/24-7PressRelease/ - Northbrook, IL, June 6, 2008, Dr. Elana Ashley, Author of the series "Splunkunio Splunkey Detective and Peacemaker Detective y Pacificador," will be making an appearance with Puppet, Storybook Character Ellie Elephant at the Chicago Tribune Printers Row Book Fair this Sunday, June 8th, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Visit Dr. Ashley's exhibit at the IWPA Tent [near the corner of Dearborn and Polk], location "BB" on the book fair's event map.

A mystery, adventure series for children, "Splunkey" provides a multi-disciplinary approach to educating students about coping with life issues and nurturing strong, self-assured and creative individuals who openly communicate their thoughts and feelings. Targeting problem-solving, character building and conflict resolution, the first of the series, "Case One: The Missing Friendship Bracelet," is available in both English and English/Spanish editions. Focusing on bullying and building friendships, "Case Two: Big Bully Holly Howler" will be released in English and bilingual editions in 2009.

Dr. Ashley, an accomplished writer, educator and ventriloquist, places a high premium on developing and presenting a broad array of programs for children, teachers, parents and families that are both educational and entertaining. In light of this, two new educational features now accompany "Case One," an audio CD and teaching guide. On the CD, sound effects and an original musical background accompany the author's recitation of the story in English. With unique voices, she dramatically expresses the personalities of her storybook characters. The second feature, the "Teaching Guide for Educators and Parents," is a valuable resource for teachers, parents and mental health professionals in instructing character, plot and themes, providing lists of questions for discussion and suggested activities, and offering a special section on peacemaking strategies. To order Splunkey's Special 3-Part Adventure Package [ISBN 978-0-9744812-6-5], call Dream Image Press, LLC at 847.480.8998 or email [email protected] or contact Follett Library Resources at 888.511.5114 or visit http://www.titlewave.com.

In addition to being an author of children's books, Dr. Ashley is a successful entrepreneur in the field of education. A 24-year veteran of her industry, she is currently the Executive Director of Great Imaginings, Inc., which specializes in educational consulting, lectures and programs. Over the years, she has developed program materials to accompany performances and workshops, including teaching guides for adults and informational sheets for students, teachers and parents, as well as original songs and poems to challenge the hearts and minds of her audiences of listeners. As President of Dream Image Press, LLC, Dr. Ashley works passionately on the publication of the mystery, adventure series, "Splunkunio Splunkey Detective and Peacemaker Detective y Pacificador," in its three-part form—book, audio CD and teaching guide.

The author will be exhibiting during the summer and fall of 2008 at the 10th Anniversary Child Care Business Expo sponsored by the Women's Business Development Center in Chicago held at Navy Pier June 21st; at Summer Wonders in Buffalo Grove (Cooper Middle School, June-July) and at Worlds of Wisdom and Wonder in Glenview (Henking Elementary School, July) and other suburban locations (June-July), both sponsored by the Center for Gifted, National Louis University; at the 31st Annual Centre East SHOWCASE, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie, IL, September 3rd and 4th, and at the Fourth Annual Fall into Literacy After School Conference held Thursday, September 25th sponsored by the Lake County Regional Office of Education in cooperation with the Northern Illinois Reading Recovery Consortium.

In September 2008, Dr. Ashley will be starting a Fall Festival Book Tour in the Chicago metropolitan area. If your school, library, book club or other community organization is interested in being one of the locations on the tour, call 847.480.8998 at your earliest convenience.

A product of New York University, Dr. Ashley holds a Ph.D. and a Master of Arts. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Queens College and underwent training at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel and at the University of Maryland. As a university lecturer, Dr. Ashley taught at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio and Queens College in Queens, New York. Her professional affiliations include the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the Publishers Marketing Association, Off-Campus Writers Workshop, the Illinois Woman's Press Association, the National Federation of Press Women, Mexican Administrators for Education, the Northbrook Chamber of Commerce, the Deerfield, Bannockburn & Riverwoods Chamber of Commerce, the Highland Park Chamber of Commerce, the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Waukegan Business Association.

Dr. Ashley attributes her career success to her compassion for others and her application of basic human values as the foundation for her words and actions.

For more information on her numerous endeavors in the fields of education, publishing and the creative arts, visit her websites at http://www.greatimaginings.org, http://www.dreamimagepress.com and http://www.splunkey.org

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