About 6 weeks ago we started creating short 20-30 second videos with Klara The Cow for the little ones. In our most recent production we added an introduction which you helped us choose from four that were created. We call this the "Koolamundo Swirl Intro." 

We also added what we call an outro at the end of the video that you also helped us choose, which we call "Koolamundo Space Outro." We will use this in all future short videos as our signature. This is what the outro looks like.

Then we added the body of the video where Klara is dressed in different costumes from her Klara The Cow Dress-up App and she is strutting her stuff in front of camera. She did well under all of the bright lights and flashes!

If you have a minute, please take a look at the finished product and feel free to share and provide your thoughts. We appreciate all feedback. #itsakoolworld, #koolamundotees, #klarathecowapp

A typical layout for a picture book (ages 2-6) is 32 pages. Thirty-two pages will be the total length of the book, but your story can only have 24 pages. The other 8 will be used for the book ends, title and copyright. With 24 pages for your story, you can have 12 two-page spreads (the left and right page opened), 24 individual pages or a combination as long as the story fits on a total of 24 pages. In the example I am using today, Klara The Cow Who Knows How To Bow has less than 250 words.

STEP 1: In order to illustrate a children’s book, you first need to have the story written. The creative direction you provide to an illustrator will be inspired by the written words, this is done by creating a story board.

STEP 2: Either you can start drawing your illustrations or you need to find an illustrator to help you make your story come to life. For the purpose of this example, we will assume that you need the help of an illustrator/artist. How does one find an illustrator? There are many websites that offer these services, like Fiverr.com, Upwork.com, DesignCrowd.com, Freelancer.com and more. The one I have had the most luck with is Fiverr.com.
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STEP 3: You audition several illustrators by posting a job on one or more of these websites. The ad would be something like this, “I have written a book about a cow, her name is Klara. She is a young cow and has eyes, the colour of corn. Please create a cow character for my 24 page illustrated children’s picture book. Let me know if you have any questions.”
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You will pay for the illustration samples whether you use them or not. When I posted this add back in early 2015, these are the two sample illustrations I received back from two different illustrators on Fiverr.com.

It was immediately clear to me which illustrator I was going to work with. Once you have chosen your illustrator, the next step is to send the story board with creative direction for each page. I have created a standard template that I use for this process.

STEP 4: Provide story board with creative direction and the story. Let’s start with a simple example. This is the text for the first two pages.

In a pasture so green,
was a sight to be seen.

A calf was just born,
with eyes the colour of corn.

Creative Direction to Illustrator
Two-page Illustration. Left page 4 – Right page 5
Illustration: A barn with a green pasture (page 4 left) with Klara being born with her mum giving her love (page 5 right). Klara’s eyes need to be the colour of corn. Her eyes are special. 

The first result is always a black and white sketch. This enables the author and the illustrator to ensure they are in sync and come to an agreement before colouring. This was the first sketch. How exciting!

STEP 5: Provide feedback to your illustrator on the sketch. My feedback was, “we need to see Klara’s beautiful eyes, the colour of corn. Since this was the only change, the illustrator makes the suggested changes and provides the colour version. 

One thing to note; you can have the illustrator add the words to each illustration or you can add them yourself later in the set-up phase for publishing. Since Klara was being translated into 10 languages, I decided to add the text myself. This collaboration process continues until you have 12 double page illustrations, 24 single page illustrations or a combination.
 
STEP 6: Once the illustrations are done, the book needs to be set-up for publishing. At this point, the illustrator will need to create a single page by cutting the two-page illustrations in half like this.

That my friends, is the short version of How To Illustrate A Children’s Picture Book! I won’t go into the details about how everything is set-up for publishing, but it is important to mention that this particular book is 8.5 x 8.5 inches square, but the size of the illustrations are 8.75 x 8.75 to allow for (full page bleed) printing and trimming the final product. It is important to understand the publishing requirements, when you have written the manuscript and start creating your story board. 

My first self-publishing book project, Klara The Cow Who Knows How To Bow took approximately 90 days to complete the illustrations and another week or so to publish.  #itsakoolworld

This activity book for kids ages 3-6 contains coloring or colouring pages, stickers, dot to dot, mazes, word search, word search, find the shapes, circle the words, draw the picture, find Klara and more! 

​This book is both entertaining and educational and will provide hours of educational farm-themed amusement and fun. This book includes pictures and activities with cows and other farm animals, a prince, a farmer, farm tractors, castles, barns, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Available now in my Etsy shop.

What child does not like to connect the dots to see the completed picture? Dot to dot activities is a fun way to practice counting and help children get ready for school with math and counting sequencing.

​Mazes are used for problem solving, functioning skills and fine motor control, (moving the pencil through the lines without touching the edge), learning patience and precision. Also, a great way to boost a child’s confidence. Klara is waiting for you to help her get back to the castle.

Klara The Cow's Activity Book is 64 pages full of fun that will keep the little ones engaged for hours of fun. The pages above are just a sneak peek at what's inside this book. To get your very own copy, please go to Etsy and we will ship it to you anywhere in the world!

Please let us know what you think and if we can answer any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Chickens are used all around the world as mascots and national marks.  My favourite cereal has a cockerel, the athletic rooster is a sports equipment manufacture, Gallic rooster is a national symbol of France.  Many international sports clubs use chickens as their logo’s and as good-luck icons.  Let’s not forget the Pathé logo, which we constantly see at the movies.  Even Sir Robin had a chicken on his shield from a famous British comedic film.

​Koolamundo has a friendship series of rhyming books.  All the characters on Klara’s farm have a unique talent.  Chuck the Chook is a special chicken that is being teased by his friends.  As he mimics every sound that he hears.  So, Chuck leaves the farm and meets up with his new friend Klara The Cow.  She helps Chuck and he saves the day!

​Beware, you might be laughing out loud!  As Chuck’s talent gets him into a pickle with his clever skills.  

Chook Named Chuck Has Amazing Luck is FREE to download on Amazon Kindle for the next 5 days.  Please have fun also reading our illustrated book and do not forget to make the sounds with your children.  Hopefully I am not in trouble. :D  #itsakoolworld

​Every country has its own story to tell. There are 195 countries with their own currencies, flags and government.  We live in a world of contrasting cultures, old traditions, distinctive cuisines and languages that have been taught through the generations.  Our homelands have diverse climates, time zones and landscapes. 

​As well as remarkable flora, fauna, insects and water life, that some of us have never seen or heard of before.

That is why I created an International bird.  His name is Alook and he comes from the smallest star in the universe, Koolamundo.  

This cute, fun loving character travels around the globe and through the universe.  He carries a magical bead and his travel journal.  He is a very curious feller that can be mischievous at times. 

Alook is eager to learn more about the world we live in and his enthusiasm for nature and other cultures comes through with his rhyming stories and songs. 

​Alook’s Dance In France is his second book in let’s explore the world series it is about a magical  journey around the world, which ends in Paris, France where Alook learns how to do the Koolamundo street dance with his new international friends. 

 Come and join us on this fun journey with Alook.  You can download his book in English, German and Italian on Amazon, Kindle for five days.  22nd February - 26th February. #itsakoolworld
https://www.amazon.com/Kimberley-Kleczka/e/B010VTW7WI
​Press
www.koolamundo.com

Some countries love their food spicy, others prefer fresh fruits, salads and lighter cuisines, whilst other cultures might enjoy heavy soups and stews. 

Different cultures express themselves by the presentation of their special dishes.  Can you guess where these two photos were taken?

Kool Facts: -
Supposedly the pizza pie originated from Italy by a Neapolitan pizzamaker named Raffaele Esposito, he created the "Pizza Margherita" in 1889.

Luna & Alooks Funny Food Book gives you a taste of some of the amazing food cultures around the world.  Alook our travelling companion shows samples of his favourite foods.  Whilst Luna reminds Alook that it is very important to also eat fruit and vegetables.

This book is about the culinary adventures of these two fun loving birds.
​Please download the book for FREE off Amazon Kindle - 25th January to 29th January.

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Kool Facts: -

The chocolate chip cookie recipe was invented by an American chef called Ruth Graves Wakefield. She owned a popular family restaurant called the Toll House Inn, in Massachusetts.

"No matter all the things we do, foods are shared with me and you!"
Come and join our lovable Alook in his funny food book as he chows done on some naughty desserts. 
Luna & Alooks Funny Food Book also comes with two songs; one has a jazzy element to it and the other hip hop.  You can listen to both of these songs on our Koolamundo website and also our Koolamundo YouTube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOJXQAWSORg​
www.koolamundo.com
https://www.amazon.com/Kimberley-Kleczka/e/B010VTW7WI
​#itsakoolworld

​Klara even has her own Mummy and me puppets.

​Koolamundo has created an engaging teaching manual for the Klara The Cow Who Knows How To Bow book and song.  Our teaching method helps stimulate word sounds, reading, creativity, acting, music, dancing and singing with the assistance of our Klara The Cow Puppets.  We work with pre-school, kindergarten and reception.  

Have you ever wondered about the stars in the universe?  And the surrounding planets?  We have at Koolamundo and one of our fun-loving characters is Alook.  He comes from the tiniest star in the universe, that glows with the brilliance of endless sunsets, all year around.  

Koolamundo facts:-
Supposedly there are more stars in the galaxy than grains of sand on our beaches worldwide. Also, the stars are not casually drifting through space, they are actually gathered together into different groups called galaxies.

​Alook’s cool place in outer space is the first book in the Let’s Explore The World Series. This colourful rhyming book describes Alook’s home, family, and the fun life that he leads. Included is a Koolamundo song  for you all to sing along too.  The animated version is coming soon.

Our curious bird is always up for a new adventure.  His mission is to travel and learn about our planet earth.  He collects memorabilia, interesting facts, and many cool friends along the way.  His stories are about all kinds of adventures around the globe.  Alook gives us a chance to see the amazing cultural world that we live in.  

You are welcome to view and download this book for free on Amazon in the next five days,
27th -31st October.  
www.amazon.com/Visit-Alooks-Place-Outer-Explore-ebook/dp/B01HWV4D0M/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
If you do not have the kindle app, You can download the app for free with both Mac and PC. They will walk you through the three steps.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at Koolamundo.       www.koolamundo.com
​So are you ready to get your dancing shoes on?  Time to sing along to the Koolamundo song. :D
​Happy reading.  #itsakoolworld

​A couple of days ago, Klara The Cow, Chuck The Chook and I had the honour to visit the Ronald McDonald House in Hong Kong.  We took along some samples of our new Klara The Cow colouring and activity book which is both in English and Chinese.  It was so rewarding to see that the Chinese children were kept busy and loved doing the activities in both languages, whilst colouring and drawing the characters from our Klara The Cow Who Knows How To Bow book.  

 It was interesting to see how young children from other cultures can colour and work with our Koolamundo activities in multiple languages.

​The cool thing about colouring is that all children are naturals.  Most children colour before they start learning to write.  There are a lot of learning benefits that can be realized from colouring and activity books.  They help with your child’s motor skills, concentration, spatial awareness, and interpretation of different colours which highlights their creativity.   Additional benefits include hand eye coordination skills, confidence building and increased self-esteem.

​Each year Koolamundo will publish a new colouring and activity book featuring our Koolamundo characters.  Our first Klara The Cow Who Knows How To Bow colouring and activity book will be highlighting Klara The Cow and her friends.  Her fun colouring and activity book will have colouring pages, mazes, activities, dot-to-dot, drawing pages, stickers, and more.

Thank you Koolamundo family for all the wonderful birthday messages.  The Koolamundo troop had lots of fun and the cake was delicious.  Our Klara The Cow Colouring and Activities book will be published by November.  All so exciting!  #itsakoolworld

Puppetry has been around for many hundreds of years.  Supposedly, it originally started in Indian with stick puppets.  We now have the privilege of experiencing many fabulous forms of puppetry. Hand, string, shadow, rod, marionette and the list goes on.

​Puppets are fun and entertaining for children and families.  We use them at Koolamundo to make our stories and songs come to life.  Our puppets love to sing, dance and get involved with everyone around them.  

​We are excited that Klara will have her own hand puppet this year.  This will be a great way for your little cuties to read their “Klara The Cow Who Knows How To Bow,” book and also to sing along to the Klara The Cow song.  

Working with a puppet can be a useful tool.  It is a wonderful way to help support your child’s progress in reading, listening and vocabulary development.  Also, a fun way to stimulate the imagination.   Can you imagine a puppet hanging out at a rabbit cafe?

Our happy Koolamundo family love being creative with all the book characters.  And we do this with our assortment of puppets.   Wherever in the world we may be.

Come and have fun with us in the Koolamundo world.  #itsakoolworld