In the highest peaks of the spruce-fir forests in the southern Appalachian mountains, a light-gray flying squirrel (glaucomys sabrinus coloratus) coasts from tree to tree as one of the last of her kind. A rare subspecies of a native population, this squirrel faces habitat loss due to climate change and invasive pests; and her future in this unique, temperate ecosystem remains unknown.
Somewhere in the Great Smoky Mountains, this squirrel escapes a run-in with an owl and finds her refuge in a nest of red squirrels. Her name is Sabrina and she has quite a story. At least, this is what families will find when they bring home a copy of Sabrina: A Great Smoky Mountains Story by author and illustrator Lisa Horstman and published by Great Smoky Mountains Association this past March. Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) has produced and sold high-quality educational materials about the importance and value of Great Smoky Mountains National Park for more than 60 years. For the past twenty of those years, they’ve worked with Lisa Horstman to create affordable children’s books that focus on the park's distinct natural life and serve as enjoyable bedtime stories. For Sabrina, Lisa fabricated puppets from wool fibers and wire and illustrated backgrounds that she then edited with digital software (check out her process here).
Lisa explained how through her choice of words and art she wanted to provide lessons for families to understand the value of the park:
"With Sabrina, we wanted to tell kids about these really cool Northern flying squirrels that are endangered in the Smokies. We also wanted to show kids that our differences should be something we embrace, not ignore or stigmatize. I wanted Sabrina, a flying squirrel who falls into a nest of red squirrels, to be brave—not only in how she deals with a predator owl, but also in how she responds to the red squirrels picking on her because she is different from them. I didn't want her to whine about it or make someone else solve her problem for her."
As with all of the books Lisa creates with GSMA, the process involves expertise from children education specialists, GSMA staff and national park representatives to create engaging stories with facts about the park. Not only do readers learn about Sabrina but they learn that flying squirrels like her are nocturnal and that spruce-fir forests are rare and unique.
According to Steve Kemp, GSMA’s Interpretative Products & Services Director, children’s books focused on the park have always sold well and the demand for them continues to increase. “Our audience is always looking for books to read to their nieces and nephews.” Families want their children to learn reading at an early age which means that there are immense opportunities to publish short, attractive storybooks that educate and entertain a younger audience.
In fact, GSMA has done exceedingly well with two other children's books by Lisa, The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball and The Troublesome Cub, both of which are based on true stories that took place in the park:
The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball is based on a report found in the park archives which describes two park rangers patrolling on a rainy spring night. As they drove along a dark road, they spotted hundreds of red-cheeked salamanders crossing with no obvious destination in sight. To answer the riddle of where were these salamanders going, Lisa and GSMA created the Salamander Ball and imagined that where else would they go but to party. The book is also accompanied by an annual Salamander Ball event held by GSMA partner Discover Life in America. At this event, all those who enjoy the park are invited to celebrate the Smokies.
The Troublesome Cub tells the story of a young black bear who took a nap in a park dumpster and was inadvertently picked up by a garbage truck. The thrill and humor a young reader gains from reading a book like this not only teaches them about the park but teaches them how and why they need to help protect it.
Lisa described the thought process behind creating this particular story:
"We knew we wanted to communicate to kids why feeding wild bears in the park is a bad, bad idea on so many levels, and that it's important to dispose of food waste properly while visiting the national park. While it's still probably hard for some to resist wanting to feed those cute little wild bear cubs, now they more clearly understand why it's not a good thing, and they try harder to be responsible with their food waste."
"Because it's our job to take care of the earth, since everything on it has some sort of worth."
Steve explained that the process in creating and publishing children’s books can be time consuming but that there is an incredible advantage in doing so. “Who could be better situated for our audiences than us?” he asked, referring to the on-the-ground knowledge and passion that comes from GSMA and their work with the park. He added that GSMA maintains a 70% profit margin in sales for GSMA-produced items and that those funds directly support the park.
With 76% of PLA Members managing retail stores on public lands and 60% publishing and/or developing interpretive products, the level of knowledge and the resources in this community are practically endless. For nonprofit partners interested in expanding their publications, Lisa and Steve both recommend, "Why not children's books?" They're fun and imaginative and, said with a sigh of relief, "they're short." Children's books such as Lisa's encourage appreciation for the park and can be passed down from parents to children and to grandchildren, therefore creating a legacy of love for the Smokies so that it remains a place for stories in the future.
At GSMA, they pair plush black bears with The Troublesome Cub to increase sales.
Steve’s tips for APPL Members interested in publishing children’s books:
-
“Focus on the bedtime story kind of book, especially with kids absorbed in digital by the time they’re ten.” There is a great opportunity for both parents and children to learn about public lands when they read together. Teaching children the importance of environmental protection is also a great step to encouraging tomorrow's stewards.
-
“Bedtime stories have to have drama, characters, and an arc - beginning to end.” While GSMA focuses much of their attention on providing education and interesting facts about the park, it’s also important that the story is captivating. As a side note, Steve also mentioned that while the characters should be relatable, they don’t have to wear pants. He explained that there is a balance in how much authors should anthropomorphize animal characters and that too many human elements detract from a story meant to describe a natural place.
-
A good target page number for children’s books is 32. According to Steve, 24 pages is just too short for the story. Also, because of the way pages are printed, folded, and put together, printing presses often require your total page number be divisible by 8 or 16, therefore making 32 a sort of magic number for children’s books.
More information about author and illustrator Lisa Horstman
Lisa has created seven children's books for GSMA and illustrated One baby Mountain Goat for Mount Rushmore Society. She is a recipient of the Dr. Seuss Picturebook Award for her children's book Fast Friends, which was published by Random House in 1994. She is currently expanding into projects for adults and can be reached at her website www.lisahorstman.com