Author Christine McDonald and illustrator Julene Ewert will sign copies of their children’s book “Just Imagine a More Beautiful World” at 10 a.m. Saturday at BookPeople of Moscow, 521 S. Main St., during the Moscow Farmers Market.
Christine McDonald is in her mid-60s, but she remembers what it was like to be scared on the first day of school.
The inspiration for her children’s book, an illustrated poem titled “Just Imagine a More Be
autiful World,” came from growing up on a ranch in a remote area of Montana, where she said she didn’t have much opportunity for social interaction as a young child.
“That first day of school was kind of hard,” she said. “The poem that I wrote was ‘What did my 5-year-old (self) need on that day?’ ”
The teacher in the story invites her students to create an imaginary world where everyone belongs and reassures them that their own heart is the safest place to be.
“It really does bring a sense of just belonging,” McDonald said.
The best fit for an illustrator turned out to be close to home. McDonald, of Pullman, had purchased work from Moscow artist Julene Ewert at the Moscow Farmers Market and BookPeople of Moscow.
“I liked her style,” she said.
So she contacted Ewert, whose work recently appeared on the cover of Inland 360, and sent her the manuscript.
The resulting book, her poem complemented by Ewert’s whimsical illustrations, is targeted to kids ages 4-8 years old but holds a universal message.
“I think it’s for anybody who is really starting something new,” McDonald said.
It’s the first children’s book for the retired soil scientist, whose foray into self-publishing also includes last year’s poetry collection, “Everything Wild Has a Home,” and “My Two Mothers, A Collection of Poetry and Prose.”
She said she hopes this story can help readers feel a “sense of connectedness,” and she’s promoting it for use in social-emotional learning settings.
“When you write from that deep sense of centeredness that we all have, it’s a universal language,” she said. “When you find that, it can resonate with other people.”
McDonald and Ewert will sign copies of the book Saturday at BookPeople (see inset). More information about McDonald is at awaken2wonder.com; Ewert’s website is juleneewert.com.
