Children's Book that Fosters Imagination Wins GOLD MEDAL in the UK Wishing Shelf Book Awards

    AUSTIN, TX, April 12, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- These days, kids consider playtime something that involves devices and electronics, not imagination. Why should we give attention to this shift?

Because imagination helps children solve problems, adapt to new life situations, and learn how to think creatively.

The fabric of most childhood memories includes forts made with blankets draped over a table, a spaceship or time machine crafted from a simple cardboard box, playing pretend with favorite toys, or reading beloved stories. Usually, our fondest memories are those which involve active use of our imagination: the places we went, the adventures and personas we conjured up, the mysteries we solved.

Don Winn, the award-winning author of The Knighting of Sir Kaye, hopes to reacquaint children with the joy of their own imagination. His delightful book, Space Cop Zack, Protector of the Galaxy, is a story that teaches children that they can create their own adventures while reading and playing.

Space Cop Zack, a little boy with a big imagination, and his faithful robot sidekick GARG chase the terrible Dr. Dogbreath across the galaxy. Together they brave bad smells, squishy slime, giant ocean monsters, and motion sickness. Do Zack and GARG finally capture Dr. Dogbreath, or does he escape their grasp? The end is all up to a child's imagination.

And the story attains its goal: it was chosen as the Gold Medal Winner in the UK Wishing Shelf Book Awards, a contest judged exclusively by children from eight UK Primary and Secondary schools as their favorite picture book of 2015. The enthusiastic response consistently given to Space Cop Zack is proof positive that when today's children see imagination modeled for them, they embrace their own creativity. Indeed, they can't wait to have their own adventures.

Winn knows how important such imaginative odysseys can be--that kids who bypass the full development of their own imagination miss out on the enriching experiences and problem-solving skills they will need as adults. Space Cop Zack teaches children that their imaginations can take them anywhere.

Parents often want to nurture their children's aptitude for imagination and discovery, and with this new children's book, they can do just that.

Don Winn is the award-winning author of the children's novel The Knighting of Sir Kaye and its award-winning sequel, The Lost Castle Treasure. He has written nine additional picture books, including The Higgledy-Piggledy Pigeon, Superhero, Twitch the Squirrel and the Forbidden Bridge, and Shelby the Cat.

Don has been writing for over 20 years. After he started writing poetry, Winn moved on to writing children's picture books. Soon, he started to write chapter books for children. As a dyslexic himself, who knows well how challenging it can be to learn to love to read, Winn's goal is to write books so engaging that they will entice even the most reluctant or struggling reader. Winn lives in Round Rock, Texas.

# # #