BLOG TOUR: Toto's Tale by K.D. Hays & Meg Weidman + Giveaway!

Happy Friday everyone!

Or perhaps it is more accurate to say Happy Black Friday...

Today is the day after Thanksgiving and though our bellies are full of turkey (and/or other yummy goodies) most are still a force to be reckoned with when encountered on the sale floor as they make that crazy early morning mad dash for all the best deals.  If you are participating in this crazy fun like me (yep, I'll be out there in the wee hours of the morning too...partially for the sales and also for the tradition of it all), enjoy...and be careful!  If not, enjoy the peaceful calm...just don't be jealous of the deals we got that you missed...hehe.  Anywho...

Today I am lucky enough to be playing host to a fabulous book tour making its way through the blogosphere right now courtesy of Pump Up Your Book Promotions.  It features a reader friendly title, a classic in its own right.  It takes place "somewhere over the rainbow" and features a little girl with braided hair and a penchant for gingham.  There's lions and tigers and bears...oh my...oh and how could be forget a little dog by the name of....well you know.  In fact, he's the star of the book featured today.  Without further adieu, today's book of choice is....

Toto's Tale

by

K.D. Hays and Meg Weidman

Most have heard of THE WIZARD OF OZ; its classic story in both book and movie formats is internationally known. But..what if we only know one side of the story? What if the events described didn't quite play out the way we've been told? Quite a conundrum.  Time to get the story from another key character that was there through it all. Someone as close to the original storyteller as they could be. A constant companion and friend that say the best of their time in Oz and the worst.  Who, you ask? Why TOTO of course and he's ready to tell all....

This was a great retelling of the story we've grown to love as seen through the eyes of Dorothy's trusted fuzzy friend. Toto is one of those literary characters that is easily recognized and yet his role in the main events was minimal...or so we've been told. The authors of this creative tale give a voice to this much loved character providing, smiles, laughs, and quite the obsession with pork chops. Just try not to smile as you make your way through this adventure...betcha can't.

Toto is a helpful dog, a faithful friend, and apparently had a much bigger hand, or um paw, in things than we may have realized.  Despite his short stature it doesn't keep him from standing tall and protecting his pet girl Dorothy.  That's right, she's HIS pet....which seriously makes me wonder if my own dogs are thinking the same thing (actually they probably are...they do train us you know).  Their journey to the land of Oz was quite enough adventure for him but to land in a strange place on top of a Something with "people-who-can't-quite-reach-things", a lampshade lady, and...oh my, it does make the head spin.  It's amazing the things both lost and gained in translation.  The communication efforts he puts forth for his pet Dorothy to understand him are mighty, but fall short of her human comprehension (again, now pondering if I REALLY know what my dogs are thinking sometimes).  Lucky for her, he never gives up...nor do the host of other familiar faces from Oz.  The Strawman, the Metal Man, and the Big Cat along with Auntem and Unclehenry all make their timely appearances but it is Toto that steals the spotlight and helps us to understand all that really went on.

All in all, I can honestly say that I really loved this book.  It's fun, it's whimsical, it's familiar in all the right ways while still creating something new.  Fans of the original will delight in this creative turn of events, as will dog lovers simply looking for an adorable and funny tale.  Recommended reading for all ages. The whimsical story telling and adorable illustrations come together to create a book you won't want to miss. Happy reading indeed for readers on either side of the rainbow....

Review copy received courtesy of Pump Up Your Book Promotions.  (THANKS!)  For more information on their past, present, and future tours, visit them online or follow along on Twitter.  For more information on the publisher that helped bring this book to readers, visit Zumaya Thresholds online.  Curious about the authors?  Got ya covered; this mother daughter dynamic duo has a site all ready for your perusal so be sure to stop by.  Last but not least, this is a blog tour and so there are other stops to check out along the way.  Next stop is at A Moment with Mystee and Eccentric Eclectic Woman on Monday, so mark your calendars!

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Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for....the giveaway!  That's right!  I am thrilled to be able to offer you, my readers, a chance to win a copy of this amazing little book all your own...thanks to the folks at Pump Up Your Book Promotions.  Here's the scoop!

The prize...

(1) copy of Toto's Tale by K.D. Hays and Meg Weidman

How to enter...

Just fill out THIS FORM and you're all set.

Simple, huh?

The rules...

*Open to US/Canada mailing addresses only!  No P. O. Boxes please.

* Entries will be accepted from Friday, November 26th, 2010 through Sunday, December 12th, 2010 at midnight CST.  The entries will be tallied and entered into the random.org randomizer, after which a random number will be picked by their number generator.

* All entries must be submitted using the form accessible through this post.  You MUST include your email address in order to be counted as well as contacted should you be chosen as the winner!

*The winner will be announced and contacted via email by Monday, December 13th, 2010 and will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address.  Should they fail to respond in the given time frame, a new winner will be chosen.  If you choose to include your address in your entry, no worries...the time frame issue is removed.

*Winners name and address will be forwarded to Pump Up Your Book Promotions for prize send out only and then discarded.

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Good luck to everyone!

Until next time...happy reading!