Nattie’s mouth was a little crooked. Her legs were a bit shorter than usual, and one horn was too straight, like a unicorn’s horn. But Mia thought Nattie was perfect.
In a read-aloud picture book for children who love animals, award-winning writer and sheep breeder Marlene M. Bell presents Nattie the lamb’s true story.
MIA AND NATTIE is a heartwarming book that teaches readers about problem-solving, teamwork, and love.
On a visit to her grandma’s farm, eight-year-old Mia discovers a newborn, orphaned lamb outside in the cold and takes her to the laundry room, naming her Nattie. As she tries to nurse the lamb back to health, Mia discovers that Nattie is different from the other lambs and struggles to fit in with them like Mia does with other kids her age. When her grandmother says she will sell Nattie to a neighbor, Mia must come up with a plan to keep her friend around—one that will show the family just how special Nattie truly is.
Book Details
- ASIN : B0BW38DFVH
- Publisher : Ewephoric Publishing (March 1, 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 32 pages
- ISBN-13 : 979-8986340913
****I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, NetGalley, book tours, and or authors. A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.****
Marlene M. Bell is an award-winning writer, artist, and sheep breeder who resides in wooded East Texas. Her renowned sheep photographs grace the covers of many livestock magazines.
The fourth book in the Annalisse Series, Copper Waters, is a New Zealand sheep station mystery with light touches of romance. Stolen Obsession, Spent Identity, and Scattered Legacy, books one through three in the series, have received numerous awards including the Independent Press Award for Best Mystery and two FAPA President's Gold awards. Her work can be found at marlenembell.com.
Marlene also writes children's books. Her picture book, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team is based on true events with a bottle lamb from Ewephoric Ranch. It's a touching story of compassion and love between a little girl and her lamb. Mia and Nattie is suitable reading for ages 3 - 7 years. A Mom's Choice Gold Award winner and Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize Short List winner.
Marlene shares her life with her husband and a few dreadfully spoiled horned Dorset sheep: a large Maremma guard dog named Tia, and cats, Hollywood, Leo, and Squeaks. The animals and nature are the cornerstones for Marlene's books.
Author Interview with Marlene Bell
How do you research your books?
I rarely use the internet for book information unless I find a picture of the place I’m writing about. In most cases, I purchase coffee table travel books from people who have actually been to the location, and read their accounts to help with my writing.
Was Nattie a hard character to write about?
Because Natalie lived with us both inside and outside the house, I knew her character well prior to starting the children’s book. She was a sheep, yet she thought she was a person because I raised her, not her natural mother. This made it difficult for Natalie to blend in with the other sheep, just like in the book. She never felt like she belonged with her own kind.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
My stories come from personal experiences. Whether it’s raising sheep, or the people I’ve met along the way, the most interesting occurrences might become an anecdote or a subplot in one of my books or novels. In the case of Mia and Nattie, I used myself as the Mia character, Grandma characterized my husband, and Nattie played herself!
How long have you been writing?
My writing journey began in 2007 when I wrote a non-fiction book about raising sheep for our 4H club. That first book was more of an experiment to see if I enjoyed writing. In 2010 I decided to jump in with both feet to learn how to write fiction. I found fiction much harder because my imagination had to work overtime, and readers expect certain things from the romance and mystery genres. By the time I had the idea to create a children’s book and had located an illustrator for the job, I had to learn children’s writing all over again.
What is your next writing project?
I have some ideas for new children’s books that feature our Nattie because Mia and Nattie One Great Team! has become a popular gift for parents, grandparents and kids too! I’m having trouble choosing children’s themes to write about because I don’t have kids of my own to teach me the subject matter. I’d love to hear from you if there’s a favorite subject that should be written about to help children grow in their teenage years to adulthood. There are many books that fall short when it comes to right and wrong and learning solid life lessons. I grew up with moral-to-the-story books with happy endings, and these kinds of books seem to be lacking in the current marketplace. Send me your kids’ book ideas in the comments section for this post.
Websites: http://marlenembell.com and http://texassheep.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marlenembell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewephoric
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marlenemysteries
Mia and Nattie EXCERPT
Tiny Nattie studied the ways of older sheep.
She ate grass and tasty weeds.
She ate grain and hay and drank water instead of milk.
But Nattie would never be big enough to live with the rest of the flock.
She was too small to raise babies of her own.
“Your lamb needs a home,” Grandma said to Mia.
“She has one! Please let me keep her.” Mia hugged Nattie’s neck.
Mia squinted back tears before they fell on Nattie’s wool.
“A neighbor wants to buy her,” Grandma said, then spun around and walked to the barn in silence.
Mia had to find a way for Nattie to stay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
An Interview with Nattie about Texas
Marlene asks: “How did you like the ride in the trailer from California to Texas?”
Natalie: “I had the best trip ever! The bigger ewes were in another trailer, and I rode with the young lambs. We had our guard with us, too. Spice, the big, white guard dog sat in our trailer for the two-day trip. I felt safe with her inside.”
Marlene: “Two days? That’s a long time in the trailer.”
Natalie: “We came from Shafter, California, about 1500 miles from Big Sandy, Texas where we are now. It wasn’t so bad. We stopped a lot for breaks and snacks. The floor was covered in soft hay and we had lots of room. There were 120 of us, you know. We were divided between three trailers. One giant double-decker stock trailer, an 18-foot trailer with all of the new moms and tiny lambs, and my trailer of mostly older lambs inside.”
Marlene: “What is it like in Texas? Do you like Texas better than California?”
Natalie: “Yes, yes! Texas is better for sheep. We didn’t have much grass to eat in California. It’s called irrigated pasture there. That’s when a pump opens up at one end of the field and water comes bubbling out of the ground. That water has to be paid for by the humans who take care of us. Not like the water we get in Texas. Rain falls out of the sky for free here. When we came to Texas, we had 80 inches of rain that first year! In California, we were lucky to get a couple inches of rain in one year. Sometimes, we didn’t see that much.”
Marlene: “Natalie, what is your job in Texas?”
Natalie: “At first, I didn’t have a for sure place to live. I’m not as big as the other sheep my age, but I tried to hang out with the flock. The main group is called a flock. It wasn’t long before I was moved to graze near the main house. It was an okay place, but boring. I missed being with the other sheep.”
Marlene: “What happened then?”
Natalie: “Once the flock started to have new babies again in September, I took care of the little ones with problems.”
Marlene: “Problems?”
Natalie: “Not a problem for me! You know, where a triplet lamb can’t get enough milk from their moms, or something happened to the mom and an orphan lamb needs a friend. That is my job. I watch out for the little lambs that need a friend.”
Marlene: “I see. If you could go back to the place where you were born in California, would you?”
Natalie: “No way. I like it here. They say that everything’s bigger in Texas. The bugs are bigger and so are the snakes, but for a sheep, the wide-open pastures with lots of grass is the best ever.”
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