Meet Wilbur's new friend, Murphy

 This is Wilbur's new friend, Murphy. He's so proud of his bone that he brought it with him! Wilbur and Elliott are so pleased to meet Mr. Murphy. 

 We are trying to rebuild our Facebook page after it was hacked. Wilbur, Elliott and Murphy are doing their best to spread the word. I'd like to thank all of you for visiting my pages. If any of you would like to review any of my children's books, I'd appreciate it a great deal. They are available free with Kindle Unlimited, or you can contact me for a free 3-copy. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com/

Check out the free sample download of Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes

Charlene the Star was known for her jumping skills and ability to win in horse shows. But in this adventure, she wants something exciting to do in her spare time. What will Charlene and her friends do for their new career? What is Wooliam the sheep’s specialty? Does his dream come true? Young readers will enjoy this amusing tale, told by the adorable animal characters. This book highlights the value of friendship, helping others and teamwork.

You'll find the free download here:

http://www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com/download/

 Picture and cover design by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj

copyright 2021 Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com/

Equus Film Festival Winnie Awards for My Life at Sweetbrier and Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes!

 

Children's author, Deanie Humphrys-Dunne is thrilled to announce two of her books have won Winnie Awards in the Equus Film Festival Literary Contest. Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes won the Reserve Champion Winnie Award for Children's Fiction. My Life at Sweetbrier won the Winnie Award for Equine English Biography. It's such an honor to be among the winners and Deanie congratulates all of the award recipients. 

www.childrensbookswithLifelessons.com/

banner created by Rhonda Patton

www.equusfilmfestival.net

copyright 2020: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Free November 4th, and 5th. Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes

 Charlene the Star was known for her jumping skills and ability to win in horse shows. But in this adventure, she wants something exciting to do in her spare time. What will Charlene and her friends do for their new career? What is Wooliam the sheep’s specialty? Does his dream come true? This amusing tale is  told by the adorable animal characters. This book highlights the value of friendship, helping others and teamwork.

Get  your free copy on Wednesday and Thursday, November 4th., and 5th.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07B8TCLSN/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

or

www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com/

*cover and illustrations by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj

copyright 2020: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Free: Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes 4-28-29!

Happy weekend! We are pleased to announce Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes will be FREE on April 28-29 on Kindle. Mark your calendars and get your free copy. You'll learn about Hattie's amazing skills and how she and her friends help others. Lots of fun, life lessons and beautiful illustrations.
website; www.childrensbooks withlifelessons.com/
copyright 2020: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Gold medal for Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes-Gold Medal Winner!

https://authorsdb.com/2019-cover-contest-results/30503-cover-contest-2019-charlene-the-star-and-hattie-s-heroes
I'm thrilled to announce my book, Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes, won the gold medal in the Authorsdb.com/ cover contest. Congratulations to all of the winners and special thanks to my sister, Holly Humphrys-Bajaj, for creating such a beautiful cover.

Illustration by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj

copyright 2019: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes: New video!

We've created a brand new video about Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes. What kind of new career did they start? Who were some of the characters in the story? Check out the new video and fund out more about Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes.  Click this link to have a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yKaNt0QIjk

Find out more here: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com/

copyright Deanie Humphrys-Dunne 2019

Interview with Tina Collins!

Hi Everyone,
I'm excited and honored to tell you that Tina Collins has done a new interview with me. She's done a fantastic job asking interesting questions. Please stop by and check it out. You may learn something new about my childhood with horses and how it changed my life.
Check it out here;

https://guidinghorses.wordpress.com/interview-deanie-humphrys-dunne/

Thank you so much Tina, for featuring me on your blog, #GuidingHorses.

Little Deanie from My Life at Sweetbrier

Illustration by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj from Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog

Charlene the Star and her mama from Charlene the Star

Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes: NOW ON AUDIO!

https://www.amazon.com/Charlene-Star-Hatties-Heroes/dp/B07VXRVDNP/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1564836448&sr=1-1

Please check out this endearing tale! Just released on Audible  Great listening for 5-7 year-olds.

"Yet another wonderful children’s story from Ms. Dunne about how dreams, hard work, and determination eventually wins the day.
Children often feel they are the only ones facing challenges, things are always easier “for the other guy,” and they never are going to amount to anything. And of course, with children being children—which is to say, being capable of saying and doing cruel things (in the story, one horse kicks up mud in another’s face during a race)—situations involving competition can turn ugly fast. It’s easy for little ones to get discouraged under such circumstances, and here’s where they need all the encouragement they can get.
Reading a book such as this (and others in Ms. Dunne’s series) is the perfect tonic for brightening a child’s day and restoring their spirits. Who doesn’t love horses? Or a chicken that wears funny hats? Who can stay sad in the face of hearing about how friends can help friends overcome obstacles." ~ from review by Theodore J. Cohen.
Watch for release date on audio!
copyright 2019 Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

New 5- star Reader's Favorite Review!

                 

Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

"Charlene may be a champion show jumper, but she comes from racing stock and she understands the pressures placed on race horses as they train and prepare, then run the big race. While staying at the racing stable, Charlene hears about Tiger Lily who has the potential to be a great race horse, but she stops dead if she’s bumped by another horse and she doesn’t like having mud fly in her face. In fact, she’s scared. Charlene and her friends, Wooliam the sheep, Hattie the chicken and Elliott the dog, all team up to help Tiger Lily overcome her fears. As Tiger Lily progresses towards becoming a champion race horse, she also learns to respect the other horses that she races against. Giving them encouragement seems to provide her with the encouragement that she needs, even when they don’t show the same courtesies in return.


Deanie Humphrys-Dunne’s children’s early chapter book, Charlene the Star and Hattie’s Heroes, is another joyful romp in the paddock type of story from the Charlene series. Like the other stories, this one provides young readers with lots of horse sense and excitement, as well as teaching them simple things about manners and respect. The animal characters are fun and enjoyable as they seek ways to help each other. The plot follows a plan to start a business that helps other animals overcome their fears and become the best they can be, while still sharing good manners and respect. This is a great story for horse and animal lovers."

copyright Deanie Humphrys-Dunne 2018

New Book trailer and slide shares for the Charlene the Star series

Do you love stories with adorable farm animals? This one even has a cute chicken who wears beautiful bonnets! Stop by to check out this brand new book trailer by Rhonda Patton. The trailer is narrated by the author, Deanie Humphrys-Dunne, who reads from the book.
Now we've posted a series of slide shares along with our videos. Please stop by to check them out. You can find out more about Charlie the Horse, Charlene the Star, Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes, Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog, and even My Life at Sweetbrier. Please check them out. Thank you.

goo.gl/Ceieow

copyright: 2018: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

An interview with Hattie the chicken

Today we're going to interview one of the characters from Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes, a children's book told by the animal characters.

"Good morning Hattie, please tell us some of your favorite things to do.
"Hello, I'm hopping around flapping my wings because I'm excited about talking to you today.
I love wearing pretty bonnets, like the polka dot one I'm wearing on the cover of Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes. But another thing I enjoy is helping my animal friends do good things. For example, in the story, Wooliam the sheep raises money for charity with his lemonade stand and other things he does. All of my friends were thrilled to organize our fair to help raise money. In fact, I love organizing parties and special events.
How wonderful Hattie. You and your friends are a great team.
Tell us about your friend, Elliott.
 I love Elliott. He's a handsome dog with big brown spots and an over sized head. He loves giving his animal friends confidence to try new things. He shows a lot of wisdom because he doesn't get upset when unexpected things happen. Instead, he takes action to help solve problems. Elliott and I worked together to solve a big problem we had regarding writing a schedule for our clients' training. We'll show you the picture at the bottom of this interview.
Thank you so much for sharing the picture, Hattie. who drew the beautiful picture and the cover for your book?
Holly Humphrys-Bajaj drew the cover and all of the illustrations in the book. Aren't they fantastic?
Holly is so talented. We love how her drawings show our personalities. It's a busy day for me today, so I need to get to work, but thank you for interviewing me today.
It's been my pleasure, Hattie. Thank you so much for answering the questions."

Hattie and Elliott wring the schedule
illustration and cover by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj

copyright, 2018: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com/

Fun facts about Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes

Hi Everyone,
Today we'll talk about fun facts in Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes. Charlene the Star is a beautiful red horse who loves jumping. But she and her animal friends are looking for a new career they can  do in their spare time. How do they help their friends?  What is Elliott's specialty? Does Wooliam the sheep have a big dream?


Fun facts:

• Elliott is a kind dog with a big head. He thinks it shows everyone he has confidence. He was our family pet or over 13 years. We miss him every day.  What did Elliott like to do?
• Elliott and Hattie the chicken need to write a schedule for the racehorses. How do they do it?
• Hattie has a surprising specialty? What is it?
• What is Wooliam's big dream?
• What kinds of values does Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes share?

Hattie and Elliott  writing the schedule
Illustration by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj

Answers:

• Elliott loved to build confidence and self-esteem in his friends.
• As you can see in the illustration, Hattie stood on Ellliott's head and wrote the schedule using her beak and standing on Elliott's head.
• Hattie loves using her amazing beakmanship to help her friends and she loves planning parties.
• Wooliam the sheep wants to have his own business to raise money for charity.
• Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes promotes friendship, sharing,  and helping others.

Website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com/

copyright 2018: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Now available on Smashwords!

Charlie the Horse tells his story just for you. Check it out on Smashwords where you'll see sample pages!m Just click this link:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/800240

It's offered for just $2.99 so check it out.

Charlie going to training
Illustration by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj.

Now Available on Smashwords! Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes-revised!

Now available on Smashwords! Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes for just $2.99. Check it out. There's a sample page listed too.

Mary and Charlene the Star jumping

*Illustration by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj
COMING SOON IN PAPERBACK!
On Kindle here:

https://goo.gl/2Y2NMz
PAPERBACK:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1986031578/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1520877525&sr=8-1&keywords=9781986031578

Here's what people said about this endearing tale, told by the animals.

     “One way to positively influence our children is to expose them to good books that are engaging, entertaining and fostering healthy approaches toward life. This is exactly why I highly recommend Deanie Humphrys-Dunne's lovely book "Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes,” which enchants and entertains while it promotes wonderful traits and virtues” ~Amazon review-SRM Reviews

     “Charlene the Star and Hattie’s Heroes is a book that would appeal to young horse lovers and animal lovers…It's about helping others, working hard, setting goals, doing your best, and being a gracious winner or loser. All of these are valuable life lessons.” ~ Amazon Review by Sherry Ellis

     “Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes is a beautiful tale about animal friends who are determined to succeed. It is a fun book with lovable characters ... highly recommended.” ~ from Amazon review by J. L. Mitchell

      “This is an exceptional story for children of all ages.” ~ Amazon review by Janice Spina

copyright 2018: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

Coming soon: Revised version of Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes!

Hi everyone,
I have exciting news to share today. One of my books, Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes, will be released soon in a revised version. Hattie the adorable red chicken, helps her animal friends to solve problems. She is adorable, dressed in her bright, colorful bonnets. This is the second book in the "Charlene the Star" series.
From the back cover:

     Charlene the Star was known for her jumping skills and ability to win in horse shows. But in this adventure, she wants something exciting to do in her spare time. What will Charlene and her friends do for their new career?  What is Wooliam’s specialty? Does his dream come true? Young readers will enjoy this amusing tale, told be the adorable animal characters.

Excerpts from reviews:

     “One way to positively influence our children is to expose them to good books that are engaging, entertaining and fostering healthy approaches toward life. This is exactly why I highly recommend Deanie Humphrys-Dunne's lovely book "Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes”, which enchants and entertains while it promotes wonderful traits and virtues” ~Amazon review-SRM Reviews

“Charlene the Star and Hattie’s Heroes is a book that would appeal to young horse lovers and animal lovers…It's about helping others, working hard, setting goals, doing your best, and being a gracious winner or loser.-from review by Sherry Ellis

“This is a perfect book for children; it lets them see how other people with challenges and obstacles persevered due to their determination to succeed.” ~ Amazon review by Joyce Mitchell

 “This is an exceptional story for children of all ages.” ~ Amazon review by Janice Spina

Illustration by Holly Humphrys-Bajaj from Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes.

Website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com

A tribute to Elliott-our very special dog

Today is a very sad day for our family because we had to have our beloved, dog, Elliott, put to sleep. He was at least 15-years-old and had been part of our family for 13 and a half years. He was the best ever and we are honored to have rescued him from the pound all of those years ago.
Elliott was something of a fixture at the local pound. He'd been there for six months when we met him. It was a few days after our chocolate lab, Riley, died after being hit by a car. Who would fill the big hole in our hearts? We planned to adopt a yellow lab named Molly, but when our son, Shane, met Molly, he didn't see anything special in her. Besides, people were lined up to adopt her.
Then we met Elliott. He was smiling from ear to ear and so excited to meet us. He jumped in my lap and planted a big, sloppy kiss on my cheek. He even pressed his tongue against my cheek and slid it, just to make sure I was impressed.
Elliott made us smile all the time. He loved to jump on our bed and sleep between us in the morning after he had breakfast. One of his other favorite pass times was to stick that big handsome head of his into the waste baskets and take out tissues. He looked so funny with pieces of tissues dangling from his chin. Sometimes he's carry them to his water bowl and  drop them in. I think Elliott was a decorator at heart because when he'd sneak into the porch, he loved sticking his sizable head into the recycle bin. Then he'd go down the stairs and redistribute all the containers around the yard until he thought it looked just right.

Now he's in doggie Heaven where he can play with lots of other dogs and have fun, the way he couldn't do on Earth anymore.
Elliott, we miss you, but you're unforgettable. You'll always be a star.
Elliott is featured on and in two of my books so I"m sharing his picture with all of you today. Shane had tons of pictures of him on his phone, but it was stolen, so these are the best pictures we can share with you.

copyright: 2017 Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

In the News!

Award-winning children's author Deanie Humphrys-Dunne uses animal stories to help kids learn to overcome challenges.

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne writes captivating books that teach children valuable life lessons about tenacity and overcoming obstacles

[Jan. 16, 2016]  To capture and hold a child's attention long enough to teach something of value is a real challenge. Nothing does that more effectively than a story about animals.  While many children's books do that in a fictional setting, children's book author Deanie Humphrys-Dunne writes engaging books that teach valuable life lessons that are based in fact.

Deanie has won numerous awards for her books. She was recently chosen as one of '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading' for her story about the creation of 'Tails Of Sweetbrier'. 'Tails Of Sweetbrier' also received honorable mention in the Young Adult Nonfiction category of the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. The book took the Silver Medal in the Feathered Quill Book Awards in the Juvenile/YA Nonfiction category in 2014 and it was one of five finalists in the CLIPPA Awards in the 3rd - 4th Grade category. Deanie recently received the Dragon's Loyalty Blogging award from author/ illustrator, JD Holiday. She also appeared on Holiday's radio show on Blog Talk Radio.

Based on her own life, 'Tails of Sweetbrier' is a true story of a little girl who dreams of becoming a champion horseback rider. But this child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The doctors say she will never be able to walk. What does her dad do?  He decides to teach her to ride horses.  But what might happen when things don't go well?  What happens when she falls off her horse?  Even if she prevails, she will need exactly the right horse so they can become a winning team.  This inspirational children's book shows young people that nothing is impossible if they don't quit.

"The purpose of Tails of Sweetbrier is to encourage every child to follow his/her dreams," Deanie stated. "This message would benefit every child. The journey a child takes by reading this story will show that perseverance is the key to success. The closing statement of the book is: 'You have the power to make your dreams come true so reach for them and don’t accept anything less.”

Deanie believes the message that perseverance is the key to accomplishing amazing things is one that can benefit every child. Through her inspiring, real life and fictional works, children will learn that anything is possible if they refuse to give up on their dreams. Through her works, children are reminded that tenacity is the key to success. They will see proof that obstacles can be overcome and that quitting only guarantees failure.

Deanie wants to be a positive influence to children. She loves to write entertaining animal stories that emphasize important values such as; never giving up, setting goals, and working together to realize great things. Other books written by Deanie include ‘Charlene The Star’, ‘Charlene The Star And Hattie's Heroes’, ‘Charlie The Horse’ and 'Charlene The Star And Bentley Bulldog.’

Two new videos have been created for her books. These videos can be accessed at Youtube at https://youtu.be/tT5zBYieZbo and at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rba4hkmmTyc&feature=youtu.be.

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below, or by email at deanie@dhdunne.tk. A no-charge ebook download is available at Payhip at http://www.payhip.com/deaniehd. All of her books are available at Amazon. More information is available at her website at http://www.ChildrensBooksWithLifeLessons.com.

Profile:

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne is a children’s author with 5 published books. All of her books are beautifully illustrated by her sister, Holly Humphrys-Bajaj.

Deanie and Holly specialize in books that promote positive, character building messages for children.

Deanie is a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature. She has been featured on several author websites and received top billing in one of her interviews with renowned author, Amb. Claire Power Murphy on womensradio.com. In addition she has been honored with numerous blogging awards and nominations including: The Sunshine Award, The Best Moment Award, The Super Sweet Award, The Very Inspiring Blogger Award, The Dragon’s Loyalty Award, and The Shauny Award.

Contact:

Deanie Humphrys-Dunne
http://www.ChildrensBooksWithLifeLessons.com

Merry Christmas from Charlie, Charlene, Hattie, Wooliam and all their animal friends!

Charlie the Horse, Charlene the Star, Bentley Bulldog,   Elliott,Hattie the Chicken, and all their animal friends wish you a very Merry Christmas!

copyright 2015: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne

 book trailer video: tube.com/watch?v=Rba4hkmmTyc&feature=youtu.be

An interview with Elliott

"Hello everyone, today we have the pleasure of interviewing Elliott, a handsome dog, notorious for his big head. Good morning, Elliott. So nice to have you as my guest today. Elliott, I noticed you're getting a big restless, wiggling and wagging your tail. I bet you want to get on with the interview.
"I am, Deanie. I love interviews. I just like to tell people about my animal friends.
 We'll get right to the questions then.
Please tell us about your book Charlene the Star.
Of course. Charlene comes from a famous racing family. EVERYONE expects she'll become another outstanding racehorse. But from the beginning, Charlene is quite independent. She tells her Mama she'll decide what she wants to do when she gets old enough.  Charlene likes to show her emotions. She has her own type of "tantrum" where she hops up and down stiff-legged. Here was her Mom's reaction the first time she saw it:
"Charlene,Why are you hopping up and down like that? Those little hops are called crow hops."
"I'm having a tantrum," said Charlene. Little people can have them so I thought I could have them since I'm a little horse."
She certainly knows what she wants Elliott.
Well, Charlene was wondering if she could make a living from having tantrums, since she was so talented at it.
Tell us how you met Charlene the Star:
Charlene was feeling nervous and upset once she moved to Jumping for Joy Farms. She refused to eat and was very sad. Charlene's trainer thought it would be helpful to get a special friend for her and I got the job! You might have noticed I"m a pretty calm fellow and my over sized head has room for brains and good thoughts. My job was to help keep Charlene calm and happy. We get along well.
Did Charlene have a long racing career?
No, she didn't. She found out she had other talents. She loved her new career. It's something she's very gifted at.
I think it's important for children to develop their own talents and not be afraid to be different from your friends.
Tell is about the second book you star in,  Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes.
Oh, this time my friends Charlene, Hattie the Chicken, and Wooliam the sheep start a new business.
We're looking for something exciting to do in our spare time. We come up with a great idea to help some of our friends. I can' t give away all the secrets, but we become coaches.
Oh, that does sound exciting Elliott! 
Yes, we made a great team and lots of exciting things happened.
What do you specialize in ?
I specialize in building confidence in my animal friends. It's one of my favorite things to do. My friends seem to look at my head and figure I have natural talents for building self esteem.
I agree with that, Elliott. 
How many books are in the Charlene the Star series?
We have 3: Charlene the Star, Charlene the Star and Hattie's Heroes and Charlene the Star and Bentley Bulldog. We share an exciting adventure in each one. But it actually all starts with Charlie the Horse, since he's Charlene's big brother.
Thank you so much for spending time with me today, Elliott. I know your young fans will love hearing more about you and your friends.
You're welcome, we had fun together.
Purchase links:
http://www.amazon.com/Charlene-Hatties-Heroes-Deanie-Humphrys-Dunne/dp/1612860710

http://www.amazon.com/Charlene-Bentley-Bulldog-Deanie-Humphrys-Dunne-ebook/dp/B00S7295MC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450109651&sr=1-1&keywords=charlene+the+star+and+bentley+bulldog

http://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Horse-Deanie-Humphrys-Dunne-ebook/dp/B00CEJ2Y4A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450109696&sr=1-1&keywords=charlie+the+Horse

website: www.childrensbookswithlifelessons.com
book trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rba4hkmmTyc&feature=youtu.be

copyright 2015: Deanie Humphrys-Dunne