The Googaladuck Series
Googala Duck: Saying Goodbye for the Winter
The Story of Googala Duck: Saying Goodbye for the Winter is the first in a series of picture books about Googala Duck, who decides to stay in the pond for the winter, while his family goes South for the next six months.
He doesn’t want to leave because he enjoys playing with his brother, sisters, and friends he meets at the pond, including Billy Beaver, Joey Otter, and Mr. Muskrat.
So he remains behind, when his parents and siblings fly away.
Googala Duck: Getting through the Winter
the Story of Googala Duck: Getting through the Winter is the second in the series of picture books
Now that his family is gone, he faces the harsh winter as it gets colder and colder and begins to snow.
Though he contacts his friends, Billy and Brownie Beaver, Joey Otter, and Mr. Muskrat, and seeks help from Bradford Badger, none of them can help him.
He wishes he could have left with his family, and he is determined to be strong and find someplace to stay to get through the winter.
Googala Duck: Encounter with a Hunter
The Story of Googala Duck: Encounter with a Hunter is the third in the series of picture books.
Now that Googala can’t find a place to stay with his friends who have created their own nests for the winter, he goes through the cold dark forest looking a place to spend the night.
His journey leads him to the cabin of a hunter and his dog Ajax, but while Googala thinks he has found a wonderful warm place to stay, he doesn’t realize the hunter plans to cook him for dinner, and he has to escape to survive.
Googala Duck: Help from an Owl
The Story of Googala Duck: Help from an Owl is the fourth in the series.
After escaping from a hunter who might be planning to cook him for dinner, Googala is struggling to find shelter as it becomes colder and colder, when he meets an owl.
The owl leads him to his hollow in a fir tree, but Googala can only stay at night when the owl is hunting for food, and during the day he has to watch out for wolves and bobcats, and eventually he has to leave the hollow when the owl gets married.
At least it is spring again!
Googala Duck: Spring in the Pond
The Story of Googala Duck: Spring in the Pond is the fifth in the series.
Now that it is spring again, Googala is eager to return to the pond and proud he survived the cold harsh winter.
He sees some of his old friends, describes his adventures, and after several weeks of the days getting warmer, his family returns, and he eagerly sees them again.
Though his parents admonish him for staying behind, he assures them he has learned his lesson to behave and listen to them in the future.
Plus, he has learned he can be strong and brave, too.
Books on AI
Ask AI's Advice
“ASK AI’s ADVICE” combines the power of ASK AI and ASK AI: The Game
Part I features advice to 70 questions posed to AI about different kinds of problems, much like an advice columnist.
The problems deal with relationships, marriage, family problems, problems with friends, and work, business, and consumer issues.
A team of counselors, therapists, life coaches, and psychologists have been contacted as advisers, and the consensus is that AI really does give good advice, and that its advice can be used as a supplement for counseling with a client.
Part II features a game for 3 to 12 players based on the same questions in the book. Players take turns reading those questions and giving their own advice.
Then, other players vote on who has given the best advice, and players can see AI’s advice for each question.
ASK AI’s ADVICE is the first in a series of AI advice and game books.
The book has also provided the basis for a film/TV series and documentary, and for a unique new counseling program incorporating AI’s advice with a network of counselors with additional assistance.
ASK AI
ASK AI: An Advice Column with Real Advice for Real Problems of Real People with Answers by AI
Features advice to 70 questions posed to AI about different kinds of problems, much like an advice columnist might make suggestions and recommendations about what to do. The problems deal with relationships, marriage, family problems, problems with friends, and work, business, and consumer issues.
A team of counselors, therapists, life coaches, and psychologists have been contacted as advisers, and the consensus is that AI really does give good advice, and that its advice can be used a supplement for counseling with a client.
Readers can enjoy just reading about others’ problems and learning the advice AI gives, and they can find such advice can be applied in their own life.
ASK AI is the first in a series of AI advice books. The book is also providing the basis for a film/TV series and documentary, and for a unique new counseling program incorporating AI’s advice.
ASK AI
ASK AI: The Game is based on the book: ASK AI: An Advice Column with Real Advice for Real Problems of Real People with Answers by AI.
The game for 3 to 12 players features the same questions in the book which have been asked by real people with problems seeking advice. However, instead of reading the questions and seeing ChatGPT4’s advice, players take turns reading those questions and giving their own advice.
Then other players vote on who has given the best advice, and later players can see AI’s advice for each question.
The problems deal with relationships, marriage, family problems, problems with friends, and work, business, and consumer issues.
The Ethics of AI
“The Ethics of AI” features a compelling conversation with ChatGPT about its morality and sense of ethics.
The book comprises a series of questions and AI’s responses, which shed light on its ethical and moral perspective, shaped by the value system incorporated into its training by individuals.
The chapters in this book cover the following topics:
AI’s Ethical Principle
AI’s Approach to Giving Advice
Views about Different Religions
Views about Personal Morality and Differing Viewpoints
Responding to Difficult Questions
Considering the Value of Human Life
Promoting Peace and Ending War
Ethical Systems
Views about Death in Crimes
Taking Sides and Giving Opinions
Throughout the book, readers will gain valuable insights into the ethical considerations of AI and how its programming interacts with complex human concepts.
The Dragon of Locke
The first script of ‘The Dragon of Locke ‘is about a detective and his partner who begin investigating the disappearance of a man in California, only to discover it may be linked to the theft of a valuable dragon deity from a Chinese monastery and a smuggling ring stealing artworks & antiquities.
The script has been entered in over two dozen film festivals, winning 16 awards and so far has a 100% selection rate.
For more details on the script, click “logline/synopsis”
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine
Thirty-five years ago, Ukraine was at peace, at a time when Russia was becoming a freer society during the Glasnost years under Mikhail Gorbachev.
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine shows what this time was like through 200 photos taken by a woman whose paternal grandparents emigrated from the Odesa area and neighboring countries in the early 20th century.
The photos in the book feature visits to parks, beaches, markets, city streets, museums of art and industry, and more. They show people enjoying everyday life all over Kyiv and the surrounding countryside. The photos even show a wedding, as the couple leaves the church surrounded by joyous friends.
REVIEWS
As a Ukrainian-American born in Kyiv, I found “Once Upon a Time in Ukraine” by Gini Graham Scott to be an insightful visual journey into the heart of Ukraine’s rich history and vibrant culture during the transformative period of glasnost and perestroika era of the 1980s.
Scott’s ancestral ties to Ukraine, as her grandparents hailed from the Odessa area, infuse her narrative with emotional resonance and authenticity.
Through her expressive writing and over 200 captivating photos from her trip to Ukraine, Scott creates a tangible link to the past, allowing readers to travel back in time and experience the country’s unique traditions and landscapes.
The book concludes with a poignant Ukrainian folktale, “The Lord of the Crows,” which resonates with the current struggles of the Ukrainian people.
This folktale, coupled with Scott’s personal experiences and observations, paints a picture of a resilient and proud nation that continues to thrive despite adversity.
In these challenging times of global uncertainty, “Once Upon a Time in Ukraine” serves as a beautiful tribute to Ukraine’s past and a beacon of hope for its future. An essential read for those yearning to grasp the essence of Ukraine and the spirit of its people.
Respectfully,
Oleksii Chuiko
Director of Operations
ASIYA Shrine Center – Shriners International #15
About the Author
John Pluff has long been inspired by children’s books.
While growing up in a large family, his mother read these books to him and his siblings, and his love of children’s stories continued in school when teachers read to the class.
Later, after he started telling stories at bedtime to his own children, he began writing. Often, he would write the story of Googala Duck after reading books to his children.
Many years later, when he found the original manuscript, he turned it into a series of picture books and began writing film scripts.
Now that he has started J. Michael Publishing, additional children’s books and film scripts are in the works.
Press Releases
Picture Book Series about a Duck Who Stays Behind for the Winter
What would happen if a duckling decided to stay behind when its family flew south for the winter? That’s the premise of a new series of books about a duckling that does this, because he likes the pond so much, only to experience all kinds of challenges as winter sets in.