Book Review & Author Interview: The Prickly Problem

Book Description:
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Quirky, magic-potion-making Dr. Pete the Porcupine finds himself in a sticky situation, perplexed by a terribly tricky case. Beloved by his desert neighbors for always fixing their prickliest problems, has Dr. Pete finally found a prickly problem he can’t solve? Follow Dr. Pete through this heartwarming tale as he and his desert friends learn the power of compassion, kindness, and friendship.

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Book Description:

Rocket Red is a little guitar-playing, singing ant who dreams of becoming a big rock star. His mom, the queen ant, disapproves! She believes his job is to work and feed the ant colony. The only one who seems to believe in him is his pal, Beebop Bea.

​One day, delayed by practicing with his Lucky Bug Band, Red finds himself all alone and in a dreadful jam. Can his music somehow save him?

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Book Description:

In the Frozen Frogg Ice Cream Shop, Bully Vanilli is the most popular ice cream and self-proclaimed king of the flavors. Lonely Mustachio Pistachio sits at the back of the freezer. No one ever picks him!

​Every night, after the store door is locked, Bully Vanilli begins his bullying and Mustachio is his favorite target. One night Bully kicks Mustachio’s bucket. Poor Mustachio falls SPLAT on the floor and it’s… War at the Ice Cream Store! And

as the The War at the Ice Cream Store song goes…

?? Biff bam booza, yowza wowza wooza, It’s a milk-shakin’ cone-breakin’ yabba dabba dooza! ??

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Meet the Authors of The Prickly Problem:

Interview with the Authors

You’re a songwriter as well as an author, and each of your books has an accompanying original sing-along song and animated video.  Why is music such a big part of what you do?

Some of the best bonding times I’ve had in my life were singing harmony with my mother, grandmother, aunt and certain friends.   While most of them are gone, those songs stay in my heart, and it only take a few notes to bring all the beautiful emotions flooding in.  My hope is that children will bond with family members and friends over the stories and the songs.   My greatest wish is that those songs and stories will stay in their hearts and have the power to always connect them.  Maybe I dream too big, but even if it’s only one, I’ve accomplished something.

You have a background in business, but you’re currently focusing on writing humorous children’s books.  How did you transition from such an analytical profession to such a creative one.

Music was always big in my life.  I was the one who knew the lyrics to every song and sang all the time, whether you wanted to hear me or not.  It was part of who I was.  I think so much of my right brain was held back over my professional years that when I started writing, I was overwhelmed with creative flow.  I just couldn’t stop.  I was finally being more truly me, and I felt alive.  When I started writing children’s songs, I called them “story songs.”   And that got me thinking about writing books.  And then I couldn’t stop doing that.   I have 2 more books illustrated and almost ready to go, one in illustration, and one with the editor…and a computer full of ideas right now.  I’m having a ball.

Where do you get your ideas?

People often asked me that question as a songwriter, and it’s exactly the same for books.  There’s something that happens to you when you become a writer that makes you ultra-sensitive to words people say, magazine article titles, sayings and expressions, and words in general.  I’ve gotten ideas from a phrase someone threw out there or a funny picture.  Concepts and general ideas are easy to come by, but the hard part is finding one that you can turn into a full story, with a beginning, middle, and end.  It’s harder than it looks.

What advice would you give to budding children’s book writers?

I’m a relatively impatient person who was so excited about entering the field that I wanted everything at once.  The best advice I ever got was when someone said to me, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”  There are so many things to learn, and it takes time.  When I started, I vowed to do at least one thing a day toward writing or marketing, and I’ve followed through with that. The good news is that there are so many resources out there…. social media groups, consultants, illustrators, editors, YouTube tutorials…. There’s no reason someone dedicated can’t do it.

THE PRICKLY PROBLEM: DR. PETE THE PORCUPINE Book Tour Giveaway

My Thoughts on The Prickly Problem

A book that leaves a lasting impression. I really enjoyed Cheryl DaVeiga’s previous book (War At The Ice Cream Store) and I knew I needed The Prickly Problem when I saw the Cactus on the front (I may have a slight obsession with them).  

From the first page I was hooked by the beautiful illustrations by Luis Peres! Combined with the detailed and somewhat lyrical prose this book was a wonderful story to behold. I loved the emphasis that Cheryl DaVeiga put on medicine not always being the answer to life’s problems, instead showing that sometimes we need to go out of our way to spend time with people and that love (and HUGS) and sometimes be the best medicine there is.  

I definitely enjoyed this story and I love that Cheryl DaVeiga writes songs to go with her books! They make them much more interactive than some books.  

4 Stars.  

The only thing I would have liked better was if the book really rhymed more like the song about The Prickly Problem 😊  

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback.