Benjamin's Christmas Cookie Jar (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780615710266)

I have traveled to many areas in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, The Bahamas, Bermuda, Europe, New Zealand and Australia. One of my greatest joys is meeting people of the world, learning about their cultures and communicating with them even when I do not know their language. My husband and I hiked mountain trails in Arizona and Colorado. Other places we explored were Canada, Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Idaho, California, New England, New Mexico, Michigan, Nevada and New York. I have three adult children, two darling grandsons and a sweet granddaughter. I enjoy family gatherings, cooking, swimming, walking, reading, and social events with friends, choir, and quiet times. My writing career started in 1999 when I submitted an article to a local newspaper in Apache Junction, Arizona entitled, "And The Sounds Change." The piece focused on Queen Creek, a ranching community transitioning to a suburban community. My articles focused on family, historical events, reminiscences and timely topics and appeared in publications in Arizona. Many of my poems have been published in several anthologies. After my husband and I moved to Colorado Springs in 2002 I became a GrandFriend volunteer in School District 11. I tutor students in reading and writing. When I assisted third grade students I wrote; "Back of Beyond, with Kimmy Koala", an outback adventure about the wildlife in Australia. The children illustrated the story and it was published in May 2003. The sequel, "Wilma Wombat's Trek to Back of Beyond" follows Wilma's travels with other animals to Kimmy Koala's Eucalyptus grove. I developed other stories based on life experiences and a desire to comment on special events that have significance and educational value in our ever changing environment and world. "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Girl" is based on a true story about my Granddaughter, Olivia who stayed up all night singing, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" "Noah's Moon" is about a schoolboy who is learning about the moon and its phases. He shares this with his grandma and his baby brother. "Oh, No, Pluto!" portrays the whimsical plight of our former ninth planet, Pluto. "Benjamin's Christmas Cookie Jar" is about a little boy who loves to bake. My stories are fun and educational. I incorporate interesting facts and cultural traditions where appropriate. My books are geared children 3 - 12. I developed an interactive school presentation for my stories.