Author:Phil Silver - Born Jacksonville, Fla., raised in Burbank, Ca., lived in the Bay Area for many years, and currently lives in Roseville, Ca. Mr. Silver began telling stories to his boys in 1993, and then in 2002, after retiring from Pacific Bell, he decided to turn his stories into books.
Book Synopsis: The main characters, Boga Bear, Skola Squirrel, and Bunko Bunny, are three very unlikely animals to befriend each other, but they do, and then meet each day to play, talk and plan their day. The reader/listener gets to tag along as Boga, Skola, and Bunko find ways to teach, entertain, and learn from each other as they explore the wonders of the forest around them.
In Beat the Heat they go deep into the forest as a way to stay cool, and in Staying Cool they go down to the stream where Boga Bear goes swimming in the beavers new swimming hole while Skola and Bunko watch safely from the shore. Both stories deal with their learning to make decisions and dealing with the consequences of those decisions. The stories are simple, trouble free adventures for small children. There is a certain moral flow to the stories that teach respect, courtesy and friendship without being obvious. The animals take on human characteristics and deliver a nice soft message to young hearts and minds.
Don Ratkowski’s art work is marvelous. His use of color, shading and depth perception makes the art leap off the page.
Awards:Both books were awarded the “2004 Children's Book Silver Metal” by the American Authors Association for short Stories. The books are designed for parent, grand parents, older siblings, or teachers to read to the little ones.
First Two Books:
Boga Bear: Staying Cool (ISBN# 1- 4120-2130-8)
Boga Bear: Beat the Heat (ISBN# 1-4120-2126-x)
Publisher:Trafford Publishing,Victoria, Canada
Professional Organizations: Military Writers of America, American Authors Association, and
Northern California Publishers and Authors
