Seven years ago, South Florida author Jeff Howe decided to develop a children's book series. His decision to take on this project was inspired when his daughters were learning to read and from observing students in his wife's classroom. He believes it is truly a wonderful sight to witness when young children get bitten by the reading bug. His goal was to be a part of that spark.

As a child, Howe spent countless days exploring the rivers and mountains of western Massachusetts. These adventures, along with his wild imagination, set the stage for the Buzz Bradley series for elementary-age children. The first book in the series, Buzz Bradley and the Invisible Fort, was recently published by Llumina Press. In this book, Stinky Gallagher, the school bully, destroyed Buzz's tree fort last year. With summer break upon him, Buzz is determined to outsmart Stinky. Buzz comes up with the perfect plan-an invisible fort.

Howe's goal is to capture the interest and imagination of first, second, and third graders using characters that they can recognize, and just the right amount of humor and adventure to hold their attention. Howe has a lot of great ideas and adventures for Buzz and his friends, and plans to publish at least one new Buzz Bradley novel annually. The second book in the series, Buzz Bradley and the Green River Ooze, is due out in the summer of 2009.

Children that enjoy art might be interested in checking out the author's illustration contest. For details log onto Howe's website at: www.jeffhowebooks.com