Local Authors’ Children’s Books Appeal To All Ages

 Two Harwich author/illustrators have released children’s books that really appeal to all ages. 

In his book, Kenton R. Hill describes the insects that are soon to descend on parts of our area while Ally Coburn Piper has created a book that will speak to the nostalgia so many of us feel about Cape Cod summers.

 In about a month, periodical cicadas are expected to emerge in parts of Cape Cod for the first time in 17 years.

 Wondering what the bugs are all about? Hill, a retired teacher and school principal, has written and illustrated “Buzzy and the Little Critters: A Curious Tale of a Cicada Invasion” (Luminare Press, 2016) to answer questions anyone might have. Hill knows a lot about bugs because, it turns out, his late father, Roscoe E. Hill, was an entomologist who was appointed chairman of the department of entomology at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.

 The year 1964 was another time when the 17-year cicadas emerged. When the elder Hill was asked by a newspaper reporter to explain why cicadas make their characteristic loud buzzing noise, he said, “It is just the nature of the little critters,” his son remembered during an email interview. His father’s words led Hill to research the cicadas.

 Hill presents the fruit of his research in a book for readers ages 6 to 9. “Buzzy and the Little Critters” is the first in a series of five “Tales of Curious Critters” books for young readers.

 In this story, Boone and his friend Rosa grow curious as “thousands and thousands” of the buzzing cicadas invade their town. The children ask Boone’s grandfather, an entomologist, about the insects’ life cycle and so learn a great deal about it. Following the story are 38 “fun facts” about cicadas. For example, the word cicada means “buzzer” or “tree cricket” in Latin. They have five eyes — three “simple eyes” to see light and dark, and two to see the world. They are harmless — they neither bite nor sting. And they serve as food for everything from cats and dogs to squirrels, raccoons and toads.

 Hill, his wife and children first visited the Cape from their home on the West Coast when Hill’s in-laws moved to the Cape in the early 1990s. In November 2021 Hill and his wife moved to Harwich from Portland, Ore.

 He began his writing career with a book about emotional intelligence development, “Smart Isn’t Enough: Lesson From a Work Performance Coach.” But after a class in an Oregon college on illustrating children’s books, he embarked on his life-long goal of writing kids’ books. “Buzzy” began as his class project. He is now illustrating a four-book series by another children’s author.

 Hill will sign copies of “Buzzy and the Little Critters” at Yellow Umbrella Books in Chatham on Saturday, April 26 from noon to 3 p.m.

Ally Coburn Piper of Harwich has released a book for children of all ages set in Orleans.

Piper calls “Golden Hour” (Bright Moments Co., 2023) a “lyrical love letter” to Cape Cod. It is also an ode to her extended family’s nightly ritual of watching the sunset over Rock Harbor. Piper’s grandparents, Harold and Ella Brehm, bought their house in Orleans in the 1960s. Later on, when Piper was a baby, she became part of the family tradition of visiting the Brehms in their house each summer — and watching the sunset on the beach.

“Lots of readers enjoy [the book] because it captures the old Cape Cod magic that so many of us remember,” Piper said in an email interview. “It’s turned out to be a coffee table favorite for all ages since it is filled with lots of nostalgia.”

Illustrating the book are photos from Piper’s extensive collection. While she shot most of the photos, two are from her family archive including one of Harold Brehm and a young Piper walking on the tidal flats.

Piper digitally watercolored the photos to create photo art. The technique “allowed me to marry the realism of photography with the whimsy of watercolors and play off the soft golden hour light,” she says.

Piper’s first story was published in a New Hampshire newspaper when she was in the sixth grade. Later, in college, she studied English and journalism and spent a summer as a reporter in Ellsworth, Maine. At that point she launched her career in marketing and communications. She has also learned graphic design — an important skill when it came time to illustrate her debut book. Her writing has been included in three anthologies.

“Golden Hour” is available at Where the Sidewalk Ends in Chatham; The Brewster Store in Brewster; and Below the Brine Bookshop and Reciprocity Artisans Market in Harwich Port.

Piper will read “Golden Hour” at the Snow Library in Orleans on Thursday, April 24 at 10:30 a.m. during story time. She will also participate in the Local Author Fair at the Eastham Public Library Eastham on Saturday, May 17 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Signed books will be for sale.