Bilingual Children's Books
And the beat goes on…
The first four of seven hardcover, bilingual books in the Down Home on the Farm series are available for sale now. (Visit this page for updates.)
You may purchase signed copies directly from me!
“Smart like a turkey!” Not your conventional phrase, to be sure. But maybe you’ve been hanging around with the wrong turkey! In my series of children’s books, Down Home on the Farm, the tales are told by a wise old turkey with the name Tom T.
Not unlike Uncle Remus or Aesop, Tom T. tells a simple tale and in the telling is the profound truth or a lesson to be learned. The characters are many and varied in their personalities and their all-too-human foibles. These books are not preachy, but simply let the turkey tell stories as a loving grandfather might do.
Down Home On The Farm is a bilingual series of stories, inspired by true-to-life experiences of farm living. Meet the chickens, dogs, cats, donkey, horses, and other colorful characters of The Farm, and hear stories told by and about the wise old tom turkey who keeps them all in line.
Be one of the lucky people to acquire a limited edition first printing in hardcover with both English and Spanish! What better way for your children or grandchildren to learn that everyone sometimes feels plain or un-special, but that everyone is special in his own way!
Compassion
In the first book, Tom T. tells his own story, unbeknownst to the little ones listening to him. They think he is just helping them while away a drowsy summer day with a story. But, in truth, they have much more to thank him for than just a story!
Contentment
Story number two will be understood by every child who has ever compared himself to others and felt clumsy or plain.
Toby, a little duck, has looked at the beautiful caged Bitty Bird, and developed a case of the blues, wishing he were as special as he feels the tiny bird is. After a talk with Tom T., he learns that the grass isn’t always greener in the canary’s cage.
Acceptance
Unlike Toby, the next book does not deal with feeling badly about yourself and inferior to someone else, but about others excluding you.
Sidney is an outcast that the farm animals disdain and avoid entirely when they aren’t making fun of him for his smell. Wise old Tom T. senses the pain and unhappiness in the young skunk’s life and befriends him.
When Sidney turns from an outcast to a hero, he permanently changes the smell of the farmyard. This book teaches acceptance for others’ differences.
Obedience
Book #4 in our Down Home on the Farm series highlights a family of hunting dogs. A Trail to Follow is told by Tom T. to the other animals in the barn on a cold winter night.
As all young children must learn, it is very important to listen to our elders and to do as we are supposed to do. It is our choice to listen and obey, or to have consequences of our choices.
The coonhound puppies learn that they cannot be led astray if they refuse to follow the wrong influences. Our choices make us.
Humility
One of the saddest aspects of our time is the lack of respect for elders. Dancer is a fancy young pony who is full of himself and ready to put down others with a shake of his head.
He has judged the old work horse, Dan, as a useless has-been, and disrupted the easy-going life at the farm. Tom T. has a story to tell him. When he meets and falls in love with Lacy, his new owner, he learns a lesson in humility.
Friendship
Who among us doesn’t want to be accepted and to feel that he belongs? Home is more than just a four-letter word, as a brash wayfaring donkey learns.
When she abruptly appears in the farmyard, she doesn’t have any compunction about butting in and using the others before she goes on her way.
Tom T. kindly invites her for a walk and a talk, and the result is a kinder, gentler Dotty who finds a home, acceptance, and belonging.
Trust
Anna is a shy, young girl who is new to the life on the farm. In her solitary rambles about the Great Big Lake, she makes a delightful discovery.
Unfortunately, no one takes the time to take her discovery seriously. Anna has found someone who needs her; she thinks it is a baby goat, and calls it Sugar Plum.
However, Anna has had make-believe friends in the past, so her stories are lovingly enjoyed and dismissed by the adults in her life. Tom T., along with the old Bull Dog, Tucker, enlists the help of the other barnyard animals to help the “big folks” see the truth in a real emergency. Caring changes things.
The Illustrator
Janice Pringle illustrates the books in the Down Home on the Farm series.
Janice was born in Oklahoma and raised in Montana, finishing her last two years of high school at a Christian school in Saskatchewan, Canada.
She comes from a family of very talented and creative people. Her love for art started as a child with pencil drawings, and over the years has expanded into other artistic ventures. Whatever her endeavors, she always finds time to incorporate art, whether for business, friends, or charity. Her illustrations for this series are done in acrylics.
Janice and her husband feel blessed to live part time on a family ranch in central Texas. The rest of their time is spent with their two daughters and their families in north Texas. She dearly loves her daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren. Now that she and her husband are retired, she spends her time on various creative projects deep in the heart of Texas.
The Translator
Yalitza Gonzalez translates the books in the Down Home on the Farm series.
Yalitza was born in Dodge City, and raised in Topeka, Kansas. She is a wife, mother, and life-long learner. She graduated with honors from Washburn University with a degree in social work. During her college experience, she served as Vice President for two university organizations. Yalitza was recognized for her academic excellence as she was named to the President’s Honor Roll and was a recipient of “Who’s Who Among Students in Universities and Colleges” in 2018-2019.
Yalitza has always had a passion for translating, so she uses her ability every time she can. She is fluent in English and Spanish, and was blessed with a serving heart. She is very grateful for the opportunity to translate the Down Home on the Farm series.
Yalitza lives with her husband, daughter, and son in Topeka, Kansas. Her ongoing mission is to use the skills she learned at Washburn University, and her bilingual abilities, to continue helping others.