People tell stories for a variety of reasons. For debut author Anita Lamb, storytelling is her way of sharing inspiration and humour as well as insight into her delightful experiences living on a farm. In her new book, "Ebony and the Man in the Big Blue Overalls," she narrates an amazing experience that she and her husband had with a little calf. After her birth, Ebony the calf is rejected by her own mother and pushed into a creek. A kindly man in big blue overalls saves the little calf from her raging mother and takes Ebony to his own barn. There, his wife takes care of Ebony. When they bring in the mother to meet her child again, they realize that the mother's hormones have created great anger in her, and she will never accept her baby. They take care of her until they find a cow whose own calf sadly passed, and they disguise her as the cow's baby. The cow accepts Ebony and she finally has a mother who loves her and treats her kindly. From the opening scene, readers are thrown into the action which creates an attention-grabbing opener. It is very detailed and makes it easy for the reader to feel for and with the main character, the calf. This also creates an almost instantaneous bond between readers and the main characters and allows for them to go through a range of emotions. It is sad but readers know that there must be rescue around the corner for the little calf so when the rescue does show up, it is a great relief. This captivating story is being considered for a potential film adaptation. Accompanied by vibrant illustrations, "Ebony and the Man in the Big Blue Overalls" is a story of life on a farm and the joy that comes from kindness, friendship and family. It will warm the hearts of readers of all ages. Praise for "Ebony and the Man in the Big Blue Overalls:" "The story offers a more domestic perspective on animal rescue and animal lovers will be instantly engaged by Ebony's situation... independent readers not quite ready for chapter books will be hooked by the action and the New Zealand farm setting... A photograph of the author with real-life Ebony in the end pages adds authenticity... A charming, high-action farm story sure to be a hit with budding animal rescuers." - Kirkus "The sometimes unpleasant challenges of farm life make for a great learning experience for children... Young people will learn about some of the challenges of a working farm in this bright, colorful picture book written by Anita Lamb, a farmer from New Zealand. Bright illustrations teeming with vibrant primary colors are featured in this picture book... the author's impeccable farming credentials make her an expert on farm life." - Clarion Review, Four Stars (out of Five) "Especially fascinating is the process of coaxing the adoptive mother to accept Ebony, which includes draping the skin of the mother's dead calf on Ebony, in order to provide a familiar scent... The first-person storytelling helps readers become invested in Ebony's fate... Ebony is a sympathetic and cheerful protagonist, and the book offers a glimpse of an unusual side of life that should be intriguing to most young readers." - Blue Ink Review "Ebony and the Man in the Big Blue Overalls" will be featured at the 2014 Bologna Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, on Mar. 24, 2014 - Mar. 27, 2014. For more information on this book, log on to http://www.Xlibris.co.nz. About the Author Anita Lamb lives with her husband Dennis on a hill country sheep and beef farm in New Zealand. She completed an Honours degree in Organic Chemistry at Sydney University, followed by a Diploma of Education. She has worked as a quality assurance manager and also taught mathematics part time at the Auckland University of Technology. Lamb is surrounded by the animals she loves. These include the animals in the true stories she writes about. Ebony and the Man in the Big Blue Overalls * by Anita Lamb Publication Date: November 12, 2013 Picture Book; AU$59.99; 32 pages; 978-1-4931-0301-0 Picture Book Hardcover; AU$20.00; 32 pages; 978-1-4931-0573-1 EBook; AU$3.99; 978-14931-0302-7 To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at 0800-443-678. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (09) 353-1455 or call 0800-443-678. For more information, contact Xlibris at 0800-443-678 or on the web at http://www.Xlibris.co.nz.
