Let Your Creativity Run Nuts!

Welcome to hours of full-time fun and enjoyment! 
All artwork in this coloring book is taken from the book “Who Let the Cookies Out?” It includes original sketches and characters, bonus activity pages, mazes and puzzles, tracings and drawings, connecting dots, and more.

 There’s a variety of the original artwork, some simple with just one character—clean, clear, and uncluttered—and some with a few characters, which will appeal to older children, who love to dive into more complicated art, while the younger children will enjoy tracing and learning activities.

So listen up, you smart cookies! Grab your pencils and crayons, and don’t forget your favorite cookies and a glass of milk! Now go nuts and bring these nutty cookies to life with your wild imagination and precious talented minds!!

Thank you!

WHO LET THE COOKIES OUT?

PUBLISHED!  
Not your normal cookies!

Who doesn‛t like cookies, especially cookies that will take you on a tasty but nutty adventure?This delicious story begins in Grandma‛s kitchen when she decides to surprise her grandson‛s pre-K with holiday cookies. 

But little did she know what a mess her nutty cookies would create at her grandson‛s school. They just can‛t resist being nuts!

This scrumptious tale proves the old saying that we‛re all made from the same “dough,” but a few “nuts” can spoil the batch.

Brace yourself for a yummy book that will keep your giggles coming with every page you turn!

Available on Amazon!
Thanks!!

Whom I Love and Lost

Somewhere Between Two Worlds 

It is beautiful when someone is given a gift that takes them to the places between sleep and waking. Where reality fades, where less pain and happiness awaits, where you can hold to unreal bliss, reliving unreachable mirages, hoping they will still be there when you open your eyes. Where you believe in everything, and where you venture forth dreaming and feeling free.

One thing I really don’t miss from my childhood is remembering reality. Too much drama, too many memories that need good cleansing storms. But the past is mine. I cannot get away from it. It needs my attention. It deepens my sense of time and rekindles something dormant. It summarizes my life. It adds value to my existence and the person I became.

To whom I love and lost. 

This is a life story in the voice of a little girl endeavoring to understand God's will. She is seeking to unravel the point of her existence. Trapped in a poor run-down Eastern European village after World War II, she strives to escape her harsh life by using her imagination.A young child feels conflicting emotions between the love she has for her father and her despair as she watches his cruelty towards her mother and brother. There is no love in the young children’s lives, and she finds solace from her loveless world by embracing the beauty and stability of nature.This poignant story is a reminder of the stark reality lived by other children around us who are starving for love. It gives great insight into the mind of a young child and her search for answers.

Available in print and as ebook. This new book includes two stories, The Little Girl Praying on the Hill and A Taste of Bread.   

A Taste of Bread: A Powerful Story

Whoo!Hoo! 5 shiny stars for my new release "A Taste of Bread"!

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

One day. One moment in time. That’s all it takes for a tragedy, a sorrow that will seep through the soul of a child forever. The memories that fill this tiny space of eternity are enough to make the reader weep for the child who couldn’t find the love she craved, certainly not from her parents. And, for the child who must give up so much for others: the taste of fresh milk meant for sale or for the piglets, the cherished doll that she willingly bequeaths to another child who needed its love more, and the crushed egg that would never secure her the much-desired tasty bun. Her parents may not love her, but her brother did and so did her aunt, whose words of wisdom stayed with her: “You cannot change things now, but you can always change your life when you grow up.” It is a harsh world where a child learns at an early age that “Life is erratic. It isn’t easy.” Meshed in the hardship and harsh realities, a young child can learn, prosper and rise above his or her current circumstances, and the most important life lesson of all is to “love the person next to you if you want to be loved in return.”

Award-winning author Olga D'Agostino takes the reader to a different time and place where daily life was a struggle at best. Her novella, A Taste of Bread, explores the power of love and how it affects children. Taking a simple story of a fresh egg saved to trade with the bread man on his daily delivery, the author explores the many poignant memories that lead up to the race to catch the bread man. Through it all, a little girl learns to accept God’s will, even when it’s not her own, discovering the love she craves in the most unlikely places. A powerful story.

Well, where does Carlo end up after landing in the open car?

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Carlo the Mouse had a happy life living inside the hospital walls where he liked to annoy the hospital cook. The angry chef always threatened to quit and he tried to lure the mouse into a metal cage by stuffing the mousetraps with expensive cheese, but Carlo snatched the cheese from the trap like a pro. Though the hospital manager hired fancy experts with new tricks, nothing seemed to work, and so easily winning the war with the chef, hospital manager, and exterminator made Carlo dissatisfied. He wanted to leave the place. He dreamed of visiting famous restaurants and meeting well known chefs. Carlo's parents felt he needed a change of scene and they also felt he needed a mate. His life takes a different turn when he meets a red-haired mouse standing behind the fence and wishing to go to Paris. They get married and have children but Carlo is still hoping to leave Florida. Things change when Carlo lands in an open car after falling from the hospital canopy. Where will Carlo arrive from there? 

Carlo the Mouse: Book 6: It’s My Life 

by Mrs. D. is a delightful story and children will be amused reading about Carlo’s adventures as he dreams about getting out of the hospital and leaving Florida. The illustrations are colorful and lively and they breathe life into the characters and give a good pace and movement to the story. The love angle with Maria is cute and it is fun to see how Carlo uses peroxide to bleach his hair and change the color to match with that of Maria. The book is a fun read and can be used for storytelling sessions at home and in school. 

This delightful story will make children curious and imaginative when it comes to learning more about Carlo. Well, where does Carlo end up after landing in the open car? Will he be able to visit famous restaurants and meet well known chefs?

Worthwhile For Any Child's Library: Carlo the Mouse, Book 5

Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite

Carlo the Mouse is back in his latest mischievous adventure in Nothing is Safe in a Mouse’s Life (Book 5) by Mrs. D with illustrations by Chanoa. Living in a hospital can be challenging, especially if you're sick. While recovering from the chicken pox, Carlo the Mouse began to venture out in search of some food. However, Carlo’s disobedience caused him and his parents to become separated from the safety of the hospital. His parents always warned him to follow the rules because they wanted to keep him safe, but did Carlo do what he was told? No! Children will love reading this book because the adventure that Carlo has embarked upon is full of fun, danger and excitement as he and his family try to escape the grasp of Fidel the cat and some vicious birds during their trek back home.

I love Mrs. D’s Carlo the Mouse book series not only because of his mischievous behavior but because the author's huge fan club that loves these books proves just how worthwhile they are for any child's library. As always with Carlo the Mouse stories, children will enjoy looking at the beautiful, colorful pictures that help to tell the tale of Carlo’s latest adventure. This book is a great way for your child not only to get engaged in reading but to improve their cognitive skills and visualization abilities. It is highly suggested to start with Book 1, but regardless of where you start, you and your child will always be in for a treat. As your child begins to read the other books -- from Rules For A Reason and It’s My Life! to Now We’re Talking! and What's Going On? to Too Many Rules for One Little Mouse -- they will be able to cherish these as have other young readers. Help start building your child’s library today with the intrepid Carlo the Mouse and his singular adventures!

LOOK INSIDE!

Pages of FUN! Meet new coloring books!

Children will enjoy the original artwork, which is taken from Carlo the Mouse, books 1, 2 and 3. It's a fun coloring and activity book, full of wonderful illustrations to entertain young artists for hours. If children have not read the Carlo the Mouse series first, the detailed sketches will tell them the story of the sneaky, but very shrewd mouse, who always dreamed of greater things. I would recommend reading the six books in print first. They will treat your children to a delightful tale brought to life through the funny story line and colorful artwork. The Carlo the Mouse Series and Carlo the Mouse: Coloring & Activity Kids books 1 and 2 (Book 2 includes the artwork from Carlo the Mouse, books 3, 4 and 5) are available in softcover form and as e-books on Amazon and B&N as other online stores. The autographed versions, signed with a special message, are available on Etsy. 

Sharpen your pencils and brains, read, color, and follow Carlo the mouse!

A TASTE OF BREAD

ORDER HERE

This is the story of a desperately deprived childhood, authentically observed through the eyes of a little girl. The worst poverty of all is the lack of love that her parents were not capable of providing. Yet she gleans whatever she can and realizes that her family is a victim of the circumstances they’re forced to live in. It contains fragments of the sad memories of her older brother, who was starving for love and acceptance just as she was.

The poor girl is trying to understand God’s will and why there is so much pain, suffering, disappointment, and crushed dreams in life. No loving home, no stability, no father who cares, and sometimes no bread on the table. But no matter how many cruel blows life threw at her, she managed to move on, pushed by her brother.

"A Taste of Bread" is a continuation of the

2014 Readers' Favorite International Gold Award Winner 
"The Little Girl Praying on the Hill."

It is the bittersweet, authentic story of a desperately deprived upbringing as seen through the eyes of a little girl, who manages to rise above her miserable situation at least for brief moments through her vivid imagination and tenacity.

Carlo the Mouse Series and Coloring Books

It has been some thrilling ride since I introduced Carlo the mouse to the world. Every vegetable has its time. So does the story of Carlo the Mouse. It must find its readers, some of them far away from Florida and some of them next to my or your home. As the author, I faced a real dilemma: what to do with the original book, Carlo the Mouse on Vacation. Since this book includes four stories, which are for slightly older readers, I decided to slightly rewrite them and made these stories a part of the Carlo the Mouse series. As of right now, I have published six books about Carlo the mouse as a baby and a teen. Carlo the Mouse, Book 6 gradually connects new stories to the old stories. Chanoa, the talented illustrator, beautifully illustrated the first six books. Her illustrations are colorful, entertaining, and pleasant to the eye. 

The full series of adventures of Carlo the mouse will easily entertain children and grown-ups. I am planning to publish Carlo the Mouse, books 7, 8, 9 and 10, which will include Carlo the Mouse on Vacation adventures in 2020. As sad as I felt, I retired my first book, Carlo the Mouse on Vacation. I kept a few original books of Carlo the Mouse on Vacation for my loyal fans and me as a great reminder of how the series of Carlo the Mouse fell into my lap. And as my young fan, Sergei, wrote in his story, may the story of Carlo the mouse never end.

I am now working on the next few books about Carlo the mouse in Mrs. D’s kitchen. There will be the war for cheese between Carlo and Mr. D, who is an Italian and who knows a lot about good cheese. Carlo the Mouse on Vacation series will go to the illustration stage in 2019-2020, and should be published in 2020-2022. Carlo’s adventures in New Jersey will be linked to the first original “Carlo the Mouse on Vacation.”

Many of you who read “Carlo the Mouse on Vacation” remember that the story ended with Carlo trapped inside a pizza box, which was handed to a man in black. The next few books after Carlo’s misadventures will take place on the streets of Paris and will be very intriguing. Spies ... betrayal ... and a war between international mice...

I am dying to tell you more, but this is as much as I am allowed to reveal. I am very excited about this project and can’t wait to introduce you to the naughty Carlo as a grown mouse. As for now, please use your creative minds, pencils, crayons and brushes and show me your artistic side. I hope you had fun coloring this book and enjoyed some activities as you set out on adventures with Carlo the mouse. I would be delighted if with the permission of their parents, young artists and readers would send me their coloring pages and stories so I could see their vision too. Please ask your mom or dad or other caregivers to scan the colored pages. Then they can email them to olga@mrsdbooks.com. I will gladly post them on my blog at Mrs.D.Books.

Books make the world a little lighter, a little brighter and a whole lot more fun! Read and Color ON!

The first six books are already available in print and as e-books on Amazon and B&N. My little readers are already in love with Chanoa’s art and her mischievous characters. I thought it would be a great idea to create two coloring books, based on the six Carlo the Mouse books. The first coloring book will include the art from Carlo the Mouse, books 1, 2 and 3, and the second coloring book will include Carlo the Mouse, books 4, 5 and 6.

Fun! Fun! And more Fun! Look Inside!