KATURRAN NEWS –

KATURRAN INTERACTIVE CONTEST LAUNCHES ON STAR WARS SITE

Imaginosis and Simon & Schuster have launched “THE KATURRAN ODDSSEY Contest” on the official STAR WARS fan site, www.theforce.net where children can win one to one conversations with Terryl and David, limited edition KATURRAN prints, and autographed books by writing a story about or drawing their favorite KATURRAN animal or finding the one animal in KATURRAN that is not real! You can also access the site through the banner on the Home Page of this site.

The winners of the contest will have their work exhibited alongside of Terryl’s

in an exhibition of her artwork from the book Storyopolis in Los Angeles in the coming months.

KATURRAN #1 CHILDREN’S BOOK IN SANTA BARBARA

The Katurran Odyssey has met an enthusiastic reception from children and parents in Santa Barbara, CA. Chaucers’ books, the leading independent bookstore in the area, reports that The Katurran Odyssey is the number one selling children’s book for December, The children’s book manager says that people often buy more than one copy, saying the book makes a perfect gift. Previously, Katurran was the #1 selling book in the store in November.

TEACHERS PRAISE KATURRAN IN SOUTHLAND SCHOOLS

THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY, is finding an enthusiastic audience in Southern California and Oregon schools.

Seeing how young children were captivated by the amazing animals and with the support of local Borders stores, author David Wieger and creator and illustrator Terryl, Whitlatch began an aggressive hand selling program by visiting local schools, book fairs and libraries. To their delight, they found children 7 – 12 entranced by the story and pictures, but also found solid support from teachers and parents for it’s educational content and positive values.

Designed by the book’s packager, Imaginosis, Simon and Schuster supplies full color posters and postcards that David and Terryl distribute during their visits. Books are sold in the schools at Holiday Book Fairs or children are encouraged to visit supporting bookstores. The artist and author were also the subject of numerous positive feature articles in their local newspapers about KATURRAN. The results? Very significant sales for a 192 page book that retails for $30.00:

• In a Borders supported book fair at Cranes Country Day School, over 80 books were sold, the #1 seller of books offered. There are just over 200 children in the school.

• Sue Zussman, manager of six Borders stores based in Thousand Oaks, CA is an enthusiastic fan of KATURRAN whose support has resulted on sales to date of over (100?) copies and it continues to sell steadily. David and Robert Gould, President of Imaginosis are currently working with Sue to create a bar code for the postcards that would offer a discount on THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY if purchased at one of her Borders stores.

• Terryl Whitlatch also reports a very positive reception and strong book sales after her visits to the Hoover Elementary School in Salem, OR, the Corvallis Public Library and other local schools, libraries and community centers.

Teachers praise the book as the ideal teaching tool to excite children’s creative imagination and stimulate interest in the natural sciences:

• Pamela Packard Kaganoff, an elementary art teacher at Cold Spring School in Montecito, CA, calls THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY, “visually enticing for both young readers and adults! I can see the extraordinary possibilities for school literature projects and the study of endangered species, with the integration of many art lessons for students and teachers of 6 to 8th grade.”

• Gayle Sandell, Head of Lower School at Crane Country Day School, says, “ As an educator, parent and lover of books, I was very impressed with the message that the book offered. To find a character who embraces the positive qualities we want to teach our young people was refreshing”.

BOOKSELLERS PRAISE “KATURRAN” AS HAND SELLING PHENOMEON

• Lee Cohen, Co-Owner of Every Picture Tells a Story in Santa Monica, CA Calls THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY, “ Glorious; one of the few books I’ve seen this year to fill an especially important and growing audience niche.
  
  “So many of our customers and their kids are looking for the next fantastic adventure series that bridges the gap between Harry Potter and Tolkien. They are scouring the shelves for a read for their 9-11 year olds who have graduated from picture books, but who may not be ready for C.S. Lewis. Further, there are so many families that enjoy reading and looking at books together and cannot always find the book that fulfills that need. I believe "Katurran" is the perfect answer."

• Matthew Abomowitz, of Los Angeles’ Storyopolis, says, “THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY is a stunning and fascinating piece of work.  Terryl Whitlatch's illustrations give you a window into the souls of the creatures that inhabit this book.  David Michael Wieger is a master storyteller with a keen sense of his audience. Together they have created a timeless odyssey for years to come.  This book will be opening the eyes of children for many generations to come.”

• John Bailey, Events Co-Ordinator at Chancer’s Books makes an important observation that is now creating a new sales / marketing model for KATURRAN: “…we have sold nearly 200 books to date, more through hand-selling and by having the book faced out in our children's section and on our front table. We also have the book shelved in our adult science fiction / fantasy area, but I would be surprised if we had sold more than one or two from that section.”

Word of mouth about KATURRAN is spreading fast: Both Terryl and David have a full slate of school visits though the Holidays and in the New Year. Please contact Robert Gould at Robert@imaginosis.com to inquire about David or Terryl visiting your school.

KATURRAN EXHIBIT AND CONCERT IN CORVALLIS, OREGON

The Friends of the Family Ministries was the host for a “Celtic Christmas” Concert at the La Sells Center at Oregon State University with music by acclaimed Celtic artists Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning. The performance attracted overt 1000 people and featured a selection from Jeff and Brian’s CD, “The Katurran Odyssey: a Musical Journey” accompanied by a video presentation of art from the book. The La Sells Center also featured an exhibition of Katurran art by Terryl Whitlatch,

PRAISE FOR “THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY”

"imagination is on full view here, and anyone who is lucky enough to spend time with The Katurran Odyssey will be richer for the experience. It’s a lyrical, lovely and vibrant book”

George Lucas, creator of Star Wars

“Terryl Whitlatch’s naimal drawings achieve that rare blend of accuracy and expressiveness that comes from a lifetime of direct observation of living creatures. To those gifts she adds a rich imagination that can create convincing characters without anthropomorphizing them. The resulting work in The Katurran Odyssey takes its place in the tradition of Charles Knight and Charles Livingston Bull.”

James Gurney, author of Dinotopia

“Enchantingly told and masterfully illustrated, The Katurran Odyssey” is a magical mixture of adventure story and potent myth that gives the reader a sense of having journeyed along with Katook. At the end of this journey we, as well as the little lemur, may come away wiser creatures, changed by the magic and beauty of this world.”

Brian Froud, co-author of Faeries and Wendy Froud, illustrator of A Midsummer Night’s Faerie Tale

TEACHERS & LIBRARIANS

"This book is visually inticing for both young readers and adults! I can see the extroadinary possibilities for school literature projects and the study of endangered species, with the intigration of many art lessons! This would be a rich experience for student and teachers 6-8th grade....

Pamela Packard Kaganoff,
Art Educator, \ elementary education Cold Spring School, teaching over 20 years. Montecito, California.

As an educator, parent and lover of books, I was very impressed with the message that the book offered. To find a character who embraces the positive qualities we want to teach our young people was refreshing. The storyline was engaging from the very beginning, capturing the reader and inviting you to join in the adventure. This book sparks the imagination and allows the reader to create his or her our fantasy. A single page in the book provides so many visual opportunities to let their minds wander deeper into the story.

Gayle Sandell
Head of Lower School Crane Country Day School

Congratulations, Simon and Schuster Publishers and David Michael Wieger, on the publication of "The Katurran Odyssey." The students in Grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 at Marymount of Santa Barbara revel in the lemurs journey. The illustrations enhance the other dimensions of the fantastic adventure.

The students in Grades 2 and 5 keenly anticipate your presentation to them on Wednesday, December 8th at 11:00-12 Noon in The John Pitman Library at Marymount of Santa Barbara. Per our conversation, you will make a twenty-minute presentation to the Fifth Grade class of 25 students at 11:00-11:20 A.M., followed by a similar program with the Second Grade class of 25 students at 11:30-11:50 A.M.

Thank you for bring your fantasy work to the children of Marymount,

Carolyn Gell, Librarian
The John Pitman Library at Marymount of Santa Barbara

The Katurran Odyssey is a fanciful tale with incredible illustrations, which has my young students completely spellbound.

Jane Angell
Lower Elementary Montessori Teacher

READERS – AMAZON REVIEWS

"Thought my kids would like it but I may enjoy it more..., November 18, 2004 I received the book a couple of weeks ago and just had the time to sit down and read it. The book is not only a wonderful fantasy for children (fast pace with plenty of action) it has thoughtful character development especially between the main characters - Katook and Quigga. The art is great - detailed and alive. The artist and writter have created a new world. With so much work I am expecting a few more in the series."

“This book is an amazing fantasy, one of the best of that genre to come out in a long time. While the plot is standard fare -- young hero explores a fantastic world and matures as a result -- the setting is among the most original I've recently seen. I can't tell you what a relief it is to get away from the standard sword-and-sorcery and gritty urban fantasy settings so many modern authors seem to be stuck in.

“Katurran is American Museum of Natural History meets Middle-earth. All the creatures that populate it either exist today or existed at one time in earth's history. There are recently extinct critters like Quagga (a type of zebra) and Tasmanian Tigers living side-by-side with long extinct animals like terror birds (from South America) and mammoths. There are no dinosaurs, but Whitlatch proves that there are plenty of other prehistoric superstars that deserve the same attention.

“The illustrations are excellent and will remind some readers of Dinotopia -- the literary inspiration of Katurran -- with their attention to the fine details of architecture, costume and animal anatomy. The text doesn't quite achieve the same grandeur, but Wieger does an admirable job given what little room he had to tell an epic, sweeping story. Still, Katurran is a book meant to be looked at rather than read, and on that I give it a 5-star rating. The story is an added bonus in that it fleshes out the world. My only real disappointment is that the soundtrack to the novel is sold separately.”

I received the book a couple of weeks ago and just had the time to sit down and read it. The book is not only a wonderful fantasy for children (fast pace with plenty of action) it has thoughtful character development especially between the main characters - Katook and Quigga. The art is great - detailed and alive. The artist and writter have created a new world. With so much work I am expecting a few more in the series.

Katurran Odyssey makes a great gift!, December 15, 2004 After my 9 year old daughter and I finished reading the Katurran Odyssey together we decided it would make a great gift for her friends, so we stocked up. We plan to give this book to a six year old and to several teen-agers. The imaginative, heart-warming and exciting story seems to appeal to all ages. Whoopee, it sure makes gift giving easy when you find a gem like this!

A wonderful story, child-like on the surface but full of complexities. A young lemur is cast out from his home and family because he knows what he should not know. His is a quest to go home again. Along the way, he discovers that what he wasn't meant to know has sent him on a spiritual quest. He learns about the true value of friendship, the destructiveness of pride, the power of knowing yourself. My library, where I discovered this book, shelves this book in adult SciFi. I would recommend it for young adults to read on their own. I think it would make a wonderful family read-aloud, or an upper-el read-aloud. The art work is amazing! The illustrations hold so much detail that just exploring this as a picture book could lead off into many interesting discussions and learning experiences. This book touched the child in me, and nurtured me on my own spiritual journey.

COMING SOON:

KATURRAN ART EXHIBITION IN LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCED
ORIGINAL KATURRAN ART FOR SALE
LIMITED EDITION GICLEE PRINTS FOR SALE

AUTHOR SIGNING – Please come and meet KATURRAN creator and illustrator Terryl Whitlatch.
She will be happy to sign your copy of THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY.

Salem, OR – Jackson’s Books – 1 PM
320 Liberty SE 97301
503 399 8694

FREE COLOR LIMITED EDITION BOOKPLATE WITH PURCHASE –
For a limited time, you can receive a limited edition, full color KATURRAN ODYSSEY bookplate.

If you order both THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY book and CD, we will send you the bookplate signed by Terryl Whitlatch and David Wieger.

Just send proof of purchase from Amazon to:
KATURRAN BOOKPLATE OFFER
Imaginosis
4195 Crisp Canyon
Sherman Oaks, CA 91043

Or email your confirmation to: info@katurranodyssey.com

NEW WEBSITE FEATURES –
Just added to the “Activities” section:

an interactive MAP OF KATURRAH – mouse over and discover where
many of the different animals live on the Katurran continent.

NAME THE KATURRAN ANIMALS – mouse over two double page illustrations and discover the names of the animals in the pictures and if they are living or extinct.

NEW DESKTOP DOWNLOADS - Here’s some new desktop wallpaper for you.

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF "THE KATURRAN ODYSSEY" AT COMICON INTERNATIONAL

Imaginosis will be exhibiting a special preview of art from "The Katurran Odyssey", created and illustrated by Star Wars artist Terryl Whitlatch and written by David Michael Wieger, to be published in October by Simon and Schuster.

A limited number of Katurran Odyssey posters and postcards will be available!

KaturranOdyssey.com is Copyright ©2004 Imaginosis
Website design: Stephanie Lostimolo; Art Direction: Robert Gould, Imaginosis
All Artwork Copyright ©2004 Terryl Whitlatch; Katurran Odyssey™
Text excerpts from "The Katurran Odyssey" Copyright ©2004 David Michael Wieger