Way to Go, Winky Blue!

**FIFTH IN THE WINKY BLUE SERIES**

When Rosie and her friends read that the stars of the popular “Royal Rascals” television series come to town, Rosie is sure she can win Winky a guest spot on the show. But a deeply-held secret and a royal surprise threaten to destroy her plans. Will loyal, royal, Winky Blue come through?

About the Book

Way to Go, Winky Blue! was a really fun story to write.

Some of the plot elements I used in the story are:

Pockets, a celebrity dog with a missing diamond collar:

A box turtle who helps prevent Rosie’s house from being bull-dozed for a new road:

Rosie’s aunt’s red velvet party dress – that Rosie (accidentally) cuts up to make a royal red cape for Winky Blue:

**About the Winky Blue Books**

When I was eight-years old, I took all my money out of the bank (eight dollars!) and bought a parakeet …

I called him Winky Blue because he was a pretty blue color and he had bright black eyes that winked at me.

I was thrilled to have a pet of my own and headed off to our local library in search of a book about the adventures of a little girl and her pet parakeet. I wanted a story about a parakeet who would be a hero, like Lassie, the famous TV collie. Winky Blue would catch crooks, I imagined, save people from drowning, and carry urgent messages in his beak.

When I failed to find any books about an heroic parakeet (or even an ordinary one) I bought a small spiral notebook and began writing my own. This was the beginning of my life as an author, and the seed of an idea that eventually grew into the Winky Blue series.

In the six books in the Winky Blue series, Rosie is always scheming to turn her parakeet into a hero and a star with funny and sometimes disastrous results. But in the end she always comes to realize that her love for Winky Blue is more important than fame-until the next book, that is!

School Activities

Winky Blue was a real and important part of my growing up, and contributed to my love of writing stories. Have the children write a story about their own pets, or a pet they wish they owned. The story can be written from the child’s point of view, or from the pet’s point of view, or both.

Designate a special day as “Pet Day” when the children bring their pets to school and read stories they have written with their own pet as the main character. This day will be a lasting memory and motivate the children to write a unique story about a pet that has special meaning in their lives.