Children's Book Give-Away! KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece, Story by Shannon Jones, Illustrations by Casey Uhelski

It is an immense pleasure to share Book Number Three in the KeeKee Adventure Series: KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece.

Courtesy of http://www.keekeesbigadventures.com/

FROM THE PUBLISHER:Former Starbucks executive Shannon Jones has a soft spot for rescue cats, children and culture. While head of marketing and product for Starbucks Europe, Middle East and Africa, Jones lived in Europe with her husband for four years and was able to tour some of the largest European cities including Paris, Rome, Athens and Istanbul.

When their friends’ children started asking how their rescue cat, KeeKee, liked living in Europe and what it was like to live there, Jones decided to pursue her passion for writing and created the award winning KeeKee’s Big Adventure Series to introduce children to the tastes, sounds, sites and cultures of Europe.

The first book I reviewed in the KeeKee Adventure Series was:

KeeKee's Big Adventures in Paris, France ,  followed by KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome, Italy , (I had the enormous honor of having one of my quotes on the back cover praising the Paris book, and  ironically, I reviewed the Rome book almost the same day one year ago, that I am posting the Greece review today!)

KeeKee’s Big Adventures in Paris, France, was a Silver Winner in The Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book (Children’s/Young Adult) category at IBPA’s 2014 Benjamin Franklin Awards. Visit ibpa-online.org for more information.

Covers courtesy of http://www.keekeesbigadventures.com/

I was super excited for the release of KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece  for a number of reasons, an important one is I have always been fascinated by the Greek culture. The food,  music, climate, history, architecture and so much more. I minored in Philosophy in college and majored in Rhetoric, (I intensely studied Greek Rhetorical theory), so I might be just a tad biased about this book!

Opa! Opening pages in book. KeeKee hovers over Athens in her balloon
Photo Courtesy of http://www.keekeesbigadventures.com/

Greece is one of the oldest and most historical cities in the world!! A trip to Greece is absolutely on my bucket list, but until the day I am lucky enough to visit, I can vicariously travel along with KeeKee in her hot air balloon and learn first-paw about:

The Greek Language
as is the case in all of the KeeKee books there is a Pronunciation Guide & Glossary in the back where I learned that Antio means goodbye, Efcharisto means Thank you, Oreo isn't a cookie, but means beautiful and Niaou (prounounced nee-A-ow) means MEOW in Greek!


Historical Sites in Greece
such as The Parthenon which was built 2,500 years ago and is dedicated to the goddess Athena, the Acropolis isn't just a place where Yanni performs, nope, it is a HUGE HILL that the Parthenon sits on top of!
Did you know that the buildings in Athens are all blue and white like the Greek flag? I didn't know that until I read the book!

 Greek Culture
you will learn about the Agora, the heart of ancient Athens, (and not a bar in  Downtown Cleveland, long-time Clevelanders will "get this!"), this area was the city's main market and meeting place. Democracy was invented here! The Agora is now a fascinating archaeological site, "Agora" means "gathering place."

You will see cheerful photos of Zeus... the Ruler of the Gods, Poseidon...Ruler of the Seas, Apollo...God of music and more!

Remember I mentioned I had the enormous honor of having  a back cover quote appear on KeeKee's Big Adventures in Rome? That quote was: "Vibrant, colorful and bursting with PURRsonality!" which is the PURRFECT way to describe the beautifully created illustrations by Casey Uhelski, that are so vibrant they almost come to life on the pages! Joyful and fun, they have  the energy that one associates with the energetic and exhilarating Greek culture!

 I  give KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece, a 4-paws up and a resounding: "OPA!!!" which I learned from KeeKee, and is a Greek exclamation of awe, excitement and complete delight!!!

All books must come to an end… But, KeeKee heads off for her next adventure!

KeeKee’s Big Adventures Author Shannon Jones

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Shannon Jones discovered her passion for travel when she took her first international trip in the fifth grade. Illustrator Casey Uhelski has loved books, doodling and daydreaming ever since she was a little girl. Together they've created three books in the KeeKee's Big Adventures series-and they're at work on their fourth!


GIVE-AWAY!!
KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece might be over, but for YOU they are just beginning! Shannon Jones has generously offered ONE of my readers who resides in the U.S. the chance to win a copy of their own (an approximate $17 value)!! Entering is easy! Just enter on the Rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway





Can't wait to see if you won? KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece is available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Net Galley and wherever books are sold!

In Full Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review/ give-away. I was sent a copy of KeeKee's Big Adventures in Athens, Greece in exchange for my honest review.