It features a small heroine called Frilly who goes on a Quest. I’m sure lots of people (and their bears) will love Frilly, if only they knew about her. And it is the same for every writer: if only readers knew about their books!
THE POWER OF REVIEWS: Writers need YOUR help. When you are quiet sort of writer (or writer-bear) it is not easy to be heard out there in the wide world.
Books by Mawson, one of this bright world’s few published writer bears
TIPS if you are new to the world of on-line book reviews.
About your name: You don’t have to leave your name if you don’t want to. You can be anonymous.
About where to put your review. You click on the information about the book at the sellers page. For instance, here are links toShe Ran Away From Love: Amazon, GoodReads, Bears Are Noble, sorry, Barnes and Noble, Chapters Indigo.
After you find the book you have read, scroll down past the book’s description and click on ‘Leave A Review’, or ‘Write Your Own Review’.
The Bother part: This takes you to a Customer page where you need to sign in. If you haven’t before used that book retailer you also need to register to do so. This is a bother, I know.
The Fun part: But then comes the fun: smiting away at the Star Ratings. If you are an excitable sort of person, or if you love the book, just keep on smiting. Smite Thrice!!! Smite Fourfold!!!! And, yea even unto Five times!!!!! Disappointingly, the Retailers don’t let us smiteth more than five times, even if you have got into the rhythm of the thing.
Sir Scotland The Brave Smiteth the Keyboard Most Valiantly. Most of the titles you see here are from Odyssey Books, Mawson’s brave publisher
Writing some thoughts about the book: You will see a field where you can say things. Here, if you wish, you can write a line, or many lines, about the book. Then click Submit. Valiantly done! And what happens now?
The power of the reader. Yes, that’s You: The Algorithms that decide the fate of writers, and writer-bears, now record that some one (You) has taken the trouble to review this book. These mysterious Algorithms perk up with interest .They calculate lots of thingygums. The visibility and ranking of Mawson’s book titles (and of any writer you kindly review) now gets bumped up a bit.
Having tasted your awesome power, why stop there? You can copy what you have written and go to any other on-line retailer, to as many as you like, depending on how mighty waxeth your Smiting arm that day, and you can paste in the same review. It all adds up. And up. And UP. And it means lots of people will fall in love with our Frilly, just like you.
Your boon companions: Doubtless there are other bold readers among your boon companions. Share on this very post, so that they too may do these valiant deeds! We writers (and one writer-bear) will never disavow your selfless mission!
Please let me know if you would be interested in doing a review for She Ran Away From Love. If you would like to help to tell the bright world about Frilly, i can send you a PDF copy. Don’t fear that the world ‘review’ means an essay is required. Short remarks are fine. Or just bash away at the star ratings.
