Books with author Jan Oliveira

I wrote these books, now published as “Bedtime Stories From The Azores”, when my daughter Helena was born, because I wanted to pass down to her the special and simple moments I’d lived in my childhood and which I felt were disapearing. The Azores are a magical, pure evergreen natural wonder. We humans change things too much and too fast. But we can remember and share what we lived so that things won’t be spoiled by future generations. There is so much to teach and learn in telling a child a story and fables are such a fun way to do it. Come share these stories with us.

Childhood stories are wonderful and small animals are always adorable and part of children’s lives, especially when our children have the privilege of contacting with nature regularly or when they are raised in rural areas. These are stories from my childhood, memories of how life was in The Azores when I was raised. They were written by me twenty-two years ago to read to my daughter Helena when she was born. The idea of writing these fables came to me out of a need I felt of passing down to her the way of life and daily household rituals so interlinked with nature which I was sure would soon end with the arrival of civilization, such as baking bread in the lava stone ovens or washing the laundry in the rocky bottom rivers to make the most of Nature’s gifts – it’s wonderful and pure resources. I shared moments like these with my mother, grandmother and aunt, the strong women who have inspired my life. I hope you and your children discover a little about The Azores and enjoy these stories as much as we did and still do.

The Road is an autobiographical memoir by Jack London, first published in 1907. It is London's account of his experiences as a hobo in the 1890s, during the worst economic depression the United States had experienced up to that time. He describes his experiences hopping freight trains, "holding down" a train when the crew is trying to throw him off, begging for food and money, and making up extraordinary stories to fool the police. He also tells of the thirty days that he spent in the Erie County Penitentiary, which he described as a place of "unprintable horrors," after being "pinched" (arrested) for vagrancy. In addition, he recounts his time with Kelly's Army, which he joined up with in Wyoming and remained with until its dissolution at the Mississippi River.

Have you ever imagined what it was like to live in The Azores when you were a child? These are memories of my childhood turned into children's bedtime stories. They are fables of wonderful, lively little animals in their daily activities and adventures, such as the ones we had years ago when there was no electricity, life was simple-paced and we lived closer to nature in a purer environment. We had time to think about others..Come take a look!

Childhood stories are wonderful and small animals are always adorable and part of children’s lives, especially when our children have the privilege of contacting with nature regularly or when they are raised in rural areas. These are stories from my childhood, memories of how life was in The Azores when I was raised. They were written by me twenty-two years ago to read to my daughter Helena when she was born. The idea of writing these fables came to me out of a need I felt of passing down to her the way of life and daily household rituals so interlinked with nature which I was sure would soon end with the arrival of civilization, such as baking bread in the lava stone ovens or washing the laundry in the rocky bottom rivers to make the most of Nature’s gifts – it’s wonderful and pure resources. I shared moments like these with my mother, grandmother and aunt, the strong women who have inspired my life. I hope you and your children discover a little about The Azores and enjoy these stories as much as we did and still do.