Can you BELIEVE IT? I wrote and illustrated a Children’s Book! In all humility, IT’S THE BEST… I’ve written so far. I have taught cartoon classes for over 35 years and always thought it would be really cool to write a book for kids. I finally did it!
A friend, Nancy Kroupa,(www.teamkroupa.com), wanted me to do another coloring book about kids eating a rainbow diet of fruits and vegetables. My first coloring book, “UP NORTH WITH TC BEAR”, featured a Northern Michigan fun-loving tourist, TC BEAR. Nancy is a National Marketing Director for a unique product called JUICE PLUS+ (www.annieoxidantjuiceplus.com). She told me The Juice Plus+ Children’s Health Study (www.Childrenshealthstudy.com) was looking for kid’s educational materials promoting a rainbow diet.
Coloring books have a very limited audience. The more I thought about it, the idea for a book evolved. I called a good friend of mine, Dr. Jane Oelke, ND, PhD, (www.janeoelke.com) and asked for advice. She has a Masters Degree in Nutrition so I asked her, “Why, from a kid’s perspective, should they eat a rainbow of fruit and vegetables? Or, in a nutshell… What’s in it for them to eat each of the colors?” Jane explained in simple, easy to understand terms, the value of each of the color groups in fruits and vegetables. That and the concept of whole food became the focus of the book.
Thinking like a cartoonist, I came up with names for the characters that fit the message: “ANNIE OXIDANT, a little girl that likes rainbows. “PHYTO” (get it?), her dog. “BROCK O’LEE”, the friendly farmer. (Brock is important to the story because we all know FARMERS are FOOD EXPERTS… they’re OUT STANDING IN THEIR FIELDS, so to speak.) The skeptic of the group, RUDY BAGA, is Annie’s neighbor .
In the story, Annie and Phyto follow a rainbow looking for treasure. They’re disappointed when it ends at a Produce Stand. Brock O’Lee explains IT IS THE TREASURE because “You can eat a Rainbow!” Rudy Baga questions that and the rest of the story is about Brock taking them to the garden and orchard to pick a rainbow of their own as he explains the benefits of each color in both fruit and vegetables.
Needless to say , I’M EXCITED about the book. It has been well received since its October, 2010 release. To order it and have it personalized, go to my website: www.bearclausepublications.com . It sells for $14.00 US.
This idea came from a good friend, Ron Crawford. He has the mind of a cartoonist! (He keeps it in a jar on a shelf in his motor home…) He is retired and travels a lot and periodically emails me with an idea for a cartoon. He is blessed by a wife, Linda, who shares his humorous view of mankind. I’m sometimes afraid to ask where he gets his ideas. All I know is his ideas are usually great.
