Book Review of A Stinky Surprise for Jake the Snake, Author Guest Blog - Shelly Nicholson and GIVEAWAY

Jake the Snake is back for his second adventure in the series. This time his mom and dad have a surprise - a new baby is on the way! Jake and his brother Johnny are not excited to have a "stinky" baby. They especially aren't excited when they find out that baby is a girl! Jake the Snake even barfs at school when he talks about it. When his mom has the baby there are surprises for everyone!

I think I liked this story even better than the first one in the series. This is such a cute series and Jake the Snake is written in the thoughts of Jake himself. This time Ms. Nicholson did a great job with tackling the emotions that kids feel when they find out their mom is going to have a baby. She is also good at putting a lesson at the end.

I read this one to my 5 year old son and he really enjoyed it. It had less hi jinx then Jake the Snake and the Stupid Time Out Chair, but it had surprises and barf (what boy doesn't like that in a book). I only had a pdf copy with no pictures and would have loved to have been able to show him pictures and let him hold the book a little more, but even with that this one kept his attention. We can't wait to get the actual book in our hands!

See my review of Jake the Snake and the Stupid Time Out Chair here.

Author Interview:

Today I am also lucky enough to be hosting Shelly Nicholson, the author of these 2 very cute and funny childrens books Jake the Snake and the Stupid Time Out Chair and A Stinky Surprise for Jake the Snake. Shelly has graciously provided a post for my blog that I am excited to share with you. Thanks so much Shelly for stopping by and sharing with us about your family and your inspiration for your adorable books.

First, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alison for hosting me on her blog. Thanks, Alison! Just like Alison, I am a mom. A mom of four sweet, yet sometimes unruly children! I have 3 boys and one precious yet high maintenance princess (well at least she thinks she is a princess. Lol).

I remember when each of my boys was going through the “terrible twos.” My oldest son liked to write on walls, my middle son liked to chew on electrical cords, and my youngest son, who was inspiration for my early chapter books Jake the Snake and the Stupid Time-Out Chair and A Stinky Surprise for Jake the Snake didn’t just go through the terrible twos. He also went through the “terrorizing threes,” the “frightful fours” and the “fearsome fives!” I used to think those were the worst stages of childhood. From swinging off chandeliers, painting furniture with hand lotion, building sandcastles with laundry detergent, climbing on every piece of furniture known to man, eating cat poop, washing matchbox cars in toilet water, and snacking on doggie biscuits…how could being a mommy to a terrible toddler get any worse? And then the teenage years began. I'm learning that the “terrible twos” were nothing more than lots of inspiring memories for hilarious stories. As a matter of fact, I'd trade almost anything to get those years of “terrible two-hood” back! It’s the “terrible teens” mom’s across the nation should truly fear.

Being stuck in a house with teens and pre-teens for a few weeks during a very rainy summer has made for lots of "I hate yous, “I wish you weren't my brothers” and “I wish you were never borns.” And then there is the whining, "Mom, he touched me!" or "Mom, he ate the last grape!" or "Mom! He called me stupid!" They never fought like this as toddlers! And back then my name was always “Mama,” never “Mother!” I think adolescence is a disease. Someday I might write a book about it. And I probably will, because that’s where the inspiration for my writing comes from: my kids!

In my books and stories, it is my intention to get young readers interested in reading through realistic situations and humor. My four kids are the biggest fans of my stories, and I can even get my teenaged son to laugh at the antics of Jake the Snake when I proofread my manuscripts over and over. I truly think humor is the key to getting kids interested in listening, reading and comprehending. And I hope other children out there will think Jake the Snake is a hilarious kid, who might be a little misunderstood, but who is very endearing and always learns a valuable lesson in the end.


Happy Reading and Writing! –Shelly Faith Nicholson
Be sure to visit me at my website: http://www.booksbyshelly.com/

I am happy to announce that the author is allowing me to giveaway one copy of Jake the Snake and the Stupid Time Out Chair.

For a chance to win just leave a comment with your name and email address.

This contest will end September 25th at 11:59 pm Central time and is only open to US and Canada residents.