Monday, December 29, 2014

"I Woof You From the Bottom of My Heart" by Kathy Vassilakis


 EXCERPT and REVIEW
I Woof You From the Bottom of My Heart
by Kathy Vassilakis


I Woof You From the Bottom of My Heart is recommended for children ages 2 to 6. This book is currently on tour with Enchanted Book Promotions. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and my review. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.


Description
This book about Bella and Sophia was written to show children how special a bond and friendship they can have with their dog. Dogs are wonderful pets and love us unconditionally. They will protect and love us no matter what. Children deserve to learn that at a very young age and grow to love all animals. Compassion for animals is intimately connected with goodness of character.

Excerpt

From the moment we first met,
I knew my life would never be the same,
My name is Bella and you are sweet Sophia.
We will be best friends forever.

Praise for the Book
"It is an ideal story book for children who have pets at home. It teaches them to bond and love the pets in their homes from a very early age and also treat them as friends. The illustrations are bright and colorful and give the characters and scenes movement and life. It is a perfect bedtime story book and it can be used for read aloud sessions in classrooms and libraries. Bella and Sophie will steal the hearts of readers with their lovable antics and displays of friendship. This is a story book that will teach kids a beautiful message, that of love, friendship and compassion." ~ Mamta Madhaven
"An adorable read that tells the story of a special bond between a child and a pet! A great book that teaches children to be kind and loving to pets because pets love unconditionally. A lesson learned." ~ Vivian Mavro
"If you have children and love to read to them pick up a copy of this book. Amazing all the way around. Can't wait for the author's next book." ~ Patricia Stockholm

My Review


By Lynda Dickson
Bella knew that she and Sophia would be best friends from the moment they first met. The thing that makes this story different is that it is told from the point-of-view of Bella, the dog!
This book delivers the message that the love of a pet is unconditional and everlasting. While this message is certainly worthwhile, the rhyming text is a bit forced and the story would be better served by being told in simple prose. The illustrations, also by the author, greatly add to the tale. They are simple and colorful and clearly demonstrate the love this pair has for each other.
A great story for new young pet owners.

About the Author
Kathy Vassilakis used to work in the corporate world. She majored in accounting from Brooklyn College and followed her dream to work in corporate accounting for 15 years until she became a mom.
Being a mom was her dream all along and she left accounting to raise her beautiful daughter Sophia. She’s been writing stories for her daughter for quite some time and decided to write her first children’s book of many to come, I Woof You From The Bottom Of My Heart.
Growing Up
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. I was the second child out of two. I have one sister named Joanne and always had animals. We had many dogs throughout my childhood from Pomeranians to Chows. I also had ducks, roosters, chickens, bunnies and many more animals. I was and still am a huge animal lover.
My love of books started when my mother used to read wonderful stories to my sister and me every night. She always tried to teach us both languages Greek and English. My parents were born and raised in Greece so Greek was their first language. Most of the stories she read to us were in Greek but that started my love for reading and writing. I learned both languages and am now fluent in writing and reading Greek which I am very proud of. 
Family
I've been married now for five years and have one beautiful daughter. My daughter Sophia is 17 months old and she is my whole world. I also have a Japanese Chin named Bella. My husband, Greg, has always supported and believed in me, and my family will always be my inspiration.
Creating I Woof You From The Bottom Of My Heart
I have spent twenty years writing stories and brainstorming ideas for children’s books with my family. I came up with the characters Sophia and Bella after my own family. I was inspired by my daughter and the relationship she has with Bella and created I Woof You From The Bottom Of My Heart to teach children how special a bond they can have with their dogs.
Compassion for animals is greatly connected to goodness of character this is the motto of the book. All animals deserve to be loved, respected, and treated right.
After a lot of hard work and many sleepless nights, I was finally able to publish my first book: I Woof You From The Bottom Of My Heart. To me, finally seeing my book in print and being able to share it with the public has made all the late nights and long hours worthwhile.

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