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Melinda Kinsman lives on a small peninsular called The Wirral, in North West England. She loves climbing mountains and rock-climbing (both abroad, and in her local mountains of Snowdonia), and she has always had a soft-spot for cuddly toys!
As Melinda has to lie down a lot each day, due to health issues, she spends most of that time using her iPad to write and illustrate her books. (Drawing can be especially challenging, as she needs to keep the iPad steady by balancing it with one leg up in the air - much to the amusement of her family!)
Melinda originally wrote a book of poems for her 6 year old niece a few years ago, but never dreamt of trying to publish them, or of trying to illustrate them herself. The advent of ebooks and handheld tablets now makes self-publishing an exciting possibility for her!
The Top of the Wardrobe Gang books are credited to both Melinda and a motley crew of cuddly toy characters. This bunch of cuddly toys live on the Top of the Wardrobe - they like to call this the "penthouse suite"! They enjoy reading, and want to try writing their own books.
Most of the cartoon gang characters are based on "real" members of Melinda's cuddly toy family. You can find out more about Melinda, the gang, and their books from their website at http://topofthewardrobegang.weebly.com
Reviewed by Vernita Naylor for Readers' Favorite
Pirates Don’t Knit by Melinda Kinsman is a wonderfully illustrated book about Jim. Even though Jim lives aboard the Jolly Bumperdink with other pirates, Jim is different. Jim does not possess the strong, brave, fearsome and bold attitude and character of the other pirates, but he does possess one skill: he loves to knit. Jim used his knitting skills for all types of things on the ship, but no one seemed to appreciate it, especially the Captain, until one day everything changed. A special gift was found floating in the water. When the gift was discovered, this is when Jim’s knitting became important. His knitting not only became important to the Captain and the crew, but he was able to use his knitting for the special gift once the crew brought it aboard the Jolly Bumperdink.
The beautiful illustrations displayed in Pirates Don’t Knit by Melinda Kinsman helps to tell the story about Jim and his adventures. Children will not only love to read this story, but they will be thoroughly engaged and entertained from cover to cover. In Pirates Don’t Knit by Melinda Kinsman, children can play several types of games, from the Rascally Rodent Challenge (aka P.D. Monkey’s Challenge), Match the Shadows, and Find the Treasure Chest to Can You Spot the Differences? I personally loved Pirates Don’t Knit by Melinda Kinsman. For young children this book will be a great reward.
