Over 50 years ago I wrote a bedtime story for my then young children, Andy and Nicky, about how (not) to cross the road.
By chance I have the original typed text, and show some exceprts
When Andy and Nicky had their own children, they asked “what happened to Fred-Fred? That stimulated me to think about publishing it, and looked for a suitable illustrator. I was very fortunate to find Bonnie Lemaire, who brought my ramblings to life in the first book “When Fred the Snake got Squished and Mended”
The grandkids seemed to like the book, so we got a publisher and set out on a journey with Fred.
He went to school, but then got a bit lonely, so invited Jungle Jim to visit and bring some friends
These seemed popular and got some recognition, including a Mom’s Choice gold award, so we kept going. In the hope of stimulating local sales, the next book was about Charleston. Up to this point, my interface with Bonnie had all been “virtual” since she lives in Canada near Toronto. I suggested that she might care to visit to be better able to draw the Charleston scenes, which she did along with her also artist husband and son Xazel.
On a roll now we moved on to books 5 and 6.
We are now working on “When Fred the Snake and friends explore USA”. There will be three books, covering USA East, Central and West. Bonnie is doing the illustrations for the first one now, starting in Washington, DC. I can’t wait to see how she brings her magic to my words….
Past the Monuments and Mall, Jim landed gently by the Wall, the memorial for all those felled in Vietnam. Each name is spelled. There’s the Capital, behind those doors, our leaders sit to make the laws. Check the White House resident, our Commander and our President. Wouldn’t it be lots of fun to ride with her in Air Force One? The museums are a must and free, with so many things to see. Like moon rocks, you can see ’em in the Air and Space Museum……..
Lots of fun indeed, at least for me. You might be interested to know that signed copies of all of the books are available at www.drpetercotton.com, and more details at www.petercottontales.com
All part of life’s rich tapestry