Come and join my good friend Ted, a beautiful blue whale who is RED, as he gathers his friends in a grand game of tag and togetherness. He is the great protector of the ocean after all! Written in rhyme and illustrated in wonderful watercolour, readers of all ages (however geared for ages 4-9) will enjoy this sweet story while being enlightened by the unique sea creatures encountered along the way!
In this meaningful and heartfelt follow-up book to “My Good Friend, Ted!” join Ted as he navigates true friendships through kindness, respect, diversity and acceptance in “My Good Friend, Ted! The Sea-quel in The Ocean of Colour”.
Awards, Accolades and Affiliations
The “My Good Friend, Ted!” picture book series has been honoured with the Purple Dragonfly Book Award, Story Monsters Approved Award, and Mom’s Choice Award. Most recently, Robyn has joined the Ella’s Way Author’s Collaborative, a non-profit charity that promotes kindness and encourages acceptance of differences in children through special picture books.
Sponsor of SAVE the WHALES
A portion of the proceeds from Ted book and merchandise sales is donated back to SaveTheWhales.org
to help further educational programming and preserve and protect the ocean’s magnificent marine life.
The Main Goal for My Good Friend, Ted!
Robyn’s goal for the “My Good Friend, Ted!” trilogy (third book on the way) is for children to inquire and be educated about sea creatures and the well-being of our oceans, while enjoying and embracing sincere and heartfelt messages about friendship, kindness, respect, acceptance, and diversity, within the stories.
The book series is available in several Canadian independent bookstores in the greater Toronto, Ontario area and at The Book Dragon Bookstore in Stockton-on-Tees in the UK.
Special Merchandise
Special merchandise items have also been created to support the “My Good Friend, Ted!” picture book series when sold at markets, library and school programs, craft shows, town festivals, and booksellers events. Such items are crochet sea creatures made by local artisans, small sea creature plushies, bookmarks, keychains and postcards representing selected illustrations from the books, and fine art prints based on Robyn’s own artwork.
Art Teacher, Artist and now…Author!
Robyn Gram-Barclay has been an art teacher of over 20 years, as well as a practicing artist. She is a self-published award-winning author and illustrator. She has illustrated four books in total, including having written and illustrated two of her own, with a third on the way. The first “My Good Friend, Ted!” picture book was inspired by her son in 2019 at six years of age, who held a deep affinity for all marine life creatures starting from his toddler years, particularly the Blue Whale. Thus Ted, the unique RED Blue Whale was created. Robyn’s son continues to express his immense love for the ocean, with the dream of becoming a Marine Biologist one day. Two years later, in 2021, the “My Good Friend, Ted!” manuscript was workshopped with Robyn’s JK-Grade 4 art students to gauge the appropriate age-level response for the story. After a sea creature-related art task was assigned using watercolour, this further motivated Robyn to explore and move full speed ahead with the illustration process, also using watercolour. The first book was published in December 2021, the ‘sea-quel’ in December 2022 and the third, “My Good Friend, Ted! in Ted’s Tale of the Tangled-Up Whale” by fall 2023. All three books have been illustrated in watercolour, to support the theme and content of the series.
Robyn’s side business, A Little Touch of Colour was created in 2017 to initially showcase her artwork, but has grown to include her picture book series and the Ted-related merchandise.
Robyn also has a background in Musical Theatre, voiceover performance and directing school productions. One of the best highlights of the picture book series is reading it aloud to children using different character voices! Robyn is a wife and a mother of twin daughters and a son, and cannot express how much she has cherished the support of family and friends, as she continues on this fabulous literary adventure and creative journey. Along with her human family, she resides with a cat, snake, hamster, and plethora of fish, in Ontario, Canada.
Please visit the following websites and social media to learn more about and purchase Robyn Gram-Barclay’s “My Good Friend, Ted!” picture book series, merchandise, and artwork!
https://www.alittletouchofcolour.com
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