By: Debbie Burns
Patty Cockrell and I are sisters and best friends, and we wrote a children’s book series, “Tukie Tales: A New Beginning for a Better Tomorrow,’’ after seeing way too many sad things on the evening news.
The terrible things happening around the world distressed both of us. It was very sad to see the way people bullied each other and we realized it was harming so many people.
After a particularly tragic event — the death of a small child in England at the hands of two boys not much older than him on Feb. 12, 1993 — we were devastated. We knew we had to try to do something to change what we saw happening. We didn’t know what to do or how; we just knew we had to do something.
We want all children to be safe, to have honest values, and care about the world we live in. We decided that we needed to start with very young children. Since we read to our children when they were young, we thought the best way we could help was to write stories for children with full, color illustrations so they can enjoy looking at the pictures while the story is being read to them.
We started to write our stories on Feb. 15, 1993. It has been a long journey to complete the books, get them illustrated, and published, but we’re finally there! The first in the series, “Lost!”, is available as a free e-book at TukieTales.com because we believe its message can save young lives. The second, “I Can Do It!”, is available for purchase on the site, and the entire series of five will be available on or about Thanksgiving Day.
We wrote our stories in honor of all victims of violence. We wrote them with compassion and love in our hearts for all of our world’s children in the hope of making a positive difference.
We created our characters knowing we first had to capture the young child’s imagination. They needed to be fun and different. So, the Tukies are from another planet and they have special powers that humans don’t have — telepathy, telekinesis and invisibility. They use these to help others – well, most of the time! The youngest Tukie is very mischievous and likes to play little tricks on his friends, much to the delight of young children.
Each book is a complete story using positive reinforcement to teach children important life lessons. The stories give valuable insight that doing good makes us feel good, and they help enable children to build their life on a secure, solid foundation of safety, positive values and caring about nature. All the stories leave the child feeling empowered and eager to repeat the positive values.
We believe today’s parents are ready for something different, and “Tukie Tales” is ready to deliver. Imagine a world where people treat each other with respect, kindness, and care about other living things. Some may say this ideal is not possible in today’s world. We believe it is.
Humanity can achieve great things when we all strive to make it happen. Children hunger for knowledge and acceptance. We need to be proactive and uplift them to give them the tools they need to succeed. Having strong, positive values is so important. Together, we can all make a difference for our children’s future. Join us on our mission to make a better world for them.
About Debbie Burns & Patty Cockrell
Debbie Burns and Patty Cockrell were determined to instill honest and wholesome values in their children after establishing their families. Deeply affected by the bad news of the world, they decided to promote a better experience for children. The “Tukie Tales: A New Beginning for a Better Tomorrow” series is written with compassion and love for all of the world’s children in the hope of making a positive difference.
