Meet the author of a new children’s book

VW independent staff/submitted information

Author Tonalee Shinabery-King will be at the Secret Garden in Convoy from 12-2 p.m. Saturday with her debut children’s book More than a Mushroom Hunt.

In the book, children are encouraged to pull on their red rubber boots and go along on a sensory-rich quest through the woods with a girl and her father. The pair encounter forest animals, paw-paws, wildflowers, and many kinds of mushrooms on their adventure.

Shinabery-King’s debut picture book not only is based on an adventure she had with her father when she was young, but it also draws from her 35-plus years as an educator and her time at the Fort Wayne (Indiana) Zoo honing her appreciation for conservation. She resides in Van Wert County, still searches for mushrooms, and listens for the frog chorus with her husband. They are the parents to two grown daughters.

The book is illustrated by five different artists. Shinabery-King wanted to showcase as many talented illustrators as she could, so she contacted local universities, and after meeting with the applicants, selected the artists included in the book.

From the publisher: “More Than a Mushroom Hunt educates and entertains children about the great outdoors through a parent/child bonding adventure. The author helps children appreciate the sights, sounds, and tastes of the woods.”

More Than a Mushroom Hunt is available now in hardback and paperback at all the usual outlets, including Ingram’s Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, in bookstores and of course, at the Secret Garden.