East Olympia, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/17/2011 -- Help celebrate Robert Stanek's birthday today (Jan. 3) by taking a journey to Bugville. Share the joy of Bugville by reading and sharing the new book Buster Explores the Sea or any other Bugville Critters book.

Buster and Lass are little bugs with Big dreams. Their dreams take them to extraordinary places. In Buster Explores the Sea, Buster and Lass's dreams take them on a journey aboard the S. S. Bug as it journey far out into the deep blue sea. When Buster and Lass put on scuba suits and dive into the sea, they meet a kaleidoscope of undersea creatures from sea horses to angel fish and a mamma sea turtle and her babies. "Parents are going to have as much fun reading this zany adventure as young children have listening," said publisher Jeannie Kim.

Like Buster's Really Great Big Top Show, this story is full of humor and also serves as a springboard to a series of related educational books. In Buster's Undersea Counting Expedition 1 to 10, children are invited to child find and count Buster's new undersea friends as they arrive. Can any child do this? You bet they can. Not only does the book help build counting skills from 1 to 10, it also helps build grouping skills by 2s.

For a child who has mastered counting to ten already, there's Buster's Undersea Fish Counting Expedition 1 to 20. In this book, children are invited to find and count up to 20 undersea friends as they arrive. Like the beginner book which goes from 1 to 10, this book features a variety of undersea creatures and is designed to make learning an adventure. In addition to build counting skills from 1 to 20, the book also helps to build grouping skills by 2s and 4s.

"Robert Stanek's vivid imagination is the driving force behind the Bugville Critters books. His picture books and the adventures of his critters are as imaginative and fun as Dr. Seuss'," said publisher Jeannie Kim. "In one story, the bugs are exploring outer space. In the next, they're circus performers or scuba divers or pirates.

"But the Bugville stories are also down to earth and very real, such as in Have a Bad Day when Lass has an encounter with a stranger or in Stay After School when Lass' learning disability makes her feel stupid. And that's what makes the books so special."

Robert Stanek uses the integrated set approach often in the Bugville Critters books. The original Buster adventures (Visit Dad and Mom at Work, Go to School, Have a Sleepover, Visit Garden Box Farms, Go on Vacation, Play Their First BIG Game, and Rush to the Hospital) tell the story of Buster's and his working-class family. His mom and dad are factory workers. Readers go to work with Buster and his parents at the factory, join Buster for his first day of school, see the birth of Buster's twin siblings and watch Buster play in the Little Bug League Tournament of Champions. Baseball, friends, and family are all important themes in the books.

The original Lass adventures (Have Trouble at School, Break Their Bad Habits, Stay After School, Have a Bad Day, Visit City Hall, Have a Surprise Party, Have a Backyard Picnic, and Compete in the BIG Spelling Bee) tell the story of Lass and her family. Lass's learning disability is a big part of the story as are her efforts to overcome her disability. Those efforts start with her trouble at school and build up to the big spelling bee where she triumphs after a lot of hard work.

For more information, visit http://www.bugvillecritters.com and http:/www.reagentpress.com.

About Robert Stanek
Robert Stanek quietly worked on the Bugville Critters for 15 years and was satisfied with only the gleeful cheers, laughs and giggles of his children who delighted to hear his tales of Bugville and the little bugs who lived there. Robert's children are the ones who urged him o get the books published so other children could share in the adventures they so cherished. While Robert worked on getting the original 28 books to print from 2004 to present, he continued writing and developing new stories. Learn more about the author by visiting http://www.robertstanek.com, http://www.ruinmistmovie.com, http://www.themagiclands.com, http://www.ruinmist.com, and stanek.reagentpress.com.

About RP Books & Audio
RP Books & Audio was founded in 1994 as Virtual Press. Our products fall into four major categories: children's fiction, teen fiction, adult fiction and nonfiction. Our imprints include Reagent Press, Reagent Press Books for Young Readers, RP Audio, RP Audio Kids, and Classroom-To-Go. Related web sites include http://www.reagentpress.com, audio.reagentpress.com, and kids.reagentpress.com.

Contact :
Jeannie Kim
Reagent Press
PO Box 362
East Olympia, WA 98540-0362
360-791-0705
service@reagentpress.com
http://www.reagentpress.com
http://www.bugvillecritters.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Robert Stanek’s 18th Bugville tale was published for the first time officially on October 28, 2010. Robert Stanek quietly worked on the Bugville Critters for 15 years, satisfied with only the gleeful cheers, laughs and giggles of his children who delighted to hear his tales of Bugville and a little bug called Buster. As his children got older, they urged him to get the books published so other children could enjoy them as much as they did, and that’s what he set out to do in 2004.

Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/02/2010 -- Reagent Press, http://www.reagentpress.com, is the publisher of Robert Stanek's Bugville Critters books. Recently, Robert was interviewed about the inspiration behind Visit the Library, his 18th Bugville Critters book.

For those who don't know, Robert Stanek is a name of the more familiar best-selling author William Stanek. When his first book was published in 1994 (writing as William R. Stanek), Robert Stanek already had a distinguished career in the military, having earned many awards and accommodations for his exceptional service, including the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Air Medal, and the U.S.A.'s highest flying honor, the Distinguished Flying Cross. It wasn't until 1996 that he decided to pursue his lifelong love of writing as a full-time profession.

As a young child, Robert Stanek's family was very poor. He was one of five children raised by a single mom. When asked, Robert recalls clearly days and weeks where flour and water pancakes were the only meals at home and school lunch was the only real food he ate. For Robert, school and the library were places he could escape the poverty and violence that filled his early life.

His lifelong love of reading and writing began in the libraries of Racine and Kenosha Wisconsin, and in the classrooms of Janes Elementary School in Racine, Wisconsin. Robert Stanek started penning his first stories and keeping a journal as soon as he was old enough to hold a pencil and write on paper. He always had a book, a notebook or both in hand and books like Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and The Call of the Wild inspired his earliest stories.

"When I wrote Visit the Library, I tried to capture the absolute sense of wonder that I feel every time I walk into a library—even as an adult," Robert Stanek said. "I wanted kids to know that this was a place you could go to escape and discover.

"A librarian helps Buster and his friends find books to read. Buster ends up buried in a pile of pirate books while Barry finds a book on surfing. Cat finds a book on princesses, and Lass finds a book on origami.

"Buster and his friends read the books at the library. They use the library's computers to find more information on dolphins. If you look above the computer, a poster with William Tell reminds them to use the computer wisely.

"Buster and his friends participate in story time where a library reads 'Happy Little Lady Bug.' It's all meant to be fun and funny."

As a technology journalist, Robert has written for PC Magazine, Dr. Dobbs, TechNet Magazine and a variety of other leading magazines. As a technology writer, he's has written for Simon & Schuster, Random House, Macmillan, Pearson, Microsoft, O'Reilly and other publishers. Of that, he says, "What I love most is writing books that help people. My technical articles and books have helped millions of readers learn essential job skills. I want my children's books to help kids learn essential life skills."

For more information, visit www.bugvillecritters.com and www.reagentpress.com.

Visit the Library (Bugville Critters #18)
Robert Stanek
RP Books & Audio - Reagent Press
ISBN: 9781575451763 $8.99 28pp
Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere.

RP Books & Audio was founded in 1994 as Virtual Press. Our products fall into four major categories: children's fiction, teen fiction, adult fiction and nonfiction. Our imprints include Reagent Press, Reagent Press Books for Young Readers, RP Audio, RP Audio Kids, and Classroom-To-Go. http://www.reagentpress.com

Contact :
Jeannie Kim
RP Books & Audio - Reagent Press
Seattle, WA
360-791-0705
reagentpress@aol.com
http://www.reagentpress.com
http://www.bugvillecritters.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Reagent Press has donated books to schools every year since operations began. In 2007, when Reagent Press started publishing children’s picture books, they launched an official “Books For Schools” program, featuring Robert Stanek’s Bugville Critters. Last year, Reagent Press and Robert Stanek donated about $25000 in books to schools across the U.S. including schools in the Bronx N.Y., Puerto Rico, Guam, and an entire 2nd grade that had never before had books of their own.

Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/02/2010 -- Reagent Press, http://www.reagentpress.com, is pleased to share The Bugville Critters with readers and hopes readers will in turn share these books with parents, teachers, and anyone else who loves children's stories. Reagent Press has donated books to schools every year since operations began. In 2007, when Reagent Press started publishing children's picture books, they launched an official "Books For Schools" program, featuring Robert Stanek's Bugville Critters. Last year, Reagent Press and Robert Stanek donated about $25000 in books to schools all across the U.S. including schools in the Bronx N.Y., Puerto Rico, Guam, and an entire 2nd grade that had never before had books of their own.

How does the program work? Reagent Press is giving away free copies of Bugville Critters books to any Pre-K, K, 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade teachers who read the books in the classroom to their students as part of story time or any other in-classroom reading activities. The Bugville Critters books are printed in full-color on 70# archival quality paper and come in a variety of formats and sizes.

What are the books about? The author, Robert Stanek, wrote these books originally as bedtime stories for his own children. The stories address the real issues and challenges children face as they start school, make friends, and start to learn about the world around them. The stories provide real lessons about life, friendship, family, our world, the natural world of which we are all a part, and our environment. With global warming looming large in everyone's thoughts, has there ever been a better time to send positive messages to our children about the importance of our natural world and the environment?

About the Books For Schools program, Robert Stanek said, "It's a good feeling to give, and letters from kids and teachers really mean a lot." Robert Stanek has received hundreds of letters from thankful children over the years. Some of these letters are displayed online at www.bugvillecritters.com.

Robert Stanek added, "The 2010 – 2011 school year was to be the last year of the giveaway program, but I'd like to try to keep it going but I need help. Also, we still have quite a few of this school year's allocation on hand—much more than usual. My goal was to make this year the best year of the giveaway program, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Everyone can help by telling others about the program. Every participating classroom receives at least two premium edition Bugville Critters books, and we often mail out at our expense free additional books in subsequent years."

Any teacher who wants free copies simply needs to:

1. Send a letter stating they'd like free teacher's copies of Bugville Critters books and that they agree to use the books in the classroom and to not resell them.

2. In the letter, include the teacher's name, classroom number, grade level taught, school name, school telephone number with area code, school address, and principal's name.

3. Include a self-addressed stamped 10" x 13" envelope with $4.25 in pre-paid postage to:

RP Books / Reagent Press
Free Books for Teachers
P. O. Box 362
East Olympia, WA
98540-0362

Every school that follows Steps 1 - 3 will be mailed at least 2 (two) premium edition Bugville Critters books, which each have a retail price of $7.99 and higher. Many participating schools and classrooms receive additional free copies as well in subsequent years, mailed out at no cost.

Pre-K, K and 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade teachers in schools across the U.S.A. also can participate in "Send a Letter to Buster Bee" campaigns and get free books for their classrooms along the way. Any classroom that has a "Send A Letter To Buster Bee" campaign will get two or more Bugville Critters books for their class and can qualify to receive free copies of the complete Buster Bee and Lass Ladybug Adventure series—all fifteen books. To qualify, simply send a sampling of letters from children who participated in the campaign as well as letters from teachers and parents detailing how the books and the "Send A Letter To Buster Bee" campaign helped children learn about reading and writing.

Please note that the number of books given away depends on sales of The Bugville Critters books and the participation of teachers and schools. While not every school that participates will receive a free complete 15-book set, RP Books tries to ensure that every participating school is a winner in some way and may give away individual free copies of other Bugville Critters books as well. RP Books / Reagent Press reserves the right to change or cancel this giveaway at any time without notice. Valid only in the United States. Void where restricted or otherwise prohibited by law.

About the Author
Robert Stanek is the author of over 100 books. His epic series Ruin Mist Chronicles includes Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields of Honor, and Mark of the Dragon and was also released for young adults as The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1 - #4 and In the Service of Dragons #1 - #4. He is also well-known for his Bugville Critters children's picture book series. His books have been bestsellers on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Audible.com, and Apple iTunes.

For more information, visit http://www.bugvillecritters.com and http://www.reagentpress.com.

About the Publisher
RP Books & Audio was founded in 1994 as Virtual Press. Our products fall into four major categories: children's fiction, teen fiction, adult fiction and nonfiction. Our imprints include Reagent Press, Reagent Press Books for Young Readers, RP Audio, RP Audio Kids, and Classroom-To-Go. www.reagentpress.com

Contact :
Jeannie Kim
RP Books & Audio - Reagent Press
Seattle, WA
360-791-0705
reagentpress@aol.com
http://www.reagentpress.com
http://www.bugvillecritters.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/02/2010 -- Robert Stanek's 20th Bugville tale is coming to print for the first time officially on November 4, 2010. Robert Stanek quietly worked on the Bugville Critters for 15 years, satisfied with only the gleeful cheers, laughs and giggles of his children who delighted to hear his tales of Bugville and a little bug called Buster. As his children got older, they urged him to get the books published so other children could enjoy them as much as they did, and that's exactly what Robert Stanek set out to do in 2004.

Go to Camp has special meaning to Robert Stanek, as some of his fondest childhood memories are of Camp Timber-Lee in East Troy, Wisconsin. As a young child, Robert Stanek's family was very poor. He was one of five children raised by a single mom. When asked, Robert recalls clearly days and weeks where flour and water pancakes were the only meals at home and school lunch was the only real food he ate. School and the library were places Robert could escape the poverty and violence that filled his early life.

His lifelong love of reading and writing began in the libraries of Racine and Kenosha Wisconsin and in the classrooms of Janes Elementary School in Racine, Wisconsin. He started penning his first stories and keeping a journal as soon as he was old enough to hold a pencil and write on paper. He always had a book, a notebook or both in hand and books like Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and The Call of the Wild inspired his earliest stories.

"Camp Timber-Lee was a special treat paid for by my grandfather and grandmother," Robert Stanek said. "I went the first time when I was ten years old with an older cousin. My grandfather and grandmother planned to send two grandkids each summer, so I didn't get to go the next year. But as fate or luck would have it, I got to go each summer after, as my other cousins didn't like being away from home. Just thinking about Camp Timber-Lee brings a flood of memories for me of fellowship, fun-filled activities, and new adventures."

Robert Stanek went on to say, "Buster's adventures in 'Go to Camp' are based on my own childhood memories. His anxiety over going to camp is what I felt that first time. I think every child is a little worried about going to summer camp, especially ones where you stay at camp for a few weeks.

"Camper Becca, the camp counselor, Buster meets is modeled on memories of one of my favorite camp counselors. Female counselors aren't assigned to boys, but campers do see them throughout the day at various activities and meal times.

"The activities Buster does at camp are very much the activities I did at camp. Camp is where I learned to swim and sail. It's where I learned to paddle a canoe and kayak. It also where I learned about nature and what inspired a lifelong love of nature and the outdoors.

"And yes, it's true not every child at camp is good by nature. But as in the book, those who try and want to change can, and they can become good friends too."

Ask, and Robert will tell you another special thing about camp: Meals were included. As a technology journalist, Robert has written for PC Magazine, Dr. Dobbs, TechNet Magazine and a variety of other leading magazines. As a technology writer, he's has written for Simon & Schuster, Random House, Macmillan, Pearson, Microsoft, O'Reilly and other publishers. Of that, he says, "What I love most is writing books that help people. My technical articles and books have helped millions of readers learn essential job skills. I want my children's books to help kids learn essential life skills."

For more information, visit http://www.bugvillecritters.com and http://www.reagentpress.com.

Go to Camp (The Bugville Critters #20)
Robert Stanek
RP Books & Audio - Reagent Press
ISBN: 978-1-57545-178-7 $8.99 34pp
Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere.

RP Books & Audio was founded in 1994 as Virtual Press. Our products fall into four major categories: children's fiction, teen fiction, adult fiction and nonfiction. Our imprints include Reagent Press, Reagent Press Books for Young Readers, RP Audio, RP Audio Kids, and Classroom-To-Go. http://www.reagentpress.com

Contact :
Jeannie Kim
RP Books & Audio - Reagent Press
Seattle, WA
360-791-0705
reagentpress@aol.com
http://www.reagentpress.com
http://www.bugvillecritters.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

A decade before the events of the bestselling author Robert Stanek's epic Ruin Mist, Kingdoms and Dragons books, a princess named Delinna Alder touches one of the Four Orbs crafted by Dnyarr, the last great Elf King of Greye, and is transformed forever. But Princess Delinna Alder has much to learn about the lethal price of being both within time and outside its bounds.

Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/01/2010 -- Delinna Alder's life is about to change forever, for the Watcher has returned and he's brought with him one of the Orbs of Power. He's hunted across worlds for the orb, and she's longed for his return so that she can finally have answers to questions long ago asked. Those answers lead her into an exile from which there is no return.

Rebirth (Ruin Mist: A Daughter of Kings), published by Reagent Press, is the third of four comics that tell Delinna's never before told story and threaded through the comics are the tragic romances that will eventually tear nations apart and destroy worlds. Read Betrayal (A Daughter of Kings, Comic #1), Deliverance (A Daughter of Kings, Comic #2), Rebirth (A Daughter of Kings, Comic #3) and then Discord (A Daughter of Kings, Comic #4).

When Robert Stanek first began writing about Ruin Mist in 1986, he knew he wanted to explore this fascinating universe in both words and pictures. This desire is one reason his "The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches" books have so many illustrations. The special illustrated editions of "Keeper Martin's Tale" and "Kingdom Alliance" took this marriage of words and pictures even further as those books have over 60 full-page illustrations, including a segment in "Kingdom Alliance" where a key battle scene is told visually through a sequence of full-page illustrations.

In 2007, Robert Stanek decided to explore the world visually even further and started work on the Ruin Mist comics and graphic novels. Comics and graphic novels are developed in stages. For his comics and graphic novels, he followed a six-part process beginning with imagining.

Imagining is where the writer dreams up the story and develops it page-by-page on a storyboard. At this stage, Robert was the designer, developer, and director as well as creator. He broke down each page into a series of panels, describe how each panel should look, where each panel should be positioned, and what each panel should contain. This is a long process as a single page can take several pages to describe. Revision, development, and editing are of course part of the imagining process.

Next came penciling. Penciling is where an artist takes the writer's vision and makes it reality, working through each panel of each page and sending proofs to the writer for approval. There's a lot of back and forth in this process. Once the pencil panels and pages are finalized, the pencil art is passed on to an inker who renders the final lines of each panel and page so it can be colored. After a page is inked and colored, the writer works to finalize the story. The final story is edited before it is lettered.

Lettering is the process of entering and positioning the dialogue, story text, and other text elements onto each panel of each page. It's a long process, but the result is something unique: a printed story that is told visually as much as with words. And that's how Robert Stanek's comics and graphic novels are born.

Robert Stanek is the author of over 100 books. His epic series Ruin Mist Chronicles includes Keeper Martin's Tale, Kingdom Alliance, Fields of Honor, and Mark of the Dragon and was also released for young adults as The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches #1 - #4 and In the Service of Dragons #1 - #4. He is also well-known for his Bugville Critters children's picture book series. His books have been bestsellers on Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Audible.com, and Apple iTunes. For more information, visit dragons.reagentpress.com and www.reagentpress.com.

Rebirth (Ruin Mist: A Daughter of Kings, Comic #3)
Robert Stanek
RP Books & Audio
ISBN: 9781575458861 $6.75
Full-color, deluxe-size, perfect-bound comic of approximately 5,000 words.

Available at Ingram, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and elsewhere.
RP Books & Audio was founded in 1994 as Virtual Press. Our products fall into four major categories: children's fiction, teen fiction, adult fiction and nonfiction. Our imprints include Reagent Press, Reagent Press Books for Young Readers, RP Audio, RP Audio Kids, and Classroom-To-Go. www.reagentpress.com

Contact :
Jeannie Kim
RP Books & Audio - Reagent Press
360-791-0705
Seattle, WA
reagentpress@aol.com
http://www.reagentpress.com
dragons.reagentpress.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm