Mr. B just so happens to be a photographer. An aerial photographer who gets to fly up in the sky in a helicopter to take incredible pictures of all sorts of things! My kids thoroughly enjoyed this children’s book! The images are bright, cheery, and draw you right into the story!
Mr. B takes the young readers on a journey through Arizona, first to Phoenix, then to Tucson, and along the way, introduces a whole host of other characters. All of the characters are “alive,” which lets kids imagine going to an airport and talking to the planes and helicopters! It’s truly a fantastic idea!
Buildings come to life, clouds take shapes while Mr. B flies through them, and a wild horse stops by to chat! The whole story is literally magic. I’m sitting here writing this review and grinning about the story. This book is something that my family will be keeping on our bookshelves to treasure!
A big thank you to Lindsey with Smith Publicity, who sent this to me for review, and for connecting me with Mr. B himself to answer some questions for me! Which he happily did!
Here’s our interview:
Me: This book was great! Do you plan on writing any follow up stories highlighting your fun adventures?!
Mr. B: Yes, we do plan to publish additional books about Mr. B’s Great Adventures Head in the Clouds. Currently, a total of nine books are planned for the series. The second book manuscript has already been composed, with the illustration work to begin later this summer or early fall. Together with the stories, we are also going to produce podcast short story readings about Mr. B and Mr. Helicopter’s “City Adventures” to present on various social media channels.
Me: What made you choose aerial photography as a profession? To be honest, I didn’t know it was one! How does someone get involved in something like that?
Mr. B: The decision to become an aerial photographer began about 25 years ago. It stemmed from being a photographer since high school and subsequently helping a competitor start an aerial service company. I soon realized – after spending time in the industry and recognizing my passion for looking at life through a lens of a camera – that it was time to start my own aerial photography company. It’s been a wonderful journey, where I’ve had the unique opportunity to be involved in the reconstruction of cities, and documented the progress of large construction projects… from the air.
The most important reward of having my head in the clouds was the opportunity to travel the world. It’s a highly competitive business, especially now, with the use of drone technology. The job requires an understanding of photography and the ability to market services; one must be both an artist and a business professional, and to distinguish both is a priority.
My mind is still reeling….aerial photography. Who knew!?
Me: What’s it like working with an illustrator? Do you give them ideas of what you’d like the pages to look like, or do they receive the “script” and go from there?
Mr. B: First… to write a children’s book, you need to develop the storyline and how you imagine the book’s script will come across to kids of the appropriate age. Once that is formalized, the critical path involves finding an illustrator who can adapt your words to develop characters that help young readers visualize your story and characters. The process of selecting the perfect fit for the project involves an “interview” process where each can communicate the right imagery to highlight the characters and bring the story to life – visually. I loved working with my illustrator, Nancy Troupe. She was both professional and wonderfully creative. Each portion of the script and photos of the scenery from the helicopter were the perfect tools for her to use as templates to create the book’s illustrations.
Hold up, wait a minute…lol.
I don’t know about any of you reading this, but this is the most honest, refreshing answer I’ve gotten so far in regard to how working with an illustrator would work!! Thank you, Mr. B!
Let’s continue, shall we?
Me: How long did it take you to get this book written up and published?
Mr. B: The process took a little over a year from start to finish. It has been my understanding it usually takes about two years to complete a children’s book. I feel most fortunate to have assembled a great team of professionals who helped guide me through a rather daunting process to complete this first book.
Me: Your website, Mr. B’s Great Adventures, is so much fun!! I love that you have caps, jackets, and more available for purchase! Plus, the coloring pages! How did you come up with all of those ideas?
Mr. B: The credit for Mr. B’s Great Adventures’ website goes to my overall project team. The team’s collective creativity and marketing input for the website, a strong brand, and its tie to social media were very important. We needed to utilize illustrations, coloring pages, and actual images plus Mr. B’s apparel items to make the overall social media platform comfortable, fun, and filled with adventures for all ages.
I WANT this bomber’s jacket! 🙂
Me: What are your goals for the next five years?
Mr. B: My primary goal for the next five years is to continue to develop the kind of characters that children of the world can relate to – and in the case of Mr. B – a hero to call their own. My underlying desire is to inspire children to dream big dreams and realize their dreams can come true. My aerial photography as a career is symbolic of that very message: dreams can come true if kids keep their “Head in the Clouds” and truly believe in themselves.
Me: Do you have any favorite cities you’ve photographed during your tenure? Could you send me a favorite photo you’ve taken? I’d love to include one with my post!
Mr. B: Boy! There are so many; I will send you a photo in jpg format.
Me: Did your granddaughter, Kali, have any say in the story? What did she think of the final result?
Mr. B: No, my granddaughter, Kali, had no say in the story; however, she was the inspiration. I will send you an image of her looking at my book reading video on the computer and following along with my book.
Kali with her Grandpa’s book!
Me: Is there anything you’d like your current fans and future fans to know?
Mr. B: That is a great question and an easy one to answer; it drives my writing of children’s picture books! Always dream – and dream big! It was a big dream for me to write a children’s adventure book, and it was a challenge to write it at age 66. Throughout an overwhelming process, I continued to believe in my objective! Like me, you, too, can achieve big dreams in life if you truly believe.
Me: What is your favorite quote, and why?
Mr. B: At the risk of this being too close to home, I would have to say my favorite quote, which comes from the book, is, “Kids remember to always keep your head in the Clouds!” Why? Because it’s a wonderful place to be.
My final thoughts on Mr. B and his aerial photography skills:
A classic. Every family should try to read this book to their children if they can! I’m already looking forward to the next one in the series!! This story could seriously go on forever, and I’d be reading them in MY 60’s! 🙂
Any thoughts or comments? I’d love to hear from you! Here’s another set of stories I recently reviewed that is PERFECT for kiddos who love dogs.
Love ya,
Kelly Ann
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