12/19/15

Trucker Graveyard

Their big rigs have probably disintegrated, over the years, in the heat and dust of a Laredo landscape. But the bones of their drivers remain. Truckers who never made it beyond the SHORT CURVE in the road. Loved ones couldn’t retrieve, for they’d gone too far down. Now, they lay, tangled, in a Truckers’Graveyard. I bow my head when I pass, in my own big rig, and say a silent prayer………Trucking’s not for the faint of heart.

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11/30/15

Rollin’…rollin’…rollin’

christmas present--booksThey’re rolling on the superslab of the internet…Our “Grandpa and the Truck” stories, that is.

And you know what? We’re the ONLY official, real-life truckers telling these stories to little kids.

Stories of a 30-year, award-winning, long-haul trucker who traveled every state (but one) in the United States.

In these, he’s witness to a several-car pileup on a fog-enshrouded, coastal highway in California…or being chased by a pack of bloodhounds in the Virginia foothills, in quest of fuel, late at night….or waking up to a cat #5 hurricane in Biloxi, Mississippi…or seeing 2 Rhode Island women “show the boys” they’re top-rated, long-haul truckers.

His stories are real. They all happened. Just as he tells.

Exciting…suspenseful….colorful.

Just like the main character—“Gater.”

Kids love our stories because they love the big rigs and their super-hero drivers.

We think: It’s time American truckers got the attention they deserve for the job they do every day in moving the nation’s products.

Order personalized, author-signed books, now, in time for the holidays.fleet of trucks--grandpa and the truck

06/23/15

Latest School Reviews and Our Newest ‘Fan’

 

suzanne and eddy with gr and truck booksOur Newest ‘Fan’ and School Reviews of Our Show…

Suzanne Souza bought Grandpa and the Truck books for her little grandson, Eddy Gomes. Dad says he’s our ‘newest fan’ and he ‘loves your books.’ Book 1 and 2 each have two exciting, professionally-illustrated stories, maps, questions to go along with story line. Little readers go on a ride with the trucker, in the big rig. You can order each or both at our website www.grandpaandthetruck.com. We personalize and autograph, too.

School Presentation Reviews Coming In….(We invite other teachers…parents to contact us should you wish a school visit of our colorful and exciting show.)

From Principal Manuel Cabral of Walter Ranger School

“I was very happy with the presentation of Grandpa and the Truck at Ranger School. The students were super-attentive and involved. The students kept on track and involved for the entire time and for that to happen in a space of 30 minutes with kindergarten,1st and 2nd grade students is a real testament to the program.

I know it is their intention to bring trucking’s importance home to students, while we teach geography…nature…American diversity…via a vehicle they love–the big rigs. I was really impressed with the presentation.”

Mr. Cabral
Ranger School Principal

From Media Specialist for Tiverton schools (The following is quoted material from Mr. Zanghi’s review of our performance.)
Colleen,

“Thank you for your visit to our School’s. Your presentation was an exciting blend of media that truly engaged our children. They especially enjoyed the slide show and interactive mapping activity. The students (K-2) were attentive and involved during the entire time.
The presentation really demonstrated the importance of trucking to students through the use geography, nature and diversity. They love the Big Rigs.
The Librarian in me really loves the non-fiction elements (Table of Contents, Glossary, Maps and Inquiry outlines) found in each of the Grandpa Stories. Thank you again for this wonderfully informative and entertaining presentation.”

Mr. Christopher E. Zanghi
Library Media Specialist

From Michelle Loxley, IT professional with Brown Univ.

“As an IT professional and mother of two young children, I have seen many multi-media presentations and presentations targeted to children. I attended the Grandpa and the Truck presentation at Ranger school and was very impressed with Ms. Mellor’s ability to engage the children with the subject of trucking via a range of music, images, and educational visual aids. The presentation not only informed the students about trucking and the role it plays in our everyday lives and economy, but also geography, weather, and communication. The children were excited about the subject and responded to Ms. Mellor’s questions eagerly. I think the Grandpa and the Truck books are a great way to incorporate core educational concepts with engaging stories.”

Michelle Loxley…Programmer/Database Mgr. Brown Instit. For Commununity Promotion and International Health Institute

 

05/31/15

Grandpa and the Truck Books Present at R.I. Library Assoc. Annual Conference

Against the gorgeous backdrop of Newport’s impressive Salva Regina University,  the Rhode Island Librarians Annual Conference invited Grandpa and the Truck books for their Poster Session (think Science Fair set-up but with books.) Paul, the long-haul trucker and I, the author of Grandpa and the Truck books, got to regale the crowd with what we do:  Bring the story of the big rigs to kids everywhere.  We showed them recent pix and principal Manuel Cabral’s commendation regarding our highly-successful presentation at Walter Ranger Elementary in Tiverton, RI. Our success isn’t surprising:  Our books are the collaborative effort of a RI retired teacher/now a successful writer  of Op-Ed’s that appear monthly on the pages of Providence Journal and Elite Fleet driver/Atlas Van Lines’s long-haul trucker, Paul Wesley Gates. Biggest international trucker’s association, OOIDA, and Women in Trucking (WIT) applaud our efforts, as do librarians, teachers, parents, and grandparents (some of whom were truckers who want to share their experiences on the road with grandchildren.)

Now we invite schools to book our exciting show for next year (we’ve done audiences of hundreds of kids–and kept them in rapt attention). We’re going through the state, showing how a big rig’s travels teach many things, in an exciting way. We’re every bit true to our tagline “We Teach Geography…and a Whole Lot More.” We wowed Principal Manuel Cabral of Walter Ranger School, in Tiverton, prompting him to say: 

“I was very happy with the presentation of Grandpa and the Truck at Ranger School. The students were super-attentive and involved… kept on track and involved for the entire time and for that to happen in a space of 30 minutes with kindergarten,1st and 2nd grade students is a real testament to the program…I was really impressed with the presentation.

We invite you to contact us at ckmellor@cox.net.

For further information,  go to our website at

www.grandpaandthetruck.com

RI Librarian Assoc. Conference--Newport

05/29/15

Grandpa and the Truck Wows at Tiverton Schools!

We Teach Geography…and a Whole Lot Moregr and truck kids enact geography

 

We Had a Brilliant Time! The kids at Walter Ranger School, in Tiverton were terrific. With fun sound effects and pictures capturing their attention, we brought our young audience across America, in the big rig. They asked lots of questions, too, of the trucker, like “Were you ever scared driving the big rig?” And “How much money does a big rig cost?” (answer $250-300,000).

They giggled at all the right places and swayed to our opening tune of “Nitro Express,” when a big rig hurtles down a mountain road, with its 18 wheels smoking, sparks flying all along, heading right for a little town in the valley. At the end, they helped act out our geography lesson pulling together our presentation that involved “How many miles are there from Boston, Ma. to San Francisco?” “How far out in the Pacific is little Hawaii?” “How many miles wide is little Rhode Island?” (37 miles), where kids in the car never really have to ask “Are we there yet?” (37 miles.) We loved it and they were a spectacular audience.

In the words of Principal Manuel Cabral: “I was very happy with the presentation of Grandpa and the Truck at Ranger School. The students were super-attentive and involved… kept on track and involved for the entire time and for that to happen in a space of 30 minutes with kindergarten,1st and 2nd grade students is a real testament to the program…I was really impressed with the presentation.gr and truck--quests from little onesgr and truck--things truckers fear most--ranger