Watch for Falling Rock

FIVE STARS from Readers' Favorite

On the road to the farm, a six-year-old's imagination is stirred by his grandfather's tall tales of an ancient Native American warrior called Falling Rock. Once at the farm, the boy thinks he sees Falling Rock everywhere, from the pasture to the pond and more. Is it his imagination or is he really seeing the ghost of Falling Rock?

WATCH FOR FALLING ROCK [©2021] Written by Terri Branson and Illustrated by Chet Taylor | Children's Picture Book (rated G for all ages) 24 pages color | Available in ebook, paperback, coloring book, and hardback from the Kittycat Books label of Dragonfly Publishing

AUTHOR NOTE

Growing up in rural Oklahoma in the 1960s, I had the privilege to spend time on the farm with my great-grandparents. Granddad was a never-ending fountain of tall tales and mischief. One of his favorite pranks was to tell us to "watch out for Falling Rock" every time we passed one of those yellow highway signs. Then he would spin elaborate tales of the deeds of this mythical Native American warrior. Since all of the generations were some mix of Cherokee, Choctaw, and Scottish, Granddad's version of Falling Rock was a heroic warrior who defended his land. I remember well the wide-eyed looks on the faces of my cousins and my brother, as Granddad steered that creaky old Chevy truck around potholes and curves, all the while telling everyone to keep an eye out for any stray rocks or arrows. As indicated, he was a bit mischievous. I dedicate this book to my dad (who endured the tales first) and my brother (who may have loved them most).

SALES LINKS

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Hardback at Barnes & Noble • Hardback at Lulu • Paperback at Amazon • Paperback at Barnes & Noble • Paperback at Lulu • Coloring Book at Amazon • Coloring Book at Barnes & Noble • Coloring Book at Lulu • eBook at Amazon Kindle • eBook at Apple Books • eBook at Barnes & Noble • eBook at Kobo • eBook at Smashwords

COLOR HARDBACK (Barnes & Noble) [EAN 978-1-941278-14-7 | ISBN 1-941278-14-0] 8x10 Casebound (26 pages) Color | Retail: $18.99

COLOR PAPERBACK (Barnes & Noble) [EAN 978-1-949187-19-9 | ISBN 1-949187-19-5] 8x10 Trim (26 pages) Color | Retail: $9.99

COLOR HARDBACK [EAN 978-1-941278-14-7 | ISBN 1-941278-14-0] 8.5x11 library casebound (24 pages color) | Average Price: $19.99

COLOR PAPERBACK [EAN 978-1-941278-15-4 | ISBN 1-941278-15-9] 8x10 or 8.5x11 trim (24 pages color) | Average Price: $11.99

COLORING BOOK [EAN 978-1-941278-16-1 | ISBN 1-941278-16-7] 8x10 or 8.5x11 trim (24 pages black/white) | Average Price: $7.99

COLOR EBOOK [EAN 978-1-941278-17-8 | ISBN 1-941278-17-5] Available in EPUB and Kindle (color) | Average Price: $3.99

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REVIEWS

"WATCH FOR FALLING ROCK by Terri Branson is a children's book about a Native American warrior. According to legend, Falling Rock, the great warrior, could never be captured in battle and now, many years later, Falling Rock haunts Oklahoma. Falling Rock also seems to haunt young Butch, who sees Falling Rock wherever he goes — outside his window, at his grandparents' house, in the yard, and at the pond. Falling Rock also causes some mischief with a spider's web in the garden, and Butch does have to reprimand him a few times for his antics. The whole time Butch's grandparents do not believe that Falling Rock is causing trouble, but Butch not only sees Falling Rock all day, he also hears the chanting and the drums as he falls asleep at night. WATCH FOR FALLING ROCK includes illustrations that go along with nearly every scene, and Falling Rock is depicted as the colorful and cartoonish troublemaker that he is. I appreciated the creativity in the book, and mostly that it highlights the imagination of a child who sees things when the adults don't. For this reason, I feel the book will appeal to children who understand that sometimes special things are for them only, and adults might not understand or see things the way they do. Author Terri Branson taps into the best part of being a child and seems to understand that a child can occasionally follow a story in their own minds, carrying a character with them through their daily routines. I recommend this book to children of reading age and feel it would be a nice addition to any children's library." ~ reviewed by Carla Trueheart for Readers' Favorite [FIVE STARS]

Goodreads

"In WATCH FOR FALLING ROCK, Ms. Branson captures the essence of a rural Oklahoma town. She pays close attention to detail as she describes the rattling old truck and the kindly Granddad who likes to spin a tale or two from his childhood memories for his grandson. Only, is it a tale or a true story about an ancient Native American? As the story unfolds, Butch encounters many 'sightings' of Falling Rock. He's certain he really sees him, but Granddad never really agrees with him or denies his visions. Butch is left to decide on his own if Falling Rock was really there or just a ghost of the ancient warrior. The Warrior seems to have a bit of mischief in his demeanor which gives the story a touch of humor as Butch watches his antics. Ms. Branson leaves you with these questions: Did Falling Rock really exist or is he just Old West folk lore? Are road signs warning of falling rocks or of Falling Rock? Well done!" ~ reviewed by Roberta Hoffer at Goodreads [FIVE STARS]

"Is six-year-old Butch seeing the real ghost of Falling Rock on his grandparent's farm? Or do his grandfather's tall tales simply spark his imagination? Beautiful illustrations by Chet Taylor complete this well-told tale of one boy's weekend visit to his grandparent's farm that brings him a new and mischievous friend, who may or may not be a ghost. WATCH FOR FALLING ROCK is definitely a 5-star read that small children will demand to read over and over." ~ reviewed by Sparks Reviews [FIVE STARS]