|
Mary Kay Jones Will Read At Saturday’s Stories in the Forest
PICKING STORY BOOKS - Mary Kay Jones, mother of four and a member of the Women’s Advisory Council of the St. Bernards Development Foundation, and her daughters pick three children’s books that Jones will read this Saturday at the WAC’s Stories in the Forest at The Mall at Turtle Creek. Pictured above are (from left), Kate, 10; Tess, 7; Mary Kay; Izzy, 8; and Lilly, 13. Stories in the Forest is a free program scheduled for 3 p.m. at the St. Bernards Fun Forest at the mall.
Mary Kay Jones will be the reader Saturday (June 6) for Stories in the Forest, a program sponsored by the Women’s Advisory Council of the St. Bernards Development Foundation. The program is to begin at 3 p.m. at St. Bernards Fun Forest at The Mall at Turtle Creek.
Jones and her four daughters went through some of their favorite books and have chosen three to read Saturday – Just Me & My Mom by Mercer Mayer and I’m Going To Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem and Where Do Balloons Go: An Uplifting Mystery, both written by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Laura Cornell.
Mayer is a prolific writer, having penned and illustrated more than 300 children’s books. Born in Little Rock in 1943, he grew up in a military family. He lived on navy bases and pent a great deal of time snake and lizard hunting as well as immersing himself in picture books and art. His first children’s book – A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog – was published in 1967 and was a true “picture book,” painting a story without a word of text.
Mayer was graduated from high school and attended Honolulu Academy of Arts for a while, but quit school to move to New York City. There he trained at Art Students League of New York and worked for an advertising agency. In 1976 he joined the creator of “Little Golden Books” and has illustrated books for a number of other authors. He lives with his family in Roxbury, Conn., and he and and his wife together write the Critter stories.
Just Me and My Mom is one of Mayer’s Little Critter series. In it, Little Critter and his mom are off to spend a day in the city. There is a lot to do – a visit to the museum of natural history, a visit to the aquarium and, of course, lunch at a restaurant. Little Critter manages to get himself into trouble along the way, but Mom is more than patient … patient when he loses the train tickets, patient when he picks up a dinosaur egg at the museum and patient when he lets his pet frog join him at the lunch table. The day comes to a close with a wild taxi ride back to the train station and a train ride home.
Though Curtis may be better known as an actress, (starring in movies such as Halloween, A Fish Called Wanda, True Lies, Trading Places and more) she has had a great deal of success writing children’s books, having had eight books published in the last 16 years. The versatile entertainer had her first children’s book – When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old’s Memoir of Her Youth – published in 1993 to warm reviews.
She says she did not set out to be a children’s author. But the experiences of her children led her to the field, and she takes her inspiration from daily living. Curtis, her husband, Christopher Guest, and their two children, Annie and Thomas, live in California.
I’m Gonna Like Me is a celebration of liking yourself, the author says. Using fun rhyming verses and fresh lively artwork by well-known illustrator Laura Cornell, it stresses the importance of liking yourself every day. Through alternating points of view – a boy’s and a girl’s – it shows children that regardless of whether you get the answer wrong at school or are the last person picked for a team, the most important thing is liking who we are.
Curtis says Where Do Balloons Go? is a book about what happens when we let go – not just let go of balloons, but let go and let our imaginations take us places. She calls it a magical story that explores themes of loss and the power of imagination.
In addition to giving parents some quality time with their children and exposing children to some favorite books of local residents, Stories in the Forest has an educational focus, with printed materials available for parents. The program is an outgrowth of the St. Bernards Women’s Advisory Council’s tremendously successful Kidz Fun Fair.
The Women’s Advisory Council is a group of about 120 area women who have joined together in an advisory role to give input on important healthcare issues impacting women and children. They encourage educational as well as service outreach efforts designed to make Jonesboro a better place to live, work and raise families.
St. Bernards Medical Center is a 438-bed hospital which offers comprehensive healthcare services and serves as a regional referral center for Northeast Arkansas and Southeast Missouri. Since 1900, St. Bernards has served the area with dedicated and experienced healthcare workers, advanced technology and the largest medical staff in the region. The facility puts patient and community needs first by focusing on quality, safety, cost control, service and diversity. Learn more at http://www.stbernards.info | 
