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Phat Cat and the Family
Book Series

by Allison Perkins-Caldwell

Hello

Meet Allison Perkins-Caldwell, a proud Black entrepreneur and author from Chicago. With a passion for storytelling and a love for children, Allison creates captivating and educational tales that inspire young readers. Her books, set in the vibrant city of Chicago, celebrate diversity and teach valuable life lessons.

 

The current industry standard for children’s picture books is  500 words or less. As an educator entrusted with the care and intellectual development of students within her childcare centers, Allison grew disheartened with the quality of the stories she was exposing her students to. The content of those stories was reduced to the simplest words, the story directives “talking down” to the children. She noticed that many of her students were growing bored with the stories. She went looking for books that promoted intellectual dexterity in even the youngest audience and didn’t find them … so she decided to create them and share her vision with the world.  

 

The average story length of each book in the Phat Cat and the Family series is around 1,300 words. These long form picture books focus on strong, empowering narratives that don’t shy away from the use of advanced vocabulary. Allison believes in the innate intelligence and learning abilities of all children. Each book promotes context familiarity, elevates low, medium and high frequency vocabulary, and enhances learning models for plot comprehension and context retention.

In this age of short attention spans and technology that discourages long form reading and storytelling, the Phat Cat and the Family series pushes back with a novel approach to storytelling. This series engages all age groups. For the youngest learners, each book may be broken down into segments so that children can discus individual concepts, work on story retention, and anticipate what may happen next through group sharing and critical thinking. For independent readers, each book will cultivate attention as their minds are engaged and perspectives broadened.

 

There is a learning section at the end of each story that encourages young learners by diving deeper into substantive topics, as well as providing a vocabulary section that reinforces what they’ve learned in each story. Allison believes that the earlier children are exposed to various frequency words, the more engrained and elevated vocabulary is retained.    


Join Phat Cat and the Family on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and adventure as Allison Perkins-Caldwell takes children on a magical literary ride of cross-situational learning and cognitive elevation.
 

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Book #1

Phat Cat and the Family is written by Allison Perkins-Caldwell, and it’s a series that’s based on Chicago’s Southside. Allie is the main character in this series, and in Liver, Onions and Apple Pie. Yummy!  She convinces her best friend Nicky to have an open mind and be brave enough to try a new food. The results are a delicious discovery about tolerance, adaptability and encourages young readers to be more adventurous.

Allie's positive attitude makes all the difference in this series. Ms. Allison even asks questions after the story is through, so that young readers and listeners work on story retention and learning new vocabulary. 

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Book #2

In Sticky Mess to Learn What's Best ... Oh My! Phat Cat learns the consequences of his actions. Allie, Phat Cat, their family, and friends explore the concepts of being self-aware. Phat Cat discovers that the goal of any tricky situation is to learn from his mistakes and grow into a stronger and more thoughtful mind-set.

A learning section is also included at the end of the story, inspiring young readers to think critically and be reflective of their story experience.

Join Phat Cat and the Family as they learn, grow, and even manage some entertaining mischief!

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Book #3

In The Colors of Love, Allie shows the school bully and their classmates a new perspective as they all learn about empathy, kindness and forgiveness. This book teaches children a happier way to look at the world around them. This story is not only important for children to read, but is also educational. 

The Colors of Love is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other retailers. Get a copy for all of the children in your life so they can have fun and learn along with Phat Cat and the Family!

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Book #4

In The Big, Bad C ... Alphabet Challenge,

Readers discover why being healthy is very important. When Phat Cat and Allie return home from school, they stumble upon a shocking secret regarding Momma's health that fills everyone with fear.

Join Phat Cat and the family as they utilize compassion and an encouraging attitude to come up with helpful ways to deal with a frightening health crisis. They discover that the letters of the alphabet can be inspiring, the key to a more hopeful way of looking at the scariest of situations. Their utilization of every letter helps children learn the alphabet while the characters find the mindset and determination to overcome the latest obstacle in their path. In the end, they understand that a positive way of looking at the world always wins!
 

 

A learning section is also included at the end of the story, encouraging young readers to think critically and be reflective after their reading and listening experience. Join Phat Cat and the Family as they learn and grow.

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Book #5

In The Big, Bad C ... Siblings of the HeartPhat Cat and the Family must face the health crisis and medical treatment of a loved one. What do they do? They come up with ideas and cooperate in order to help find solutions to the problem in their path. The kids in the neighborhood won't let the Big, Bad C get in their way! Instead, they learn about problem solving, collaboration, generosity and the beautiful spirit of volunteerism. They discover how precious siblings of the heart can be!

 

A learning section is also included at the end of the story, encouraging young readers to think critically and be reflective after their reading and listening experience. 

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Book #6

In Friends, Fishing & Gumbo. Yay! Allie shows compassion to the school bully and invites him to come fishing with her father and friends, realizing the value of empathy. Phat Cat and the Family discover the importance of being open-minded when it comes to new experiences by including new friends into their fun times together, and Big Momma teaches the valuable lesson that cooperation can be empowering and delicious, too!

 

A learning section is also included at the end of the story, encouraging young readers to think critically and be reflective after their reading and listening experience. 

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Book #7

In Bravery and Confidence. Awesome!

The gang must face the fact that the school talent show is coming up soon. When Allie becomes nervous and doubts herself, Phat Cat and the Family help her see that she can achieve any goal she sets for herself. What happens next is one of the most inspiring experiences of her life!

 

A learning section is also included at the end of the story, encouraging young readers to think critically and be reflective after their reading and listening experience. Join Phat Cat and the Family as they learn and grow.

The Phat Cat and the Family
Seven Continents Series
arrives Spring 2023!

Join Big Momma, Allie, Phat Cat and the family on this continuation of this educational series as they travel to all seven continents! Readers will discover the importance of about being respectful world citizens while they learn about geography, math, geology, and history.

Each book gives young learners a deeper understanding of vibrant cultures from around the world, including an in-depth learning section that focuses on critical thinking questions, vocabulary, a word game, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fun travel facts!

Coming
Soon

Book #8 - North America:
Big Momma, Allie, Phat Cat, Sheron and Nicky travel over 6,000 miles, through 21 states, to experience the USA. Some memorable stops include famous National Parks, a New Orleans feast, the MLK Memorial in Birmingham Alabama, and little adventures and lessons along the way.  

Book #9 -
Europe:

Big Momma, Allie, and Phat Cat explore six countries, with destinations including Stonehenge, the Amalfi Coast, the Swiss Alps, and the Parthenon.   

Book #10 - Asia:

Big Momma, Allie, and Phat Cat visit places like Qatar, Mount Everest, the Taj Mahal, and the Great Wall of China ... with a few surprises along the way!

Book #11 - Australia:

Big Momma, Allie, and Phat Cat explore the Australian continent while visiting Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef. They make some interesting new friends in the park and the zoo, too!

Book #12 - Africa:

Big Momma, Allie, Phat Cat, Sheron and Nicky see the Great Pyramids, go on safari in Serengeti National Park, and experience an emotionally moving visit to Ghana's Cape Coast Slave Castle. Their discoveries in Mother Africa will never be forgotten.

Book #13 - South America:

Big Momma, Allie, and Phat Cat travel to places like the Amazon River basin, Buenos Aires, Machu Picchu and Easter Island as they learn new things.

Book #14 - Antarctica:

Phat Cat and the whole family take a cruise to one of the most remote places on earth. They learn about new wildlife and discover inner-strengths as they try exciting new things! 

Own the Series

There are a total of 14 books in this series - Books One through Seven are on sale now, and Books Eight through Fourteen will be released by June 2023 ... so get ready for more Phat Cat and the Family fun!

Hardcover, Softcover and Digital available on  Amazon and Barns and Noble.

Book #1

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Book #2

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Book #3

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For questions please contact us.

Pen & Pad Publishing House

5927 W. Chicago Ave.

Suite 200

Chicago, IL 60651

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