First Book in Miss Olive’s Trilogy Awarded Bronze in Animals/Pets Fiction Category
Miss Olive Finds Her Furever Home, a children’s book about a rescue dog finding a loving home, was awarded the prestigious Moonbeam Bronze Award for the category of Animals/Pets (Fiction). Written by Susan Marie and Miss Olive herself, and Illustrated by Rebekah Phillips, the book is the first in a trilogy about Miss Olive’s adventures.
Recommended for ages four through nine, Miss Olive Finds Her Furever Home teaches children an important lesson about life and what it means to be accepted for who you are. Through the Miss Olive book series, children learn that bringing a pet into a loving home can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and Jenkins Group are proud to announce that Miss Olive Finds Her Furever Home was chosen to receive an award from a total of 1,150 entries this year. Launched in 2007, the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards are intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children’s books and their creators. The awards celebrate children’s books and honor those who create stories that encourage kids to foster a sense of wonder and a life-long love of reading.
“I’m so honored to be recognized by The Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and Jenkins Group,” said author Susan Marie. “It also means so much to me that Miss Olive’s message of compassion and acceptance is reaching more children. We all want those things, not just humans, but animals as well.”
Miss Olive Finds Her Furever Home follows a little Italian Greyhound with three legs who is alone in an animal shelter. She dreams of being adopted by a loving family. On her journey to find her forever home, Miss Olive feels love and kindness from her foster mom and finds friendship with other animals who are waiting for adoption. One by one, all of the other dogs are adopted into happy families and Miss Olive begins to wonder if it will ever happen for her. She ultimately learns that dreams do come true.
Miss Olive Finds Her Furever Home won the DWAA Maxwell Medallion for 2018 Children’s Book of the Year. The award recognizes and encourages writers who exhibit talent, resourcefulness, dedication, and integrity in their writing about dogs and dog-related topics. The Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) was created in 1935 at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The best-known feature of the DWAA is its annual writing contest, which encourages excellence in writing about dogs in all aspects of communication.
Susan Marie is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators as well as the Dog Writer’s Association of America and the Florida Writers Association. A devoted champion of animals, Susan donates a portion of the proceeds from the Miss Olive book to various animal rescue services. She’s passionate about passing along the love of animals to future generations.
Miss Olive joins Susan Marie at the microphone each week as the co-host of the radio show, The Doggy Diva Show airing on Pet Life Radio. Along Florida’s Suncoast, the name Miss Olive is synonymous with the bringing together of homeless pets to loving families everywhere.
Miss Olive Finds Her Furever Home is available on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.