The Books
Sammy Star
Sammy is a star born into a world of moons. When Mama Moon tries to help him fit in, his sparkle begins to fade… until she discovers that the bravest thing a mama can do is love her little star exactly as he is.
Ages 4–8 · 24 pages, full colour · $14.99
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Scaredy Cat Sammy
Everyone has brand new comet-trail bikes — everyone except Sammy, who thinks bikes are dumb. (He is maybe, possibly, just a little bit afraid.)
Scaredy Cat Sammy was inspired by a raven I named Braveheart. I started tossing leftovers to an unkindness of ravens during a particularly harsh winter. The ravens were very cautious to approach — hungry, but scared. The scrawniest one, the one I named Braveheart, weighed the risks and decided to go for it. Braveheart went first every time — and the others followed.
I still feed the ravens, and he is still the bravest of them all. Braveheart taught me that the bravest ones are simply the first to try.
And keep your eyes open… a little black cat hides on every page.
Tell me when it's outComing Next from the Night Sky
Three more Sammy stories are already written. The pictures below are early illustrations — a little taste while the books are being made.
Sammy Star Sings!
Inspired by my Granny, who loved to sing but was terrible at it. Someone at church commented on her tone-deaf warbling, and she stopped singing — for years. Then, gradually, she began to sing to herself in the kitchen. Her singing had not improved one bit — but that warbling, off-key voice lit her up, and she lit up everyone around her.
Happy people make people happy.
Sammy Star & the Chewing-Gum Butterfly
A story about owning up to mistakes, even when it's hard — and especially when nobody saw. Broken things can be mended or replaced, but your word and your honor are yours to keep.
Sammy Star Used Up All His Good
Inspired by my own children. When my son started kindergarten, the big days wore him out — being on your best behavior all day is hard — and by each afternoon he had nothing left for the little sister who had waited all day for him to come home. When I gently told him he needed to be good to her too, he broke down in tears: “But Mama, I have used up all my good!”
That sentence stuck — and it became this book. It also introduces Luna, Sammy's little sister, who adores his light because she doesn't have it.
