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You may download a review copy of the .pdf file of The Monster on Top of the Bed.

Here’s a copy of the Press Kit

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I know that children, parents, grandparents, the press and bloggers love my book. Check out our comments page. Here are some of the excerpts from reviews about The Monster on Top of the Bed:

From Bloggers

From

Fund raising article - From Macaroni Kid – West Reno

Some may wonder what it is that compels local author Alan Jordan to dedicate so much of his time to starting a fund raising program and what started it to begin with. Like the majority of people in our community, Alan has had his share of economic distress and it opened his eyes to the severity of the situation in and around the Reno-Sparks area. “There’s been a dramatic impact on the economy… I got thinking, how can I help non-profits? Because non-profits and schools are getting killed. Well, the answer really was, find a way they can make some money.” . . .

Another great review of The Monster on Top of the Bed

Book Review by Natalia Berry

. . . .The first time my daughter and I read this book, I was blown away by how much she completely understood everything. “Oh no!” She cried when she saw the feet below Suzy’s bed and she said Suzy’s rhyme with her to keep from being afraid. She realized right away that Karrit was afraid as well and sympathized with him. The word-play was silly and easy enough for her to catch on to and at the end, she made me read it again. Twice. We love this book!

That night, she got into her jammies, grabbed her water and crawled under her blanket. She did look once under her bead, which made me wonder if it was going to be another long night but she smiled and told me “Karrit’s still be sleeping.” I smiled, finished our bedtime routine and that was that.

Simple enough for young children to understand and funny enough to keep the older children entertained, “The Monster On Top of the Bed” is a fun and fantastic way to help your little one, or not so little one, overcome their fear of what lurks beneath.

Read the full review.

From 4 the Love of Reading:

Another great review of The Monster on Top of the Bed

The Monster on Top of the Bed] is simply a wonderful story about a little girl, Suzy, (the monster) who scares Karrit (the one who’s afraid of the “monster” on top of the bed), and how funny it can be when you don’t realize that things aren’t nearly as frightening in real life as you might “think” they are! The wonderful use of “play on words”, such as the poor monster Karrit being afraid Suzy’s going to eat HIM because he heard her say she loves to eat “Carrots” is just adorable and funny. It takes a subject that can be frightening to a little one and makes it comical and fun. In the end you’ll be chuckling along with your little one about the silliness of Karrit and Suzy and I’m going to guess you’re going to be asked over and over to read this story!

The artwork is quite good also. Unlike many books that toss a few pictures together without much thought, even the discussion section at the end of the book makes you realize there was a lot of time and effort put into each and every picture. For example one of the questions they ask is “Why does Karrit’s nose change color?” and after you read the story you realize that wasn’t a big deal in the book but the picture clearly shows Karrits nose in different colors! This question make you and your little one ponder “why” and come up with some of your own ideas! You’ll go back and read it again and again to try to come up with some answers to the questions they ponder at the end for you to discuss! It’s wonderful. You’ll talk about friendships, worrying about things that maybe you shouldn’t worry about, and so much more!

I highly recommend this wonderful and delightful story to you. – For the Love of Reading

From Donna McDine

The Monster on Top of the Bed . . . is sure to become a new bedtime classic. All the components are perfectly intertwined to make the story jump off its pages and come to life. And in fact it does, in several different versions that are available . . .” – Donna M. McDine – Donna has been published in Stories for Children Magazine, and Newsletter for Writers, Kid Magazine Writers, Long Story Short, Institute of Children’s Literature Rx for Writers, Once Upon A Time Magazine. She contributes articles for the SCBWI Metro NY Newsletter, Cross & Quill, The Christian Writers Newsletter, and Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine.

From EzineArticles.com

The author has created a captivating story. Manuela Pentangelo, the illustrator, has crafted ice-cream-parlor-delicious artwork. On the accompanying audio-book CD (available separately) the book is performed in English (2 versions), Italian and Spanish (2 versions.) As children listen to the different performances, they cannot help but develop an appreciation for the beauty of different languages. Just by listening, they pick up many Italian and Spanish words, and start to develop an appreciation of different cultures.Like the Pixar movie, Monsters, Inc., this book allows children to discover the fact that a monster might be as afraid of them, but it does it in a very different, almost cerebral way. Also, as children read the story, they find a mantra that they can say to themselves to banish monsters, “You’re welcome to stay, until I say ‘nay,’ then it’s time to go, and you can’t say no.” Children love to have magic enchantments, and this mantra can provide great comfort. – Brenda Silver – Book Reviewer eZineArticles.com

From Tree, Root & Twig

. . . The Monster on Top of the Bed is a sweet story about a young girl who has traded places – in a sense – with the monster underneath her bed. It turns out that she has been frightening him, and once the two finally communicate with and listen to each other, the misunderstanding is resolved. It’s a lovely story about overcoming fears and misconceptions to become friends . . . The book was sent to me as part of a CD set – in fact, the “book” itself is actually a full-color book inserted into the CD case. I thought this was very clever, as the packaging comes completely self-contained, and the size of the book is perfect for little hands. The illustrations are wonderful, and I particularly love the adorable gap between Suzy’s teeth. – Tree Root & Twig blog.

From an Amazon.com review

And now for something completely different … well not quite. Audio books on CD are nothing new, but children’s picture books that accompany a CD with a small picture book that fits inside the CD case is a innovative use of the medium. It’s true that bands have been producing full color “liner notes” for years, but this is the absolute first time that I’ve ever seen a legitimate children’s book that features artwork that is Italian ice-cream parlor delicious.
This method lends itself to being played in portable CD players, home CD players, computers with a CD or DVD drive, and car CD or DVD players. . . .

From a Review by David Broughton in The American Chronicle

. . . I don’t really feel that it’s proper to call this product a book in this edition, it’s really so much more than that.

Not only is the physical book a treat for the eyes, the words pleasantly read out loud, complete with sound effects, in English, it’s also done in Spanish and Italian.

I believe the combination of those three languages for one children’s product hasn’t been done before. The ‘monster’ on top of the bed is a little girl named Suzy. The ‘monster under the bed is a cute little guy named Karrit, that finds the courage to come out from under the bed to talk to Suzy, though he’s quite scared of her at the time. He’s so scared, because he’s heard that she eats things like Toma toes, dogs that she likes hot, cakes made of pans, and worst of all Karrits. Suzy gets some of the foods to show him what she really eats, not Karrits, but carrots, not “toma toes” but “tomatoes”, and “pancakes”, not “cakes made of pans.” Karrit’s fears are eased, the two begin to build a friendship.

The obvious lesson this product teaches is not to be scared of the dark when it’s time for bed. However, there are so many messages this personal size book and read-along CD teach subtly, the list is long, I won’t list them all, but they are listed on a blog entry: http://max-opp.com/monbedblog/faqs/what-are-the-subtle-messages-of-the-monster-on-top-of-the-bed. The one lesson I’m particularly fond of is the idea that it teaches children not to be afraid of people or things, just because they’re different. Monster on Top of the Bed shows different can be good, and fun, all demonstrated in a manner that’s pleasant, interesting, and creative.

I’m shy, but everyone tells me that I should ask for testimonials. If you would be willing to provide a testimonial send a note to alan@monbed.com, and I”ll send you a copy of the book for your review. I’ll also include the .mp3 files so you can hear it read.

You can also watch a short video about the book View Video

All I ask is that within five (5) days of receiving your review, you make a comment to this blog post.

Click here to read more reviews

Feel free to call me at (775) 453-6636 if you would like to discuss any of the following topics. If you’re an experienced freelance writer, you’ll already know where to place these ideas. If not, I can provide suggestions.

A distinguishing factor: I received a grant from the Nevada Arts Council to promote The Monster on Top of the Bed and my writing in general.

If you are an approved member of the press the following links to download resources for free will be visible. If not, we invite you to explore the rest of this site and request a 30-day Press membership. We verify credentials before approving this membership.

Please contact us if you have any questions, or if you can not easily locate a resource on this page. Also, Alan Jordan is available for phone or e-mail interviews. (775) 453-6636, Pacific Time.

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Ideas for Freelance Writers:

Freelancers, why not leverage all of the time that you invest in reading a book and writing a series of feature articles and book reviews. Here are a few ideas. I invite you to contact me to discuss these and other concepts.

10 Ways that a Teacher Can Engage a Class With AudioBook/eBook Technology
Using the CD/Book combination as a springboard to discuss effective ways to make friends.
Teaching the Golden Rule without Ever Mentioning It. (Character modeling)
Doing Double Duty: Raising Funds and Fostering Literacy
Helping Children Discover Multi-Culturism
A Truly Unique Way to Keep the Kids Entertained on a Long Road Trip
How to Get More People into Your Auto Dealership
How to Raise Money for PTAs
Laid off Teacher? Make Money with a Foster Literacy and Culture Party
Laid off Teacher? Make Money Tutoring and Preparing Lesson Plans
Librarians – Stop Summer Slide in Patrons with Unique e-Books

<big>I know that children, parents, grandparents, the press and bloggers love my book. Here are some of the excerpts from reviews about The Monster on Top of the Bed.:

From Parents
“Last weekend, I had occasion to drive home four rowdy children, ages 5 to 10. One of them found the CD to The Monster on Top of the Bed and asked me to play it. Another one found the book and turned the pages for the others. For the next 15 minutes, I had four rapt children in my car as the CD played twice. Any story that captures the attention of these four kids is definitely very good.” – Sharon Wood, parent.

From a teacher
“I like the fact that Karrit’s smaller than Suzy, and I love the monster’s eyes. You can’t tell if the monster is Asian, Eurasian, or American, and I like the ponytail. Every boy and every girl can identify with Karrit.”

- Belinda Chua, S. F. Bay Area

From bloggers
The Monster on Top of the Bed . . . is sure to become a new bedtime classic. All the components are perfectly intertwined to make the story jump off its pages and come to life. And in fact it does, in several different versions that are available . . .” – Donna M. McDine – Donna has been published in Stories for Children Magazine, and Newsletter for Writers, Kid Magazine Writers, Long Story Short, Institute of Children’s Literature Rx for Writers, Once Upon A Time Magazine. She contributes articles for the SCBWI Metro NY Newsletter, Cross & Quill, The Christian Writers Newsletter, and Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine.

The author has created a captivating story. Manuela Pentangelo, the illustrator, has crafted ice-cream-parlor-delicious artwork. On the accompanying audio-book CD (available separately) the book is performed in English (2 versions), Italian and Spanish (2 versions.) As children listen to the different performances, they cannot help but develop an appreciation for the beauty of different languages. Just by listening, they pick up many Italian and Spanish words, and start to develop an appreciation of different cultures.Like the Pixar movie, Monsters, Inc., this book allows children to discover the fact that a monster might be as afraid of them, but it does it in a very different, almost cerebral way. Also, as children read the story, they find a mantra that they can say to themselves to banish monsters, “You’re welcome to stay, until I say ‘nay,’ then it’s time to go, and you can’t say no.” Children love to have magic enchantments, and this mantra can provide great comfort. – Brenda Silver – Book Reviewer eZineArticles.com
From Tree, Root & Twig
. . . The Monster on Top of the Bed is a sweet story about a young girl who has traded places – in a sense – with the monster underneath her bed. It turns out that she has been frightening him, and once the two finally communicate with and listen to each other, the misunderstanding is resolved. It’s a lovely story about overcoming fears and misconceptions to become friends . . . The book was sent to me as part of a CD set – in fact, the “book” itself is actually a full-color book inserted into the CD case. I thought this was very clever, as the packaging comes completely self-contained, and the size of the book is perfect for little hands. The illustrations are wonderful, and I particularly love the adorable gap between Suzy’s teeth. – Tree Root & Twig blog.

From an Amazon.com review
And now for something completely different … well not quite. Audio books on CD are nothing new, but children’s picture books that accompany a CD with a small picture book that fits inside the CD case is a innovative use of the medium. It’s true that bands have been producing full color “liner notes” for years, but this is the absolute first time that I’ve ever seen a legitimate children’s book that features artwork that is Italian ice-cream parlor delicious.
This method lends itself to being played in portable CD players, home CD players, computers with a CD or DVD drive, and car CD or DVD players. . . .

From a Review by David Broughton in The American Chronicle
. . . I don’t really feel that it’s proper to call this product a book in this edition, it’s really so much more than that.

Not only is the physical book a treat for the eyes, the words pleasantly read out loud, complete with sound effects, in English, it’s also done in Spanish and Italian.

I believe the combination of those three languages for one children’s product hasn’t been done before. The ‘monster’ on top of the bed is a little girl named Suzy. The ‘monster under the bed is a cute little guy named Karrit, that finds the courage to come out from under the bed to talk to Suzy, though he’s quite scared of her at the time. He’s so scared, because he’s heard that she eats things like Toma toes, dogs that she likes hot, cakes made of pans, and worst of all Karrits. Suzy gets some of the foods to show him what she really eats, not Karrits, but carrots, not “toma toes” but “tomatoes”, and “pancakes”, not “cakes made of pans.” Karrit’s fears are eased, the two begin to build a friendship.

The obvious lesson this product teaches is not to be scared of the dark when it’s time for bed. However, there are so many messages this personal size book and read-along CD teach subtly, the list is long, I won’t list them all, but they are listed on a blog entry: http://max-opp.com/monbedblog/faqs/what-are-the-subtle-messages-of-the-monster-on-top-of-the-bed. The one lesson I’m particularly fond of is the idea that it teaches children not to be afraid of people or things, just because they’re different. Monster on Top of the Bed shows different can be good, and fun, all demonstrated in a manner that’s pleasant, interesting, and creative.

I’m shy, but everyone tells me that I should ask for testimonials. If you would be willing to provide a testimonial send a note to alan@monbed.com, and I”ll send you a copy of the book for your review. I’ll also include the .mp3 files so you can hear it read.

You can also watch a short video about the book <a href=”http://www.max-opp.com/video/BuyMonBedV8/BuyMonBedV8.html”> View Video</a>

All I ask is that within five (5) days of receiving your review, you make a comment on <a href=”http://max-opp.com/monbedblog/about”>the “About” page.</a>.</big>

Press

From Bloggers

Fund raising article - From Macaroni Kid – West Reno