Dahlia Jean, the Jungle Queen

All rights reserved. Dahlia Jean: the Jungle Queen first published in Canada by Brighter Books Publishing House.

Crocodillo, an Imprint of Brighter Books Publishing House.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission from the publisher.

We use only kid and environmentally-friendly paper.

One tree has been planted for this book.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Smith, Matthew, 1975Dahlia Jean : the jungle queen [electronic resource] / Matthew Smith, Kim Johnson.

Electronic monograph in PDF format.

Issued also in print format.

ISBN 978-1-927004-12-8 I. Johnson, Kim, 1966- II. Title.

PZ7.S6554Da 2012

j813’.6

C2012-900940-7

For Dahlia Jean

Written by Matthew Smith - Illustrated by Kim Johnson

An Imprint Of Brighter Books Publishing House

Dahlia Jean, the Jungle Queen, lived deep in the heart of the Congo.

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She could dance with monkeys all day long, and loved to play her bongo.

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Her castle was a big ol’ Baobab tree with tons of little pink flowers.

Stretched on her favorite Baobab branch she’d read jungle books for hours.

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She’d ride her pal Laura the Lion all the way to the Great Jungle Market.

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at the Baobab Castle, and everyone is invited!

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Matthew Smith is a husband, father, amateur strongman, and telecommunications repair technician who grew up all over California. He currently resides in Santa Rosa, CA, about an hours drive north of San Francisco. When he’s not at work, or lifting heavy things, he loves spending time with his two young kids, Dax & Dahlia, his wife Carrie, and his old, wise dog Rouger. Matt has always had a creative spirit, whether it be in stone sculpture, on paper, or in the kitchen. When his wife Carrie was pregnant with their first child, Dahlia, Matt began writing poems for his daughter.

Even in utero, Dahlia loved to be read to. Today, 9 years later, Matt draws much of his inspiration from Dahlia and her amazement of the world around her. Her heartfelt empathy for others, her love for all animals, and her fascination with different cultures and places of the world, make her a perfect subject for a father’s stories -- about a little girl who loves to dream.

Kim Johnson is a Canadian illustrator and designer based out of Miami, FL. She is a member of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, The Graphic Artists Guild and Children’s Illustrators. Kim is a graduate of George Brown College in Toronto, Canada for Graphic Design and Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, MI for Illustration. She worked in children’s educational publishing for many years as a designer, which gave her the insight and inspiration for writing and illustrating her own children’s books. Her illustration work has appeared in children’s magazines and she has a beautiful self-published children’s book, Jungle Dream, available on her website, www.kimjohnsonillustration.com. Dahlia Jean is Kim’s first children’s book through a book publisher, and she has done a superb job building Dahlia’s world in her sweet watercolor style.

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We like to balance things!

One tree has been planted for this book!

BRIGHTER BOOKS PUBLISHING HOUSE

TM

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.�

- Albert Einstein

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