Author/Illustrator's Bio:
Talmage Burdine ( Tal ) has worked for more than 25 years as a designer, illustrator and writer.
Tal attended Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana and earned a bachelor's degree from The University of New Mexico.
He has had the privilege of being published nationally, working with companies like Simon and Schuster, Saturday Evening Post, U.S. Kids magazine and many others. He has served as art director for several large companies and magazines. As an illustrator and designer, he has worked for hundreds of clients over the years.
Tal was awarded the prestigious Dimensional Design award for his PSA "In the Garden" a stop frame animation done for the Indiana State Department of Health.
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Tal has many years experience working with children. He has worked as a public school teacher, coach, children's pastor, camp counselor, story teller and in many other capacities. He enjoys working with children and loves seeing them grow and learn as a result of his personal efforts. He has a unique way of communicating with children that draws them in and holds their attention.
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Tal's interest in juvenile literature has been on-going since his childhood days, visiting the local library down the street many times a week. This and his illustration style led Tal to become interested in producing his own children's books, desiring a way to connect with children in a larger venue.
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Tal draws influence from current illustrators like Will Terry and Gary Locke but feels that he was shaped by authors/illustrators like Dr. Seuss, Mercer Mayer and Shel Silverstein. These people imprinted on the way that Tal tells his stories.
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Always drawing and writing, Tal says he could not live each day without some creative outlet, something coming out of him. The creative juices, like a waterfall, are constantly flowing out of the seams of his being, always making something memorable and entertaining.
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He is consistently inviting people into his (slightly skewed) world through his music, writing and his art.
"Fernnie the Fish Finds Glasses"
The book
This is Tal's first, in a continuing series, published picture book, although, he has done children's illustration for many other publications. The book is written and illustrated by Tal himself.
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This is a story about accepting those who are different from yourself, as well as feeling free to be different from others. The underlying theme of the book tells children to be themselves and not feel pressured to conform to the status quo.
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The story also deals with accepting and understanding children that might need physical aids or prosthetics in order to carry out daily life. The story reminds children that these aids help others be more productive and
lead to the betterment of society. The book gives parents/teachers (influencers ...etc.) a chance to talk with kids about
this subject.
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The story: Fernnie the Fish finds some glasses on the ocean floor. His friends don't want to accept a fish wearing glasses, fish just don't do that kind of thing. Although Fernnie loves the way the glasses make him look, he is saddened by his friends' rejection.
Because the glasses improve his sight, he is able to save his friends from danger. In the end, the other fish/sea creatures accept Fernnie and find themselves wanting to be like him.
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The book is full of color and kid-friendly illustrations. The illustrations have a comedic twist and have little hidden fun visual treasures. The characters are well developed and have their own personalities. It is 28 pages of exciting imagery and simple lessons that is sure to captivate children . . . of all ages.
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The book is written for young readers, simple enough for beginning readers but interesting enough for those who are a little more advanced. The story is written in an easily understood rhyme and is perfect for parents to read to younger children. The story does offer a deeper purpose and is full of opportunity for parents/teachers (influencers ...etc.) to interact with children about it's theme.
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We are planning to make this the first of a series of Fernnie the Fish books. Work has already begun on book two. It is planned to be released in early 2021, if not sooner.
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The book is currently available in print from the author (see link below,) Amazon books and Barnes and Noble. The ebook is currently being published and will be available for download in the near future.
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Search for book availability using these ISBN numbers:
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ISBN 978-1-7347892-0-1 - Print book
ISBN 978-1-7347892-1-8 - Ebook
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Tbee Illustrations Books is reaching out to children to help them deal with the stresses that are caused by the Coronavirus. We hope that all children have resources to purchase what ever they need, including the "Fernnie the Fish Finds Glasses" book but realize how the pandemic has affected families financially.
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We have decided to publish our book for purchase but also make it available for those who cannot afford it. We are offering a free PDF book to those who contact us, through our website, at no cost. The book will be sent to those requesting the book via email.
Also we ask that those with the tools (internet, computers, printers ... etc.) help those who don’t have access to these tools, by printing out the book and activities sheets for them. They may contact us for a PDF copy of the book to give to someone who cannot get the book.
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Website: Free activities for kids
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We are providing FREE fun stuff to do for children on this website. We understand the children who are stuck in the house are bored and parents are wrestling with how to keep children entertained and/or busy. Besides "you got time to lean and You got time to clean" as we are trying to help children stay busy by giving them online activities that are fun and stimulate the brain.
We are continually updating these pages and placing new activities pages for kids ... of all ages. We hope that these will aid children in continuing to learn from home and help parents.
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Coronavirus
and Helping Children
In dealing with this pandemic, children are being touched by sickness, death, financial issues, and simple boredom. We know that many parents/guardians have been severely financially impacted. The questions was:
“what can we do to help?”
