57°F
weather icon Clear

Former teacher’s book educates as well as entertains

Former teacher Rhonda Gatlin had more on her mind than just entertaining children when she wrote her first book, “Granny’s Cobbler: A Counting Book.”

“When I was first putting it together, I knew that I wanted the book to entertain kids,” Gatlin said. “But I also wanted to teach, so it’s a story of young girl gathering ingredients and counting berries by fives and tens, using repetitive language.”

The book tells the tale of young Aggie helping her grandmother make a cobbler and was inspired by memories of Gatlin’s own childhood in the small town of Hartford, Alabama. It is aimed at grade-school students, who are around the same age as Aggie.

Over the past few weeks Gatlin has done readings for classrooms at multiple elementary schools in the Las Vegas area. She will read to Boulder City children at Mitchell Elementary on Feb. 22-24 and Feb. 27, as well as for children at King Elementary on Feb. 28.

After writing the story and having another former educator edit her work, Gatlin set out to find an illustrator. She said she could not find the right fit until she was pointed toward local artist and Dam Short Film Festival co-founder Lee Lanier, who had just finished illustrating a book for the first time.

“I’ve been painting a lot the last few years and my style is already kind of illustrative,” Lanier said. “So when I met with Rhonda we went over some old photos and the text of her book, and I did a drawing and then a sample page for her. It was a great fit and ended up being a great experience.”

Little more than a month later, Lanier had produce 10 original digital paintings and Gatlin was ready to publish. As a first-time writer, that part of the process was initially a bit intimidating, but, according to Gatlin, it ended up being the easiest part.

“I went with a company called AuthorHouse, and they help writers self-publish with step-by-step instructions the whole way,” Gatlin said. “I finished writing the book in September, and the book was published in time for the holidays, on Dec. 16, 2016.”

Gatlin and Lanier will host a book signing from 4-8 p.m. Feb. 25 in the lobby of the Boulder Dam Hotel. It will feature kid-friendly decorations and a live pianist.

“Granny’s Cobbler: A Counting Book” is available for $16.99 at Amazon.com, AuthorHouse.com and Barnesandnoble.com, as well as in person at the book signing.

Contact reporter Hunter Terry at hterry@bouldercityreview.com or call 702-586-6711. Follow him on Twitter @HunterBCReview

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Sometimes simple appliance DIY can spare you costly service calls

Wasn’t I embarrassed when I couldn’t figure out why my friend’s dishwasher wouldn’t start. I troubleshot as best as I could, given my limited time visiting her. It was getting power, the door was closed properly, yet when I pressed “start,” it just wouldn’t. I advised her to call a local appliance repair company. $85 later she was informed that it somehow went into its “locked function.” Simply holding down the Heat/Dry button for three seconds unlocks it. That’s all it needed. Boy did I feel dumb. I mean, I’m the Toolbelt Diva, after all.

A look into Día De Los Muertos at BCHS

For nearly a decade, Boulder City High School has created a tradition in their Spanish Honors classes to build ofrendas in honor of the Spanish holiday, Día De Los Muertos also known as Day of the Dead.

Calculating breast cancer risk

Absolute risk versus relative risk and what you need to know about calculating the risk of developing breast cancer. Let’s define both and gauge the risk.

Staff, students impress principal

Andrew J. Mitchell recently earned a spot on the Clark County School District Superintendent’s Honor Roll. It was a pleasure to accept this award on behalf of the staff, students, and families of Mitchell Elementary.

Country Store expects big crowd this weekend

Over the last seven-plus decades, Grace Community Church’s Country Store has gone from a simple bake sale to one of the largest yard sales in the area.

Military widows, widowers, form new group

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) supervises thousands of benefit programs including many variations on most of them. Veterans and their families can be eligible for “this, that and the other.” But in the case of “other, that and this,” one must go to option one, two or three unless applying under a different section of the definition of “Feature X, Y and Z.” Or something like that. The red tape is unending.

Record attendance at annual fall Spooktacular festival

Each year, Martha P. King and Andrew J. Mitchell host our annual Spooktacular Event during the month of October. The Spooktacular is a fall festival open to all families living in the Boulder City community. The event boasts trunk or treating, food from Vinnie’s Pizza, a spooky garden walk, carnival games, and a community cakewalk.

Bobcats hitting their stride this year

The halls of Garrett Junior High School are filled with energy and excitement, as we finish our first quarter of the year.

Trimming keeps trees healthy, property safe

Oh, how we love the cooling shade from a glorious tree, especially during this exceptionally hot Indian summer. With deciduous (leaf dropping) trees well through their growing season, it’s now that we find overgrown branches hanging over or hitting houses, encroaching on neighbors’ property, entangling power/cable lines, etc.