Little Shepherd by Cheryl C. Malandrinos Book Tour and Review

Little Shepherd

Author: Cheryl C. Malandrinos
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing
ISBN: 9781616330859

Little Shepherd is the story of 5 year old Obed, a little shepherd boy in the hills outside Bethlehem.  The story connects with children because it is the story of a little boy who participates in a Very Important Event.  Obed is in the hills watching his sheep with his father and the other shepherds when Angels appear and tell them that a Savior was born.  Obed is concerned about leaving his flock to go see this baby but his father says it's alright and Obed obediently follows him.

My Interview with Cheryl:

 Family Literacy and You.  She tells how she came to write the story of Obed, the Little Shepherd and more about her favorite books and bible passage.  

You can read my full interview with Cheryl on

1. Where did you get the idea to write a book about a little shepherd boy's experience meeting Baby Jesus?

Thanks for having me here today, Tina. God planted the idea for Little Shepherd on my heart many years ago. I would sing “The Little Drummer Boy” to my daughter and I kept thinking of writing a story about a young shepherd who visits the newborn King on the night of His birth. What is so inspiring about “The Little Drummer Boy” is that you get a chance to hear what a child thinks of what happened on that first Christmas. This is what I tried to capture with Little Shepherd — a child’s perspective of a miraculous night.

2. How long did it take you to write the book and did you do any research to write it?

Four years ago, when I first decided to tackle the idea of a young shepherd meeting the newborn King, it wasn’t a children’s story. It was a story of an adult Obed who leaves home after the Resurrection of Jesus to find the apostles and learn if this Jesus was the Savior he met as a boy.

This was my NaNoWriMo project that year and I struggled with it; mostly because I didn’t have enough research done into the daily life of people during that time period to make it authentic.

When talking with my pastor about the book, he asked if it was geared toward children. That’s what made me consider changing genres. After that, Obed’s story took a month or so to complete until I was ready to show it to my critique groups. It would take numerous rewrites until I submitted it to a publisher.

3. Have you published any other books? If so, what are they? Or is this your first book?

Little Shepherd is my first book, but I am halfway through a middle grade historical that is getting great feedback from my critique groups.

4. What would you suggest kids or families do if they want to write a book and maybe publish it?

Read—a lot. Read the genres you’re interested in writing. See what works for you as a reader and where the books fall short. If there is a certain publisher whose books you enjoy, make a point to read books by them to see what they like to publish. Don’t send your manuscript off to a publisher without making sure it’s ready. As they say, “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”

5. Do you have a favorite book?

I’ve read over 140 titles this year and I’ve been an avid reader my entire life. Picking one favorite is impossible. (Me: Alright Cheryl, you sound as bad as I am! LOL.  Although I don't think I've read anywhere near that many) Here are a few:

The Stand by Stephen King   

The Left Behind series by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye 

The House on

Tradd Street

by Karen White 

Beyond Me: Living a You–First Life in a Me-First World by Kathi Macias 

For books geared toward young people:  

The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder 

The Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

6. What is your favorite verse or passage in the bible? What does it mean to you? 

Another tough question. I’ve always been partial to Psalm 23:4:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

In a modern world where fear and anxiety can run rampant, this verse reminds us that God is greater than any fear we have.

Little Shepherd, is now available from Guardian Angel Publishing.You can purchase the book from the publisher's  website,  Amazon,  Barnesandnoble.com, and Indiebound.org.

*** Giveaway Alert! ***

Cheryl is offering 2 awesome giveaways on her blog. Her gift baskets are really wonderful & I'd love to see one of you win!  All comments must be posted by Dec 17.   

Giveaway #1 (for people who comment during the book tour) Value: about $65

* An autographed copy of Little Shepherd

* Angel figurine printed with the Serenity Prayer

* A Little Shepherd sticky note pad

* Little Drummer Boy 2010 Hallmark Keepsake Ornament

* Gift of Peace 2003 Hallmark Keepsake Ornament

Giveaway #2 (for those who purchase a copy of Little Shepherd between 8/21/10 & 12/17/10  (value is about $97)

* Sparkling Angel scented jar candle from Yankee Candle

* An angel gold and silver lid topper for the candle.

* An angel tea light holder from Yankee Candle

* A Jim Shore Nativity Star hanging ornament

* A Jim Shore Holy Family hanging ornament

* A $25 Amazon.com gift card

To enter the giveaway all you need to do is make a comment below - pls share a holiday tradition that you have or a favorite holiday book your family has. Would you like more entries into the drawings?  You can also check out the tour page at: http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2010/09/08/little-shepherd-virtual-book-tour-october-november-and-december-10/ to see where Cheryl has been and where she's going next. Be sure to leave one comment at each blog stop, which will give you more chances in the drawing.

You can also visit Cheryl online at http://ccmalandrinos.com or at the following blogs:

The Book Connection
Book Tours and MoreThe Children’s and Teens’ Book Connection

This contest will run until 12/17 @ 10 pm and then the winner will be drawn by Random.org on Cheryl's blog.  Once the winner is drawn and notified they will have 48 hours to contact Cheryl with their contact information.  Winner must provide a street address (no PO Boxes & must be in the US). Be sure to send your friends a link about this awesome giveaway!  

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of Little Shepherd for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."