THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Boo’s Shoes – Learn To Tie Shoelaces By Sybrina Durant

When I started this new blog post series, I did it with the idea of sharing the WHY I created my stories, but then I thought…why not share OTHER authors STORY BEHIND “THEIR” STORY? I put the call out and soon I had tons of authors who wanted to share their backstories with my readers. This week my new friend, children’s book author, Sybrina Durant, is sharing the WHY she wrote her newly released book, “BOO’S SHOES: Learn To Tie Shoelaces”. Take it away, Sybrina…

Boo’s Shoes: Learn To Tie Shoelaces by Sybrina Durant

Many years ago, I had a need to learn to tie a knot in a necktie. It was the 80’s and they were starting to regain popularity in the business world. I heard a cute little story about a fox chasing a rabbit through the woods. Mimicking their movements allowed one to perfectly tie a simple knot in a necktie. I learned that this technique is called “Mnemonics”.  I became intrigued with the idea of using a story or a song to help someone easily remember the steps for a tricky task. After much research, I was surprised to discover that that particular story had never been published in print so I decided to do it myself.

Then, SCREECH! That’s the sound of my dreams coming to an abrupt halt. I thought all authors had to be accepted by traditional publishers in order for their books to be presented to the world. It wasn’t until much later that I learned about the idea of self-publishing.

Nearly 30 years later, I learned something new was available to authors. That something was the freedom to produce, publish and promote your own book to the entire world. In 2012, I did some more research and could not believe that no one had ever published the story of the rabbit and the fox. I realized my time had finally come.

The internet was just coming into its own in the early 2000’s. That technology was opening up the world in ways no one had ever experienced before. With a little more research, I found an illustrator, Donna Marie Naval, whose artwork was perfect for “Learn To Tie A Tie With The Rabbit And The Fox”. I loved her illustrations so much that I also hired her to do the artwork for “Learn To Tie A Neck Scarf With The Rabbit and The Fox”. I didn’t want to leave the girls out of this new method of learning a skill.

Since Donna was from the Philippines, I was inspired to have the book translated into Tagalog. After that, I had it translated into Spanish. I even did a special version of that book to gift to boys in wedding parties.

Over the years, I was really stuck on teaching how to tie a necktie and that story morphed into several books including “Ned Knows How To Knot A Necktie” and “Nellie Knows How To Knot A Neck Scarf” illustrated by Enrique Vignolo from Argentina.  Finally, in 2020, I had a epiphany that I needed to write a book teaching how to tie a bow and “Cleo Can Tie A Bow” was born. The final book in my “Learn To Tie With The Rabbit And The Fox” series of books is this one. “Boo’s Shoes – Learn To Tie Shoelaces” was published in November of 2021. Cleo and Boo were both illustrated by Pumudi Gardiyawasam from Sri Lanka.

You can find all of my learn to tie books plus learn to tie books by many other authors on my blog at The Rabbit And The Fox Book Store. I believe there is strength in numbers and am happy to help other authors gain exposure for their books. It’s a Win-Win.

Here is the book burb:

“No Laces! That’s what Boo, the bunny, always says. He doesn’t want to learn to tie them. He has plenty of shoes for every occasion and none of them have laces or strings. So, what’s the point of learning to tie? His friend, Farah Fox, convinces him that it’s a skill he can use. . . and one that might make him happier, too.

This book is meant to be a parent-child activity. Youngsters can read Boo’s story and their parents can help with the how-to-tie instruction pages. A fun shoelace-themed “I Did It” badge is included at the back of the book to give in celebration of conquering this difficult task.”

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Hi! I’m Sybrina. . .. . .Just one of millions of wannabe author/singer/songwriters out there but I hope, after reading or hearing my books and songs, you’ll think my contributions to the world have as much value as any other famous artist out there today.

My links

Blog: http://www.sybrina.com

The Rabbit And The Fox Book Store on my blog – http://sybrina.com/the-rabbit-and-the-fox-book-store/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/NedandNellieKnowKnots

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/sybrinad/learn-to-tie-with-the-rabbit-and-the-fox/

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sybrinapublishing/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sybrina-durant-50977218/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLybqF-7D4W3FEWsen22nlL17Qatbw8IqF

Donna L

Hybrid award winning author; aspiring sketch artist; and 4th Degree Senior Certified Taekwondo Instructor. Host of BOOK NOOK REVIEWS. Member of SCBWI. Mom to fabulous son and adventurer delving into the tricky world of indie-publishing.

4 thoughts on “THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Boo’s Shoes – Learn To Tie Shoelaces By Sybrina Durant

  • March 30, 2022 at 2:49 pm
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    What a cool idea…all of these how-to books for kids.

    Reply
    • March 30, 2022 at 3:15 pm
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      I work with kids every day and know first hand most of them couldn’t tie a shoelace, much less a tie! They need these type of books!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

      Reply

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