This letter to you will take the place of the usual two articles that you receive each month as a subscriber to my RBJ Newsletter.

Since the beginning of my Newsletter in March of 2008, I have written approximately seventy articles all of which remain available on this website (see Site Map for a complete listing). I have very much enjoyed writing them and have especially enjoyed the frequent comments and feedback from many of you. The Newsletter will be distributed once again beginning next September. 

 

Thank you very much for your responsiveness and your statements of appreciation. 

 

I am also taking this opportunity to announce the publication of two of five children's books that I have written.  Last December, "Oliver McCoy - The Boy Who Loved Onions" was published and has been very well received.  Book two: "Oliver McCoy - The Vegetable Boy" is scheduled for publication by the end of this month and seems to be eagerly awaited by the new fans of the Oliver McCoy character and stories. 

 

The statement below was written by me at my publisher's request. I thought it to be the best way to introduce the series to my Newsletter readers and to share with you the fun and pleasure of my new second career.

 

My best wishes to you for a wonderful summer,

 

Richard

 

What Makes These Books Unique

 

Oliver McCoy - The Vegetable Boy  is the second book in the Oliver McCoy series. It is an entertaining story - in rhyme - that has Oliver trying other vegetables besides onions  which is all he would eat in book one: Oliver McCoy-The Boy Who Loved Onions. In The Vegetable Boy, Oliver discovers the pleasure of eating new vegetables, while still enjoying onions, and shares his new vegetable discoveries with his friends. He also plants a vegetable garden and opens a vegetable stand. 

 

The Oliver McCoy series is designed to emphasize the pleasures and values of eating vegetables - and fruits - to help children see these foods in a more positive way. As Oliver says, "I'll help everyone try new vegetable treats...then they can choose veggies and eat fewer sweets!

 

"In book three - Oliver McCoy and the Goofy Lunchbox Salad - fruits are introduced into Oliver's healthy eating choices and shows him creating a salad of fruits and vegetables to take to school and share with friends. 

 

In book four - Oliver McCoy & the Birthday Blender - our young hero turns eight years old. His parents offer extraordinary present possibilities like a pool, a tree house, a new bike, but Oliver only wants a blender so that he can create fruit and vegetable 'smoothies' for himself and his friends. He also creates a new drink that he names "The Mooshie."

 

Book five - Oliver McCoy and the GIGANTIC Vegetable Surprise - is a fantasy about an extraordinary occurrence in Oliver's garden with a surprise ending sure to delight children in the age range- three to eight - for whom these books are written.

 

Children who have been given an opportunity to read and hear the Oliver books have demonstrated and expressed their thorough enjoyment of the stories and the illustrations. The father of one child, in fact, convincingly made clear how eager he was during the reading of "The Boy Who Loved Onions" to see just exactly how it would end!

 

It is my belief that casting vegetables and fruits in a positive and appealing light for young children represents an unusual entry into the world of children's literature at a time when concerns about unhealthy eating and resulting obesity in children is high on our national agenda. Perhaps the Oliver McCoy series has the potential to contribute something of value to children and their families at a time of such concern and focus on good nutrition.

 

For more information about me and the book series, please visit my author's website: www.rbjstorybooksforchildren.com