Kim Merritt – illustratör

Tommy Tott, an adventurous young boy, lives in a house with a stream behind it. One morning, Tommy sits beside the stream and wonders where it goes. If he were only very small, he could ride a raft down the stream to its end and see where it would take him.

As Tommy sits daydreaming, he suddenly finds his wish granted. He has become a very small boy riding a raft and headed on an incredible adventure downstream!

As he floats along, Tommy meets wildlife of all kindsand they can talk! Not all of the insects and animals Tommy meets on his journey are friendly, however; one even wants to eat him! Can Tommy Tott stay safe on this exciting adventure? Will he ever get big again and find his way home?

Kimberly is a little girl who has a special gift: she can walk on clouds! Sometimes Kimberly kneels at the edge of a cloud and views mountains below her. Other times, she rides a low cloud over a lake and watches the sailboats glide over water. Kimberly always feels close to God when she walks on clouds. Still, she wishes she could share the fun with someone else.

At school, Kimberly meets a disabled girl named Latrice who shares the same special gift. As Latrice and Kimberly walk on, slide down, and even make shapes in clouds together, the two girls become good friends who know that God is always there to listen. But it is when the girls begin to grow older that they learn to serve God with their cloudwalking gifts in a very unique way.

In this inspirational childrens tale, two girls blessed with the ability to walk on clouds discover a common bond and friendship as they work to bring the word of God to the world.

Johnny Sparks lives on a farm in America long ago before cell phones, cars, and even lights were invented. To keep himself entertained, Johnny loves to read books about faraway places. But one day when he sees a gigantic shadow fly overhead, Johnny runs to hide in the woods. As he peers out from the cover of the trees, Johnny can hardly believe his eyes when he sees a pelican as big as his home looking back at him.

As soon as Johnny learns that Toby the pelican is there to take him to faraway places, he hops on Tobys back. Thanks to Toby, Johnny sees a sailing ship, a Native American village, a buffalo, a cowboy, a paddle boat on the Mississippi River, and giant sequoia trees in California. Even though they love their adventures, new friends Toby and Johnny also help others in need as Toby teaches the young boy the value of learning, hard work, and faith.

Johnny Sparks and Toby is a childrens tale of a gigantic pelican and a boy who pair together on an adventure to see faraway places, help those in need, and share an important message.

There is never a dull moment on a farm where a rooster, four hens, six baby chicks, and three ducks live together.

Cairo Rooster is a little too proud of himself. Ariel Hen talks more than she listens. Greta Hen is a complainer. Boof Hen is lazy. All three ducks know they can be friendlier and kinder. The six chicks are too little to have bad habitsyet. But life is about to change in a big way for all the feathered creatures when they hear a great commotion near the hen house that soon causes them to think about their behavior and choices.

In this creative childrens story, chickens and ducks learn a valuable lesson about why it is so important to make good choices and be good role models for those around us.

Hugo is a red, seven-feet-tall, not-so-ordinary helium balloon. His home is the festival grounds where hes tethered to the ground with a long line. He often dreams of sailing high in the sky, completely unattached to anything. One day, he gets that chance when a balloon handler makes a mistake, and Hugo is flying freely in the sky.

As Hugo floats, he encounters a number of things, some that are scary and some that make him happy. He experiences a thunderstorm, meets birds and butterflies, has a near miss with an airplane, gets a picturesque view of the mountains and cornfields, and more.

With a little help from the wind, Hugo the red balloon has a chance to journey across the land and see what there is to see. But he sure is glad when he returns home to the safety and comfort of the festival grounds.

What starts as a beautiful day in the village of Claremont turns into one very interesting night. Miraculous clouds of sparkling colors completely blanket the town. No one had ever seen clouds like these.

When morning arrives, the townspeople discover everything has changed color. The leaves on a tree are now purple. A cat is green. Pancakes are red. Even the residents have become a different color. One little boys skin is orange and his hair is blue. The children, now sporting an array of colors, play together happily.

After a few days, miraculous clouds again envelope Claremont. The next morning, all of the colors have returned to normal. The village residents learn an important lesson from this color-changing event.

Twins Zack and Rose have the special ability to interact with birds, and the two siblings learn all they can from their feathered friends.

Rose enjoys the regal trumpeter swans and is amazed by the sleek hummingbirds. Zack is drawn to peregrine falcons, and he makes friends with a snowy owl. From bluebirds to cardinals and more, the children meet and gather important facts about these winged animals.

Through words and illustrations, Fantastic Feathered Friends, a picture book for children, offers a fun look at thirteen different varieties of birds and presents a host of interesting facts.