I'm so glad you have stopped by!
I am a children's author with big interests in history, stamps, and boats. You can find these interests inside my
books. All are historical, three use stamp pictures, and two feature a variety of interesting seafaring craft.
Scroll down and explore my work!
C.H.Colman
MY FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK
When I was a kid, I loved stories about the ancient Greeks, especially Jason and the Argonauts and their many adventures in distant lands. Those heroes needed a very special boat, and the building of their galley made me want to be a sailor too.
Here is a small excerpt from my favorite childhood book, The Heroes, by Charles Kingsley:
Then they felled the pines on Pelion, and shaped them with the axe, and Argus taught them to build a galley, the first long ship which ever sailed on the seas. They pierced her for fifty oars - an oar for each hero of the crew - and pitched her with coal-black pitch.
IndieReader Review: 4.8 stars
From being cared for by traditional ayahs (nanny/nursemaids) to life-threatening encounters with musota snakes, as seen through young C. H. Colman's eyes, the reminiscences of MY UGANDAN HILL come wonderfully to life. Readers of all ages take note: supported by judicious use of Luganda and Swahili terms, native concepts, and introductions to African wildlife, this is a perfect tale for pleasure reading and education.
Author's Summary
When my family moved to Uganda, Africa, we discovered a world far different from post-WWII Britain. Very large snakes could bite or squeeze people to death. Dysentery and malaria were common diseases. A bump behind my ear turned out to be a tick that made me ill with dire symptoms first misdiagnosed as meningitis. Flies laid eggs under my skin. Huge flying cockroaches landed on my face, swam in my milk, and squealed when cornered. Earthquakes abounded, strong enough to crack cement. Conflicts flared between African tribes, and between civilians harassed by the Baganda police. As backdrop to these facets of Ugandan life, a revolution for independence from British imperial rule was brewing.
Available on Amazon. Age level: 7 and up. Grades 3-5
Pages: 116
Send me an email if you would like to purchase a signed copy direct from the author.
The four stamps shown in the book
Nyesi and I
Black mamba
Rothschild giraffes
African rock python
The bald eagle has lived in North America for thousands of years and has been a witness to many of the events in our history. As the United States' national emblem, this majestic bird is often depicted on postage stamps commemorating landmark events of the past.
Soar with the bald eagle as it competes for food with Native Americans, then watches the arrival of the first European settlers and the formation of a fledgling democracy. Track its impact as a symbol of peace and freedom in two of the country's wars and at the first landing of Americans on the moon.
The eagle's own struggle against extinction counterpoints the story of this country's growth and development.
The art of U.S. stamps and graceful watercolor scenes enhance the dynamic, interlaced stories of the resilience of this once-endangered species and the proud nation it represents.
Published by Charlesbridge.
Available on Amazon. Age level: 6-9
Pages: 48
Some Bald Eagle photos
This popular book is now in its second edition (2019)
Author's Summary
Travel to Canada's easternmost province and learn about its unique and exciting history. Codfish have swum in the waters off Newfoundland for thousands of years and have been central to the province's livelihood. Track the impact of a unique fish, Newfoundland's currency, as it feeds the early explorers, provides a basis for the settlement, then struggles for survival against the technologies of modern society. This valuable creature is often depicted on the postage stamps that also commemorate landmark historical events. The wonderful art of Newfoundland stamps enhances the dynamic stories of a proud people and their famous fish.
Kirkus Review
This second children's book by Colman... tells the story of the overfishing of cod off Newfoundland's coast. Colman's tale begins with the northern land's first settlers, the Beothucks, who arrived nearly 2,000 years ago to a bounty of giant fish swimming off the coast. Colman traces the groups of European explorers and fishermen who followed and, in an air of lawlessness and with a lust for cod, developed various advanced fishing techniques. This led to Queen Elizabeth's claiming of Newfoundland and encouraging of year-round settlement of the territory. As the animals were fished at younger and younger ages, growing smaller and smaller, laws requiring specific kind of nets were put into effect. Around the turn of the 20th century, the first hatcheries appeared to aid in the repopulation of the diminishing species. Colorful stamps--the author has collected stamps since age 5--head each section of the book, depicting scenes, symbols and characters from Newfoundland's history. The rapid and devastating effects of human settlement and consumption take a turn for the better near the end, as we learn that in more recent decades, scientists and the government have taken the helm in the cause of cod. Though the fish are nowhere near the size they were when the Beothucks first feasted on them, their population has been increasing. For readers who want to know more, Colman provides an extensive review of research at the end of the book, where, through a brief, lively narrative, he provides the names of books that go deeper into aspects of cod history that this book sketches out...Colman's informative book seems to be intended for children, though readers of any level are granted a view of a phenomenon many have likely overlooked.
Available on Amazon. Age Level: 7-12
Pages: 51
Photos about Newfoundland
KIRKUS REVIEW
Among celebrated explorers of the Arctic and Antarctica, such as Ernest Shackleton and Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen's name doesn't come up as often as it perhaps should; Colman brings Amundsen's legacy to younger generations... (The) prose is straightforward... until Colman gets to Amundsen's actual explorations in the Northwest Passage and becoming the first explorer to reach the South Pole. Then the prose is engrossing, leaning heavily on Amundsen's own writings to create week-to-week, sometimes day-by-day accounts. These accounts comprise the bulk of the book and read like an adventure story. Colman also brings up Amundsen's legacy in relation to the British explorer Robert Scott, who was trying to reach the South Pole concurrent with Amundsen's expedition. There was some controversy over credit, and, by some accounts, the British thought Amundsen's expedition was underhanded and so they ignored it in favor of Scott, who had died on his trip... Colman's biography of Amundsen is a worthy read for young students looking for a history of Arctic and Antarctic exploration, and might well spark an interest in the subject for some readers.
AUTHOR'S SUMMARY
Cast yourself back to the age of Arctic exploration, when men like Peary, Cook, Scott, and Shackleton were striving to reach the Poles. Perhaps the greatest explorer of them all, the "Napoleon of the Polar regions," was the Norwegian, Roald Amundsen. Amundsen was a different type of leader. He brought an unmatched professionalism to the science of exploration in addition to being a natural motivator. He was fearless and open to learning from other cultures. He was also a practical man. It was hard for him to lie, but he did so on at least two occasions when he felt deception was justified. He loved animals, yet he made the difficult decision on one expedition to kill most of his huskies to provide fresh meat to the remaining dogs. The British criticized Amundsen and misrepresented his achievements. Americans loved Amundsen and provided much of his money by paying for lecture tours or making donations. President Theodore Roosevelt wrote to Amundsen after each of two expeditions. Who was the real Amundsen? Was he as underhanded as the British made out? Or was he a hero as most Americans believed?
Available on Amazon. Age Level: 9-12
Pages: 184
Amundsen's three famous ships
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ATTRIBUTIONS
The Argo,
Painted by Constantine Volanakis (1837-1907). Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.
Old Abe: Photo
Unknown author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Flying Eagle: Photo
Public Domain. Work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee
Moon Landing Insignia: Photo
NASA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Newfoundland and Labrador Map: Photo
Giggette [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons
L'Anse Aux Meadows: Photo
D. Gordon E. Robertson [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons
Beothuks Museum Display: Photo
Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Sir Humphrey Gilbert Plaque: Photo
SMaloney [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons
Newfoundland Dog: Photo
Flickr user DanDee Shots [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The Fairtry: Photo
Article by Keith Findlay in The Press and Journal, Aberdeen, August 3, 2018
Cod Stocks Chart: Photo
Lamiot [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Gjoa: Photo
Islandmen [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons
Fram: Photo
João Ferro [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
Maud: Photo
Svend Aage Madsen [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Bald Eagle Carrying Fish: Photo.
Yathin S Krishnappa [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
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