I am so excited to welcome my friend and fellow educator, Miriam Hurdle, to my blog today to tell us about her new book, Tina Lost in a Crowd. She is a former teacher, administrator, writer, poet, and lover of children and books. Take it away, Miriam!
Hi Pete, I feel at home to be on a follow teacher’s educational blog. Thank you so much for hosting my Book Release Tour and allowing me to share my process from pen to publication with your readers.
The Making of Tina Lost in a Crowd, Part 2
The Story Behind the Story Tina Lost in a Crowd
The story of Tina Lost in a Crowd is partly based on fact. When my daughter Mercy was eight years old, my sister Yolanda, her husband Patrick, and their son Enoch, who was Mercy’s age, came from Hong Kong to visit us. We took them on tours in northern and southern California. One activity was going to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. I drove the five of us to Rowland Heights Regional Park, then we took the Park & Ride bus to the Hollywood Bowl.
The sky was dark with bright stars when the concert started. Mercy and Enoch swayed side to side when they listened to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and smiled at each other. During the intermission, Patrick left his seat to buy some popcorn. Mercy and Enoch wanted to use the restroom. Yolanda and I urged them to catch up with Patrick.
Later, when Patrick came back without them, I panicked. Imagine losing 8-year-old kids in a crowd of 18,000 people. How would I find them? Yolanda and Patrick stayed in their seats while
I followed the descending steps between the sections of seats to where I thought they could had gone.
What happened next became one of my most favorite memories. This story is based on this unforgettable moment.
Blurb
Tina invited her friend Erica to attend a popular Tchaikovsky’s Spectacular concert on a summer evening with her parents. During the intermission, her dad left the seat to buy some snacks. Tina and Erica followed him wanting to use the restroom. The shoving crowd pushed them away, and they lost sight of him. It would be impossible to fight through the 18,000 people to find him or go back to Tina’s mom. What would the girls do?
This story tells about what happened to Tina and Erica after they got lost. Children can adapt to the learning from different situations they may observe or encounter. Adults could have discussions with the children about the situations to help them develop problem-solving skills.
Purchase Links
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091M586M7 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w?ean=2940162309741
My Book Review
Tina Lost in a Crowd is a fun and helpful picture book that shows children what to do if they get separated from their parents or supervisors at any large public gathering. Instead of panicking when Tina and her friend get separated from Tina’s parents at an outdoor concert, the girls keep their heads and remember what to do. They stay in one place until help arrives. Based on a real life-experience, Miriam Hurdle’s story teaches a valuable lesson to kids in a non-threatening and sensitive manner. I would recommend Hurdle’s book as an educational tool for parents as a valuable resource before taking their children and their friends on an outing to the zoo, sporting event, mall, or other public places where there are likely to be lots of people.
About the Author
Miriam Hurdle is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She published four children’s books at twenty-six years old. Her poetry collection received the Solo “Medalist Winner” for the New Apple Summer eBook Award and achieved bestseller status on Amazon.
Miriam writes poetry, short stories, memoir, and children’s books. She earned a Doctor of Education from the University of La Verne in California. After two years of rehabilitation counseling, fifteen years of public-school teaching and ten years in school district administration, she retired and enjoys life with her husband in southern California, and the visits to her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughters in Oregon. When not writing, she engages in blogging, gardening, photography, and traveling.
Contact Miriam at –
Website/Blog: https://theshowersofblessings.com
Amazon Author’s Page: https://www.amazon.com/Miriam-Hurdle/e/B07K2MCSVW
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17252131.Miriam_Hurdle
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mhurdle112 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Miriam-Hurdle-Author-100123351515424
Pete Springer 
Oops sorry Pete called you Peter
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Most people call me Pete, but I go by either. It takes a lot more than that for me to get offended.😎
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cool thanks
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A beautiful review. A lovely story and important one for children. The cover is beautiful. We’ll done Miriam. And a great review Peter.
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It’s a nifty quick read for a parent to read to their child. I have the pleasure of owning an autographed copy.
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Lucky you.
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Hi Pete, I enjoy Miriam’s beautiful, interesting and fun blog. I look forward to reading “Tina Lost in a Crowd.” My heart is stopping reading the background about this book. Unfortunately, most parents can relate to having lost their child even for seconds. Thank you for sharing a great review, Pete. I was not aware how this is also an educational tool.
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I’m happy to see anyone fulfill a dream. Miriam has taken what could have been an awful situation and turned it into something positive. I feel the same way about my students. Seeing them happy and doing something positive for the world reinforces the importance of education.
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It’s great to see Miriam here, Pete, and I loved your review of her book. It’s a great lesson for kids and such a fun way to learn it. Congrats to Miriam. 😀
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There are universal problems that any parent can identify with. The fear of losing your child is one of them. I suppose grandparents have it just as bad.
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I misplaced my grandson on a playground for about five seconds. I’ll never forget that panic! 😀
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Thank you for making all the stops, Diana. Pete had a teacher’s hat on when he wrote the review, haha! 🙂
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I’m so glad your real life experience had a happy ending, Miriam. When my son was younger, one of my biggest fears was losing him in a crowd. I enjoyed this story. Thanks for hosting today, Pete. 🙂
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I see parents with these harness kinds of contraptions that they have for their kids these days. Those weren’t around when our son was a child.
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I’m not a big fan of those harnesses, but I do understand the fear of those who use them.
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I am not either. Something about reigning your children in like cattle seems offensive.
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I agree completely. I simply held my son’s hand when I didn’t want him wandering too far.
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I’m thankful for the happy ending, Yvette. When I go out with my grandkids, I don’t take my eyes off of them 🙂
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Oh wow, I would be so scared in that moment Mariam described, being at such a big event and not knowing where the kids were – I like that she turned the moment into a book and it sounds like a terrific one! Great spotlight here, Pete.
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I’m sure it had to be upsetting. The biggest place I ever remember getting lost was a supermarket. That was scary enough.
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It’s wonderful to see you, Christy. Hope all is well with you and your new family. When I took the children’s writing course, this was the first story I wrote. Yeah, I think any parent would forget those moments.
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Wonderful review and Miriam, I love the reason why you wrote this book, from true experience. One of my FIRST (and most frightening) childhood memories is when I was lost from my parents. I was quite young – maybe 3 – and the fear of never finding my parents has never left me. Your book’s subject is something near and dear to everyone – young or old – and a great lesson for children. I’ve already downloaded on my Kindle!
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Your story is similar to a lot of us, Pam. Unlike many things that fade from our memory over time, getting lost is s feeling we never forget. That demonstrates how traumatic it can be for children, not to mention their parents.
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I couldn’t imagine how frightening it was for you to be lost from your parents, Pam, especially at that age. Yes, you’d never forget that terrible feeling. Even as an adult, it was scary when I got lost from the Spain tour a few years ago because I was busy taking photos as the tour moved on. Fortunately, I spotted my 6’4″ husband! Thank you for downloading the book. I appreciate that, Pam.
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that would be a terrible feeling to be lost in a crowd, perhaps even more so for the parent. I’m glad everything worked out ok, and nice to see that Miriam was able to turn the experience into a useful educational opportunity for others…
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I can think of few scarier things for a parent than having your child go missing. Depending on the age of the child, it could be traumatic for him/her.
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a scary situation for everyone…
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I’m glad the story has a happy ending, Jim. I didn’t want to think of writing a story with different endings. At least not with books for young children. Thank you for your comment.
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that’s true. that would not be a book parents would read to their kids!
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Great topic for a book for kids. We always told our kids to find an adult in a uniform if they were lost. We were at at theme park that had a place for “lost parents” where we found one of ours happily eating cookies and waiting for us to be found.
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I suspect that many parents have had this discussion, though I know some probably haven’t thought about it. It’s a balance between wanting to keep our kids safe without getting so crazy about it that we make them more frightened. I used to teach a health and safety unit at school and had the kids draw fire escape routes for each person in their family, including a family meeting place. There were years where none of the students had ever held this discussion with their parents. I read a tragic story about a dad who got out of the house in a fire and then went back into the home looking for his kids and died. The sad part was that his kids were already out of the house, and he didn’t know it because they didn’t have an agreed-upon meeting spot.
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It’s a good idea, Elizabeth to tell the kids in advance of what to do if they were lost especially in theme parks. Haha, “lost parents.”
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That was the name over the door!
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This book sounds wonderful. It will resonate with every child and parent out there.
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Thank you for your support and comment, Kim! I’ll try to get my book out there for the parents, teachers, and children when the pandemic is over!
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Thanks for supporting, Miriam, KIm. I’ve been asleep at the wheel and missed a few comments.
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I’m always pleased to meet fellow educators and read their works. Thanks for the enticing review, Pete. Also, good to see other blog acquaintances here too: Jacqui, Jan, Liz, and Bette, among others. This goes on my Kindle right away. Brava, Miriam, and best wishes for more sales and stellar reviews too!
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You’re part of that crew too, Marian. The one similarity I always bring up about blogging is that it reminds me of the education world because bloggers look out for one another the way teachers do for fellow educators.
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Hi Marian, I just went over to your blog to subscribe your blog. I don’t know if it went through. If I don’t see your post, I’ll subscribe to it again. It’s wonderful to be in this supportive community and have a great connection with fellow educators. Jacqui and I live about 25 miles apart and I love her teaching of technology to the students.
Now that you’re retired, I’m retired, and Pete is retired. We now have fun writing. Thank you for having my book on your Kindle. I’m eagerly waiting for schools to reopen so that I could bring my book to read to the students.
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Thanks for subscribing to my blog, Miriam. On the home/landing page, the subscribe button is on the right titled “Invitation.” On the blog page, the sign-up is also on the right panel in blue with space for your email. A huge THANK YOU! 🙂
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Delighted to find Miriam and Tina at your place today, Pete! ❤ Great review that hits the highpoint of Tina Lost in a Crowd. Congrats, dear Miriam!
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How nice that you already have been part of the tour, Bette. I was over at your site last night. It’s great to be part of a community that looks out for one another.
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We are truly blessed, Pete! 🙂 Have a beautiful day! xo
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It’s wonderful to see you here, Bette! I’m glad to have Pete hosting my tour. This is such an amazingly supportive community. ❤
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Thanks for sharing Pete! Miriam sounds like a very talented author. I love that she wrote this book in a way for young kids to learn and understand about safety in crowds. I have a very, very faint memory of being lost in a crowded department store when I was a young kid wth my mom on an outing.. In fact, the memory is so faint that I’m not sure it was real lol could have been a dream.. Weirdly I’ve never asked my mom… Lol I will next time I talk to her 😜🤔
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It is the scariest feeling in the world for a child. Unfortunately, it’s probably happened to almost all of us at one time or another.
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Thank you for your comment, I appreciate that. It seems to be common either we were lost or we lost someone. I lost my tour group a few years ago when my husband and I went to Spain. We were in a huge Cathedral and every group of people looked the same but they were not my group. Thankfully, my husband is 6’4″ and I could see him from a distance and rushed back to the group. 🙂
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Congratulations on the great review from Pete, Miriam! The fact that Tina Lost in a Crowd is based on a true family story makes it even more special.
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Taking a scary incident and using it to do good is such an honorable thing. I wish Miriam the best of luck with her book. Thanks for being part of a supportive blogging community, Liz.
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You’re most welcome, Pete! I am very happy to be part of the community.
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I know you could relate to this, Liz, since you wrote your family history. Thank you for your lovely comment.
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You’re welcome, Miriam. I could definitely relate!
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I’m glad you did, Liz!
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🙂
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Thank you for hosting Miriam and her new book, Pete! Miriam, you write from personal experience and the heart of a teacher and parent – someone who loves and understands children and literature. Bravo!
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Agreed, Jennie. The best writing comes from those who write from the heart about experiences that any of us can relate to. Miriam’s story is one that parents should think about in advance and discuss with their children.
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Exactly! Thank you, Pete.
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I love to hear this comment from another teacher, Jennie. I can hardly wait for school to reopen so that I could talk to the principals and read to the students. It would be something exciting to do next!
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Yes, it would be! May I make another suggestion? I approached our public library some years ago to read aloud to children. You may want to do that, too.
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That is still on my radar too, Jennie. I remember you making that suggestion some time back to me. Our library still hasn’t reopened, but I’m going to do exactly that when it does. There are certain things I miss about teaching. Reading to bright and engaged eyes while getting a little silly with different reading voices for the characters is something I miss. Once a ham—always a ham.
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You will be in heaven…and so will the kids. 🙂 Like you, I’m looking forward to our library opening. Zoom is not the same thing.
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I certainly will do that, Jennie!
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Wonderful!
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That’s a good suggestion, Jennie! I’m close to at least two libraries here at home and I can contact another library near the school district where I worked.
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Wonderful!
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Congratulations, Miriru, Thanks for hosting, Pete.
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I’m always pleased to help out a fellow author/blogger. I know you have built up a much bigger following than me, John, but keep me in mind if you ever need some promotion.
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Thank you, Pete. I only need promotion once a year and I call for volunteers. 😁
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Thank you for stopping by to support my tour, John!
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Hi Pete, it is lovely to see Miriam here with her new book. It is such a lovely story and the illustrations are outstanding.
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I like children’s books that teach a lesson without being overly preachy. Miriam’s book falls into that category.
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You’re right, grownups, and kids too, don’t want to be told what to do.
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Yes, that is exactly how I viewed this book.
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I love being at your bog and got your support also, Robbie!
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Congrats on your new release, Miriam! I once lost my little brother (twelve years younger) in a box store when we were in the big city- picture small town kids here. Mom was searching for some new clothes for us kids and asked me to watch my then five-year-old brother. I got bored and started reading book jackets on a nearby shelf 🙂 but when I turned around Michael was gone!
I did a fast search, couldn’t find him, and gathered my courage to tell Mom. She hurried to customer service and they did an announcement over the intercom- I was scared and mortified.
Thank goodness he was found a short time later, hiding under a clothing rack!
I learned my lesson that day; kids can disappear in an instant, so pay attention, lol
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Those kinds of experiences always stay with us, Jacquie. Sometimes we need to have a close call to fully get our attention.
Your comment about where your brother hid reminded me of one of those shows I saw recently where people do outrageous things because they were dared by their friends. One of them was about a guy hiding in a clothes rack. When a customer pushed the clothes looking for the right item, this guy’s face popped out between the clothing. Quite naturally, the customers freaked.
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It scared me for life! lol
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How scary that you lost sight of your five years old brother, Jacquie. It was so easy to let your mom. But every minute counts. I’m glad he was found under a clothing rack, phew! Little ones move so fast. When I watched Autumn and took her to the park, I didn’t let my eye off of her. So many situations could go wrong when we are distracted. I was scared more than once or twice. We learned, do our best, and hope things go well for our kids.
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I love your review, Pete! I just finished the story and have to agree with you. Best wishes to Miriam, and thank you for hosting today, Pete!
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I’m always happy when an author friend comes out with a new book. It’s like sharing their joy for one of their new babies.
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Thank you for stopping by, Jan! Pete did a wonderful review. I’m thankful for him to host my tour.
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Such an important lesson made easily consumable by not just the story but the images. Bravo, Miriam!
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Picture books are the best way to teach lessons for young children. I have walked into classrooms where none of the kids knew me, and in a matter of seconds, they became engaged from the story.
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I remember my daughter told me Autumn learned something and doing it about they read a book. Autumn was only two and a half. That alone was inspiring to me to write an illustrated story. Thank you for cheering, Jacqui!
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Kids love learning when presented right, don’t they?
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I guess it’s in my nature. Even little ones don’t want to be told what to do.
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I enjoy hearing author stories about the inspiration of their stories. More often than not there is a personal connection to the story that makes them all the more interesting.
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I feel the same way. I like to know the backstory of why an author chose to write a particular story.
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I feel the same way when reading a book or watching a movie, Jennifer. They attract me when I knew they were based on real stories. I appreciate your comment.
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Yes it always adds something extra.
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Exactly, Jennifer! 🙂
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Lovely review, Pete. It’s pleasing to hear of it’s educational value. My copy is next up in my Kindle collection.
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A valuable lesson for sure. As you well know, Norah, books are one of the best ways to engage children while teaching them much-needed skills.
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That’s for sure, Pete. I’ve just read Miriam’s book and it is a lovely story.
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Yes, Norah, just remembering my experience in the classroom and now watching my granddaughters, I think they learn well at a young age. I appreciate your reading of the book.
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It was my pleasure to read, Miriam. It’s lovely. Congratulations.
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Thank you for adding this book to your collection, Norah.
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What a scary experience that must have been, thinking Mercy and Enoch were lost, Miriam!
Congratulations on your new release and Pete’s wonderful review.
Thanks for the post, Pete. All the best to you and Miriam!
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Miriam’s story brought back a memory of a time when I took a field trip with another teacher’s class to the zoo. One of the kids (2nd grade) in the other teacher’s class got separated from her small group. It was absolutely a scary moment to get on the bus and realize a child was missing. We found her in the petting zoo, totally oblivious that her classmates weren’t around.
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Whew! That is indeed scary!!
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Oh wow, what a frightening story, Pete. Fortunately, it didn’t happen to my students.
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It was scary, Mae! Just the thought of my sister coming across the ocean to have this heart-stopping experience was unthinkable. I was glad it turned out fine. I’m thankful for Pete’s support in his wonderful review and hosting the tour.
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Wonderful write-up and a compelling story. Thanks for sharing, Pete! I hope this meets with great success!
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Books are often the best ways to teach these types of lessons to children in a nurturing way instead of frightening them by bringing them up.
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Good point, Pete!
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I appreciate your support and comment, Brad. Pete is wonderful in reviewing the book and hosting the tour.
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My pleasure Miriam and best of luck with your latest publication. Pete is truly a giving person and always generous with his praise.
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Thank you so much, Brad. I think most teachers are generous with their praises. I for one do the same in the classroom. Positive reinforcement seems to work better than punishments.
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this sounds brilliant and something that every child should read or have read to them. because she is speaking from personal experience, miriam knows the fears of what she speaks. i lost my grandson in a store once, no where near as scary, and it had a funny ending, but we were both really scared. thank you for sharing this.
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Hi Beth, the event took place 28 years ago but the emotions and scenes are still vivid. Thank you for sharing your experience with your grandson in a store. I love to hear the funny ending. I think we don’t forget shocks like this. Thank you for stopping by. Pete is so wonderful to host my tour.
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yes, i understand, those feelings are never forgotten. what happened with my grandson was i was shopping for school clothes for him and my granddaughter. at some point, he got bored in the clothing area and wandered off to the toy area after seeing them across the aisle. when we turned around he was gone and we couldn’t find him anywhere. we quickly had that scary and fearful feeling take over. after about 15 frantic minutes looking for him, we headed to the customer service area in front when we heard on the intercom: “j-dog is looking for peaches, j-dog is looking for peaches!” (he had used his funny family nickname, his real name is jackson, and my grandma name of peaches). we were soon reunited and all cried and hugged and he said, ‘i went to the helpers like you told me to do if anything ever happened and i used those names because i knew you would know it was me and not some other kid.”
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I still remember getting separated from my mom in a supermarket when I was little. It was truly a frightening experience. To add to my fear, each time I looked down the aisle, the same guy looked at me from the other side of the aisle. It felt creepy, though he was probably just looking for donuts or something.🤣
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It is terrifying on both sides!
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Wow, Beth, your 15 minutes were like forever falling into frightening chaos! What a brilliant idea to use nicknames to find each other. This is a wonderful story to share on your blog. We’ve watched two movies last year, one losing the son and the other losing a daughter when the kids were about four. They were not found. The one about losing a daughter told the story of the couple continued to search and posted age progression on the media for 25+ years. One woman was a perpetual imposter and looked very much like the image. She went to the couple and spent days with them. Eventually, she didn’t have the heart to pretend. There are so many missing children! It’s sad and scary.
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That is so very awful
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I can identify with that.
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I love the sound of this book. Getting lost in a crowd can be a daunting experience for children. I love that the story is based on a real experience. A great review. This book is on my Kindle ready to be read.
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It’s good to see you here, Darlene! Thank you for your lovely comment and support. I’m excited you’re reading the book. I’m thankful for Pete to host this book tour and did a wonderful review of Tina Lost in a Crowd. 🙂
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Isn’t that every parent’s worst nightmare? It’s one of those things we need to talk to children about without freaking them out.
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