REVIEW
Maya & Filippo Look for Happiness in Tauranga
by Alinka Rutkowska
Maya & Filippo Look for Happiness in Tauranga is just one in the series of fun and educational travel books for children written by Alinka Rutkowska and illustrated by Konrad Checinski. Also available: Maya & Filippo Make Friends in Auckland and Maya & Filippo Play Chef at Sea. Coming soon: Maya & Filippo Look for Whales.
You can also download FREE coloring sheets or sign up to receive a FREE Maya & Filippo coloring book.
Description
Embark on a one-of-a-kind, unprecedented, breathtaking adventure with Maya and Filippo as they travel around the globe on board the Fun Princess - a cruise ship full of surprises. Discover their fascinating ports of call, find out what the local customs and traditions are, join the kids in activities at sea, and explore the remarkable world they create through the power of their positive outlook.
This time the two youngsters get into a fight and take separate paths in the port of Tauranga. Filippo visits a geyser. Maya goes to the Maori Village. They discover where real happiness comes from.
Excerpts
Review
Maya and Filippo are a sister and brother pair who travel around the world with their parents and their cat Otello on the Fun Princess cruise ship. Today they visit a small town in New Zealand called Tauranga. Maya and Filippo get into a fight and decide to go their separate ways. They both discover more than just the local scenery.
This is a cute and colorful book giving us a quick lesson in geography as well as a valuable life lesson. Maya and Filippo are just naughty enough for both parents and children to be able to relate.
About the Author
Alinka Rutkowska is a "Reader's Favorite" Five Star Picture Book Author. She writes the Maya & Filippo Book Series for Children - travel books for kids with a positive attitude. She takes inspiration from her own travels while cruising with her husband and daughter around the world. She is positive, appreciative and happy 95% of the time and during the miserable 5% she thinks to herself quickly: "things always work out for me" and they do.
Alinka's doesn't really have a "to do" list but she does have a "fun things to do" list. It usually consists of writing, reading, reading her writing, writing in her diary, blogging, reading other blogs, commenting, breathing deeply, meditating, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin, closing her eyes, breathing some more and thinking what a wonderful world she lives in.
Sometimes she takes a few minutes to pause and instead of doing something from her "fun things to do" list she just daydreams a little. She thinks of all the great things that she wants for her to happen and imagines how wonderful it will feel to be interviewed about them in the future. She's already preparing the answers to those interview questions in her mind. She especially loves the part, in which she says that she achieved all these things because she spent a considerable amount of time visualizing them first.
Alinka loves to ski while listening to music at the same time, she enjoys an occasional glass (or bottle) of Barolo with dark chocolate, she loves cuddling with her husband and daughter. Alinka really likes tea, especially that last sip which is usually the tastiest.
You can visit Alinka's website where she blogs daily for parents, travelers and authors.
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