What inspires you? For former St. Louise School teachers Cherie McIntosh and Deena Cook, it’s childhood imagination.
The duo has recently launched their new book series titled Pinky and Peanut. The characters get their names from nicknames that Deena and Cherie have actually call their own children.
“We both wrote an equal amount and the ideas just kept flowing,” relates Cook.
When asked how they came up with their ideas, the authors said they want to encourage “Kids to just be kids” and to simply enjoy the childhood years.
“We see kids growing up too fast,” noted McIntosh, “we wanted to provide interesting, confirming, reinforcing, stories and characters that kids could easily relate to.”
There’s even more heart and history behind Pinky and Peanut. The illustrator, Trina Scruggs Sullivan, attended St. Louise School and was a former student of Cook’s. When Cook and McIntosh needed a good illustrator, who better to mentor than their former student who was, coincidently, ready to give up her artistic passion as other doors were not opening with opportunity.
Good fortune has reunited the threesome to do the Pinky and Peanut Series. They have written a second volume titled Pinky and Peanut, Trouble Times Two, and are working on a number three in the series, Pinky and Peanut, No Boys Allowed.
The authors say they emphasize the positive attributes portrayed by the characters. “Kindness” and “goodness” are the order of the day, they said, and have made the stories clean, wholesome, and funny.
“This is a realistic, engaging, story written with humor and insight,” relates St. Louise School librarian, Mary Carson. "The books touch on friendship, sibling rivalry, pets, and school experiences. The multiple copies of each book we have in the library are constantly checked out.”
The Pinky and Peanut series is available on their website at www.pinkyandpeanut.com, Amazon.com and at all major book stores in the area.
