by Donna Lewis Stiles | Jan 15, 2026 | Lifestyle, Local News
Ahoy, Young Buccaneers! Have you ever dreamed of being a pirate? Well, every January, the city of Tampa, Florida transforms into a pirate paradise during the legendary Gasparilla Parade! It’s one of the biggest pirate festivals in the entire country, and kids absolutely love it.
What is Gasparilla? The Gasparilla Pirate Festival celebrates the legend of José Gaspar, a mythical pirate who supposedly terrorized the waters of Southwest Florida in the late 1700s and early 1800s. While José Gaspar might be a legend, the fun is absolutely real!
The Invasion: The festivities kick off when hundreds of pirates aboard the majestic pirate ship José Gasparilla “invade” downtown Tampa by sailing into the harbor. They’re greeted by thousands of cheering fans dressed in their best pirate gear—eye patches, bandanas, striped shirts, and all!
The Parade After the invasion, the Gasparilla Parade takes over the streets with:
- Colorful floats decorated like pirate ships
- Marching bands playing lively music
- Pirates throwing beads, coins, and treasures to the crowds
- Dancers, performers, and entertainers
- And so much energy and excitement!
Kids line the parade route with bags and buckets ready to catch all the treasures being tossed from the floats. It’s like a treasure hunt come to life!
Meet Hook: Gasparilla’s Littlest Buccaneer – But what if you’re too little to remember all the pirate rules? What if you’re not quite sure how to be brave on the high seas? That’s where Hook, Gasparilla’s littlest buccaneer, comes in!
The Story of Hook – In the charming children’s book Gasparilla’s Littlest Buccaneer: Hook, young readers meet Hook—a pint-sized pirate with a big heart and even bigger dreams. Hook might be small, but he’s determined to prove that even the littlest buccaneer can make a big difference during Tampa’s famous Gasparilla celebration.
Follow Hook’s adventure as he:
- Learns what it means to be brave
- Discovers the importance of teamwork and friendship
- Navigates the exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) world of Gasparilla
- Shows that you don’t have to be the biggest or the loudest to be a hero
This delightful story is perfect for:
- Kids ages 3-8 who love pirates and adventure
- Families preparing for their first Gasparilla experience
- Tampa locals who want to share their city’s traditions with young readers
- Anyone who believes that courage comes in all sizes
Why Kids Love Hook – Hook’s story resonates with children because:
- It’s relatable: Hook faces fears and challenges that all kids understand
- It’s empowering: The message that being small doesn’t mean you can’t be mighty
- It’s fun: Colorful illustrations and pirate adventure keep kids engaged
- It celebrates Tampa: Local families love seeing their beloved Gasparilla tradition come to life in a storybook
How to Get Your Copy of Hook’s Adventure – Ready to bring Hook home and start your own pirate adventure? You have two great options:
Option 1: Amazon Paperback Visit Amazon and search for “Gasparilla’s Littlest Buccaneer Hook” to order: Paperback version: Perfect for bedtime stories and reading together. CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON
Option 2: Interactive Flipbook – For a unique digital reading experience, check out the interactive flipbook version! This format lets you: Turn pages with realistic page-flip animations. CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE FLIPBOOK!
- Read on any device—computer, tablet, or phone
- Enjoy the full-color illustrations in digital format
- Share the story easily with family and friends
Tips for Enjoying Gasparilla with Kids – Planning to attend Gasparilla with your little buccaneers? Here are some tips:
- Arrive Early: Get a good spot along the parade route
- Dress the Part: Pirate costumes make it extra fun!
- Bring Bags: For collecting all those beads and treasures
- Stay Hydrated: Florida sunshine can be warm, even in January
- Read Hook’s Story First: It’s a great way to get kids excited and prepared for the adventure
- Take Breaks: The parade is long—find a spot where kids can sit and rest
- Make Memories: Take lots of photos of your little pirates!
Why Gasparilla Is Special for Tampa Families – For over 100 years, Gasparilla has been a beloved Tampa tradition that brings families together. It’s more than just a parade—it’s:
- A celebration of community and Tampa pride
- A chance for kids to experience history and legend
- An opportunity to create lasting family memories
- A day filled with joy, laughter, and adventure
And now, with Hook’s story, even the youngest members of your crew can feel like they’re part of the magic.
Join Hook on His Adventure Today! Whether you’re a Tampa local or visiting from far away, Gasparilla’s Littlest Buccaneer: Hook is the perfect companion to one of Florida’s most exciting festivals.
Share Hook’s journey with your little ones and watch as they discover that bravery, friendship, and fun come in all sizes.
Ready to set sail with Hook?
Order your copy on Amazon today
Check out the interactive flipbook version
Share Hook’s story with young pirates everywhere
Because every great adventure starts with a great story—and Hook’s adventure is one your kids will want to experience again and again! Ahoy, mateys! See you at Gasparilla! ⚓🏴☠️
Connect With Us! ChezStilesBooks.com
by Donna Lewis Stiles | Jan 13, 2026 | Writing
A Note to Self: When the Mask Falls
Dear Self,
As a young girl, you watched the Vietnam War unfold on television—the protests against our soldiers, the Bob Hope specials trying to lift spirits, and the movies that tried to make sense of it all. You saw family members go off to serve, some coming back wounded in body and spirit, others never coming home at all. Movies like “Good Morning, Vietnam” taught you early that not everything is as it seems, that even in uniform, people can serve with honor or serve with deception, and that the real story often hides behind the heroic image we’re shown… you wanted to believe in the honor. You needed to believe that service and character were the same.
You weren’t prepared for a lesson to appear at your door. But here you are, and I need you to know—you’re going to be okay.
Right now, you’re standing in the wreckage, faced with the realization that what you thought was real was just a mask. The person you loved and trusted was performing. And the performance was so convincing that you could barely believe it yourself.
But listen to me: sometimes you’re placed exactly where you need to be—at the right moment to hear what you need to hear, see what you’ve been missing, or receive the message that unravels everything. Your instincts have been screaming that something isn’t right. You felt it in your gut.
And here’s what they never counted on: your relentless determination and the unshakeable knowing that you WILL find out. And you did find out. You trusted yourself enough to look.
Now comes the hard part—believing it. Accepting that the mask was always a mask. That person may never have really existed at all. The uniform, the service, and the public image of it guarantee private integrity. You know this now in a way you wish you didn’t have to.
The boy from Louisiana wore his uniform with pride. He served, they said. He had honor, they believed. But service and honor are not the same thing, and some people weaponize one to disguise the absence of the other.
This is a story about deceit dressed in duty. About a man who learned that control could be cloaked in care, that manipulation could masquerade as protection, and that the uniform he once wore gave him just enough credibility that people wouldn’t question what happened behind closed doors.
The mask has fallen!
by Donna Lewis Stiles | Dec 6, 2025 | Books, Holidays, Journals, Lifestyle
The Gift of Reading: Why Books and Journals Make Perfect Holiday Presents
The holidays are a magical time for children—filled with twinkling lights, warm gatherings, and the joy of giving and receiving. As parents, grandparents, and educators, we have a wonderful opportunity to make this season even more meaningful by nurturing a love of reading and writing in the young people we care about.
Why Reading Matters During the Holidays – While the holiday season brings excitement and celebration, it also offers something precious: time. School breaks provide the perfect opportunity for children to dive into books without the pressure of homework deadlines or early morning alarms. This unstructured reading time allows kids to explore stories at their own pace, discover new interests, and develop a genuine love for literature.
Reading during the holidays also creates cozy family traditions. Imagine curling up together by the fireplace with hot cocoa and a good book or establishing a nightly story time ritual during winter break. These moments become cherished memories that children carry with them long into adulthood.
Studies consistently show that children who read during school breaks maintain their literacy skills and often return to school with improved comprehension and vocabulary. The “summer slide” happens during winter break too, but regular reading keeps young minds engaged and growing even when school is out.
The Power of a Writing Journal for Kids – While reading introduces children to new worlds, writing enables them to create their own. A kids’ writing journal is more than just blank pages—it’s a safe space for imagination, self-expression, and creativity to flourish.
Writing journals helps children:
- Process their emotions and experiences in a healthy, constructive way
- Build confidence as they see their ideas take shape on paper
- Develop critical thinking skills through reflection and storytelling
- Improve their writing mechanics naturally through regular practice
- Preserve memories from childhood that they’ll treasure as they grow older
The holiday season is particularly rich with writing opportunities. Children can document holiday traditions, write letters to loved ones, create their own stories featuring winter adventures, or reflect on gratitude and the year behind them. Writing in journal becomes a companion through the season and beyond.
Books: The Gift That Keeps Giving
In a world of toys that break and gadgets that quickly become outdated, books remain timeless. A carefully chosen book shows thoughtfulness—it says you see the child’s interests and want to nurture their curiosity.
Books offer so much more than entertainment.
- They build empathy by allowing children to experience life through different perspectives
- Expand vocabulary and language skills naturally
- Spark imagination and creativity
- Provide comfort and companionship
- Create opportunities for meaningful conversations between children and adults
When you give a child a book, you’re not just giving them a story; you’re giving them adventure, knowledge, friendship, and possibility.
Finding Perfect Books – Looking for quality books for young readers in your life? My collection of children’s books on Amazon offers stories designed to inspire, entertain, and encourage a love of reading. Each book is crafted with care to engage young minds and spark meaningful conversations.
Your Free Kids’ Writing Journal Download – To help you encourage the young writers in your life, I’m offering a free downloadable kids’ writing journal! This specially designed journal includes creative prompts, drawing spaces, and structured pages that make writing fun and accessible for children at various skill levels.
This journal is perfect for:
Holiday break activities
Quiet time alternatives to screen time
Road trip entertainment
Documenting holiday memories
Daily writing practice
Ready to inspire the young readers in your life? Check out my children’s books on Amazon and download your free kids’ writing journal today!
by Donna Lewis Stiles | Dec 3, 2025 | Holidays
Don’t Open Until Christmas
A Christmas Box began with a single ornament, a tiny bear on a swing with “Baby’s First Christmas” painted in gold script. For a young mom, buying her baby’s first ornament was a moment of pure happiness, a simple act filled with love and the promise of memories yet to come. That ornament became the first chapter in a tradition that would span decades.
Every year after, another ornament was added. Each one carefully chosen to represent something special about that year. A bicycle for the summer when training wheels finally came off. A ballerina for a first recital. Piano keys for the year Beethoven was mastered. A Disney castle from a once-in-a-lifetime family vacation. “Years of ornaments, one after another, each one selected by a mother building a tradition, a childhood documented in love, captured in each carefully chosen piece.”
These weren’t just decorations. They were tangible proof that someone paid attention. That someone remembered. That every milestone, every achievement, and every moment of growth mattered enough to commemorate. They represented a parent’s devotion, the kind that notices when a child accomplishes something difficult, the kind that celebrates both grand victories and small triumphs.
“When the time came, these ornaments were passed down as a precious inheritance. They were wrapped carefully in tissue paper and placed in a box, given with the hope of starting a new tree and creating new memories.” But then the box of ornaments ended up in someone else’s hands. However it happened, they were kept and claimed as their own. Years of love, separated from their rightful home. Gone. What does someone see when they open a box like that? Do they recognize what they’re holding? Or do they just see ceramic and glass as items to sell or discard? Perhaps they pulled out the ornaments one by one, confused about why someone would keep such things. Perhaps they noticed “Baby’s First Christmas” and wondered, just for a moment, if anyone had ever bought an ornament like that for them.
Losing the box shattered more than a sense of security. It felt like losing pieces of a life story. Those ornaments held memories that could be touched, held, and hung on a tree year after year. They were physical reminders of time passing, of love given, of a childhood cherished. But someone misunderstood what truly mattered: ornaments are just objects, but the memories are irreplaceable. The wobbly bicycle rides down the driveway. The frozen moment on stage before remembering the dance steps. The determination to practice piano until every note rang clear. The laughter, ice cream, and magic of that Disney family vacation. Those moments live in hearts, not in ceramic.”
What if the person who has those ornaments never experienced that kind of love? What if no one ever documented their childhood, marked their milestones, or said through small acts of devotion, “Your life matters to me”? What if they’ve never known what it feels like to be seen, remembered, and celebrated? It doesn’t erase the loss. But it opens a door to understanding. That sometimes those who keep what isn’t theirs are trying to fill a void they don’t even know how to name.
New ornaments will be purchased! And together, new stories will be told. The bicycle. The ballerina. The piano. The Disney castle. Every single memory will be, and in the retelling, something becomes clear: the ornaments were never the point. They were symbols. Beautiful, meaningful symbols, but symbols nonetheless. The real gift was love itself. The noticing. The remembering. The consistent choice, year after year, to say “you matter.” That gift lives in actions and attention and presence. It can’t be packed in a box or hidden in the night. And somewhere across the way, maybe someone sorting through the box they find a tiny ceramic bear on a swing. They turn it over in their hands and read “Baby’s First Christmas.”
I hope something might stir in them—an unfamiliar feeling, a longing they can’t quite name. Perhaps sadness washes over them when they finally understand: these memories and ornaments aren’t theirs and never will be. Maybe their mother had never shown them this kind of devotion—the careful attention, the tradition-building, the message that said, ‘You matter’ in small, repeated acts of love, year after year: you are worth remembering. You are worth celebrating. You are loved.
A mother’s love, the kind poured into choosing each ornament, isn’t something that transfers with possession. It stays where it was always meant to be. “The memories remain with the one who received them, year after year.”
by Donna Lewis Stiles | Nov 23, 2025 | Beach Life, Holidays, Lifestyle
Welcome to Chez Stiles Books
A November Note: On Gratitude and New Beginnings
There’s something perfect about launching Chez Stiles Books during the season of Thanksgiving. As we gather around tables counting our blessings, I’m counting mine: a decade of teaching incredible children, a lifetime of adventures that shaped my stories, and now this—the chance to share tales of kindness and gratitude with a whole new generation of young readers.
If there’s one thing I’m thankful for this November, it’s the opportunity to do work that matters. Work that whispers to children, “Your kindness counts. Your differences are beautiful. Your grateful heart can change the world.”
So, here’s the thing about life—it rarely goes in a straight line. And honestly? That’s where all the good stories live.
My journey to becoming a children’s book author started with a crown (yes, really—Miss Delaware, circa way back when), wound through a decade of opening a dance studio and coaching tap, ballet, jazz, and baton, and then took a scenic detour through countless boating adventures with two Black Labs who thought they were pirates, and somehow landed me here: Chez Stiles Books. For those wondering, “Chez Stiles” is French for “House of Stiles.” I thought it sounded far more sophisticated than “Donna’s Book Situation,” which was the working title for approximately ten minutes.
From Studio to Coastline to Chapters—Here’s what many years of teaching children shows you: kids are the most honest audience you’ll ever have. They’ll tell you straight up what you’re doing is boring (usually by wandering away or making that face), and when they love something, their joy is contagious.
I learned that the lessons that stick aren’t about memorizing a routine; they’re about kindness, gratitude, and understanding that being different isn’t just okay, it’s what makes the world beautiful. Those classroom moments when a shy child stood up for someone, when children celebrated each other’s unique quirks, when they learned to say ‘thank you’ and actually mean it—those are the moments that changed me as much as them. And here’s the beautiful part: I still hear from many of those students as adults, some now parents themselves, and those connections remain some of my most precious treasures.”
Beach Girl – My years in Ocean City, Maryland, weren’t just about raising two amazing humans and perfecting my crab cake recipe. They were about understanding the rhythm of coastal living—those endless summer days, the way light dances on water, and the adventures that happen when you have a boat, two kids, and labs named Raven and Captain who were convinced they were part of the crew.
I’ve always been a beach girl at heart. Give me sandy toes, salt air, and a good book—preferably one about pirates and adventure—and I’m perfectly content. There’s something about the freedom of the ocean, the call of adventure on the open water, and yes, my lifelong love affair with pirate tales that shaped not just my lifestyle but also my storytelling voice. Those swashbuckling stories I devoured as a kid. They taught me that the best adventures often involve being brave enough to be different, kind enough to help your crew, and bold enough to chart your own course. The beach life shaped everything: my design aesthetic, my storytelling style, and my firm belief that the best childhood memories involve a little salt air and a lot of freedom.
The Tampa Chapter – These days, I’ve traded the Atlantic for the Gulf and the black labs for Hook—a French Bulldog with more personality than should be legal in one small, snorty package. He’s become my studio companion, occasional character inspiration, and the most honest critic of my lunch choices. (Still a beach girl, just with warmer winters and better sunsets.) Then there’s my grandson JJ and the grand-dogs, Tate and Camie, who remind me daily why I do this work. Watching JJ discover the world with fresh eyes, watching his contagious smile—that’s the stuff that fuels every whimsical tale and enchanting illustration I create.
Beautiful Living, One Story at a Time – Through all of life’s chapters—from pageant stages to dance studios, from boat decks to my Tampa writing nook—I’ve held onto one belief: beautiful living comes from embracing both elegance and authenticity. And you know what? That applies to people too. We’re all a little different, a little quirky, beautifully imperfect—and that’s exactly how we should be.
So that’s what you’ll find here: children’s books that are beautifully crafted but genuinely real. Stories with heart, humor, and messages about kindness, acceptance, and thankfulness woven so naturally into the adventure that kids don’t even realize they’re learning life’s most important lessons. Just enough magic to make bedtime the best time, and just enough truth to make little hearts a little kinder. Perfect for bedtime stories, classroom read-alouds, or any moment when you want to remind a child that being kind and being different are both beautiful things.
Find all Chez Stiles books on Amazon or my website, ChezStilesBooks.com. Perfect for bedtime stories, classroom read-alouds, or any moment when you want to remind a child that being kind and being different are both beautiful things. 👉 Shop on Amazon | Browse Our Website Collection
You can follow me on Instagram [@chezstilesbooks] for behind-the-scenes peeks at new books and gentle reminders about kindness. Because we’re all in this beautiful, messy, wonderful journey together. Thank you for being here. Thank you for choosing stories that matter. And thank you for helping raise a generation of kinder, more grateful humans.
