HEY THERE, IT’STORYBOOK TIME!

PICTURE BOOKS - I took the photos in this book when my grandson was a wee tyke fascinated with construction machinery. I planned to make them into a picture book we could read with him. He took great pride at knowing the names of each machine. It took me over two decades to get around to making this storybook. Oh, well. Hopefully, Jaspir can read it to his kids someday. These simple picture books are so easy and require minimal writing. Kids love seeing themselves and people they recognize. They like to read these picture books over and over and over - even in the same sitting!

STORIES ABOUT EVERY DAY FUN - This is a sweet little story about a sweet little girl who stayed home sick from school one day. Since her mom was at work, she stayed with her grandparents. It is an homage to Ferris Bueller and the wonderful adventure he had on his unforgettable sick day. Every word is true, or so I’m told by the title character. Between the photos and the story itself, I think Lilly’s children will get a good feel for what she was like as a child. I always loved stories about my parents when they were children. It’s such a tickle.

IMAGINARY FRIEND STORIES - Keith and I have created a number of fictional characters that have populated the edges of our life together for decades, some dating back over 40 years to Maggie and Mollie’s childhoods. Our family loves stories about these imaginary friends. They are like extended family. In this particular story, the day was very strange. All the birds were quiet. The trees were perfectly still. The sky was cloudy as if rain was coming. This creepiness made us worry that the day would bring trouble, and we were so right. If you know of any way to get rid of pesky witches, please let us know. Here is what happened…

STORIES ABOUT SPECIAL ADVENTURES - Any special time easily becomes a cherished memory when you put a little narration to the photos. This is a financial story about a smart little girl who went on a scavenger hunt. Her challenge was to buy all the items on the list for under $20.00. If she succeeded, she got to keep them all. If she overspent, she only got to keep one. Read on to see what a budget and frugal spending can do to develop a child’s perspective.

STORIES KIDS CAN CO-WRITE - Storybooks can become superb projects to do with kids. One autumn day, Presley and Lilly received a curious letter from a man named Ephraim Headman. He was the owner of the Hogsmeade Hat Store. It was an invitation to help with a very important mission involving magic and danger. After “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” destroyed the magic in all the hats and ruined the catalog, the girls needed to create new magic spells and a whole new catalog!

This storybook is actually the catalog the girls created using their imagination and some formatting and vocabulary help from an old woman who claims to be their grandmother. There was also some much valued photography assistance from an old man who claims to be their grandfather. We hope it inspires you to visit the Hogsmeade Hat Store or to select your own magical hat from among these enchanted offerings. They are one-of-a-kind, so when they are sold, they magically disappear from the catalog. This way you know whether your hat is in stock or not.

FAMILY CELEBRATION STORIES - If you have an auspicious event you want to commemorate in some way, I heartily recommend a storybook. My maiden name is Gunderson. Our clan calls itself GunderFam (i.e., Gunderson Family). This is a story about a very special Viking Christmas celebrations.