Thank you to all who participated in my survey!

Your feedback has been very helpful in giving me a feel for both consumer and recommender receptivity to the book. Thank you for taking the time to give me your honest opinion :^))))))

If you haven't taken my survey, it is still available by clicking on the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BYMDP3W

 I would greatly appreciate it if you would participate. The survey is anonymous.

Regarding some of the feedback I received, I'd like to address some of the questions/comments/suggestions: 

How are they illuminated?

One person asked how my illustrations were illuminated. They are 3-D pieces that are constructed in a box. All lights are electrically wired, so each box needs to be plugged in in order for the lights to work. I have used LEDs, grain of wheat lights (used in train sets), and fiber optics.

Asian characters

The same participant wanted to see asian characters in the book. I wasn’t necessarily thinking “ethnicity” while writing the book, but I was thinking “toad world”. Nevertheless, I see that in the clothing I designed for “The Wedding”, the groom’s clothes have a definite European influence. I will rethink it to see what I can come up with that is simply distinctive of what a toad would wear in a "toad world".

I’d like to mention that in another piece I am working on, the toad characters do happen to be Japanese. The piece is based on Momotaro, a Japanese folktale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momotarō However, in my depiction, the main character is a toad instead of a boy. Along with the dog, monkey, and pheasant warriors, I also added a female toad warrior dressed in an "armor-ized" kimono. She is a fierce archer whom the oni (Japanese demons) are loathe to contend with!

Toads or frogs?

Another comment in the survey asked whether the characters should be toads or frogs. I chose toads because I have pet toads, and they were the inspiration for my book. At the end of the book, I plan to have a page that gives facts about toads. It’s a great educational opportunity to explain some of the differences between frogs and toads.