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In addition to his long teaching career, Mike Mirabella enjoyed 50 years as an ASCAP singer-songwriter. In 1988 he published a limited-edition CD anthology entitled Special People, still available on the website below.
In 2016 Mike started to publish children’s books using his already published songs. His first children’s book was entitled, On the Luck of an Irish Sailor, based on a story-song he wrote when he was 15 years old. This adventurous tale owes its inspiration to stories Mike heard as a little boy. His Italian clan swapped such stories during family dinners at the kitchen table. It was recorded much later by the legendary Shay Black, the eldest of Ireland’s renowned Black Family. This children’s book received the following book awards: Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards and Readers’ Favorite-Five Stars.
Mike then published his two-book series called The Carla Stories about inclusion, belonging, and compassion for his daughter, Carla Elaine, who was born with Down’s syndrome.
Book 1 of this series is entitled Sister Butterfly, written for Carla when she was only three years old. A bonus song entitled “I Am So Like You” is included. This children’s book received the following book awards: Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite- Five Stars and Pinnacle Book Achievement Award.
Book 2 of this series is entitled I Used to Be Shy, co-written by Mike and Lenny Lipton, author of “Puff the Magic Dragon,” sung by Peter, Paul and Mary. On rainy days, Mike’s and Lenny’s daughters would play on the living room rug while their fathers would pitch lyrics back and forth, making up silly songs; some of these songs are shared in The Carla Stories. This children’s book received the following book award: The Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA): 1st Place in Category for Little Peeps Children’s Books.
Coming soon will be the Book 3 of The Carla Stories entitled Special People and an audiobook, based on how Carla’s amazing life inspired others who knew and loved her to be more creative and to excel past social limits and personal expectations.
The outstanding illustrations in all of Mike’s children’s books were drawn by the talented Amy O’Hanlon, an inspired artist who does stage production designs for several musicals, one of which was the Bay Area Children’s Theatre’s She Persisted, based on the book by Chelsea Clinton.
Visit our website: MirabellaBooksWithSongs.com
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Does your child ever sit by themselves—alone and seemingly friendless? In I Used to Be Shy, meet Carla, our self-appointed social committee of one, who makes everyone at summer camp feel welcome. Carla spots a shy new boy who hides from others in his cabin, closing his curtain. Carla follows her heart and gathers a small group of fellow campers to coax him out to play games. With Carla’s encouragement, our new camper builds up his self-confidence, loses his fear, and learns to enjoy his new friends. The bonus song "Little Brown Pony" includes the lyrics and music notations as does "I Used to Be Shy." -
A young Irish sailor cast adrift in the sea. A mermaid princess and Irish luck save him from drowning. This adventurous tale owes its inspiration to stories Mike Mirabella heard as a little boy. His sizeable Italian clan swapped such stories during family dinners at the kitchen table. "My grandpa and uncles would tell tales of fishing the waters off the coast of California and up through the inland passages of Alaska. I recall Grandpa Angelo telling of the scary times, when he was a cabin boy of 12 and was captured by pirates while working on the tall ships”. And then there was the never-ending argument between my grandpa and Uncle Cam: “What was that strange creature they caught off the coast of Alaska; a mermaid or a merman?" I was (and still am) that wee lad in our story, sitting wide-eyed, half-believing, yet never tiring of hearing those wonder-filled stories told by those salty, old jacks." Using the rhyming style of a pirate in an Irish pub, our sailor spins his yarn about seeing the slap of a mermaid's tail during a mighty storm. "On the Luck of an Irish Sailor" is a beautiful tale of adventure on the high seas. In a story that's been passed down for generations, author Mike Mirabella takes us on a magical experience deep beneath the ocean. Could it have happened? Did it happen? Folklore - that's the feeling sparked by the illustrations by illustrator Amy O'Hanlon. She uses hues of blues, grays, and browns to depict the fierce storm accurately. On other pages, O'Hanlon uses beige and brown tones to create the illusion of an older picture book-like classic story that's been around for years. Enjoy the bonus song sheets and sing along with this ‘mostly’ true story of adventure and redemption, in "On the Luck of an Irish Sailor." -
Amy O'Hanlon's excellent Sister Butterfly illustrations show Carla approaching a favorite corner of her garden where she feels safe and happy. Her vigilant brother knows that Carla can create beautiful fantasies as she twirls around and round to music only she can hear, engaged in quiet conversation with the small creatures such as butterflies and her favorite flowers. Mike Mirabella's children's book entitled Sister Butterfly, is a beautifully illustrated children's book based on a song from his 1998 CD entitled, Special People. Mike wrote Sister Butterfly song years ago for his daughter, Carla, when she was three years old. The theme of Sister Butterfly centers on Mike's abiding love for his daughter with Down syndrome and for self-discovery and the transformation of the hearts that surround her. Mike wrote in the song; "My sister is a butterfly who never learned to fly, ...”. Carla still wasn't walking or talking and Mike thought at the time, she would have little chance of accomplishing much of anything in her life. "How wrong I was; her life was a parade of accomplishments!” - Papa Mike.
