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Reading and rhyming
May 24, 2007
By
MARCIA SAGENDORPH Staff Writer
"Are you ready to read and rhyme?" asked Wendi Maresca as
she began reading to the children.
"Yeah!" the children shouted.
"Okay, here we go. Arnie Apple ate all day...," Maresca
began as the young audience paid close attention.
Maresca, of Gurnee, enjoyed the kids' enthusiasm during
her first book signing at Under the Sycamore Tree, 970 Harris Road, in
the Prairie Station shops at Prairie Crossing.
Jackie Harris, proprietor, said she likes to work with
local authors like Maresca. The store opened last November and has been
well-received.
"I've been supported by people from a wide area," said
Harris, a former teacher and current resident of Prairie Crossing.
Customers come from Grayslake, Gurnee, Mundelein,
Libertyville, Lake Forest and even Wisconsin, she added, estimating they
attract about 100 new customers each month.
"This is a great place for kids who have great
curiosity," Harris said. "We are a community hub for family events."
Harris praised Maresca for having fun with the alphabet
book.
"I loved her book," Harris said. "It's a great
reinforcement of learning the alphabet and kids love silly rhymes.
"We're trying to feature as many local authors as
possible," Harris added. "Authors need to be talking about their books."
Under the Sycamore Tree has a replica of a tree inside
it, along with several birds in cages, stuffed animals, toys, games and
books for every level.
"We have different things that you can't find everywhere
else," said Harris. "Some of the books we have are from smaller
publishing houses."
Maresca self-published Alphabet Silly Time with the help
of family members in 2004.
Her journey began out of a desire to build a personal
library for her son, Grant, now 6.
"I started the book about six years ago when I was
pregnant with my first child," said Maresca. She and her husband Michael
are now expecting their second child in June. "I found some children's
books that I liked and several that I didn't."
She started jotting down memories of things she loved as
a child, especially rhyming books. Maresca said she wanted the drawings
to be simple, black and white line drawings, similar in style to Shel
Silverstein, children's poet and author of "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and
"A Light in the Attic."
"Kids just need a stepping stone into their own
imagination," Maresca said. "Kids are so overloaded today. I think less
is more when it comes to illustrations."
She has sold several hundred copies of the $10.95 book on
her Web site (www.alphabetsillytime.com).
"Thanks for being silly with me!" Maresca told her small
group of fans.
Matthew Edelstein said he and his children enjoyed the
reading.
"I like the way she made learning fun," he said. "It kept
the kids' interest."
Except for six-month-old Sadie, who was sound asleep in
his arms.
He and his wife Susan also brought along their three
other children, Morey, 4, Sophia, 3, and Harry, 2.
"I liked 'S' the best because it starts my name," Sophia
said when asked about her favorite part.
Jenny Shapiro, a former first-grade teacher, said the
book is a perfect gift idea. She attended the reading with her children,
Nathan, 3 and Leah, 10 months.
"I love supporting local authors," Shapiro said. "We love
anything rhyming and silly stories. It's perfect. And this bookstore is
so darn cute, we can't help coming here."
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